Why cant I pre buff?

[k1rage]

It really bugs me that I cant put up buffs before combat starts, it makes buffing kind useless unless it going to be a real long fight

[Enoch]

It was a design decision to avoid having optimal play require the tedium of standing around and casting spells on yourself for before every tough fight. 

[stilletobravo]

It was a design decision to avoid having optimal play require the tedium of standing around and casting spells on yourself for before every tough fight. 

At least we can spend a few minutes splitting up a stack of six ales and six pies into twelve quick item slots.

 

Tedious?

 

Hah! That there is true fun.

[witches]

It was a design decision to avoid having optimal play require the tedium of standing around and casting spells on yourself for before every tough fight. 

 

Seems just as tedious to have to activate the same set of buffs at the beginning of every fight.

[k1rage]

Well its not game-breaking or anything it just bugs me lol

 

And I guess I understand why they would do that. In NWN2 I had a Cleric/Monk/SF and one of his main jobs was to buff, so yeah it was kinda annoying to stand there and do it all the time

 

But not being able to do that directly hurts the effectiveness of buffs

[bobthe]

 

It was a design decision to avoid having optimal play require the tedium of standing around and casting spells on yourself for before every tough fight. 

 

Seems just as tedious to have to activate the same set of buffs at the beginning of every fight.

 

 

Actually, I would argue that it's even MORE tedious to do this at the beginning of a fight because you have to pause/unpause a lot and micro your character positions as enemies advance and move about.

 

I suspect the reason has more to do with "per encounter" abilities. If you use a per-encounter ability to buff before combat, and then combat doesn't start, does it expend a use? Does it refresh after "x" period with no combat starting? Only after the next combat, however long after you use the ability that is? I'm not saying this couldn't have been figured out, just that it's likely a reason for not allowing a lot of buffing outside combat.

 

The confusing part is that some buff spells CAN be used outside combat.

[vril]

 

But not being able to do that directly hurts the effectiveness of buffs

 

That's likely one of the reasons they have done it, buffing is now a tactical choice.

[Emerwyn]

 

It was a design decision to avoid having optimal play require the tedium of standing around and casting spells on yourself for before every tough fight. 

 

Seems just as tedious to have to activate the same set of buffs at the beginning of every fight.

 

 

Wrong. If you can pre-buff, you'll give your characters every little help to steamroll (and trivialise) the upcoming combat. If you can only cast buffs in combat you're only going to choose to cast those that actually make an impact, and adds strategical value to every encounter. Every spell cast uses precious time that you're going to think very carefully how to spend.

 

Some fights and especially the hardest ones (hi Adra Dragon) would be trivial and utterly boring if you could pre-buff to be protected/immune against certain effects off the bat and could go straight into casting heals/nuking spells. 

 

The game is balanced around the premise that characters don't start combat buffed, and I personally like it this way.

[Novanus]

Well its not game-breaking or anything it just bugs me lol

 

And I guess I understand why they would do that. In NWN2 I had a Cleric/Monk/SF and one of his main jobs was to buff, so yeah it was kinda annoying to stand there and do it all the time

 

But not being able to do that directly hurts the effectiveness of buffs

 

Oh, I SO don't miss all the pre-buffing I did in NWN2.  But it cracked me up when you'd be buffed and have a conversation, and you'd see the characters with stoneskin or whatever.   It just looked silly.

[Veynn]

I actually like not being able to buff before the fight lol. 

 

When I first found out that I couldn't I was like... "oh man this is gonna be challenging!" 

[Veradrox]

 

 

It was a design decision to avoid having optimal play require the tedium of standing around and casting spells on yourself for before every tough fight. 

 

Seems just as tedious to have to activate the same set of buffs at the beginning of every fight.

 

 

Wrong. If you can pre-buff, you'll give your characters every little help to steamroll (and trivialise) the upcoming combat. If you can only cast buffs in combat you're only going to choose to cast those that actually make an impact, and adds strategical value to every encounter. Every spell cast uses precious time that you're going to think very carefully how to spend.

 

Some fights and especially the hardest ones (hi Adra Dragon) would be trivial and utterly boring if you could pre-buff to be protected/immune against certain effects off the bat and could go straight into casting heals/nuking spells. 

 

The game is balanced around the premise that characters don't start combat buffed, and I personally like it this way.

 

Wrong, you're not really balancing the combat if you have to pause more?!  Balanced combat in games like these are pre cast ex. Aura of Faith, iron skin ect. start a fight, then be able to actually see your characters gets some hits in without have to pause as soon as the first couple swings by the enemies deals damage. Especially in this game were there are no "cosmetic swings" damage even if its minor Is going to force you to pause and cast spells/buffs in response, instead of how it should be, just casting the buffs before hand.

 

This becomes even more evident if you can make a group that really starts to wreck the enemies in the later stages of the game. In previous games like this, Icewind Dale for instance, it was a reward when I finally had a group that could pre cast buffs that lasted for minutes then go on a spree through difficult mobs without having to pause. That is where I would definitely not want to have to start casting the same spells over and over after every fight.

