The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Patches

Below are installation instructions taken from the official site:

• The game launcher will automatically update any new installation of the game to version 2.1. This is also true for installations previously patched to versions 1.35 and 2.0.
• Installations previously patched to version 1.1 must be updated manually to include patches 1.2 and 1.3, after which the game launcher will automatically update the game to versions 1.35, 2.0 and 2.1.
• Installations previously patched to version 1.2 must be updated manually to include patch 1.3, after which the game launcher will automatically update the game to versions 1.35, 2.0 and 2.1.

Each available patch has its page, including a changelog, on the official site:

• Patch 1.1
• Patch 1.2
• Patch 1.3
• Hotfix 1.35
• Patch 2.0
• Patch 2.1 This particular update may cause some issues.
• Enhanced Edition

Issues and Fixes

Continued Stuttering During Gameplay

This issue is most commonly caused by incorrect texture settings. Launch the game and navigate to the 'Options' menu on the launcher. Locate the option for 'Texture Memory Size (MB)'. This is how much of your graphics card RAM is allocated to texture storage. For a 512MB RAM card, it is recommended set this to 'Small', whereas for a 1GB RAM card set this to 'Large'. Allocating insufficient memory for texture storage can result in delayed texture rendering and constant stuttering during gameplay.

First Time Setup Lock

The game attempts to reinstall framework 4.0 every time the game is launched.

<hint> Rename the "redist" folder in the W2 folder to say "redist_old" and it will no longer keep running the .Net patcher.

eg:

G:\Steam\steamapps\common\the witcher 2\redist\

Rename to:

G:\Steam\steamapps\common\the witcher 2\redist_old\

Launch the game.

Option: Registry Change

Open Notepad, and enter this code:

For 64 bit systems (x64)

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Valve\Steam\Apps\20920]
"DirectX"=dword:00000001
"VCRedist"=dword:00000001
"dotNetFx40"=dword:00000001

For 32 bit systems (x86)

Open Notepad, and enter this code:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Valve\Steam\Apps\20920]
"DirectX"=dword:00000001
"VCRedist"=dword:00000001
"dotNetFx40"=dword:00000001

Save as a .reg file, and then double click on it.

Option: Rename .dll

Rename this .dll file:

For 64 bit systems (x64)

C:\Windows\SysWoW64\acaptuser32.dll

For 32 bit systems (x86)

C:\Windows\System32\acaptuser32.dll

Option: Delete Files

Delete 20920_install.vdf and runasadmin.vdf

Crash on startup with error 0xc0000142

If you have software from LucidLogix installed (It may have come with your motherboard), remove it.

Patch 2.1

Patch 2.1 is meant to fix communication between the game and the Witcher forums arena leader boards. Since the update, many people have experienced an error that says The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000142). There are a few ways to fix this.

• If you are using GOG or retail version, just reinstall the game and do not update to 2.1
• If you are a Steam user, try-
  • Reinstalling the Microsoft .Net 4
  • Check your system for any browser toolbars installed. Uninstalling certain toolbars has been known to fix this issue. Some common ones are -
    • Jzip
    • searchqu
    • Bearshare
    • iLivid
    • Other torrent or search bars

Black Screen During the Cut-scene after the First Chapter (Enhanced Edition)

A special cut-scene should be played off, but instead you receive a black screen and only hear Dandelion's voice.

Option: Change your screen format

Change your screen format to 16:9 ratio. It's working for most people.

Mods and Third Party Utilities

No Intro Videos

The No Intro Videos Mod skips all intro videos except the logo by CDProjekt. [1].

Market Price Mod

Makes buying and selling prices within markets more fair to the player. It reduces the 24:1 ratio between buy to sell prices and reduces it to 5:1 as seen in the original game. [2].

The Witcher 2 Savegame manager

Allows for the easy backup, management, and removal of The Witcher 1 and 2 save files. Can tremendously improve the clutter of savegame files. [3].

HUD Tweaks

Improves the in game HUD by decreasing the size of the lock-on crosshair, adding in a combat crosshair, a minimap direction pointer, and the ability to select signs, swords, and pocket items without clicking (meditation still requires clicking since it's in the center). [4]

Panel Tweaks

Improves the in-game inventory through various helpful tweaks. [5].

• This mode does not work with Enhanced Edition installed. The menus will appear blank and unusable.

The Witcher 2 Tweaker

Allows for greater customization of graphics options to further tailor your game for the PC. Also has helpful tips for improving performance on some computers as well. [6]

GOG.com backup copy

Everyone who bought a retail version of the game can redeem their serial key here to receive a backup copy on their gog.com account. The copy includes all the enhanced edition content. Witcher 2 Backup copy.

Video Settings

GPU/CPU Intensive Settings

Enabling the following options will result in a significant reduction in in-game frame rate:

• Anti-Aliasing: Enabling this option reduces the jaggedness of rendered objects outlines at the expense of FPS. As the form of Anti-Aliasing the game uses is post-processing, you are unable to refine the detail level of AA, so disabling this is a must for improving performance.
• Cinematic Depth of Field: Of the three depth of field options available, cinematic depth of field results in the biggest performance decrease. Enabling it applies a stylised depth of field effect to cutscenes and dialog sections. It is important to note that enabling it essentially enables depth of field anyway, so this option should be used in conjunction with 'Depth of Field - Cutscenes'. Again, it's performance impact is significant.
• Light Shafts: This option adds realistic light glares as sunlight filters through trees, etc. However, in graphically busy areas such as forests it can result in a major performance hit, and as such disabling it is recommended on lower end systems.
• LOD [Level of Detail] Distance: This decides how far away detailed objects (such as some shrubbery, objects, etc.) are rendered. The higher you set this value, the further away such objects will be rendered, and the larger the impact on FPS. As the difference between the 'Near' and 'Far' options is visually negligible in almost all instances, 'Near' is recommended for most systems. For systems which only just meet the system requirements, consider using the 'Minimal' option.
• Motion Blur: Enabling this option will result in a stylistic blur effect rotating the camera, which also results in an overall performance decrease.
• SSAO [Screen Space Ambient Occlusion]: This option improves the overall quality of shadows in-game by increasing their definition and contrast. Enabling it will also largely impact performance.
• UberSampling: This option essentially requires your system render everything on-screen multiple times before displaying, resulting in a drastic increase in overall visual detail, maximising object detail and smoothness, with the expense of a huge performance hit. It is only recommended to enable this option if you have a very high-end system.
• Wet Surfaces Rain Effect: This option is only active when it is raining in-game, and adds a semi-transparent filter to many objects to make the rainfall impact appear more realistic. It can result in a sizeable performance hit during rain sequences, however, so disabling it is a good idea for performance increases.

Note all other graphics options can be enabled/disabled with little or no FPS impact. Note that whilst 'Texture Downscaling' has a significant visual impact on the 'High' setting, reducing downscaling to 'Low' or disabling it entirely can drastically improve the look of the game with very little performance impact.

Useful Links

• A comprehensive patch list for both The Witcher 2 and its predecessor.
• A comprehensive list of known issues and potential fixes.

See Also

• The Witcher