automatically replenishing potions - how do i turn it off?

[K.Constantine]

Sorry, I think I do not understand what you are saying. Are you saying that you think the potions are automatically created without using any of the ingredients in the inventory? You definitely need those ingredients in your bag or they aren't created during meditation.

They are, it uses only your alcohol, which makes no sense.

---------- Updated at 08:04 AM ----------

It's no matter of immersion. Now the entire system is completely different. You have to pick up very specific herbs to create a potion. Whitout the autorefill, the game would turn out in hours of grinding.
In the previous games, you needed generic herbs.

So why not need generic herbs again, why remove the chemical element system that worked so well in both previous games?

---------- Updated at 08:06 AM ----------

Since both ways are liked by different people, i personally think that this would be the best option:
Witcher 1 potion system with small edit box somewhere at the brewing window (for every potion) where you can specify limit you want to autoreplenish. If set to 0, it wont replenish and waste alcohol/ingredients. That way, people who like autoreplenish can set potion limits according to their play style and people who like to get their hands dirty can make all potions manually. Best of both worlds i think!

The issue with that is that they completely castrated the depth of the potion system found in TW1, which meant that if you do get your hands dirty, you could make way more potent potions than someone who just clicked "make Swallow", it was brilliant and probably the best alchemy system to date, so sad they decided to remove it because children have ADD.

 

[onionshavelayers]

I hate over-looting for ingredients. I hate it when I pass a herb and feel compelled to pick it up because I need it for potions. It interrupts the flow of exploration. You explore to find new and exciting stuff, not to pick up thousands of the same herb you've seen hundreds of times. It's boring. It's a painful chore especially in a game this long. Witcher 3's alchemy system is better since you don't have to become a farmer of herbs.

 

[FezzikVizzini]

Hmm really it only ever mentions needed alcohol when refilling the inventory. Dont believe I have seen it taking other mats as well.

It only uses alcohol when refilling. You only need the mats for the initial potion creation.

The reason that potions refill is because CDPR wanted players to actually use them rather than storing them up for emergencies. I know that I have played games in the past where I have finished the game and never actually used the mass of potions or "emergency gear". This way you can use potions and not then have the hassle of having to find the ingredients all over again. I am quite happy with the system implemented.

 

[K.Constantine]

It only uses alcohol when refilling. You only need the mats for the initial potion creation.

The reason that potions refill is because CDPR wanted players to actually use them rather than storing them up for emergencies. I know that I have played games in the past where I have finished the game and never actually used the mass of potions or "emergency gear". This way you can use potions and not then have the hassle of having to find the ingredients all over again. I am quite happy with the system implemented.

That's complete bullshit. How come I and many others played both previous games and constantly used potions and constantly brewed them, without having to actually spend time specifically gathering herbs, but instead just gathering along the way from what we killed and the plants we encountered? How come it worked perfectly in both the previous games, while now it's a joke, a shitty MMO-like system that most MMOs even do better. Witcher 1 had near perfect alchemy, it had depth, it was engaging, it was rewarding and never felt like a chore, in TW3, it doesn't even exist.

 

[drona.667]

what I hate from this auto replenish system in W3 is why weapon items like bombs are also included in that category? meanwhile crossbow bolts that are pretty much consume more ingredients to build are not included. Now player have a limited used of bombs in fight and need to meditate every time after a fight just to replenish it. in W2 we've got a limitless bombs and traps that could be used in fight and personally I used a lot of bombs in battle to which it was more like a specialized build.

 

[warbaby2]

what I hate from this auto replenish system in W3 is why weapon items like bombs are also included in that category? meanwhile crossbow bolts that are pretty much consume more ingredients to build are not included. Now player have a limited used of bombs in fight and need to meditate every time after a fight just to replenish it. in W2 we've got a limitless bombs and traps that could be used in fight and personally I used a lot of bombs in battle to which it was more like a specialized build.

