I have a dilemma... I want to have access to the 3 different story beginnings (as well as other outcomes that come from it), but I only have the digital Steam copy of The Witcher (1) and the RETAIL version of The Witcher 2(I don't have the best Internet, so loading a game of this magnitude went a lot faster via disks). The Witcher 1 is not currently loaded on this computer(I bought a new computer and haven't gotten around to loading it back up via Steam), but my data should still be there due to Steam's account information cloud capability. If I was to install it back up on this new computer via Steam, then try to import the game's data via The Witcher 2's option on the start menu, would it still work even though one is a digital copy(and coming from Steam), and the other is a retail version not having any affiliation with Steam?

I'd have to wait a while to let all 14 gigs of The Witcher 1 load back up, but it'd be worth it! Thanks for any and all help!

Importing between versions works flawlessly. As long as you can get your TW1 saves into Documents/The Witcher/saves, you should be fine, as that's all it should need (as long as it's a valid end-game save)

I have absolutely no idea what the exact relationship is between Steam "cloud" saves and the saves on your hard drive. For instance, I have the Steam version of the Enhanced Edition (yes, I bought it twice, because at the time I totally didn't get that I could have simply downloaded the patch as an owner of the original game, but was happy to support CPR with a double purchase), and all my W1 saves are in my documents folder, so not sure how the Steam "cloud" works with that.

Maybe Steam installs your saves from the "cloud" onto your hard drive when you re-install the game?

why reinstall?

Not reinstall TW2, I meant that for installing TW1(I used to have it installed on my old computer). The purpose of a "cloud" is to be a place that harbors all of your data so you can access that data from any computer and not have to carry around an external hard drive. Steam's cloud keeps your Steam account data for all your games and downloads that to your computer. The difference is that if you uninstall, it doesn't delete all your personal data and achievements from the game, per se. It DOES delete it all from your physical computer, but it keeps it safe and tucked away in THEIR memory banks for when you might decide to download it back later. It associates the data with your account.

At least, that's how I've come to summarize it.

Well, I guess you'll find out for us when you re-install. :p

Update on this...

I was able to completely download my Steam digital copy of The Witcher: Enhanced Director's Cut last night. Sadly, all my previous data did not show up when I started the game... So I'd have to redo the whole story to get the different beginnings for The Witcher 2... :(

I guess the Steam Cloud is a lie. ;p

Steam Cloud is only available on select games. The Witcher is not one of those games to my knowledge.

Why uninstall?

for the op, I remember seeing some saves floating around. you might find some with a google search or maybe on this forum too

Also, an imported save has about a 0.0000000000000001% effect on the story. I wouldn't stress over that aspect of the import.

However, importing a save does let you start out with significantly better gear than the default. Also, if the save game used gold cheats, you will likely start off W2 with enough orens to break the economy.

If you don't want the game to be easier, then don't import a save at all. You'll loose nothing in the story.

If you do want it to be easier, just choose a random save that's floating around these boards or the internet. No need to install the game yourself if you don't already have one.

Meh, the game is already installed so I'm not going to uninstall it. This computer I'm using is a brand new custom-built gaming rig with a 1TB hard drive, partitioned into 300GB and 700GB. The 300GB partition holds my OS and some essential programs, and the 700GB partition houses my Steam folder, The Witcher 2, and will also be the home of future games I download. So since it has a lot of space left and will only be there to store games that I will want to back up if I ever switch hard drives, a 14GB game like TW1 isn't a big deal. Plus TW1 is one of those must-have games in your arsenal =P

Importing save has a bug. At the end of prologue you lose your silver sword, in the first act you have a quest to find/forge a new silver sword. This quest gets autocompleted immediately because you silver sword magically reappears - because the game thinks that if you imported your save, you still should have it, despite the fact that you jammed it in dragon's mouth.

That's not really a bug. If you import a save, you actually get two silver swords - the basic one everyone starts with and the one from TW1. If you lose one of them, you still have the other (unless you throw it out, but I didn't check what happens then), so there's no need to find a new one.

What actually is a bug is the fact that in the cutscene you stab the dragon with the sword you have equipped - probably the one imported from TW1. But you lose always the basic silver sword.