Do You Want MMORPGs to Get Rid of Consumables? | OGR | MMORPG.com

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Do You Want MMORPGs to Get Rid of Consumables? | OGR | MMORPG.com

Do MMORPGs really need consumables, and if not, should they rid themselves of consumables altogether? In this week's One Good Roll Steven weighs in on his feelings about consumables.

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Dattelis

This article kind of feels odd......I mean most players in mmorpgs dont use consumables, which is fine. While higher end content in those same games are usually built around them....so isn't it already balanced? If you're someone wanting to push high end content, then you have to accept that min/max'ing will be a thing, which will include consumables. And if you dont want to deal with them in general then you mostlikely dont have to in more casual content....

maskedweasel

Dattelis said:

This article kind of feels odd......I mean most players in mmorpgs dont use consumables, which is fine. While higher end content in those same games are usually built around them....so isn't it already balanced? If you're someone wanting to push high end content, then you have to accept that min/max'ing will be a thing, which will include consumables. And if you dont want to deal with them in general then you mostlikely dont have to in more casual content....

I don't think I've ever consistently used consumables in any content in any MMOs. Not in end game. Not to level. Unless you count healing potions in mobile games. 

Maybe I'm "doing it wrong" but most of the time consumables just waste my bag space.

peanutabc

hopefully no upcoming mmorpgs use the XIV style of consumables as they're quite boring.

Nick_Shively

maskedweasel said:

Dattelis said:

This article kind of feels odd......I mean most players in mmorpgs dont use consumables, which is fine. While higher end content in those same games are usually built around them....so isn't it already balanced? If you're someone wanting to push high end content, then you have to accept that min/max'ing will be a thing, which will include consumables. And if you dont want to deal with them in general then you mostlikely dont have to in more casual content....

I don't think I've ever consistently used consumables in any content in any MMOs. Not in end game. Not to level. Unless you count healing potions in mobile games. 

Maybe I'm "doing it wrong" but most of the time consumables just waste my bag space.

I can't imagine you've done cutting-edge raiding then (running the highest raids as soon as they come out). In any competitive raiding guild I've been in, consumables were always a requirement and if the raid leader checked and you didn't have them you'd be kicked from raids or at least given a warning if someone else could spot you. This was mostly for WoW/WildStar, and FF14 was a little more relaxed when I raided there but if you died and didn't use a healing potion people would still get annoyed.

Valentina

yeah i think consumables are annoying to worry about

DigDuggy

I don't understand the reasoning behind this question. Why would you want to get rid of them? Maybe all powerful ones that drastically change some circumstance, but to get rid of them.... Strange question.

Viper482

I rather we go back to the old days when classes had all unique buffs to give to others. Consumables were mainly for health/mana.

olepi

Does that mean eliminating all the harvesting and crafting/cooking that goes along with making potions and food?

Amaranthar

I like consumables as long as it's not too complicated, and adds to strategy, especially in the timing of their use.

I don't like medium term benefits like 15-30 minute periods, not at all.
If anything beyond immediate-seconds, it just gets problematic.

I do like the idea of long lasting consumables, say 24 RL hours. Especially for specially prepared foods created by players who like the economic game play.

And for the love of the gods, STOP SELLING THESE THINGS IN CSs, that just removes player game play on the production and economic end of it.

Xiaoki

In theme park MMOs where consumable buffs are just 60 minute of additional stats they are completely unnecessary.

Get rid of them. They add nothing to the gameplay. They are just busy work/gold sinks.

Same for the 60 minute class buffs.

ultimateduck

Short answer, yes. Get rid of them.

Long answer, yes. Get rid of them. They suck.

OG_Solareus

Food is kind of a tweener thing for me. If there's a real use for it like in Black Desert, I'm good with it.

If it is like 100 different things I need to know for battle like in ESO, I dont even bother.

I prefer the Shadowbane conc pot. it was a simple one and done item that everyone could obtain and use easily.

Iselin

Play shit mobile games, get shit examples for consumables redundancy and misuse.

I've actually never thought enough about consumables to get this "issue" anywhere near the top of my MMORPG features hit list.

Good consumables crafting systems give you a lot of variety with effects that can modify duration and potency significantly based on crafting expertise and ingredient quality.

Food, potions and poisons crafting are quite often the most interesting crafting systems in MMORPGs.

So no, pick on something else.

lahnmir

Economies in MMORPGs need money sinks, consumables are ideal for that. Food, buffs, repair kits, the more the merrier. I would even go aa far as saying that any and all recovery and repairs to gear should be through consumables, making every profession equally useful as the market never becomes saturated and selling and buying keeps happening. I think there should be a lot more focus on consumables in MMORPGs, most of their economies and crafting are utterly useless and imbalanced and could be easily fixed.

