The Witcher 3 Controls

[bradLP560]

Just picked up the Witcher on a sale at steam. I've never played a third person view game before, I normally hate them but I'm willing to make an exception for this.
But I can't control it. The mouse controls the camera - which swings about wildly with any input - the WASD controls the character, so I'm constantly getting lost with side angles and stuff.

Can I not set the mouse to control the characters direction and have the camera fixed behind him?
How do third person games normally work


Been through the settings many times and can't make sense of it.

 

[Star Wanderer]

They are doing some changes in few weeks, hopefully they will look at controls, it's not as bad as it was in Witcher 1 and 2, but still i can feel your pain.

 

[bradLP560]

I've been watching yt vids and it looks as though the camera follows the character perfectly even when he's galloping on a horse. I'd settle for that. If I'm directly behind him and he changes direction the camera doesn't follow, it's a mess.

 

[bradLP560]

I can see no one is interested in this but frankly it's ridiculous, how are you supposed to play this game!

I'm trying to do the tutorial where you have to climb up ladders and things following the little girl but it's completely batshit! As soon as he turns in a different direction the camera is looking at his face so you can't see where you're going.
He then walks off the edge cos he goes away from the camera!
I don't get this at all.

Tons of online stuff about setting up the key bindings but nothing about this. I presume it's just cos I've never played a third person view game before.
I'll hold my hands up, has to be me because millions have played the game but I can't get on with this.

 

[Mole HD]

I can see no one is interested in this but frankly it's ridiculous, how are you supposed to play this game!

I'm trying to do the tutorial where you have to climb up ladders and things following the little girl but it's completely batshit! As soon as he turns in a different direction the camera is looking at his face so you can't see where you're going.
He then walks off the edge cos he goes away from the camera!
I don't get this at all.

Tons of online stuff about setting up the key bindings but nothing about this. I presume it's just cos I've never played a third person view game before.
I'll hold my hands up, has to be me because millions have played the game but I can't get on with this.

Since I've played TW3 since it was released in 2015...both on Xbox and PC, I found when playing on PC that the m/kb controls were counterintuitive...to say the least. I switched to using my Xbox controller and it solved the issue. I suspect like most PC gamers you'd have issues with using a controller, mainly from an unfamiliarity standpoint, so it may not be a realistic option or you may not have one lying about...but it does play more fluidly and intuitively when using one.

Apologies if this isn't any help.

As for the camera views, there's an option to centre the camera behind Geralt as default in the settings....if you haven't set it already of course, that may help a bit with the disorientation.
I normally play with it set to off since I'm well familiar with the 3rd person perspective camera not only from TW3 but the Assassin's Creed games as well as many others. I use the Xbox controller for all of them... There's certainly a knack to playing 3rd person perspective games, it's mainly not using the mouse orientation like a headlook function as you'd use it playing an FPS game....if that makes any sense.

 

[bradLP560]

Thanks for your reply Mole.

I've already tried the Centering Camera option (I just tried it again to double check) and it doesn't do what I expect it to.
It doesn't seem to do anything. Press W and he runs away from the camera, press S and he turns and runs into the camera, or side on for A and D. This seems to be the exact same behaviour whether on or off.

I found some advice online that said you need to turn off mouse acceleration in Video-Hardware settings, I don't even have this option in the settings.

I'm definitely missing something here.

Could it be my mouse?
I've just bought an absurdly powerful new gaming rig hence I'm trying games I'd previously skipped. I've bought a wireless keyboard and mouse as well, apparently zero latency ones from logitech, maybe the mouse isn't communicating properly.

I also downloaded Red Dead Redemption 2 and although I've only played a short game I had no troubling controlling the camera, happily following the horse and rider trotting through the snow.

I don't have a controller to hand, that may be the way to go although I'm still sure somethings not right with my Witcher setup. Tomorrow I'll try plugging in a corded mouse.

Cheers.

 

[Mole HD]

I use a wired Logitech G502 pro gaming mouse set at around 5600dpi, it's more twitchy than most folk would prefer for everyday use... but I really don't like a lot of physical mouse movement when I use it in games.

Witcher 3 is certainly one of the more difficult to set up to how you like it, or at least be functional with a m/kb. I'm certain the game was designed to be used with a game controller since I'm sure I remember that the game was released on console and ported over to PC originally, just like RDR2...or even just taking from the way it works. As an alternative, you could always look around The Nexus for a Witcher 3 m/kb mod that may help, there are a couple there if I remember rightly. I think I've got around 30 or so mods, mostly graphical, running on my Witcher 3 currently

The mouse setting...the only mouse setting I came up with after looking through the options was the hardware mouse cursor option... can't see how that would help though

 

[bradLP560]

Quick update on this.

I've pretty much given up. I've played thousands of hours of Elder Scrolls stuff and was really looking forward to Witcher but I just can't get it on with it. The camera control is beyond me. I would still like to know if it is possible to have the camera fixed behind you because I absolutely cannot get it to do this. Every video on Youtube I watch the camera is panning behind the rider or the runner and following his direction, this does not happen on my game (I've tried reinstalling). They have recently done a large update and the one setting that might have facilitated this has been taken out, not that it worked before anyway.
Can people confirm please, when you play the Witcher will the camera swing around behind the character and follow his back?
I cannot get it to do this and the camera just swings around wildly completely independently. So if I turn my character left the camera is now looking at his left side, turn him another 90 degrees and he is now walking toward my view. Trying to keep track of this while he's jumping and turning about is impossible.

Millions of people have successfully played it so I'm obviously missing something major!

If you really have to control both his movement and the camera simultaneously then I'm going to admit defeat, I'm obviously senile.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

There is a freelook bind I think. Check if it's a toggle. Dont member it exactly but I think I had this on rare occasion with some dozble bind on a key. Might also be connected to the lock on feature.