I installed FCR 1.6 before my first playthrough today and I'm utterly confused by this combat system. Dodge doesn't work, its mentioned to be doudle tap direction keys but nothing happens. And is the combat system supposed to be sword swings where you click ,but won't swing unless the cursor is on an enemy and any more than one click will be too fast? How do you block? I'm at the starting mission where the monster dogs chase down the boy and his sister. I can't do anything to them because they move so fast.

I have never tried FCR, but I think most players would not recommend using it for your first play of the game. It apparently makes things a lot harder. And the discussion of combat in the game manual will no longer apply since FCR changes how everything works.

For your first playthrough, you installed a mod whose primary purpose is to drastically change how combat works, and make it more difficult, and then you're confused when the descriptions of how combat works in the manual for the vanilla game don't match what's in the modded version? [headdesk] To actually answer some of your questions, though: In the UNMODDED game, combat is all about rhythm -- you click to initiate an attack, then, when the mouse cursor icon changes, you click to make another attack following up on the previous one (successfully chaining attacks is where you deal the big damage in this game). "Dodging" in the vanilla game works just fine, though it's actual movement -- jumping or rolling away from, toward, or off to one side of an opponent; tactical repositioning, in other words, not just dodging a specific attack while standing more or less in place. (Also note that the way to accomplish the jump/roll and the leap/spin is different depending on which view perspective you're playing the game from [manual p.28-29].) ACTUAL blocking/dodging of attacks is automatic in this game -- it's assumed Geralt's always trying to avoid getting hit, but how successful he is depends in part on which skills you increase as you level him up. From the bottom of page 29 of the manual:

So you think it'll be better to play without it first?
I delete the mod by clearing the override folder yez?

Yes, probably. At least try it out without the mod first and see if you like it. Although I always tell people that it gets better farther in the game, which is true; in the beginning Geralt doesn't have long chain attacks yet so combat can seem boring, but once he gains some levels it will be more interesting. I don't know about this, since I"ve never tried FCR myself. Anyone else know?

Thanks! Will do.

I don't know, as I don't use mods on first playthroughs...and since I rarely finish first playthroughs, that basically means I don't use mods. ;)

I'm pretty sure fully deleting FCR will require a clean install of the game, since it changes so much functionality.

This might be true... I think save games aren't compatible either so you'll have to start over. Fortunately the prologue isn't very long.

Mods for first play through... modern gaming for you. Play it without it.

To be fair, using mods on a first playthrough is not always a mistake. I would encourage anyone who wanted to play Oblivion to use one of the leveled list mods, even if they'd never played before (and if they want to play Skyrim instead I'd tell them to install the SkyUI mod ASAP). Similarly I'd encourage everyone to use the Unofficial Patch mod for Arcanum, even on a first play. And of course there are widescreen mods / resolution improvements for many older games that don't change the core game much but can make it look nice (and cooperate better) on modern screens.

But in the case of FCR for The Witcher, it changes so much about combat that I do think it's better to play without it first.

A UI mod is a little different to one that changes the game play don't you think?!

This is my feeling as well.

I hated the combat in the beginning, but that's mostly because early-game Geralt is a slow weakling. It makes more sense when he starts to be able to do some things. But first you must suffer.

Yes. But the other examples I gave do change the gameplay (leveled list mods for Oblivion, Unofficial Patch for Arcanum) and I would still recommend them for a first play.

FCR I would not.

I agree.

FCR is a major alteration of the combat system. Not good for a first timer.