Inventory system

[Ieo]

The inventory/paper doll system for a CRPG is an area ripe for originality. It could be totally mundane or so unusable that it makes a game difficult to play. This is a part of user interface design, I suppose, and an extremely important one.

 

I don't remember the PS:T inventory system very well, but I do remember that horrible circular widget thing for quick slots. Baldur's Gate was generally fine and made a lot of sense to me, though I always installed that mod that allowed for much higher item stacking. Moving things among party members was such a chore, though.

 

I do remember liking Dragon Age's shared party inventory, which made it easy to quickly move things to another NPC for their usage and you didn't have to worry about splitting stacks of stuff among the party.

 

What other interesting, highly user-friendly inventory systems are out there?

[WDeranged]

I'm playing PS:T currently and the inventory is cumbersome, one example would be having to make sure that my party are all standing nearby to dump all their loot into my character just so I can sell the damn stuff...

 

Dragon Age: Origins' inventory was a good evolution of the concept, I'd go with something like that

[Humanoid]

My concern is not so much how the inventory is managed, but in keeping down the amount of stuff lootable to keep that inventory management in the background as much as possible. While I very much like ME2/3's essentially non-existent inventory, that's probably not suitable for this particular instance - but I don't want to see mundane crafting materials (e.g. spools of twine, non-magical hides, iron buckles) for instance, let alone outright vendor trash like in the Gamebryo games. I'd also prefer no alchemy, if not altogether as in no potions at all, then at least no player-brewable ones from gathered ingredients. Handwave stuff like medical/first-aid supplies away as an assumed persistent 'kit' instead of having multiple consumable ones. If you have to have food, abstract it has having X days of rations instead of having actual food items. Leave quest items out of the inventory altogether.

 

More contentiously perhaps, and as mentioned in some other thread here, I'd also be keen to experiment whether armour could be something that's implemented not as loot but as, say, a character enhancement you buy from the smithy. It'd be something that exists on the character sheet but not in the inventory menu. You could upgrade it, buy a new set, or otherwise change it, but "piece of armor" would never be a thing you could carry.

 

 

But as for the inventory management, then yeah, I'm happy enough with a party-based pool of general stuff. Anything to keep the complexity of it down.

[Tamerlane]

My concern is not so much how the inventory is managed, but in keeping down the amount of stuff lootable to keep that inventory management in the background as much as possible. While I very much like ME2/3's essentially non-existent inventory, that's probably not suitable for this particular instance - but I don't want to see mundane crafting materials (e.g. spools of twine, non-magical hides, iron buckles) for instance, let alone outright vendor trash like in the Gamebryo games. I'd also prefer no alchemy, if not altogether as in no potions at all, then at least no player-brewable ones from gathered ingredients. Handwave stuff like medical/first-aid supplies away as an assumed persistent 'kit' instead of having multiple consumable ones. If you have to have food, abstract it has having X days of rations instead of having actual food items. Leave quest items out of the inventory altogether.

 

More contentiously perhaps, and as mentioned in some other thread here, I'd also be keen to experiment whether armour could be something that's implemented not as loot but as, say, a character enhancement you buy from the smithy. It'd be something that exists on the character sheet but not in the inventory menu. You could upgrade it, buy a new set, or otherwise change it, but "piece of armor" would never be a thing you could carry.

 

 

But as for the inventory management, then yeah, I'm happy enough with a party-based pool of general stuff. Anything to keep the complexity of it down.

That would keep me from wondering how the hell my orc squeezed in to the armour I plundered from the corpse of an elf.

 

I likes it.

[Jozape]

You could have the advantages of a BG/PS:T/NWN style inventory while keeping clutter down a number of ways.

1. Most obviously, you could reduce the number of items to loot.
   
2. You can reduce the weight and volume of what the characters can carry.
   
3. You can reduce the value of of each item.
   
4. You can offer more effective ways of generating money to make the inventory tetris not seem worthwhile.
   
5. You can have penalties for carrying more items.
   
6. You can make it clear to the player/character what they can and can't sell.
   

I'd rather not have something exactly like Dragon Age's inventory. I'd be okay with a list style inventory like Dragon Age, but make it very organizable and non-shared.