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Brainy

maskedweasel said:

Dattelis said:

This article kind of feels odd......I mean most players in mmorpgs dont use consumables, which is fine. While higher end content in those same games are usually built around them....so isn't it already balanced? If you're someone wanting to push high end content, then you have to accept that min/max'ing will be a thing, which will include consumables. And if you dont want to deal with them in general then you mostlikely dont have to in more casual content....

I don't think I've ever consistently used consumables in any content in any MMOs. Not in end game. Not to level. Unless you count healing potions in mobile games. 

Maybe I'm "doing it wrong" but most of the time consumables just waste my bag space.

That is crazy to think you never use consumables in end game. This honestly just tells me you are not doing end game, or havent played many MMO's.

I try to squeeze out any advantage I can to get me an edge in end game.  I also like having items that separate the rift raft from the more focused player.

Give me more consumables actually, just make sure the UI has an easy way to use them, and for goodness sake allow us plenty of extra inventory to hold them all.

Alchemy for potion buffs, custom dps increases, defense, resistances, health, mana customizables are some of the best crafting professions for me.  Also add things like sharpening stones, weapon enchants, poison etc.. yeah I love all this stuff.  Food/drink buffs yum yum.  Bring it.

Neoyoshi

What a odd article. The idea of consumables in a video game or mmorpg has a much wider breath then just food buffs; it can also be interactive objects such as toys or gadgets- a staple of World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2; as well as a host of other games out there.

What we need more then anything is increased interactivity in our game worlds, not trimmed-down barren wastelands of nothing but art assets servicing no real purpose.

Imagine having this type of conversation with Witcher III players...

gameplayingmonkey

Yes, I want mmorpgs to remove consumables. They are just annoying and fill up my bag. While we are at it can we remove the inventory outright? Just give me all the best stats and armor when I make me character at the start. Questing in mmorpgs is old fashion as well imo, remove that and make everyone the same level with everything unlocked. Its so boring having to move around in a whole actualized world, instead we should be put into a lobby and queue up to see the action.

Scot

Qbertq said:

I don't understand the reasoning behind this question. Why would you want to get rid of them? Maybe all powerful ones that drastically change some circumstance, but to get rid of them.... Strange question.

Consumables can bog down a MMO or validate a crafting skill, if they are not done well they either add nothing or become a gameplay time sink which detracts from good gameplay. Just like any other aspect of MMOs it is down to implementation, if it is done well we don't even think about them.

What has changed is the way MMOs use consumables these days, with old school your reply would have been spot on. Now with survival "MMOs" and many mobile "MMOs" making consumables a life or death situation it is becoming far more relevant. Even in MMORPGs like NW Stephen has suggested this has crept in. When you are investing as much time collecting and crafting consumables as you are questing or doing PvP, the balance has gone wrong.

cheyane

Long time ago I left WoW end game raids because I spent hours upon hours grinding for gold to buy consumables I needed to raid. I got sick of it. Even though I was an alchemist I could not make the high end potions because the recipes were nuts expensive or hard to get ingredients overly camped and I had to buy them from our guild alchemist with the gold I would have to spend hours upon hours ...get the idea yet? So I left raiding and decided it was overrated.

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Kyleran

cheyane said:

Long time ago I left WoW end game raids because I spent hours upon hours grinding for gold to buy consumables I needed to raid. I got sick of it. Even though I was an alchemist I could not make the high end potions because the recipes were nuts expensive or hard to get ingredients overly camped and I had to buy them from our guild alchemist with the gold I would have to spend hours upon hours ...get the idea yet? So I left raiding and decided it was overrated.

I think that's a good example of Devs taking it too far the other way.

I recall those days spent grinding mats needed to support raiding and like you came to the conclusion it was all too much effort, well, along with having to learn the dance moves beforehand as well.

I'm convinced modern raiding is enjoyed by the same folks who as children spent a lot of time on Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution on consoles. 

I grew up in an era when we built snow forts, held snowball wars, fought  dirtbomb fights against other neighborhoods and chased each other around the neighborhood as blood thirsty "savages" intent on scalping the Cowboys.

Still hate Dallas to this day... 

Nilden

Chat GPT could pick a more interesting topic and write a better article. So I guess the only positive I can point out here is this was written by a human...

sweetdreams

Sure. Let’s take out consumables.

Also while we’re at it: gathering, crafting, collections if any, achievements and questing. /end sarcasm.

Iselin

Wrong thread

Kratier

i think consumables in ESO are used pretty well and often. like food buffs, exp buffs, potions, and everything. i use them quite frequently