Dear Developers,
An in-game console is a beautiful tool, and it does not necessarily translate to cheat.
Do you know why it is a beautiful tool? Because when we players come across many little inconveniences in forms of BUGS, we do not have to quit the game and wait for a new patch or hotfix.
-Respec Mirror not working properly? Messes up portraits? Well I can console my way around it.
-Character stuck and my save file is way back? Fine I can teleport it via console, if the teleport spell does not work.
-I was supposed to get X amount of XP but didn't? I can console it
-Item disappeared? No problem, console it.
-Effect stuck on character? No problem I can console it.
I understand that there are bugs, even though the game spent time in beta, early release whatever, it happens. But I do not get when inconveniencing the player became a necessary part of the gaming industry.
There is another issue where a console is extremely useful, it is for those harmless cheats.
Not all of has hours and hours of time in our hands to play games, so for example:
- Maybe I want to gift myself a free PetPal
- Hmm, merchant does not sell that particular blank skillbook I need right now, maybe should add it to my inventory myself and deduct the gold amount or not whatever it is up to the player
- I remember there was a source pool 2 areas back, maybe I will just console myself a source point.
Someone mentioned Baldur's Gate 2 in one of the other posts, imho the absolute finest among its kind and I played through it a lot. But honestly I wouldn't if it did not come with a console, and also the savegame editors and finally even "beyond infinity" (engine editor?).
Your savegame files are a pain to manipulate too, also risky to manipulate, e.g., I just cannot figure out how to revert to original portraits that were shifted by the re-spec mirror. I know you have your reasons to use these formats, it is upto you but give us SOMETHING to move through minor inconveniences.