...and there is that. I mean, that's one of the best examples to the fact that the alchemy system was a last minute hip-shot, so to speak. It's just not in line with the other crafting system... why are crossbow bolts and repair kits consumed upon use? Because they cannot be replenished by simply adding alcohol to their base mix? Why are bombs working that way then?

 

[K.Constantine]

...and there is that. I mean, that's one of the best examples to the fact that the alchemy system was a last minute hip-shot, so to speak. It's just not in line with the other crafting system... why are crossbow bolts and repair kits consumed upon use? Because they cannot be replenished by simply adding alcohol to their base mix? Why are bombs working that way then?

And potions too. Why destroy what was perfect, I seriously don't know what CDPR were thinking. They could have just made potions refill like they do on the easiest difficulty and actually give us a system like TW1 but even improved, if that's possible, for big boy difficulties.

 

[warbaby2]

And potions too. Why destroy what was perfect, I seriously don't know what CDPR were thinking. They could have just made potions refill like they do on the easiest difficulty and actually give us a system like TW1 but even improved, if that's possible, for big boy difficulties.

Because they apparently had planned a system for potions, where you drank before battle and activated the effect during battle by using "Witcher metabolism", or something like that, and people didn't like that... personally, I didn't hear about that pre-release. In any case, the current system just feels like the simplest/laziest version of a once great system.

 

[iforgotmysocks]

Yep... in my opinion it has to be changed that u need the herbs and stuff to refill the potions.
They still can be refilled automaticly, given u have the required herbs in ur inventory.

 

[K.Constantine]

Because they apparently had planned a system for potions, where you drank before battle and activated the effect during battle by using "Witcher metabolism", or something like that, and people didn't like that... personally, I didn't hear about that pre-release. In any case, the current system just feels like the simplest/laziest version of a once great system.

Witcher 1:
- Alcohols are used as a base and are their own item, they come in different qualities and you can distill White Gull (high quality Witcher's base) from lower quality ones
- Herbs and monster parts are abundant and contain one of 6 different primary substances, and may contain one of three different additional substances
- You can stumble across formulae or experiment on your own
- Matching additional substances will give you an extra, powerful effect
- You could distill all of your weaker alcohol into White Gull to save inventory space and have high quality bases always on hand
- You could brew two stacks of 10 Swallow and be set for most of the game and occasionally brew a Nigredo infused Blizzard or whatever for tough fights
- You could drink potions before or during a fight, which would put you into a drinking animation, punishing the lack of forethought (and no one give me any retarded bullshit about how you don't know when a fight's coming, if you're entering a crypt, you know a fight's coming)
- Potions last a good while, like 10 minutes

The Witcher 2:
- You have ingridients
- They include one or two of the primary substances
- No alcohol
- No additional substances
- Can brew as many as you want
- Can only drink before a fight, while meditating
- Potions last a bit, like 3-5 minutes

The Witcher 3:
- No substances
- Potions automatically refill
- Can brew one of each, which give 2 or 3 charges
- Can't drink, can only magically activate the buff, like it's 90's MMO
- Potions don't last shit, like 20 - 30 seconds

I thought games were supposed to improve when a new one comes out in a series...

 

[wazaa]

That's complete bullshit. How come I and many others played both previous games and constantly used potions and constantly brewed them, without having to actually spend time specifically gathering herbs, but instead just gathering along the way from what we killed and the plants we encountered? How come it worked perfectly in both the previous games, while now it's a joke, a shitty MMO-like system that most MMOs even do better. Witcher 1 had near perfect alchemy, it had depth, it was engaging, it was rewarding and never felt like a chore, in TW3, it doesn't even exist.

In previous games I was avoiding to use potions. It was too much cost:

1. search ingredients
2. create them
3.. buy ingredients

I only created potions for "final combats", but potions had to be used before the combat, and if there was a cinematic the potion power go off. So... I did not use potions.

On that game I finally use potions. I like the change.

Does it means I had as possions as I desire? no. It happened to me that in a middle of a mission I could not meditate.

So I think that the actual potion system is robust.

 

[K.Constantine]

In previous games I was avoiding to use potions.

