What you don't get in mind @GM is that I don't mind what "I might want to". A game is made of rules that tells you what you can do. As soon as the rules allow me a bit deeper choices than "ON/OFF" toggle, I'm fine if it doesn't allow me to "imagine" what I might want to do but tell me what I can do.
The game define the rules... If it was written in DnD that "counterspell can counter any level 3+ offensive spells once / turn at the cost of a level 3 spellslot on 3 targets - you can select new targets at every round until a spell is countered", I'd be happy. I'd be fine in my life if this was the rules of BG3, especially if it makes combats even more dynamic when I'm just watching the game playing itself.
Coupled with the new swarm AI combats could for the most part look absolutely "real time" while being turn based.
I'm one of the people trying to get a compromise. I think a quasi-preset/prompt system would be far better than what we have and possibly better than just a flat Solasta-style prompt system. And I get what you're saying.
What I'm saying, though, is that there is a strong probability that players will get frustrated if the preset system isn't a bit more complicated than a blanket level 3+ offensive spell preset.
There are WAY too many variables, and that's my point. This is just 1 potential.
Enemy casts Vampiric Touch, a level 3 spell. You use your reaction to Counterspell because of your blanket preset. Enemy wizard then casts Fireball and devastates your party.
With a prompt system, you would have control to say, "No. I don't want to stop a stupid Vampiric Touch spell. There's a high level mage sitting there who hasn't taken a turn yet. I'll save Counterspell for him in case he does Fireball."
But, with a preset Spell List where you, the player decides which spells are on that list, YOU have control to say Vampiric Touch doesn't make the Counterspell cut. The presets need to be more specific so players don't get frustrated that they lose a level 3 spell slot for something they think isn't worth it. Either that or just do prompts because I personally would be super pissed if my party was wiped by a Fireball because my mage used Counterspell on a spell like Vampiric Touch.
Especially consider surfaces. Goblin throws grease bottle. Mage 1 casts Vampiric Touch and I waste Counterspell Reaction. Mage 2 does Fireball which does even more damage because of grease.
I don't mind tweaking spells and rules, but Counterspell saves lives IF used right. One wrong use of it though, especially if it is because I had no control of when I cast it, could be game over. If the computer is deciding that, and I have no control, I'm gonna be very unhappy with Larian's design.
