Sure, with the game being a non-linear open world and all that now you'll have to think and keep track of quite a few of different things and CDPR probably thought that by streamlining the alchemy system they would take some of that 'burden' off the players shoulders. But doing that by disregarding the immersive factor and the additional challenge provided by having to manage ingredients and taking care of creating the appropriate amount of potions, bombs, oils and whatnot yourself?
Yeah especially since the "preparation phase" is SO important in the Witcher. And the Preparation Phase is not only meditating, it involves collecting ingredients, brewing potions, crafting bombs and weapons, taking potions and informing yourself about the enemy. And while some things will still be in TW3 the current Alchemy/Potions system seems to take away 1 or 2 layers of it, which makes it less enjoyable for me personally.
Running out of potions in the middle of a huge cave or dungeon? Well, tough luck. Should've stocked up on enough ingredients and/or potions beforehand.
EXACTLY! That's what I love. I mean come on, don't say you never got short on potions or forget to prepare and take potions or your potion time just ran out and then a mob of monsters started attacking you. Then imagine you make it out alive (happened to me before) !! The feeling of getting this done although being in a disadvantage is badass.
That's what makes the game so cool. Sometimes you are prepared and it's hard, sometimes you are not prepared and it's damn hard. That doesn't happen that often with potions that auto-refill.
It's about the planning, the strategy. Hell, the whole GAME is about getting into unforeseen or unprepared situations and improvising. About trying to evaluate situations and decisions and act accordingly.
1. Having the ingredients was never an issue. At no point in W2 did you ever have to go out of your way to acquire them, there was so much of it just laying around and dropping from creatures.
Yet this is what SOME people here are saying that collecting herbs was "a chore".
2. They will not require potion usage with the system you've described. If players are suddenly consuming potions all the time then its too easy for them to end up in situations where they've run out in the middle of a huge cave or dungeon and now they have to backtrack through the entire thing back to the nearest town so that they can replenish their supply. With auto replenishing potions you actually can balance encounters for potion usage, since its safe to assume that they are always available.
Which simultaneously makes the whole alchemy system useless and prevents players who really want to "roleplay" to actually collect ingredients and be more "prepared" and be better in terms of potions-management. I like the "Risk VS Reward" nature of the not-refilling potions because they provide you with a choice "when do I use my potions and what is my goal at the moment, how many potions do I probably need and which one do I apply when?".
There are about 4 major reasons why people didn't use their potions:
1. Some thought it was no challenge with potions and didn't use them to increase difficulty
2. Some didn't use potions because they wanted to keep them for the hard fights - which never came since monsters were too easy for them
3. Some people played on normal difficulty and on that difficulty you don't need potions
4. Some people thought it a "chore" to collect ingredients or to use the alchemy system
Can you think of other reasons?
Lets accept though for now that there is indeed a change needed, EVEN THEN the developers could just go ahead and build in the OPTION to auto-refill or not. OR they could think of another way to have a more close-to-the-hand supply of low-level herbs or potions nearby.
3. Exactly, its reduced (not solved) relative to Witcher 2; a very linear game broken up into chapters. W3 is a far larger game in every conceivable way, so the quantity of ingredients that you are dealing will still have to be huge. Unless, as I said, those special vials hold insane amounts of the potion.. in which case it might as well be an infinite supply.
I agree on the linearity point but IMO it might not "as well be infinite" because the actual ACT of collecting ingredients and BREWING THE POTIONS which is pretty important for some of us (as you can see in the poll) would still be there.
Also, I agree it does not solve the problem, but: What would you - assuming you were a developer - prefer: To "solve" a problem but make a lot of people unhappy with it (therefore more or less create a new problem) or to reduce a problem as good as possible while keeping those other people happy? Think about it.
This is not about solving a problem for ONE SIDE, it's about solving or minimizing the problem in a way that everyone is as happy/satisfied as possible without compromising the experience of the other side, the other players.
Well, your points do speak against auto-refilling. My point is that a lot of things you are talking about are things that need to be done no matter what happens with potion replenishment. And believe me, I've seen all of the conjecture. I had a very similar "WTF thats awful" reaction when I first heard about it. However, after giving it some thought, revisting how it worked in previous games, and seeing some of the positive points brought up by others, I'm open to seeing what they do with this new system because I do see the potential advantages.
See and that's it. For me it's the opposite.
Yes, I see advantages. But for me the (100% sure) disadvantages overshadow and overweight those advantages.
And that's the problem here.
It gives me an advantage on the one hand, sure, but it harms my experience on the other hand.
I would just prefer if they ALTERED the system in a way that auto-refilling is not absolutely necessary and that we who love collecting ingredients and brewing potions still have the option to do that. That is all I want.