Potions Suck and Here's Why

[Hellfell]

If PE has potions, Id like them to be cooldown-based utility consumables. No healing and mana potions please!

[Umberlin]

To make the potion belt more interesting . . . I suppose the thing to do would be to have different kinds of potions. Say offensive potions, defensive potions and support potions, Let's say you have . . . four slots on your belt. Do you dedicate all four slots on your belt to offensive 'exploding' potions?

 

.....

 

Any element that adds more tactical thought to combat, in my mind, is a good way to go for any mechanic, be it potions or otherwise.

 

I disagree completely with the whole mindset.

Arbitrary rules and limitations are something I just hate in rpg systems "I'm a master swordsman, but don't know at all how to fight with a katana. Oh gee, seems I'm not even able to hold it in my hands"

 

If that's what you got out of what I was saying then you read it wrong. That is all.

 

You'd obviously still have your back pack. Could you have a larger bottle in your bag to refill the smaller vials on your belt? Sure. Obviously. Why do you think I even mentioned the DS1 method of using potions to refill your main vile in the first place? You just wouldn't be rummaging around in said backpack during combat, nor would rummaging around in said backpack pause the game.

 

If PE has potions, Id like them to be cooldown-based utility consumables. No healing and mana potions please!

 

I really hate it when they put potions (or anything) on an arbitrary cooldown.

Edited November 13, 2012 by Umberlin

[Heresiarch]

I would actually like something of a Witcher-style potion system to be introduced. Not the same effects, of course, but adding various enhancements from weak and long-lasting to powerful yet short-lived. Coupled with a toxicity meter, they give you the opportunity to make tactical use of your potions instead of using them as OH, SHI~ buttons.

 

Do you want a faster stamina regeneration rate for the whole battle? Gulp this, add some to your toxicity bar. Do you refer powerful spell enhancement for quite a few offensive spells you are prepared to cast? There you go, don't spill a drop. But you won't be getting any potions until the end of the battle, unless you ant to drop down with cramps from poisoning.

 

Most importantly, potions shouldn't just copy spell effects. Otherwise, they become uninteresting.

[Somna]

I'm not sure why the consumable has to be "potions" specifically.

 

It could just as easily be a mini "book" of paper talismans on a wristband -- locate and rip out a page to use with one hand by touch (like with Braille), add the page to the "book" to equip the talisman. Easy to carry, easy to use, and you can add limitations that don't have to start making sense with ingesting things.

Edited November 13, 2012 by Somna

[Utukka]

Do half of you play on easy/normal or abuse enemy ai? Go play BG2 on insane without metagaming or using cheap tactics such as...Summon magic swords/creatures, open door, let summons in, close door. Rinse repeat. Cloudkill/fireball/web entire groups of enemies out of their sight range and just wait for them to die because they're too stupid to move out of it. Do a straight up fight the entire way through and see how much you need potions. I suppose the argument that will come in, well that's because it's on "insane" and "that's a balance issue!". I partially agree BUT...I have yet to see a game get it PERFECT where they can afford a challenging gameplay where you don't need potions. Sorry if the negligible difficulties find themselves with a bunch of worthless potions that make a mode that's already supposed to be easy, even easier.

Edited November 13, 2012 by Utukka

[Stun]

I'm not convinced that the IE games' implementation of consumables was "broken" in any way.

 

1) With the exception of Planescape: Torment (which, just like Skyrim, allowed heal-spamming while the game world was paused), the others did not. You were limited to one-per-round.

 

2) None of the IE games had 'overpowered' potions. The healing ones were just useful enough to keep you alive when you were in serious trouble. They did NOT suddenly restore you to full when you were near death, unless you were a level 1 mage with 6 hp.

 

3) The Non healing ones were refreshingly varied. They ranged from elemental resistance buffs, to Magical resistance buffs, to physical enhancement buffs. But again, nothing that broke game balance

 

The only valid argument I've seen on this thread against the IE system pertains to potion frequency. Potions were indeed too common. Soo... to fix the problem, simply make them less common. Done. No need to change the system, or get cute with pointless complexity, or whatever people here are suggesting.

 

PS: Witcher's system was horrid. The Toxicity bar is a cool idea, but.... having to stop and meditate before a fight in order to use a potion? Really? LOL no thanks. if such a system was in any other game but the beloved witcher, people would be condemning it as a metagaming tool.

Edited November 14, 2012 by Stun

[Aoyagi]

First of all, nobody forces you to use potions. Second of all, please don't use amateur photo of a TV screen that makes me feel nauseated when there's an option to use an actual, proper screenshot.

 

And really, in some situations in NWN2 you either had potions, cleric or had to go back to get your 'debuffs' properly healed. I liked that

[Hassat Hunter]

PS: Witcher's system was horrid. The Toxicity bar is a cool idea, but.... having to stop and meditate before a fight in order to use a potion? Really? LOL no thanks. if such a system was in any other game but the beloved witcher, people would be condemning it as a metagaming tool.

TW1 only had toxic... you could use them whenever you wanted. It worked fine.

TW2 on the other hand only allowed using potions while meditation... and it sucked. Generally forcing you to die and reload to use the right potion, since never did you get any clear indication of what might be waiting for you and the proper potion to use for that.

 

TW1? Good. TW2? Bad.