We all know the combat is supposed to feel more tactical due to equipping into hands. For example, if you want to cast a spell, lose either your weapon or shield. Of course you can swap them straight back, and the 'to hand' menus pause the game, but while you are actually going through the casting animation, any enemy hits are full effect, your shield put away in favour of the spell.

What I was thinking was this, if all the items we could previously use straight from the inventory, such as potions, spell scrolls, soul gems, had to be equipped to a hand. Think about it, previously you are in a fight, you have your sword and shield out, things are getting tough, you can click on the inventory, take two healing potions, poison your weapon, recharge the enchantment on said weapon, click off inventory, hey presto, healed and recharged, no penalty, look mom no hands.

If instead we had to equip items such as potions, and suffer any penalties from sheathing equipment, even though it is only for the length of the quaffing animation, I believe a small detail like this could make combat that little bit more challenging and interesting. No more spamming that healing, and the chance to be unlucky and get killed while drinking a healing potion should keep you on your toes.

In fact you already have to do something like this in a way, whatever system they use. Just imagine your warrior has a fireball scroll, before you just assigned to the spell button, and cast when ready. Now you would have to equip the spell to a hand anyway to use it. I think, rather than have your warrior walking around with a spell ready, it would be nice to equip the scroll to a hand, maybe with a slight extra 'use' animation, on top of the one for casting, to simulate the time it would take to read.

Suggestions? Arguments? Show that you hate this idea? Feel free.

Sure i'd like this. It would make the game somewhat more difficult tho

This would certainly increase immersion. But you need to remember than this is, you know, a game. In the heat of battle the last thing I want to do is die trying to heal. The immersion and strategy would be quickly overtaken with frustration.

I figeured the scrolls would work that way, but id love if potions worked that way too. would add sooooooooo much more tactics, witch is mainly what i felt oblivion/morrowind where short on.

Break a bottle of poison on your blade. Nuff said

You have to drink potions/usemedpacks in KotoR and DA:O

I am bumping this, because I think it's an idea to make combat a bit harder, without resorting to the difficulty slider, and seeing as a dragon riding thread can reach nine pages, I don't feel too guilty about the bump. If no one is interested, let it slide into obscurity.

Why would this make combat more difficult? If they added these animations to the game then they'd simply rebalance combat to suit it.

I think having to equip items in a hand may become tiresome after awhile, though I like the idea of having a short animation (1 or 2 seconds) when using items. It makes combat a bit more realistic and tactical if you have to find a way to hold your enemy at bay while you use an item.

MODS. nuff said.

Modding in player character animations would be a daunting task and require a great deal of skill and time to pull off. Not saying it can't be done, just saying don't expect it anytime soon.

agree

No thanks, I hate animations like this, there just tedious.

unfortunately there IS such a thing as too much realism. (I remember when people played Video games to ESCAPE reality)

I remember a topic like this that went on about eating animations and what not. It would be neat, but not something that should happen during combat.

During a epic hardcoe game though? Why not?

Only if enemies have to do this as well.