Poll: Potions, drink or apply directly to the affected area?

[Waif]

Greetings and salutations,

I've been thinking about this lately, and perhaps you guys can help me. What exactly is the proper way of using a potion? I've always taken for granted that you have to drink the potion in order to gain it's effects. Though recently, and perhaps unnecessarily so, I've been giving the subject much thought. I'm trying to think of a time when I've played a game, and I've seen the character actually drink it. Though I can't seem to bring up any memories of having seen this. To me, it would make sense that you have to apply it to the affected area, because drinking all those health potions would cause...some problems. Though I've always felt that one would have to drink the potion for the quick results. So yeah, what do you guys think?

 

['Aredor]

Well, a potion is drunk, a salve is applied directly to the affected area. Off the top of my head, you actually see and/or hear people drink potions in Diablo, Gothic, Titan Quest, Torchlight...

Also: poll is missing

 

[Semudara]

Have you never played a Zelda game? In pretty much any of the newer ones, you can actually see Link drink the potion.

I really don't know what you mean by "some problems". You need to clarify.

So, yeah. You drink it, and it does its magic stuffs inside of you, and you're better! That's basically how a potion works.

 

[Waif]

Well, a potion is drunk, a salve is applied directly to the affected area. Off the top of my head, you actually see and/or hear people drink potions in Diablo, Gothic, Titan Quest, Torchlight...

Also: poll is missing

I gave it a poll, don't know why it didn't show up. Though yeah thanks for the input ^~^!

 

[DaJoW]

The correct thing to do is of course apply directly to the forehead. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_SwD7RveNE]

A very, very quick search gives: "A potion (from Greek poton "that which one drinks") is a consumable medicine or poison." (wikipedia).

 

[Engarde]

I always think of potions as drinkable. Most of the time it just doesn't fit to animate, so devs don't, especially when it is not designed to be a time consuming action.

 

[Waif]

Have you never played a Zelda game? In pretty much any of the newer ones, you can actually see Link drink the potion.

I really don't know what you mean by "some problems". You need to clarify.

So, yeah. You drink it, and it does its magic stuffs inside of you, and you're better! That's basically how a potion works.

I actually have played Zelda games, though the last game I've played was Link to the Past. Every game afterward I missed out on. I didn't have an N64. As for problems, I had come to the conclusion that as the potion is a liquid, it would bloat you if you drank to much of it in a short period of time. This leaves your body to try and flush out the liquids without processing them fully, reducing the effects of the potion. However, if you drank way too many liquids it can and will kill you:

http://drbenkim.com/drink-too-much-water-dangerous.html

There are other complications with this too. So I guess the real question is through what process the potion dissipates into your system.Hmm...

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Potions are drunk, and salves are applied to the afflicted area. Some items, noticably ointments and unguents, give the choice of injestion or application. That's the way tabletop D&D works anyway. In most text based PC games you 'D'rink potions, rather than 'U'sing them as well.

 

[Cab00se206]

Some people may think this is obvious, but there are apparently many people who manage to get this sort of thing wrong, including game devs themselves! In Dragon Age: Origins, the basic healing item is a healing poultice, i.e. like a salve. What do you do with this healing item obviously meant to be applied to the wound directly? The character animation has them drink it. Of course!

All sarcasm aside, how the hell do you fuck that up? You want to get away from stereotypical potions as healing items? Great. Love it. But apparently this was never communicated to the animators. Critical Research Failure, or just poor inter-departmental communication?

So yeah, apparently the whole potions thing is something that even the game devs themselves disagree on

 

[MrPatience]

I'd say it depends on the consistency of the mixture.

 

[Doctor Panda]

It's magic. You just have to *want* to use it and it works. The rest are just silly rituals for those who don't understand how thoughts shape our world.

 

[Wolfishgrin]

I always just assumed they were nasal delivery sprays.

 

[God's Clown]

You drink a potion, and apply salves and ointments to the affected area. Since it's a game the drawbacks of chugging 20 potions in 20 seconds don't exist. Link doesn't use the bathroom, ever, doesn't need to, he is a hero. Heroes don't have any bodily functions that are inconvenient.

Worse comes to worse you can just play the game better and you won't need to drink so many potions.

 

[Paksenarrion]

Health potions are actually nutrient-rich baths for what actually heals you: nanites.

You drink the potion, and the nanites inside it immediately get to work repairing your body, using the nutrients from both the potion and your body to heal you. However, these nanites are purposely programmed to be short-lived; if they didn't dissolve within seconds, they would keep consuming your body's nutrients long after the potion has been absorbed into your body. The nanites would literally starve you on the molecular level.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-Clarke's 3rd Law

 

[Roxor]

I'd say it could go either way depending on the nature of the potion.

I have an unfinished Harry Potter universe-based fic on my hard drive where the main character, in a similar tournament to the one Harry was in, is using a healing potion which has to be applied to where its effects are needed. Most of the applications were pouring a trickle or dabbing spots of it onto a wound, but one point has him evaporate it and breathe in the vapours to heal damage to his lungs from a trap.

You know, that would actually make a pretty good mechanic in a game: have traps which can damage the player character's lungs and the potion to heal the damage has to be evaporated and inhaled.

 

[AcacianLeaves]

I'm still waiting for the game that has health suppositories. Now that would make me think twice about chaining healing items.