[kalel78]

i kind of like it actually.  it makes this game feel even more like im playing in a pen and paper campaign with my buddies..

 

in POE you have:

 

attacks of opportunity

sneak attack

wizards cast only so many spells per day and have a grimoire..

there is flanking

skills like disable magic device (i.e. mechanics) are in play

there are a ton of skills you need for conversations.. just like in pen and paper games.

 

and you cant buff outside of combat.  yes, you CAN buff outside of combat a little in D&D and pathfinder.. but some of the most useful buffs like haste or greater invisibility only last a round per level.. are you really going to cast those kind of spells outside of combat.

[Luckmann]

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/75811-no-buffing-outside-of-combat-why/

 

Let's not go through this again, please?

[b0rsuk]

We can't pre-buff because many people don't enjoy mindless, repetitive rituals. There are also those who do enjoy them, and they vigorously argue in favor of pre-buffing. Why are they playing this instead of some Chinese MMO is a mystery.

Edited April 6, 2015 by b0rsuk

[dirigible]

It really bugs me that I cant put up buffs before combat starts, it makes buffing kind useless unless it going to be a real long fight

If you can prebuff, then you must prebuff, because the designers will have balanced the game around you prebuffing. Every fight will be designed around the idea that your entire party has huge DR, accuracy buffs, etc. So if you DON'T prebuff then you won't stand a chance. Thus, you are forced to take part in the tedium of mandatory prebuffing.

 

Don't like buffing in PoE? Don't do it. Save your priest's spellcasting for enemy debuffs and heals. The game is balanced such that you CAN buff your team up, but you don't HAVE to. There are other strategies that work.

Edited April 6, 2015 by dirigible

[Monte Carlo]

 

It was a design decision to avoid having optimal play require the tedium of standing around and casting spells on yourself for before every tough fight. 

At least we can spend a few minutes splitting up a stack of six ales and six pies into twelve quick item slots.

 

Tedious?

 

Hah! That there is true fun.

 

 

Come sit next to me. I think we'll get along just fine.

[k1rage]

i kind of like it actually.  it makes this game feel even more like im playing in a pen and paper campaign with my buddies..

 

in POE you have:

 

attacks of opportunity

sneak attack

wizards cast only so many spells per day and have a grimoire..

there is flanking

skills like disable magic device (i.e. mechanics) are in play

there are a ton of skills you need for conversations.. just like in pen and paper games.

 

and you cant buff outside of combat.  yes, you CAN buff outside of combat a little in D&D and pathfinder.. but some of the most useful buffs like haste or greater invisibility only last a round per level.. are you really going to cast those kind of spells outside of combat.

with persistent spell yeah you are lol 

[k1rage]

 

It really bugs me that I cant put up buffs before combat starts, it makes buffing kind useless unless it going to be a real long fight

If you can prebuff, then you must prebuff, because the designers will have balanced the game around you prebuffing. Every fight will be designed around the idea that your entire party has huge DR, accuracy buffs, etc. So if you DON'T prebuff then you won't stand a chance. Thus, you are forced to take part in the tedium of mandatory prebuffing.

 

Don't like buffing in PoE? Don't do it. Save your priest's spellcasting for enemy debuffs and heals. The game is balanced such that you CAN buff your team up, but you don't HAVE to. There are other strategies that work.

 

I tend to disagree I dident have to pre-buff in NWN2, I just did it really late when I got persistent spell and early on hard fights

[Luj1]

... the tedium of standing around and casting spells on yourself before every tough fight. 

 

 

 

Hey I actually took some twisted form of pleasure in that But regardless, even If I miss this functionality,  I can see the reasoning behind their decision so w/e .... I will learn to adapt and welcome this challenge

Edited April 6, 2015 by Luj1

[Bud Viking]

I'm on my first playthrough in 2020. Not being able to cast a spell before combat does not make any sense, IMHO breaks immersion (I'm a priest but I've forgotten how to cast a spell without an enemy in sight, even though I know where about to fight a dragon) and triggers my greatest gaming peeve....designers telling me how to play my game (it feels like a baker decreeing what sandwich I can make with the bread I bought, or Honda telling me what route to take to work). 

I've read the comments of those that support it and I'm not swayed. If it was an option players would have the choice. Those that don't like it, don't do it and visa versa. 

It feels like telling a soldier "go on patrol but don't don your body armour before contact, oh and don't load a magazine or rack a round in the chamber until AFTER you're under fire".

Maybe it's pissing me off because the first character the Master Below one punches is my priest, even though I initiate battle with my main, a pally standing on the opposite side of the dragon. I run around to res him and by then half the party is dead. Oh and my party is level 11.

[Boeroer]

[asnjas]

Not everyone has half a million posts and discussed all this to death before hand.

 

Let people talk on a forum....

[Boeroer]

[Desmodeus]

What this K means?

[Boeroer]

Imgine somebody saying "OK" but with a face like this: