Why Don't We Ever Use Consumable Items In Games?

[@PitaPaka91]

The reason I never use consumables is exactly why I can't stop myself from reloading weapons ASAP, even if I fired only one bullet out of 500 in the clip.

[@MattGoode1]

i also suffer from this curse 😔

[@koheikyouji]

I actually really enjoy Atelier Ryza's approach to consumables. You craft them (and theres a lot of depth to it) and can craft many, but using them in battle doesnt make the item disappear. Instead, each item you make has a value called CP I think? And during battle you earn CP by using skills or tactics etc etc etc, which allows you to then use the consumable. If you want to use it again (even in the same battle), just just need to earn more CP. Unused CP carries over between battles too, so any healing items you may not have had time to use in battle, can still be used from the item menu.

[@MattGoode1]

that's really neat, so it's like you're permanently unlocking them? that takes away a lot of the "what if i cant find anymore of these" fear

[@BlaireBelladonna]

The main reason for me is I just forget about them and I don't think of them when I get up to a point where they'd be useful, if I do remember that I have a temporary buff in my inventory I always save it for later because 'I might need it'

[@MattGoode1]

no shame in using it right now 😤😤

[@danieladamczyk4024]

Its a fear of losing prevent people to use anything. The "later" that are you worring about never comes. So give a life is fullest breath and start spending those items, they are here to help you finish a game.

[@MattGoode1]

I've been trying so hard to play Tears of the Kingdom with this mindset hahaha

[@waffleten9750]

To give my take on things. The reason I don't use items is that I don't know how long a game is going to be when I start playing it. By the time realize I could have been using my items on bosses the game is nearly over. (Big problem I have when it comes to RPGs) *Edit. Oh yep you already bought a similar point like that.

[@MattGoode1]

yep i feel this 100%. certainly ill need this for a future area right?? nope, game's just over. its tough to break that habit and be proactive in remembering to use these things hehe

[@Saucyshire]

It all depends on how farmable the item is. If I can go out and get all the resources to get more of an item, I am more than happy to use it from time to time. When I am new to a game I have no idea when is a good time to use an item, and not wanting to become dependent on it. Hence in Outward I use traps like I use any everyday item, without even thinking about it. When it comes to resins in Dark Souls getting more can be beyond annoying, they don't last long, and I wasn't sure the first time around when it would even be useful in a fight. Second time through? Oh boy I am never letting an item sit in my inventory for more than two bosses. Although I find most items useless, too niche, or the effects to be too small. ~10% sprint boost for 5 minutes, like ???? no ???.

[@MattGoode1]

I also really dislike when a potion has a super tiny or boring effect, like why is this even in the game?! though i am a sucker for movement speed so i would gobble up that 10% sprint boost immediately.

[@magicpants145]

me personally, id rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it

[@coldyintiger]

A lot of problems I have had were personal (What if there is a bigger, badder monster around the next turn!?) and then you end up with a stockpile you can demolish the last boss of the game from having, or the developers not conveying that you should be using items, as in many cases (All fromsoft outside of Elden Ring), a lot of resources are finite or annoying as hell to farm.

[@MattGoode1]

100% im not a fan of farming either, but some games can have such a good feel on their gameplay that i dont mind. it depends on how monotonous the farming is. it hurt me to do this, but i had to put down Bloodborne because i just couldnt stand stopping a boss fight to go farm healing potions.

[@dougb2121]

How this doesn’t have more views and you don’t have more subscribers, I truly don’t know. This was amazing work, and we even got a song at the end. Well done!

[@MattGoode1]

ah thank you so much

[@MattGoode1]

ah thank you for the kind words

[@Nsix4]

I don't use consumables when they aren't very useful (skyrim potions of resist *insert damage type here*) I also usually don't use all of a type of consumable unless I absolutely have to. Again using Skyrim. If I'm about to die and dont have time to use a healing spell, I'll pop some health potions. But when I get down to my last couple I tend to just save them.

