I don't recall Geralt having to meditate to take a potion in the stories i.e. The Witcher shortstory in "The Last Wish" book... which the intro video in TW1 was based upon a portion of...

I miss the cool intro video in TW2... almost wish that they'd've made fuller length videos of the stories in CGI extending that TW1 intro video...

well, im going off what others have said . so forgive me if i get something wrong. but does he drink them in battle?

because meditation could be the means to keeping him from drinking in battle

Slamming potions in the middle of combat is stupid. It's completely nonsensical and impractical in every which way. I much prefer this system than the first game's version. There's an added sense of danger when exploring by not having the ability to throw down potions that last 24 in game hours. Alchemy is an enhancement, not a main combat option. If you're any good at using signs, traps, and swordplay, you really don't need potions all that often.

the oonly thing this changes for me is i have every potion i can make and when i see im getting low on buffs i chug the same things to be ready.

I will ask again:

How do you know which potions to drink in advance?

if they are trying to be more true to the story then why does the witcher have 3 specific potion hoops on the outside of his armor for quick access in combat??

Yes, a potion takes care of that.

Come on, now. He's able to reasonably guess what he'll need, and, obviously, it's not as in depth as a game would be. You, too, should be able to have a good enough guess for what you'll need-it's hard to go wrong.

Did the potions last only a few minutes in the book? I havent read any of them but that would look very weird if he had to meditate a few minutes before each encounter.

In-game time is not constant with real-time. It's probably around 1minute=1hour judging by how fast the days go by. This was the same in TW1.

At the beginning I had the same problem, but then I improved my combat and realised that when I need more than 6-8mins per encounter I'm doing something else wrong ^.^

Anyway one can increase the duration with talents, right?

Sure we can increase the duration but making the potion without long duration like in witcher 1, it would be more logical to have them usable at any time rather than item used in advanced to prepare for some fight in which case I think long duration potion would be more suitable.

Yeah, but I guess they looked into it and thought: we have signs, which are instant, but their downside is reduced ability to block. We have bombs, they are instant, and you just have to prepare them like potions. Now do we need another instatnt gimmick? Let's give players options that equire preparation, like traps and potions which might give you that extra edge before combat.

Note that all the potions only increase the way your mutated body works, it's not magick per se. So the "instant heal" potion, while very set in our traditional RPG-minds, seems rather out of place.

The current system is fine: I find it adds immersion to actually show you preparing yourself for the upcoming fight. Relating to this matter I sort of miss the animations of oiling & sharpening your blade, because it also added to the 'realism' of preparation.

I also like the fact that if you run into unexpected encounters unprepared you are at a clear disadvantage. Sort of reminds me of some older games where the strategy usually involved running in and dying, then reloading and thinking about your strategy. This way the battles feel like they require a certain amount of planning on behalf of the player, and not just mindless waving.

However you can just run with swallow & rook on and slap on some monster specific oil when needed. This way you'll always be prepared for pretty much anything.

Sometimes you can see them before they attack. Especially true in the first game. As far as I'm concerned, meditating is just like going to another menu now...only it takes longer.

I find preparing multiple potions in advance and preparing based on gut feeling or prior recon (without loading) quite realistic and immersive.

Throw away your ego and run for it - that's the first advice you get in any type of martial arts training. Applies here as well.