[TW3] Potion consumption

[triangles]

[TW3] Potion consumption

After hearing the most recent news, we found out how CDPR is planning on approaching potion consumption.

Simply put : Allowing players to consume potions in mid combat

We do not know how exactly they want to realize this, is it like in TW1 with a long and deadly animation or ala Elder Scrolls ?

One thing's for sure, this isn't lore friendly, Geralt/Witchers prepare and consume potions before they go into battle and this, for me, is a big minus when it comes to making me feel like a witcher.

My understanding to why the developers decided to go this way was to quench angry "fans" complaining about not knowing when to consume potions as they could not foresee future battles and I understand completely, on a salesman point of view.
But I'm not happy !

I could imagine two alternatives, either go back to the Witcher 2's way or to consume potions before combat but activate them when you really need it.
The later essentially takes care of the aforementioned problem and was actually mentioned in an article, which is strange because it conflicts with most recent news, but mostly it is feasible when it comes to lore: witchers have the ability to control and manipulate their metabolism.

I would like to ask the community, you, in hope that it gets to the developers ears, to choose which of these three options you prefer ?

 

[destroyraiden]

I actually don't mind them lore breaking this before I read the books or watched the show (and I'm a 360 owner so didn't play TW1)I couldn't understand why I had to drink the potions before I needed them. I was like, " How am I suppose to know what I need before a battle I've never fought arises?" I thought it was very stupid to force players to take potions before a battle.

After reading and watching the show I know why it's needed the game however never tells new players this. I know its basically Garelt is attuning his body to except something very toxic and make it into something useful hence it must be done before you do anything spectacular. Though maybe Garelt over his years has created a weaker emergency potion stock that will hurt or do sometype of leeching damage but will give him the boost he needs when its a pinch after all he spent one of books going months without his witching potions and a bad knee because he was forced to leave them behind with an experience like that a weak witching quick fix is better then nothing when you need it to do your job or save your life.

Maybe we could do a brewing thing like Skyrim has we need to brew our weak stuff but the strong items are auto made.

 

[fchopin]

Yep, similar to TW1 please.
I never used potions in TW2 apart for the darkness most times.

 

[Glaroug.531]

This is not pointed at anyone but the arguement: "How do I know what to need for combat if it hasn't even started" is a bit silly.

Potions boost the amount of health, health and vigor regeneration, sign intensity, resistance, armor, critical effects and so on. They are very powerful buffs. Going into the wild is dangerous. Regardless of whether you're facing a Rotfiend or drowner, the potions are a welcome benefit. Take them.

Are you in a swamp? Focus on Poison resist. Hunting Vampires? Keep that Black Blood potion handy. The TW2 gave plenty of room for potion taking. You could even take potions on the ledge just under the roof where you fight the Dragon.

 

[fchopin]

This is not pointed at anyone but the arguement: "How do I know what to need for combat if it hasn't even started" is a bit silly.

It is not silly it is logical.
If you turn a corner and have to fight what do you do? say to your opponent wait and let me meditate and prepare for the fight?

 

[wichat]

It is not silly it is logical.
If you turn a corner and have to fight what do you do? say to your opponent wait and let me meditate and prepare for the fight?

Original Geralt drinks potions before battles because he always prepares his encounters facing monsters or he drink them after just to restore his health. Never drinks them in the middle of a combat. That was a system combat that CDPR implemented in TW1 and it works.

The real issue is, just as the first duel between Letho an Geralt, many of players took some potion but its effects had desapeared just after several minutes at the end of the cutscenes (first dialogue with Iorveth-Letho, then fight). That's was ilogical.

System potion pre-combat in TW2 is not bad... not stopping its effects while an impossed cutscene is bad.

 

[Sam44]

Maybe it will be better if it will be simillar to witcher 2 system by default and how about a skill in a learning tree allowing to drink it during the fight?For those who really badly want that.

 

[avydia1.388]

I like the way potions work in TW2

 

[DonSwingKing]

Of course the way The Witcher 2 handled it was more true to the books and more realistic. But taking potions in combat is like an RPG standard. Okay, The Witcher is no dice rolling game, so the enemys powers can be foreseen, but taking away the ability to use potions in combat wasn't the right direction imo.

For me a plausible solution would be dividing the potions into two categories.

