1 Step Forward - 2 Steps Back: Backpack and Hot Pouches

[KnightX13]

Loving the stuff presented in the 1.1 preview, especially the new expanded backpack and additional Hot Pouch options. However, the new Hot Pouch options, which gives up to 24 slots, are going to immediately negate the extra backpack storage for the simple fact that items assigned to the Hot Pouch still take up backback inventory.

So the original ratio was 30:8 leaving you up to 22 spots for other items to carry. The new ratio is 40:24, only giving 16 extra spots. Yes, you can carry more items overall, but it doesn't help with going on resource runs when you are effectivley carrying weapons and food/healing items for any occasion/encounter. This is only exacerbated that when you are equipping different itemsfrom the Hot Pouch, they go back to any available slot in the backpack making sorting inefficient if not pointless with a full backpack. Clearly will see when we get this in game, and am optimistic about the new features, just need this other Quality of Life change to go with it. 

Items assigned to the Hot Pouch (or at least the "primary" Hot Pouch) should be set to not take inventory space. This would make them funciton like the Glider/Trinket as well as Armor slots. (Also, please create separate slots for Trinket and for Glider...please?...as both are often needed at the same time)

Additionally, equipped armor, if broken, should not unequip and be added to the backpack (or worse if the backback is full, drop on the ground) and should stay equipped but lose all the benefits of it until repaired or switched. 

[iMiAMi2014]

2 hours ago, KnightX13 said:

So the original ratio was 30:8 leaving you up to 22 spots for other items to carry. The new ratio is 40:24, only giving 16 extra spots.

Very strange logic. There is no relationship between inventory size and the number of hotkeys. And no one is forcing you to take exactly as many things with you on a hike as you have hotkeys. I see only positive changes: we are getting 8 inventory slots and 16 hotkeys.

The only thing I'm a little upset about this issue is the mechanisms of change. As far as I understand, the inventory simply increases for everyone at once (or they could implement it through crafting, which is much more interesting), and switching sets of hotkeys (on a PC) will be implemented only with the mouse wheel (as for me, it would be more convenient from the keyboard, for example Alt+ Ctrl+).

[KnightX13]

It's not strange logic, as items assigned to Hot Pouch still take up inventory. I'm referring to potential free backpack space versus functional space.

And yes, this is overall a positive and people don't need to use the new Hot Pouch slots (making the ratio 40:8 with 32 potential other spots). However I'm guessing people will want to especially late game when your going through the upper yard encountering high level enemies with specific weapon counters and weaknesses, and resource or lab runs with the chance for discovery of new or other valuable items/resources, since that has been the major complaint so far. Even if you carry the bare minimum with you, because of the random things you can find and often want to take with you (i.e. supreme nuggets each giving 3 types of resources, or a Omni-chest having multiple rare resources or food items) that takes up inventory very quickly.

And, yes, this means people have to prioritize when taking stuff, but again, more often than not, this will force players to stop their run and return to base to empty their backpack, just to go right back to what they were doing. And worse if their armor is near breaking and they get into that one encounter that breaks it and the armor drops automatically because the backpack is full, they sometimes don't realize it and lose the armor piece. This has been the main concern with players. 

While new inventory space and hot pouches helps address the issue, it doesn't truly solve it like making hot pouch assigned items not take up backpack space, or pinning items in the backpack to avoid when constantly equipping different items causes the backpack inventory to shift around and lose sorting.

Again, these would be relatively minor QoL changes that would have much larger impact than just adding more inventory. 

 

I could also add that for pre-assigning hot pouch slots for weapon item types, to have more options based on the weapon classes beyond just melee or ranged. So instead to also include stabbing, breaking, slashing, etc, or salty, fresh, etc, or shields, smoothies, helmets, etc. 

[RoyalDonut]

I strongly agree with knightX13

Backpack and toolbar should be separate.
Armour should stay in the armour slots when broken but just lose all effects until repaired.

[iMiAMi2014]

Probably many are confused by the not very good name "hot pouch" for the shortcut buttons bar. There are no additional slots other than inventory and slots on the character's body! And there is just a strip on the screen that displays which buttons are assigned to the use of certain items from the inventory. When shortcut is pressed, the item either moves from the real inventory slot to the real slot on the body, or is spent on one or another action. As a result, we can discuss the actual size of this inventory (they promise to increase it in 1.1), but not the ability to move an item from it to nowhere (toolbar).

Edited November 24, 2022 by iMiAMi2014

[KnightX13]

Correct, but you also seem to forget that many players are also on console so the idea of hot keys isn't quite the same for them as those on PC.

Either way, the name and UI have it set up to be distinctively different, so it should function that way as well. And most backpacks have side pouches and pockets, or buckles and straps with which to hold and attach items outside the main compartment. There are many games that have inventory storage that functions this way.

 

[Manuela]

Whatever the assigned names are, I agree with KnightX13. You cannot even craft an additional back for some reason. I'd even suggest more inventory slots than 40. Why not 60 or more and whatever you put into the slots is not in your inventory.  In SinglePlayer you have to fill different roles at the same time and there's a lot of stuff to gather, move around and what not. 

If 60 is too much for anyone - you could only fill 40.