[Monte Carlo]

As long as inventory doesn't turn into a friggin' minigame or overly realistic (I like lewt) then i'm cool. However, character and inventory GUI are deeply important in a CRPG and I want them to be real purdy.

[rjshae]

I like more detail in the armor system than is typical for D&D. The inventory system for Drakensang would be ideal, although I'd like more categories.

 

[Sensuki]

I really love the Paperdoll + Grid style of inventory system that Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale used.

 

However junk items could be just lists on a resources tab or something, rather than in the actual inventory.

[ledroc]

I propose an entirely new way of looking at inventory and one I have considered building myself.

 

Why have tiny little squares that represent "slots" for inventory? I don't see real people carrying around alchemist drawers to keep their stuff in?

People have pockets and backpacks and belts.

Why not do something original that truly makes the game stand out. I liked Skyrim approach to inventory but the out of the box UI was terrible.

 

Why not have inventory searchable?

 

Press "I" it brings up your backpack that really is just an empty search box, you type a letter and all the items starting with that letter show up

D - brings up Dagger and Diamond

I've never liked the grid style inventory management with small icons. To me the icons are not needed. I don't need to see a mini picture of my short sword, since 90% of them look the same.

 

Inventory should be limited by weight not by "slots" I hated that in BG1, your fighter can't pickup a scroll because he has extra arrows along. Seriously? That is just so 1990

 

Just my .02

[Archmage Silver]

I'd go for the Baldur's Gate II style inventory with paper dolls, or if you want to skip paper dolls and just use the in-game character models to save time & money, the Icewind Dale II inventory style. I like both.

[Rhulad]

I want carts and draught animals in the game so that you can carry more loot with you. Not realistic to keep with you all the time but would be nice to have the option.

[Domigorgon]

Inventory systems always involve a bit of the ole suspension of disbelief.

 

In a normal D&D game it doesn't make much sense that one character can carry 10 swords and 10 armor plates and still fight and move around normally. One supposes that maximum weight counts only during travel, not during combat. My players merely suppose they are carrying backpacks which they drop at the onset of a fight, and pick them up when they're back on the road.

 

That's what the Quick Slots are there for. It's what you have prepared. It would be cool to have only quick slots available during combat - that way you couldn't rummage through your backpack during battle for that potion of healing you never thought you would need. Maybe on the "hard" difficulity, though. I can see how some would not be too happy about it.

 

I don't mind slots. Actually, NWN 1 did that nicely - some items might not have been too heavy, but they were large and took up a lot of space. Now, a giant baloon might not weigh much, but it's still a giant baloon.

[True_Spike]

I liked the way BG2 handled inventory the most. And do hope there will be containers in this game, as well (including things like the bag of holding - that was a wonder).

[Tsuga C]

The NWN inventory system worked just fine for me, especially as I always inserted a few Bags of Holding. Yeah, I'm a hopeless pack rat. Inventory tetris was almost a mini-game all by itself, too. List-style inventories are absolute dog poop as they deny me the ability to organize my equipment logically.

[ravenshrike]

The one thing we do know is that crafting inventory will be separate from normal inventory, at least for mundane ingredients . Which is good.

[rjshae]

Inventory systems always involve a bit of the ole suspension of disbelief.

 

In a normal D&D game it doesn't make much sense that one character can carry 10 swords and 10 armor plates and still fight and move around normally. One supposes that maximum weight counts only during travel, not during combat. My players merely suppose they are carrying backpacks which they drop at the onset of a fight, and pick them up when they're back on the road.

 

Yep. It might be interesting to have a double inventory system; the first pool is for what you can quickly have on hand during combat, the second is for stuff you lug along when you travel. Content in the former is what impacts your mobility during combat. Stuff in the latter takes the equivalent of a full round action to retrieve during combat, after which it is transferred into the first pool.

[Ieo]

Inventory systems always involve a bit of the ole suspension of disbelief.

