<
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-scarily-detailed-witcher-3-mod-forces-geralt-to-fight-a-new-foe-long-covid/>
'In an incredibly niche bit of awareness-raising, a modder named
Stellar7Project has put together a far-reaching mod for
The Witcher 3 that,
if nothing else, will definitely make your next playthrough a lot different
than the ones before it. Long Covid Mode for
The Witcher 3 gives Geralt,
well, long Covid, turning "real Long Covid symptoms into in-game effects" and
generally making the entire game into a big, long, arduous experience.
The mod is a "pro-bono piece of work for Long COVID Europe," says the creator
in its description, "created to shed light on how an estimated 65+ million Long
COVID patients worldwide are living life on a whole new level of difficulty".
It's a profoundly detailed bit of work, too, as unusual as it is. Geralt's long
Covid symptoms (a sentence I can't say I ever imagined having to write) proceed
through four stages as his "Exertion Level"—a new addition to his inventory
screen—grows.
It starts off at EX1 (Fatigue), negatively affecting Geralt's movement speed
and little else, and goes all the way up to "Post-Exertional Malaise" or PEM.
At that point, the White Wolf's stamina regeneration is 20% of its peak
capacity, his health is decreased by over half, his lung capacity and digestion
work at quarter efficiency, and trying to use his Witcher senses triggers
something resembling a blackout. You'll also start randomly dropping inventory
items as Geralt's memory fails him, and end up waking up early or late from
meditation as he loses track of time.
It's honestly pretty harrowing. I confess when I first saw the mod, I was ready
to talk about it as a curiosity, one of those strange projects like the
Fallout 4 mod that obliterates you before the game can start, but it's safe
to say Long Covid Mode has done its job as far as I'm concerned. Mods for
The
Witcher 3 still seem like an odd way to build public awareness, but
Stellar7Project says it's "aimed at those who are unaware of these conditions
and how difficult life can be with them," and I guess I have to admit it's
worked on me.'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
