Is there a way to try and force/encourage players to use all the tools at their disposal (and reward them for it)? Consumables and the like, to deal with things you otherwise couldn't. I can think of only a handful of games that do this, as usually the developers seem terrified of making scrolls/potions/whatever actually useful and you just end up sitting on them forever or selling it all

If there’s a potion that bimbofies your character, I think that would make drinking potions more encouraged

Give them nothing.
They will be happy once they git gud

Expiration dates

>>715825904 (OP)
>force
Bad idea. Let people play how they want, even if it's objectively harder.
>encourage
Items are a reward in and of themselves. You could try to make the game more difficult but then that leans into 'force' territory.

Limit options outside of them
Have them arbitrarily wasted at a certain point

Strict inventory limit. After they're forced to discard a few potions, they'll probably figure that they should start using them instead.

Don't give me this shit and expect me to use them when I have no idea if something later will be difficult enough to actually necessitate it. People are prone to resource hoarding because it's impossible to tell when you will really need shit.

>>715825904 (OP)
my autism dictates that i never rely on anything "temporary" or "limited" such as single use scrolls or consumables
sometimes im forced to use potions but i try to avoid it

>>715826481
Same but even more so for things that "buff" you temporarily. I don't care how good they are, I just can't find myself using them.

>>715826325
>Inventory management
Retarded.

>>715826705
The word you were looking for is "fun."

Yes. Male the game so hard that you die without using consumables

>>715825904 (OP)
The system I like the most is the one where all consumables are refillable but have limited charges. It’s a bit simple, but at least it makes you use them more often

>>715825904 (OP)
Yes, this has been solved ages ago. Make all consumables cooldown-based
Bam

>>715826935
pic unrelated, remake playing subhuman

>>715826993
that's essentially what the problem with them is

Most of the game is piss easy so you don't need to use any of your potions, but then you're just hoarding them all for the one time you actually run into difficulty

the correct way is to make the player want to use them in every single fight

oh but now resource scarcity is a problem because not everyone consumes the consumables the same way and a lot of people can run out early and then the game is even harder for them

so then you realize the real solution is a consumable that's always available, an ability like press x to heal

so really the solution is dont put consumables in your game or be okay with your game being difficult and getting bad reviews on steam by retards who suck at the game

>>715825904 (OP)
>have an AP system instead of one action per turn so spending 2 AP out of 10 to chug a potion doesn't feel like a waste because you still have enough AP to smack a bitch
>items should allow you to do things you can't do with your natural abilities, potion of hit harder or heal 10hp is less impactful than scroll of teleport that lets you get the drop on the evil wizard instead of slogging through his guards while he spams fireballs
>have some sort of simple crafting system that allows players to salvage their 500 potions of +1 stamina into shit they actually want for the big fights. Bonus points if you can disassemble with no losses to encourage experimenting.

>>715825904 (OP)
>Is there a way to try and force/encourage players to use all the tools at their disposal (and reward them for it)?
I used to think so, but seeing the from software fanbase robbed me of that positive outlook. This is a concept that only the nichest of niche fanbases actually care about.

>>715825904 (OP)
by designing the game around them and limiting the inventory so you plan ahead with what you bring with you.
the items you bring along should have a reason for bringing them, and the game should be much harder if not impossible without proper item management and usage.

>>715825904 (OP)
Permadeath

>>715825904 (OP)
this reminds me of tim buckley comics where 2 of the 4 panels are completely pointless

>>715826110
i played a massive skyrim modpack that also included potions like this, some for + to certain bodypart, some for -
i started as a skinny womanlet and drank every single + i found and barely even ended up as what you'd call pudgy by the end of the game, worst experience of my life

>>715828198

>>715828198

>>715825904 (OP)
Make it so that you can buy items. That way, you can use them without worrying about running out of them. Have shops conveniently located just before bosses to encourage players to use their items instead of hoarding them.

>>715825904 (OP)
Make the consumables mission/level bound or recharge every checkpoint.
The former also lets the dev limited the selection to just stuff that is actually relevant to the level. See: thief
The latter is just dark souls estus flask, but for all items.

>>715828507

>>715825904 (OP)
limited consumable items, as in truly limited, are a problem that lies directly between shit creek and piss rock where the only real solution is not to visit the ass forest.
SS1's remake is actually a perfect example of how both "forcing it" and "inventory limits" are shitty solutions that break more than they solve.
>inventory limits
just outright not fun, and if possible the player will find a way to hoard it all.
at best, you force the player to use their limited items ONLY when they cant feasibly hold more of them purely so that they can hold the ones they've just found.
but the player still wants to hoard them. you haven't solved the problem at its core.
in SS1R i found a central area and just loaded all my extra weapons and ammo in there.
inventory full? i come running back to dump some stuff
new super weapon? goes in the weapon pile.
need some regular bullets? yeah i've got a massive pile in the corner.
the only thing the limited inventory really added was making me take a minute or two to run back to my stockpile every so often. my experience would've been objectively improved without inventory management.
>forcing it
a horrible idea because you have to account for the player that thinks
>oh cool some powerful items! i'll powertrip for a bit.
and simply does not have whats necessary for the forced consumable parts.
SS1R's last two zones are filled to the brim with extreme encounters that expect you to be using your powerful ammo, superweapons, and grenades.
but if you didnt religiously save it all throughout the rest of the game then you're actually fucked. most of those encounters you cannot reasonably beat with weak ammo and no consumables unless you're playing perfectly. for half of them you'd probably just run out of weaker bullets wholesale.

>>715829827
i tried to do loss

>>715829957
wanna be a retard like the SS1R devs for a laugh? wanna ponder the idea of combining them?
you get the worst of both worlds.
not only are players encouraged to use their rare items to free up space (thus fucking them over at the forced bit), but if you're aware of the forced bit then you're going to lose a sizeable chunk of your inventory hoarding rare items so that you're prepared, even if you dont need anywhere near that many.
thank fucking god shit is safe on the ground in SS1R so you can hoard it all.
but also there is a point of no return where you cant go back to the rest of the game. hope you ferried your rare weapons and ammo up there, faggot.

>>715826325
this, when you only have 30 backpack slots you start to consider the value of every item that's taking one up. One of the many things Etrian Odyssey gets right.

Every suggestion in this thread is retarded. Just go back to number-based high scores after you beat the game and give the player bonus points for every unused item.

>>715829957
>>715830045
Mate, it's exactly the same in SS1 and SS2. In SS1 however you have less even space. Not sure why you're so fixated on SS1R.

>>715830541
(i never played the original SS1)
probably should though.
also i heard that 2 has item durability so i have zero actual interest in playing it

>>715830751
SS1 doesn't have inventory tetris like SS1R or SS2. And yes, SS2 guns (not melee weapons) have durability. Durability ranges from from 0 - 10 and any shot fired at 1 or 2 has a chance to break the gun. There's Maintenance and Repair skills; these are not the same. Maintenance is to keep gun durability above 2, based on your skill, and Repair is simply to fix guns that have broken.

>>715831123
sounds retarded
really dont get why so many devs are insistent on ruining their games with durability.

>>715826705
Pleb

>>715825904 (OP)
Limited inventory like in traditional Mystery Dungeon games forces it pretty well. You can only hold 20 items, including your current equipment, and only things like arrows stack.
You're forced to spend those items on every floor if you want to be able to keep picking stuff up.