March 21 Updates: Flask System Dev Diary/Screenshot of the Week

The system is indeed awesome... At least i see the potential that it'll work very well and will be unique in h&s games... Maybe something every other h&s will copy in the future :)
For me one of the biggest pros is the improvements in PVP balance! PVP was ruined in nearly every h&s game because of the potion system... Cannot wait to test it!

Just a short question: The item which is shown on the screesnhot of the week gives a 146% increased evasion... Does that mean that it will make me invincible during that time or is there a value for evasion (e.g. 10) and 150% increasement means that this will grow to 25? Or do you have some kind of percentage (like 20% evasion) and a +150% increasement mean that you will get 150% of 20% = 30% (means that it will be at 50% during that time) better evasion?

I see no requirements on the flasks, wouldn't it be too good to give endgame flasks to your new characters?

EDIT: I love it though, removes all the bad things about the potions system and adds some new things to trade/find :)

I can't believe no one has asked this yet. What exactly does "30% decreased player size during recovery" mean?

This system gives me all the more hope for this game being great. And yeah I can see that most people will of course desire instant heal flasks, especially for PvP. But like chris said, you will be sacrificing utility for healing speed, which justs adds a another layer to the depth of builds.

Thinking logically, the smaller your character is, the higher its evasion.
Flask system is great, this adds a lot more innovative items in our trading cart. Reminds me of a "bottle" in DotA.
Moreover, i think best flasks should be the ones which heal instantly while adding a small negative effect or w/o negative effects. Also the more charges it has the more valuable it is. I'd like to see like 8-10 charges max, bcoz if we have 5 slots, then 5x10 = 50 potions, it could even be too much for some players, meanwhile others like to stuff their inventory with pure potions. This would need balancing of course.

Calm down Rustychops - you will learn how to use them good.
I really like this system.
It helps to keep balance in the game. Good work guys.
About the release - oh well i guess if it needs time its better then release unfinished game.

Flasks + Mods = Brilliant!

I can say without a doubt this sounds the best healing mechanic in ARPGs. Removes the classic system's flaws, innovates, expands itemisation and combat strategy without going arcady. Also magical flasks (like other items) are more immersive and sensible as far as the game lore goes.

It's wonderful to see while PoE is going back to ARPG roots with dark, gothic, realistic look and hardcore gameplay; the game really innovates in core mechanics like itemisation, healing system and game economy.

Just this approach alone deserves gratz. So, congrats GGG :)

I totally agree with permaximum. PoE brings us back to the times when arpg's were actually good,dark,gothic. It brings so much that has been forgotten by game developers these days ,now all arpg's are fancy and wow'ish. Seems like they only care about graphics.
And the Flask idea is really amazing.
Never saw this system anywhere else before.
Really balanced and its th new thing to look for.
New kind of item.

I must admit that this is a pretty awesome system. Not only did you (for the most part) improve the issue of potion spamming, you developed new items for people to trade!

Also, I like that killing enemies recharges your flasks – this reminds me a lot of Health Orbs from Diablo 3. This system is just without the orbs healing everyone in the group. It’s up to the individual.

Now, I have two questions, possibly criticisms, you can decide.

First of all –

Why did you choose 5 flasks? Is there something special about that number? Why not 2, or 3, or 4? I understand why two flasks – the player needs at least one mana and one health flask. However, where does five fit into all of this? Do we as players need 5? Or would it be possible to scale back the number of slots to two?

Five is okay; I think it’s cool, but is it necessary? That’s basically all I’m getting at.

Second –

Will you be implementing some sort of cool-down on these flasks, so that they can’t be insta-spammed? That would be 5 separate cool-downs, or even just 1 global cool-down. I imagine if the goal is to make Flasks (in this case) feel less spammy, then maybe having a cool-down on each flask would be of a benefit towards that goal. Then simply balance around knowing the player’s Flasks will be on a cool-down.

Finally, I really do like this system, it gives the player a chance to mess around with flask utility and manual flask maneuvers. If I can think of something else to question, wonder, or suggest I’ll post it.

Thanks again for the update Chris!

Edit:

Does it matter who kills the enemy for a flask to recharge?

This question is important!