Alchemy crafting

[calabi]

I'd like to see a treatment of the subject that follows its namesake at least in some ways.

 

Alchemy in Skyrim isnt really alchemy, its cooking or herb mixing for instance. Alchemy is messing with dangerous substances. Its messing with mercury and other poisonous substances.

 

If it doesnt make you dead or crazy in the long term then its not really alchemy in my opinion. There's a great amount of history of this. If your going to use its name why is that the only as far as it goes with games.

 

I'm sure there are reasons why that is, but wouldnt it be interesting if some of its real world history and context came into play?

[Amentep]

I've thought for some time it'd be neat to have an alchemist class who might be able to mix up a potion or two (but maybe you'd not really trust drinking it) but could also make up vials that could then be thrown in combat (explosive vials, knockout gas, smoke bomb, caustic liquids that burn skin, poisons that could be added to weapons - that type of stuff).

 

Normal combat skills would favor thrown weapons (thus dovetailing into throwing vials and flasks with accuracy).

 

But even skill based, it'd be nice if it looked at building around the idea that alchemists were looking for a way to turn lead into gold and were playing with some dangerous things, so I favor the idea.

[Zephyr Falcon]

Alchemy that kills you slowly, poisons you, with potion that have widely different results?

 

Cute, but there's a problem - no one is going to use it!

 

A widely random system is always less preferred to a relaiable one. Simple logic - another case of historic accuracy not equal to good game design.

[curryinahurry]

I've thought for some time it'd be neat to have an alchemist class who might be able to mix up a potion or two (but maybe you'd not really trust drinking it) but could also make up vials that could then be thrown in combat (explosive vials, knockout gas, smoke bomb, caustic liquids that burn skin, poisons that could be added to weapons - that type of stuff).

 

Normal combat skills would favor thrown weapons (thus dovetailing into throwing vials and flasks with accuracy).

 

But even skill based, it'd be nice if it looked at building around the idea that alchemists were looking for a way to turn lead into gold and were playing with some dangerous things, so I favor the idea.

 

Alchemy was a big part of Darklands (I know, I'm starting to sound like a broken record), and you could do basically what you're describing with tossed vials, also you could brew potions, etc. It was a lot of fun. Alchemy also was part of the camping mechanic and it had its own screen as such:

 

 

Its one of the things I'm hoping we get in the game as Josh sawyer is such a big fan of the game (as are others at obsidian, I'm sure).

[Amentep]

Yeah, I gather if I'd ever played Darklands, I'd have loved it.

[calabi]

Alchemy that kills you slowly, poisons you, with potion that have widely different results?

 

Cute, but there's a problem - no one is going to use it!

 

A widely random system is always less preferred to a relaiable one. Simple logic - another case of historic accuracy not equal to good game design.

 

Well everything has to have limits. You have it all coded and explained story wise. It might be interesting that if you take to many healing potions in a short time you could end up poisoned, dead or worse. You swallow too many different potions you end up debilitated. Craft for too long your character has temporary insanity.

 

You can have an unpredictable effect after a predictable set circumstance. If players want to step over that line where they've been told bad things are going then it is up to them and the consequence is theirs. These limits can easily be indicated in the game.

 

Even if no gameplay elements at least couldnt we have some crazy npc alchemists. Story elements would even be great, where the cures are worse than the diseases. Got constipation, take a sip of this metallic liquid type substance, oh they died a week later nevermind it wasnt me.

[rjshae]

For most alchemical products, I'd just rather provide the rare final components to a dedicated alchemist (with assistants to do the scut work) then come and pick up the completed product at a later time. But I like calabi's notion of alchemists being a bit batty. Maybe they are missing an appendage or two as well.

Edited October 13, 2012 by rjshae

[Michael_Galt]

Given they do have people that worked on both Arcanum and F:NV, I think it's fair to assume that there will be a broad variety of things you can "manufacture". I just don't want it to devolve into a constant search for the components all over the map, like it did in DAO or Skyrim.

[damage99]

Hopefully crafting in PE ignores what Diablo3 has done and has meaningful ingredients. Finding ingredients in containers/drops from enemies makes it so much more fun and worthwhile versus combining 37 "essences" into an item. What a bad system that is.