As far as other health concerns, it really can't be good for you. I mean consider Diablo 2. The majority of that game (at least when I play) is spent mixing and drinking potions, yet you never use the restroom...

What exactly are these potions supposedly made of? No matter what game they're featured in, they're basically a magical deus ex machina that instantly heals any and all wounds. What's to prevent everyone from using these potions? Do they cure diseases? If so, does everyone in these fantasy worlds live to be 200 years old? Why would you adventure for gold and treasure when you should be adventuring for whatever source these magic immortality potions come from?

I liked Knights of the Old Republics attempt to explain the healing gels as 'kolto' that's actually harvested from a neutral planet, but that doesn't really hold up. The first place any military force would invade is the single source of magic healing fluid, no matter what they say about 'neutrality'. Especially if one side of that war is made up of evil space sorcerers with unlimited resources. Sorry, BioWare, but the Sith would invade Manaan so fast the Republic wouldn't even be able to heal a paper cut.

 

[Evilsanta]

Drink it. Salves are applied.

And it would be quite time consuming and dangeours if your character stops in midbattle to drink a health potion or in Demon's Souls case eats some herbs.

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

Have you never played a Zelda game? In pretty much any of the newer ones, you can actually see Link drink the potion.

I really don't know what you mean by "some problems". You need to clarify.

So, yeah. You drink it, and it does its magic stuffs inside of you, and you're better! That's basically how a potion works.

I actually have played Zelda games, though the last game I've played was Link to the Past. Every game afterward I missed out on. I didn't have an N64. As for problems, I had come to the conclusion that as the potion is a liquid, it would bloat you if you drank to much of it in a short period of time. This leaves your body to try and flush out the liquids without processing them fully, reducing the effects of the potion. However, if you drank way too many liquids it can and will kill you:

http://drbenkim.com/drink-too-much-water-dangerous.html

There are other complications with this too. So I guess the real question is through what process the potion dissipates into your system.Hmm...

That's only because your kidneys work overtime to keep your nutrients in while filtering out the water - since potions are isotonic, your kidneys will be fine 8D

...

And with all the blood lost from the wound you don't get blood swelling from them .

If you still think there are too many fluids in the body, then all that walking/running etc around the characters constantly do will sweat it out.

And yeah: Gothic 3 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXZ3h4UbrHE )... although my arguments break down there because you can regain health by repeatedly drinking from a water barrel

EDIT: OT: Drink

 

[Waif]

Have you never played a Zelda game? In pretty much any of the newer ones, you can actually see Link drink the potion.

I really don't know what you mean by "some problems". You need to clarify.

So, yeah. You drink it, and it does its magic stuffs inside of you, and you're better! That's basically how a potion works.

I actually have played Zelda games, though the last game I've played was Link to the Past. Every game afterward I missed out on. I didn't have an N64. As for problems, I had come to the conclusion that as the potion is a liquid, it would bloat you if you drank to much of it in a short period of time. This leaves your body to try and flush out the liquids without processing them fully, reducing the effects of the potion. However, if you drank way too many liquids it can and will kill you:

http://drbenkim.com/drink-too-much-water-dangerous.html

There are other complications with this too. So I guess the real question is through what process the potion dissipates into your system.Hmm...

That's only because your kidneys work overtime to keep your nutrients in while filtering out the water - since potions are isotonic, your kidneys will be fine 8D

...

And with all the blood lost from the wound you don't get blood swelling from them .

If you still think there are too many fluids in the body, then all that walking/running etc around the characters constantly do will sweat it out.

And yeah: Gothic 3 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXZ3h4UbrHE )... although my arguments break down there because you can regain health by repeatedly drinking from a water barrel

EDIT: OT: Drink

Lol, well there are a lot of details that I am unfamiliar with. The nature of potions in thought, but I don't think someone could sweat off 10 Health potions in less than an hour, but all things considered. I am thinking about the mechanics of it, even when I really don't need to. I am curious if they will ever consider making a different manner of potion, that you could use in place of a salve. Maybe a potion could be used in such a way, and still be marginally effective. Though yeah, I actually have Gothic 3 on Steam, though I never did play it for long. It felt too different from it's predecessors...

I'm still waiting for the game that has health suppositories. Now that would make me think twice about chaining healing items.

As far as other health concerns, it really can't be good for you. I mean consider Diablo 2. The majority of that game (at least when I play) is spent mixing and drinking potions, yet you never use the restroom...

What exactly are these potions supposedly made of? No matter what game they're featured in, they're basically a magical deus ex machina that instantly heals any and all wounds. What's to prevent everyone from using these potions? Do they cure diseases? If so, does everyone in these fantasy worlds live to be 200 years old? Why would you adventure for gold and treasure when you should be adventuring for whatever source these magic immortality potions come from?

I liked Knights of the Old Republics attempt to explain the healing gels as 'kolto' that's actually harvested from a neutral planet, but that doesn't really hold up. The first place any military force would invade is the single source of magic healing fluid, no matter what they say about 'neutrality'. Especially if one side of that war is made up of evil space sorcerers with unlimited resources. Sorry, BioWare, but the Sith would invade Manaan so fast the Republic wouldn't even be able to heal a paper cut.

Hiyas Acacian ^~^! Long time no see, how have you been!