1: Essential, mandatory potions (Healtboost, Magicka/Stamina boost)
2: Secondary, supportive potions (Swallow, Wolf, Virga etc.)

The first group of potions is available anytime, the second one only outside of combat.

 

[Sam44]

Of course the way The Witcher 2 handled it was more true to the books and more realistic. But taking potions in combat is like an RPG standard. Okay, The Witcher is no dice rolling game, so the enemys powers can be foreseen, but taking away the ability to use potions in combat wasn't the right direction imo.

For me a plausible solution would be dividing the potions into two categories.

1: Essential, mandatory potions (Healtboost, Magicka/Stamina boost)
2: Secondary, supportive potions (Swallow, Wolf, Virga etc.)

The first group of potions is available anytime, the second one only outside of combat.

thats a good idea actually,but it shouldnt be implemented like it is in skyrim

 

[frynse]

I really don't mind that much. I'm not gonna chug potions in the middle of combat because I think it's stupid, but I'd still appreciate it if it's a lot faster to use potions than it was in TW2. It could eventually become a chore to have to stop and go through the menus each time you wanted a potion instead of just drinking it like in TW1.

 

[jerf.674]

We already know that you won't be able to consume potions during combate, you'll just have a limited ability to ACTIVATE them (see, e.g. this QA; I remember that I've seen this info also coming directly from CDPR, but don't currently remember where).
This is plausible, because it's quite beliveable that a witcher can order his organism to process/not process certain previously consumed substances at will. It wasn't mentioned in books, but it's consistent with the overall lore.

I believe that the OP's concerns originate from the recent Kotaku post, where, I'm quite sure, the journalist just misunderstood what CDPR folks told him.

So no worries.

 

[tirim4]

I really enjoyed planning my potion drinking in TW2, I mostly knew when I was about to go out and kill something what I had to drink and where it would be. It's the only game where I've enjoyed potions and actually used them for more then just panic healing.

 

[Dprelate]

Just from the beginning, RED's stated that preparation is going to be much more crucial and important than before. so I don't think we need to worry about anything.

 

[Blothulfur]

Taking potions mid combat is one of the most idiotic tropes ever used by rpg's, you're telling me that an enemies going to stop, stand back and polish his claws while you find, pull out, uncork and then drink the mixture (not to mention putting the bottle away again, as these things can get expensive for a poor Witcher.) No this tired old piece of idiocy really needs to fucking go away, and if they insist on letting it happen, then Geralt should take massive damage or be killed if hit while drinking.

As for not knowing what's coming, then just take the most generally useful, say Rook, Swallow and Tawny Owl when heading into danger. Besides at Flotsam you knew what was outside the walls as you had contracts for Endrega and Nekkers, which you could research at Einar Gausels. Same with Rotfiends in the military camp and Harpies at Vergen, it just requires the player to pay attention and do a bit of homework, like a Witcher would. It's not some mind bogglingly unbalanced and difficult procedure, just common sense.

We don't want the Witcher to be held back by old rpg tropes that vastly inferior games still cling to do we? And we surely don't want the established lore to be compromised for the sake of folk who are perplexed by a little thinking and a little challenge.

 

[Dprelate]

We don't want the Witcher to be held back by old rpg tropes that vastly inferior games still cling to do we?

It won't happen. we don't know any details right now.
just simple phrases like "potions will be available during combat" , but how ?
how matters most.

 

[gregski]

What boggles my mind is this: why do I have to always have a chance to be prepared? Geralt was never treated this fairly in the books. Hell, most of the times I remember him not having a chance to drink any potions, either he lacked them or didn't have time.

Why can't the game just surprise me from time to time and slap me in the face just as I turn around the corner, testing my ability to investigate clues or deal with unexpected and dangerous circuimstances if I failed to do the the former?

 

[alextyc1]

well i read somewhere that geralt will need to drink the potions while meditating but he could activate their affects when ever he wants because witchers can control their metabolism

 

[Dprelate]

well i read somewhere that geralt will need to drink the potions while meditating but he could activate their affects when ever he wants.

Care to explain where ?

 

[alextyc1]

Care to explain where ?

There is a russian witcher fan site which sent cdproject their questions and got some answers today,one of them was about taking potions