This is now the second game in a short time-frame that seems to assume everyone uses subtitles (even though they can be turned off in the menus). First Fallout: New Vegas' Dead Money DLC had a deaf character who gestured and explanations of her gestures were in the subtitles. Now The Witcher 2 has an elf character who speaks to you in the "old language" and the subtitles translate but do not appear if you have them off. This is in chapter two, following Roache, and it is an important plot conversation. It is DEFINITELY translated into English with subtitles on and you even ask questions and get replies in the elven language (which is then translated).

It's frankly ridiculous. How can a designed not think "what if people have subtitles off" when they write this stuff? How is that not common sense?

There is a very simple fix: have those subtitles appear whether I have general subtitles on or off. There you go, done. GET ON IT.

And stop assuming everyone uses subtitles. I am not hard of hearing and neither are the vast majority of people.

Yep. It's uber-frustrating. What's worse is that the sound effects and voice volumes cannot be adjusted individually. Solution: I downloaded the Polish voice pack and switched the VO language to it. Let's hope there's a patch that fixes this absurdness.

I totally agree with both of you.

OBJECTION!

How did you know this if you didn't have subtitles on?

an american that doesn't read subtitles now that is a new thing /sarcasm

why don't you turn it on then, problem solved.
if you choose to turn off subtitles, guess what that option does, it turns off the subtitles.

if the subtitles appear when you have that option off, derps like you are gonna complain that the subtitles appear when you have them off

I wish I had the option to just turn off the ambient dialogue ones that appear above peoples heads. That bugs me, but I'd like subtitles everywhere else.

People play with disabled subtitles for a reason. They want to follow the mimic and gestures of the characters, listen to their voice and not read the text. It's simple, really.

The topic starter is asking for special subtitles - they're called "forced subtitles" for movies - where just parts in another language are subtitled. It's not something exotic, its a known and widely used feature, so its not unreasonable to expect it or to ask for it.

I think the way in which the OP presented his complaint was arrogant and near-rude. His tone is one of aggression, not of a reasonable request. If he'd started the thread with a little more tact then perhaps the responses wouldn't have been in the same tone.

I agree, for what it's worth, I just think it could have been presented a more balanced and friendly post.

I'm playing with subtitles on, and everytime someone uses the old language, it is not translated in the subs, but reported just at it's spoken.

Normally it should look like that:

Bla! [Ble!]

While I totally agree to OP I ask myself, why you are so agressive?

All subtitles that I've seen when the Elfs speak in the "old language" are in the "old language" the only time that they have been translated is when Geralt has translated them himself and say them right back... I don't get what you are complaining about.

What are you on about? There is a difference between generic subtitles which show text for everything and subtitles which translate a foreign language. I am not hard of hearing, so I have subtitles off. Yet crucial information is conveyed in translation of the elven language in the game which does not have forced subtitles.

This is a very simple thing to understand. When you watch a movie that is in English and someone speaks in a foreign language there are subtitles so you know what they are saying, even if you have regular subtitles off on your DVD player. I think you're being pretty damn sensitive here. In any event if I sound frustrated it's because I am... simple stuff like this should not have made it past QA.

You don't get what I am complaining about? Really? There is a crucial and important conversation going on in front of me and I understand none of it because the only way to know what they are saying is to have subtitles on. I do not have subtitles on because I am not hearing impaired. When subtitles are used as translation and not as hearing assistance they should be on no matter what, like in a movie.

This is not a complicated concept to grasp.

This is what happens when you mothers don't breastfeed.

What the hell does this even mean?

Gotta love all you brand new members on the forum jumping my shit for expecting dialogue that should be understood to be understandable. Is this a case of "CDP CAN DO NOTHING WRONG!" or what?

No. I don't think it is. I think a few people in here have agreed with you, but pointed out that you could have been a tad more tactful in the way you reported what you feel is an issue.

No, it probably shouldn't have made it past QA, and Cd Projeckt should have done something about it prior to release. Does that excuse your aggressive and near-rude tone? No, I don't think it does.

And please don't patronise us with the "I'm a vet poster" line; it just makes you look all the more aggressive and rude. We may be new posters, but it makes our opinion no less valid than your own, regardless of your post count.