[@MattGoode1]

I didn't mention this very much in the video, but yeah there are certainly some instances of consumables that feel less than useful. I'm guessing that in some cases, developers just wanted them for thematic reasons and didn't consider whether they were truly interesting to use.

[@soulstarved4116]

My problem is the Greed. I like having the item. If I use it, I no longer have it, so I don't use it. So I generally only use the item when I know I can get more of it. Then there's no problem. How hard the item is to obtain also comes into play. Elden Ring brought in the crafting mechanic, which for me was pretty good because I impulsively hoard everything I see. But a few items like the Perfumer stuff had to grind for, and I would rarely use these because even though I knew I could get more, I didn't want to grind. I think on some level, it is the devs' responsibility to make it systems accessible. Of course, it depends on the game, like a survival game might want resources to be limited. And powerful items like sleep arrows or the perfumer stuff should be hard to get. But something like string in Elden Ring should not be a rare enemy drop. Also, I feel convenience is partially the devs' responsibility. Sure you can wait a second to dig through an inventory or prepare ahead of time. But in a fight where one second can cause your death, you need easy ways to get to your consumables. Dark Souls fails this. But Elden Ring fixed it with a quick use menu. By holding triangle it turns your d-pad into whatever 4 consumables that you want, making for ease of access in a fight.

[@MattGoode1]

All very good points. Scrolling through your quick-use items in Dark Souls in a panic is pretty funny. Also I think thematically it's pretty funny that items like "string" can be considered rare. Not even like magical string or anything, just regular ass string.

[@elk3407]

I used to be stuck in the loops of saving items and then never actually using them, and then I played Monster Hunter and just... got over it. Wanna save your potions? Too bad, you're dead. Quest failed. Maybe try using antidotes next time. And maybe even use a mega armor skin potion. Now I can't stop using consumables, and I even farm them because I can't not use them.

[@MattGoode1]

I know it's part of the gameplay to get away and find a safe spot but monster hunter has some LONG annoying animations when you use stuff too. But yeah other than that, I like how the consumables are really important in that game.

[@unknown-otter]

Hey! KZbin's algorithm is great, isn't it? It frequently recommends me random videos from unknown creators with less than 1k views and a few subscribers. And almost all of them are great! I'm pretty sure that's not because every video on KZbin is great (haha..), but because folks at google probably developed a genuinely good and robust video quality metric Anyways, I loved your video! Keep up the good work!

[@unknown-otter]

I believe, I'm your 500th subscriber!

[@MattGoode1]

i really appreciate this, thanks so much!

[@jgal7979]

2:55, fell swoop not foul swoop, sorry 😅

[@MattGoode1]

omg you are absolutely correct, this is going to hurt me now

[@Meteorlink]

i don't mind it in turn based games because it is a lot less skill based to shoot a special arrow in divinity to make the enemy explode 13 times in a poison cloud with ooze floor. It's a different kind of adversity to overcome... also i got like 20 of each arrow type at all times really

[@danieladamczyk4024]

Then start again and prepare yourself better.

[@MattGoode1]

i feel that turn based games like to push you into difficult decisions more often, probably because you have infinite time to figure out all your options. i wound up using a lot of my consumables in Mario + Rabbids even though that game can otherwise be relatively easy because I just really didn't want to restart a long fight.

[@mursamunelegend]

I was thinking of doing a video of this topic myself, in part I'm definitely in the mindset of "I'll need it later for a boss fight" like in FFX, I save overdrives 90% of the time, when they aren't difficult to build up in the slightest, or in KH2 critical mode I'll not use an elixir or megalixir when I can guarantee it'd have saved me, and in one case I did use an Elixir and it was the thing that helped me defeat a boss midway through. I think it's a mix of "I need this item later", "It's a rare item, who knows when I'll need 17 tents", "I would rather use a Hi-Potion because those are becoming more common in shops now" that do us in as gamers

[@MattGoode1]

"i might need this later" is a pretty huge one. for me, i think i have to just completely ignore that thought hahaha

[@mursamunelegend]

@@MattGoode1 It's kind of like how in some games I want my levels to be all equal, like I want my FF5 characters to be all the same level, some other games in the same series I don't care what levels my characters are.

