I think the animations are pretty good.
Although I am a bit disappointed by the lack of meditating animations, potion drinking animation (literally a hand to his mouth would be acceptable), and I miss the old badass way Geralt walked with his sword drawn.
Although I am a bit disappointed by the lack of meditating animations, potion drinking animation (literally a hand to his mouth would be acceptable), and I miss the old badass way Geralt walked with his sword drawn.
there is no potion drinking animation? what happens when activating a potion? the effect just starts?
Yes. Although there might be a potion drinking animation and I just forgot about it.
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Nope, no potion drinking animation. You pop a potion in battle, it activates. I think the devs could have found a way to get around this, but I understand given that it would be frustrating fighting a pack of wolves and then them being able to get in 1 free hit or more just if you wanted to chug a potion.
It could be annoying, but drinking animations can add mechanical depth, let me explain. firstly, in a fight no one in their right mind would be drinking anything. drinking potions in a fight would be dumb idea, and it can be a good idea to show this in game because It forces players to pre meditate on their battles - an important part of the witchers unique game play.
The problem with drinking animations might be when the player stumbles by accident into an enemy. you might think that is annoying because you are unprepared? but no, its part of the game play again, because when you decide to go exploring, preparation is also necessary, and going out on a whim into the world is not a good idea. this is especially the case given that enemies don't scale to the player in the witcher 3, making the world a dangerous place. also, making sure your gear is up to standards, repairing armor, shaving etc, is all part of the game already, and necessitates that preparation before exploring already. so the game already supports that kind of play, so why not have drinking animations when there is actual potential to gain from it as a mechanic. having it in place actually builds on a principle already in the game, it also is another element that makes the world seem more believable. its more believable not because there is an animation for drinking but because it adds together with other mechanics to give a sense of the worlds indifference to the player, rather than being something beside or subservient to the players.
Also who said drinking potions in battle is always annoying? Dark Souls did it, so why cant the witcher. Another point for potion animations is that the first witcher game allowed you to drink potions whenever you wanted, and it had an animation. in the witcher 1 this wasn't some badly made mechanic that annoys people, it held tactical depth because if you want to gain the effects those potions during in battle you have to either take the opportunity before a fight, or create an opportunity during a fight (usually by using the Ard sign throw enemies to the ground or away from you). point here being if you are not prepared, you have to work for the bonus potions bring. This gives players the opportunity to learn to use potions before battle, because while you can use them during battle, it is something that you have to work for, and a disadvantage you would be expected to have if you where surprised by an enemy you stumble upon you.
I don't know why CDPR haven't done this, I agree they could have got it in.
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Maybe the game is just too long to have elaborate animations for every action. This stuff gets old pretty fast, even if it helps the immersion. Although I'm not speaking for myself entirely, because I'd like to have animations for drinking, eating and sharpening your sword. For looting? No thanks.
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Pragmatism has never been the fuel for immersive, detailed and love-crafted worlds.
If i'm not mistaken there is in fact animation for potion drinking just like in W2, only potions are now working a different way.
You meditate, drink your selected potions, watch the nice meditate/drinking sequence BUT potion effects don't trigger right away but instead they get "stored" and you trigger them manually when you think it's time to fire them.
You meditate, drink your selected potions, watch the nice meditate/drinking sequence BUT potion effects don't trigger right away but instead they get "stored" and you trigger them manually when you think it's time to fire them.
As far as I know there's no animation whatsoever, it's all done in a menu.
I absolutely loved it in w2
Yepp. Even if it's only aesthetic, for me it adds so much for the vibe. It actually feels like I'm preparing for something, it feels 'witchery'
Are we SURE there is no drinking animation?
There are two steps to potion use.
1) Drink it and it is unactivated and waits for activation.
2) Activate it and its duration timer starts.
So is it confirmed that there is no animation for step 1? because there really shouldn't be an animation for step 2 that is an internal thing. And if it is done during meditation then really there isn't a need for a drink potion either because you are meditating which is an active animation.
There are two steps to potion use.
1) Drink it and it is unactivated and waits for activation.
2) Activate it and its duration timer starts.
So is it confirmed that there is no animation for step 1? because there really shouldn't be an animation for step 2 that is an internal thing. And if it is done during meditation then really there isn't a need for a drink potion either because you are meditating which is an active animation.
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I would completely agree if the potion system hadn't been redone to give quicker, more fulfilling bonuses in shorter periods of time. I'm not exactly sure If I like this change, but we'll have to wait and see.
I agree that it would have been nice for there to be a drinking animation to add immersion and delay, I just also understand why there isn't. It adds immersion and also increases difficulty in a non-artificial way such as adding more enemies or making health-sponges.
Here's the flaw with your argument: Dark Souls games are both very slow games compared to The Witcher 3. The Witcher 1 is also a slower game with a quick drinking animation that didn't intrude on gameplay at all. Something in line with Bloodborne would be a better comparison. But even Bloodborne managed to have a "potion drinking" animation. What they did do to balance out the speed of the game and the drinking animation, was they sped up the animation to make it match the pace of the game. They also made potions heal less in exchange for larger stacks (which I'm not as much of a fan of).
They could have easily got it in, you're right. I'm hoping there will be a patch that adds in an optional animation or a mod, because it does add immersion and difficulty to the game.
I enjoy a large variety of animations. I do agree that too much realism could get in the way of gameplay. I think for minor activities like drinking, digging, mixing alchelmy, looting chests, the animations should be relatively brief, but to omit them entirely is off putting. To me, those little details elevate a game from "product" into a labor of love.