 

In a normal D&D game it doesn't make much sense that one character can carry 10 swords and 10 armor plates and still fight and move around normally. One supposes that maximum weight counts only during travel, not during combat. My players merely suppose they are carrying backpacks which they drop at the onset of a fight, and pick them up when they're back on the road.

 

Yep. It might be interesting to have a double inventory system; the first pool is for what you can quickly have on hand during combat, the second is for stuff you lug along when you travel. Content in the former is what impacts your mobility during combat. Stuff in the latter takes the equivalent of a full round action to retrieve during combat, after which it is transferred into the first pool.

 

I'd like something like this, along the lines of a 'mule' (and camp) mechanic discussed here. Like you can only carry so much on your person on any given map, and the other equipment and stuff would be with a mule at your camp (part of the rest mechanic or whatever). Hmmm.

[Voltaire]

I like any of the BG/BG2/IWD/IWD2 styles, which I would think is sort of the point of this whole project. If you want something different then why follow PE?

 

More important than the style and mechanics of it though, is what you would use it for and how the game drives that. As a few others mentioned, keeping the available loot down would remove the urge to scavenge for half the game. Far fewer, but high value items to loot makes sense. Maybe allow for picking up dropped weapons and armor early on, in case someone in the party needs it, but otherwise make them not worth it to pick up and sell. By not worth it, I mean heavy encumbrance penalties with little to no money value.

[Ieo]

I like any of the BG/BG2/IWD/IWD2 styles, which I would think is sort of the point of this whole project. If you want something different then why follow PE?

 

"Inventory mechanic" was not mentioned in any of the Obsidian interviews for what the major IE homage points are. In case you missed that--isometric view, partial VO with lots of reactive dialogic content, full big party control, big exploration, fun combat. Nope, "inventory mechanics" was never mentioned.

 

More important than the style and mechanics of it though, is what you would use it for and how the game drives that. As a few others mentioned, keeping the available loot down would remove the urge to scavenge for half the game. Far fewer, but high value items to loot makes sense. Maybe allow for picking up dropped weapons and armor early on, in case someone in the party needs it, but otherwise make them not worth it to pick up and sell. By not worth it, I mean heavy encumbrance penalties with little to no money value.

 

Looking at the actual available inventory items is one way to look at it. However, given that we'll have crafting, the inventory mechanism cannot be the original IE style anyway, and Obs already confirmed that they're tweaking inventory together with crafting to be manageable.

[Hassat Hunter]

Yeah, agree with the BG system suits me fine.

[elminster]

I like the inventory system from BG too. The bag of holding was quiet nice.

[Ieo]

I like the inventory system from BG too. The bag of holding was quiet nice.

 

You're mixing up proper inventory UI and a piece of loot---Bag of Holding was loot itself.

 

And I hope there aren't magical containers in PE. Quite OP.

[Domigorgon]

Well, there's no real need to lug everything around with you if you've got a HQ - like the Player's House. There you can stash away everything you won't be needing for the next quest, and come back for it when you do.

[Ieo]

Well, there's no real need to lug everything around with you if you've got a HQ - like the Player's House. There you can stash away everything you won't be needing for the next quest, and come back for it when you do.

 

Yes, that's one big plus to the stronghold (I'm sure we'll make it to $3m at this point ). My question related to that is how travel to the housing works, if you can choose different locations, etc. Travel by the BG map was fast-forwarded in-game time, so I'm guessing PE will work similarly. Basically that would be an issue of "convenience" as well as accessibility if you happen to be in a questing area (e.g. mega dungeon).

 

My ideal scenario is--basic inventory with paper doll, extended inventory with map area pack animal mechanic tied to camp/rest mechanic (especially without D&D style Bags of Holding), fully extended inventory with the stronghold. Well, it would be nice.

[sparklecat]

What I liked about the BG inventory system was that I could effectively use my party members as a means of sorting my inventory, though the weight limits based on their strength weren't ideal in that respect. PC carries anything I want easy access to, the mage has scrolls and potions, bard's got anything still unidentified, fighter has stuff I'm going to sell, etc. I wouldn't mind if there was one inventory shared among everyone, but where you could have a bunch of user-defined tabs to sort all your items into.