[@Maldanil]

For me it's that I either forget about consumables or just don't bother reading about the percentages and uses...

[@MattGoode1]

im a big forgetter myself, i love beating a boss or something and then realizing all the ways i could've made my life easier

[@aglot7665]

I'm not going to watch this video yet just in case I get bored in the future and might need some entertainment... Wait a second

[@MattGoode1]

good idea might as well just save it

[@Cinescope22]

Found your channel today! This was great 😄thanks for the entertaining vid! just subbed and gonna watch some of your other videos

[@MattGoode1]

thanks friend! really appreciate that!

[@Kenshogan]

Not knowing how long till the end of the game is what really keeps me in that bind . Lets start a revolution of using consumables too early instead of too late 😅

[@MattGoode1]

just fricken use them!! hit the button and dont think about it!!

[@nova_supreme8390]

The reason why I do not tend to use consumables is because the supply is limited and in most cases they are not necessary. I view them too much as the last resort when all other methods just do not work. Read that as having loaded and saved multiple times and I still get pooped on.

[@MattGoode1]

i feel that too, but then i wind up with the big chunky overflowing inventory by the end of the game wondering how all these neat lil doodads work 😈

[@amvCBG]

I just came across your channel. This is so well made dude I will watch your journey with great interest

[@MattGoode1]

thank you very much friend 😭

[@TheSolitaryEye]

I've started selling these damn things in Elden Ring. I know I won't use them. I've given up. I'm just sick of seeing them when I got through my inventory. I'd rather get ripped off by a merchant than smear some dragon's chopped liver on my sword.

[@MattGoode1]

hahaha im a big fan of when you can just sell stuff too, just spend that money on equipment or other stuff you KNOW you'll use. plus i love the look of a nice empty inventory ahhhh

[@GlenMerlin]

high quality vid dude, one quick note, the sound effect transition between the points is good but made it rather difficult to hear the first few words of your sentence.

[@MattGoode1]

i noticed that but i guess i didnt fix it all the way hehe. thank you!

[@Gattaii]

if its a limited item im saving it.... for the sequel

[@MattGoode1]

me trying to use 800 ultra balls on Zapdos instead of the master ball 😩😩😩

[@KaylaMarieTeaGaming]

Just finished Outer Worlds, I basically never cared about the combos you could do with items in your healing mechanism because the effects usually only last a few seconds so I couldn't even be bothered to plan or be strategic

[@MattGoode1]

hehehe thats a little annoying i dont wanna feel rushed after using an effect like that!

[@Glaine-nd8pk]

Respectully...couldn't believe you had 512 subs, felt the need to make it 513.

[@MattGoode1]

513 feels pretty fair for me imo, i can stop there

[@jacobnavarro3675]

The consumables in souls games are just another difficulty slider. You don't need to use them, but if you really want, they can do just about anything from giving you a slight edge to trivializing most of the game.

[@MattGoode1]

thats an interesting way of viewing them. souls games in particular are really good at making me feel like... guilty? for using benefits like consumables and summoning.

[@banjoacoustic]

Pretty cool channel, the lack of subscribers are surprising

[@MattGoode1]

😎 thanks im tryna fix that

[@vesstig]

Ive managed to 1 shot the bell Tower Gargoyles, need to get that done again

[@MattGoode1]

impossible, one roll off the roof is mandatory to progress and anyone who says otherwise is lying

[@Matty_Ice87]

The one that comes to mind I’m playing now is MK 11.

[@MattGoode1]

i didnt realize that had consumables! pretty neat actually

[@Matty_Ice87]

@@MattGoode1 yeah when you are playing the towers of time you can add consumables but it being MK they spell it “konsumables”.

