HOW IMPORTANT IS MAKING ITEMS USEFUL?

I think it's a player mentality, because I am exactly like this. As in, if there is a way to heal HP with MP, and a relatively cheap way to replenish MP without using items, you can bet your life I will use that method.

Now that I think on it, a lot of my most recent games probably reflect this. Okiku Star Apprentice? One of her abilities replenish MP. Myriad Cypher and Oracle of Askigaga tie MP restoration to the "Guard" command. Then there's restoring MP in Nakaishi Wars.

I'm very much the same. I have a too-good-to-use -category in items (which includes almost all items, especially all MP recovery items). I think there is nothing you can do about it. If someone wants to play like this, they will even risk dying to save items.

should I include an ability later on in the game that lets MP regen even faster?

Absolutely. you say don't want to waste players time, so someone who likes regening MP will pick this ability and love it.

People do like to horde their MP recovery items, that's the truth.

An easy experience is usually universal to players. I like to cater to people who want a challenge but it's manageable if you play smart and weigh your options. Again, I loveee survival games because of that. I like having to decide what to use and when and managing water and food or whatever. Look at a game like the early Resident Evils where you pretty much will use everything. There isn't a.point to saving items because you'll just die.

And really just depends what your game is, though :)

You're going the route people can't bitch and complain about lol

This got me to thinking: what about items whose effects are affected by the user's magic stat? Would it be useful to have healing items that become more effective as a user's magic stat increases as would be the case for a healing spell? While it would make a melee character's magical properties matter more (ensuring no characters stats are ever wasted), would it really add anything to the strategy or would it just complicate or confuse the situation?

Would you be more focused on keeping the person with the highest magic stat alive to take advantage of the items? Would you go out of your way to deck out the tank with magical gear just to get the healing benefits? Could this be flipped so that the character with the highest strength gets healing item boosts (think Healing Signet in Guild Wars), creating a secondary class of healers? Would you go a different route and create two categories of healing items that reflect a strength or a magic build, such as HP with strength and MP with magic or vice versa?

The cause of people hoarding items is the designer making it possible to do so. People never know what the next danger will be in the game. They don't know how hard it'll be. Maybe they'll need the items! But they can almost always figure out a way to overcome their current obstacle without the items. So why take the risk?

To change the way players approach this situation, do one of two things, preferably both:
1) Fiercely limit the number of items the player can carry.
2) Make items replenishable in a way that the player can easily predict.

If you do the first thing, it will make it so players will often come to a situation where they think, "I can't carry any more items. So if I find another one ahead, it'll be wasted unless I use one now. Using one up now will definitely benefit me, but hoarding the items is riskier since I don't know what items I'll get from treasure chests and enemy drops in the next few minutes."

If you do the second thing, it will make it so that players will often come to a situation and think "I know that if I use my item now, I'll be able to replenish it soon. There's no risk in using it now."

So one thing adds a risk to hoarding, and the other thing takes away some of the risk of not hoarding. The player will still hold on to their items a lot, because these two situations will both happen intermittently, but they won't hold on to them all the time.

How powerful the items are doesn't really factor into this much at all.

In my view...

If you're spending money on them, they should be useful.

In most of my games Items are useful, but not "essential". Yes, you CAN usually get by with just abilities, but sometimes you go "Man, I need a LOT of healing this turn" or "I need MP restored in combat. Gotta use an item".

I tend to use standard items in games a good bunch, only hoarding the REALLY good stuff and only using it if I'm having an especially hard time with a boss.

author=LockeZ
To change the way players approach this situation, do one of two things, preferably both:
1) Fiercely limit the number of items the player can carry.
2) Make items replenishable in a way that the player can easily predict.

This. JUST THIS. The Estus Solution.

This is why I use my Estus flask when needed in Dark Souls (Although I first rely on a healing spell for times when I need healing out of combat or in a safe spot).

It's also the philosophy behind the Angel Flask I made in Mayhem Maiden. Every checkpoint gives you a few free after-battle-heals, so you don't feel too bad about using them.