That's you not understanding what The Witcher is about, how is it the game's fault, for you not understanding it?

 

[wazaa]

That's you not understanding what The Witcher is about, how is it the game's fault, for you not understanding it?

Mind your manners, please. I understand perfectly what a game is. It is you don't understanding that for most people the way the potions works most people prefered to reserve them instead of using them. Or do you think you're the only one that know how to play a game?

 

[K.Constantine]

Mind your manners, please. I understand perfectly what a game is. It is you don't understanding that for most people the way the potions works most people prefered to reserve them instead of using them. Or do you think you're the only one that know how to play a game?

No, I'm saying that most people who understood the game, used potions liberally and brewed many, considering the requirements weren't very high, you could exit Act 1 and have enough Swallow to pass the game with, I don't really see why you're complaining about it being tedious when it really never was. All I and people I've spoken about this with do is gather herbs we come across and monster parts of what we slay. It is way more than enough. Despite using potions in nearly every single fight in TW1 (played on hardest difficulty) I still ended the game with multiple stacks of 50 of many ingredients.

I have never once went out into the game world to gather ingredients specifically, only collected what was in my way, while questing. How do explain that? Cause you seem pretty adamant that it's "tedious" or "time consuming" when I spent literally 0 minutes "farming" over the course of a 50 hour playthrough.

 

[ajgp85]

I dont mind the auto replenishment, so much as it doesnt use the ingredients required as well.

Or if you are going to refill with alcohol then have it so that each refill weakens the potion a bit (dilusion effect), and then if you want to maintain the full effectiveness you have to re-brew using the full ingredients.

 

[warbaby2]

Mind your manners, please. I understand perfectly what a game is. It is you don't understanding that for most people the way the potions works most people prefered to reserve them instead of using them. Or do you think you're the only one that know how to play a game?

Indeed, there is no need to get unfriendly here... I get why certain people like the new system, since it basically made alchemy just another skill system to use. On the other hand, I am on the side of those people that think it was supposed to be more then that. The best solution here would be the option to have more then one system in place.

 

[wazaa]

I complain it being tedious because it was thedious. You had to take potions before combat, and you had a time limit. If you where killed and restore a save point the potion effect where loss. So in normal combats there where useless.

I almost finished the Witcher 2 in obscure (damn dragon). I finished the witcher 1 in normal.

And in Witcher 3 I had to go several times to search an specified ingredient, or buy it. So I can tell you: in Witcher 3 I use potions.

 

[warbaby2]

I complain it being tedious because it was thedious. You had to take potions before combat, and you had a time limit. If you where killed and restore a save point the potion effect where loss. So in normal combats there where useless.

It gave the whole combat more tactical depth, though... and it gave the extensive loot systems in those games an additional purpose. In TW3, potions are just anothr skill to slot and activate in combat...

 

[Faltus]

Multiplatform development and catering to mostly casual audiences that can't be arsed to invest time nor effort in learning the ropes is why we can't have nice things like a fairly complex and reasonably demanding (in both thought and labour) alchemy system anymore.

Everything has to be snappy, simple and require as less time and effort as possible so that nothing gets in the way of having some quick and shallow fun, yay!

Seriously though, I finally got around trying out the Lore Friendly Alchemy Mod (http://www.nexusmods.com/witcher3/mods/54/?) and everyone here, who's not exactly fond of the current alchemy system should definitely give it a try. It's obviously still lacking in a few key aspects like secondary substances but it's a start. CDPRED most likely won't do a complete overhaul themselves as auto-refill and the other nonsense is now unfortunately more or less established and accepted with the majority of people (who don't know better anyway) so the closest we'll get to TW1's or TW2's alchemy is through mods.

 

[JayCartere]

Sorry, I think I do not understand what you are saying. Are you saying that you think the potions are automatically created without using any of the ingredients in the inventory? You definitely need those ingredients in your bag or they aren't created during meditation.

I swear you only need alcohol in your inventory to refill any potions? I'm pretty sure this is the case.