[@qag3513]

Definitely fallen victim to a lot of these. I think a certain amount of it comes from the relationship between certainty and scarcity. In Fallout 3, for example, I used a lot of the consumable drugs like psycho and jet to buff myself to get through fights because I knew I could buy more fairly easily, but the Bell Gargoyles and gold pine resin is my other example, too! I had actually found the resin first, but I never saw a message advising me to use it on the gargoyles and, after dying to them (and falling off the roof) a couple times, I looked up strategies online and, yup, using the resin was recommended. But it hadn't occurred to me to try it because I wasn't even sure it would help that dramatically, especially since I only had 3 of them by that point and hadn't seen them in action. Anyway, love the video! Will definitely check out some of your others.

[@MattGoode1]

its typical vague fromsoft stuff to give you specifically 3 of the resin and then barely suggest that they might be helpful on this infamously difficult boss. i didnt mention this, but the description does say that lightning is strong against dragonkin. you might be able to guess would include the gargoyles, but even that is a bit of a stretch.

[@MattGoode1]

also thank you for the kind words ♥️

[@Bman1993]

My worst game for this was Thousand Year Door. So many items in my inventory but each boss fight I'd only use jump and hammer and die 100 times

[@MattGoode1]

omg thats absolutely correct, paper mario has a ton of items like this that you collect

[@burtemis1]

For me it’s because…. I kind of just forget. Also because my pea sized smooth brain can only juggle so many systems at once.

[@MattGoode1]

are you me??

[@Argomundo]

Its always the developers fault. The only people who dont use consumables out of "pride" are on challenge runs. "Dependence" is a failure of the games systems. Estus flasks are consumables. Did you ever see anybody not using them? People seem to be just fine with depending on those. "Convenience" just means that the effect you get is not worth the effort to get for the player. If you have to farm for an effect that might not even help you in the end, youre just wasting time. And youre listing not equipping poison resistance, explicitily non consumable poison resistance EQUIPMENT under convenience? ... sure dude. The consumable for this are the easily farmable purple moss. Also 7:01 actually a poignant quote. Maybe the unecessary complexity is just too much to bother with for the average player.

[@MattGoode1]

thanks for these points. i mostly agree, though even if I'm not on a challenge run, i'll definitely lean away from throwing cheesy projectile items or using elemental weapon buff items in soulsy games because i want to try to beat the boss "my way", whatever that means. as for convenience, i have 1000% sprinted my way through swamps with little poison resist just to sidestep having to equip and manage the poison resist items (whether they're consumable or permanent equipment). Again, probably my problem overall, but in the moment I want to just keep playing rather than sit in a menu even for a short period of time.

[@Argomundo]

Im not in oyur brain so I cant say much about the first one aother than. Are you sure its "your way" when youre obviously getting influenced by some external factor. Have you ever even used thrown items in souls games? Because as far as im concerned they sck. Deal no dmg compared to the menuing and animations (and aiming) you have to do to use them. As for point two. "just to sidestep having to equip and manage the poison resist items" and "rather than sit in a menu". Soulsgames for example do not have a convenient feature that just shows you "Here these are the best poison resists items you have" and if your equipemnt is doing well enough, why should you bother trying to go through all of your gear and compare each and every item to see what the best thing for this one area is? This is a Dev problem. They are stacking mechanics , but not increasing the convenience for having to engage with them. As a Dev myself I can tell you there will never be a perfect UI or System. We do our best in the time we have and cut our losses. And you cant just offload those losses on the users/players by making them their fault. If you staple on less than engaging systems with little incentive or help, you shouldnt be surprised if no one engages with them.

[@radialbladeworks6183]

Lol this was great

[@MattGoode1]

hehe thank you

[@reginaldvonbloodslurp42]

How do you only have 500 subs, you deserve 50k atleast

[@MattGoode1]

😳😳 thank you teeheehee

[@Shitposting_IHMN]

Definition of unnecesary editing right here

[@MattGoode1]

but its funny though right

[@aaronnaylor6034]

great video. think a different hairstyle would look better for the hair line

[@MattGoode1]

its all part of my plan to bait people adding more comments for the algorithm 😈😈

[@Justice_XI]

I just forget about them ngl

[@MattGoode1]

for some games yeah omg i feel this in my soul

[@Justice_XI]

@@MattGoode1 like elden ring specifically we get so many items I just forget