Proposed Inventory System

[Shadenuat]

I like idea about weight and volume, but I also like grid, because grid serves two purposes:

1) Distinct each item one from another to instantly comprehend what purpose that item serves (potion 1*1 is more distinguishable from plate 3*6 than plate 1*1)

2) Beautiful, drawn item pictures

 

That's why I like NWN and Arcanum inventories.

[Hypevosa]

Original post has been edited thanks to Tale to represent the altered idea.

 

Expandable inventory. Even if I have to pay a lot for it, I want the ability to increase my inventory size.

 

That's right up your alley then. I have everything from a drawstring sack, to a giant rogue's looting sack and even a portable hole where you drop it, walk in, and just dump anything on the ground before you go.

[sesobebo]

the only two things important to me are sepearte inventories for characters, and stackable minor thingies.

[Nonek]

Personally i'd like the paper doll of the Witcher 1 mixed with one page of the backpack from the original Neverwinter Nights, don't like to carry too much stuff.

[Hypevosa]

Personally i'd like the paper doll of the Witcher 1 mixed with one page of the backpack from the original Neverwinter Nights, don't like to carry too much stuff.

 

I can respect a minimalist, but, when it comes to RPGs, I'm very much in the camp of new and awesome gear making the game far more enjoyable to me.

[PsychoBlonde]

 

The proposed system is essentially tetris that automatically sorts itself, keeping the player from needing to be in the inventory forever while also allowing the system to take volume into account.

 

I think this system (or one fairly similar) does a pretty good job of keeping the inventory management elements I like while dispensing with the ones I find ridiculous or annoying.

[Hypevosa]

I admit I had fun sometimes with the tetris in Deus Ex, but that was only for the first half of the game, same with juggling heavy stuff, gems and whatnot in BG. After that point it became a chore, and I'd like to avoid having 5 to 15 minute inventory shuffles in PE if given the chance.

[Sylvius the Mad]

My god, OP your wall of text reads sort of similar to another proposal I read some other user come up with under a different thread except it was for lockpicking, you end with a ludicerously overcomplicated system, BG was just fine, your idea about weight for money I think is also fine (maybe under HC mode) but everything else!!?? Yikes.

For the record, I really liked that lockpicking proposal Perhaps not for PE, but it sounded fun.

[moridin84]

I think Obsidian should go with either a volume based system (e.g. Diablo) or a weight based system (e.g. Fallout). Doing a combination just makes things needlessly complicated.

 

An inventory system should be simple and functional and not be a 'game' in itself. Unlike fishing, I won't be able to skip it even if I wanted to.

 

Anyway, before creating an inventory system Obsidian need to think about how loot is going to work.

 

For example,

• Will enemies just drop everything they are wearing, or just something random based on their creature type? e.g. Wolves drop leather, bandits drop weapons/armour.
  
• How many items will be dropped?
  
• How many merchants will there be between dungeons / quests?
  
• Will there be many consumable items? Bombs, traps, potions?
  
• Will there be quick bars? How many?
  
• Will there be infinite ammo for ranged weapons? Will that ammo have bonuses (+1, +2) or just be generic ones?
  

And probably a hundred other things.

 

Once they've figured THAT out, then they can try an make an inventory system which lets the player easily manage it. Not the other way around.

Edited October 1, 2012 by moridin84

[DocDoomII]

My opinion.

 

A system that values weight and volume is interesting.

A "slot-less dynamic" inventory is the most fitting I think. Simply put the game should check weight and volume and when you get overburden you can't carry anything else.

You could go as far as carrying an additional (limited) amount while suffering in walking speed, fighting, being stealthy and whatever else.

Graphically, different items should be put one beside the other and identical items should just stack. This would save from having to play tetris after every fight.

 

One thing that I'd like to change from the original infinity engine games are how special containers were handled. Instead of having a gem bag or a scroll case to waste space in the actual inventory, there should be a limited amount of slots (2-3 max) that you can use to "attach" such container (like attaching them to the belt) so you could have your main character with a money bag and a scroll case, your "thief" with a jewel bag and a quiver, your "cleric" with a potion sack and another scroll case and so on. Such containers should only have a (limited) volume capacity and no weight capacity, since the weight should still being subtracted from your total.

The perk in this management is that by putting stuff in their appropriate special containers, while still having to carry the weight of the items, you free up volume in your main backpack.

They would actually be "bonus volume".

Edited October 1, 2012 by DocDoomII

[Mabster]

Good job. This is well thought out and nicely presented. I'd love to see a system with a similar philosophy in the game. Having the characters actually carry backpacks would be awesome.

 

Jagged Alliance 2 has a vaguely similar system after the 1.13 mod. I was wondering if you're familiar with it? It features backpacks in different shapes and sizes that can be transferred from one party member to another, different sizes of slots that determine the size and quantity of items that it can hold, and pockets and pouches that are determined by clothing. A large backpack also restricts mobility, so it needs to be dropped if you want have that character to climb to a roof for example. (A screenshot in the spoiler.)

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2012 by Mabster

[Hypevosa]

It's always a little cool (yet disappointing) to see one of my ideas has been done already, or at least very close.

[Lucreto]

I would like to see a banking system for the money in the game. If money has weight putting in the bank will let you gather interest at a low rate. If the bank is in the characters home town or the town where your house is you can invest in the town.

 

If the blacksmith needs money to expand his business you go to the bank, get a message from him and you have a choice to help him or not. Then after he expands you are given a choice of reward. Your investment back after 15 gaming hours (You have to play for 15 hours) to get your money back with 10% interest or you receive a discount for the rest of the game or a high powered weapon on top of an expanded inventory.

 

I don't like the grid system I prefer the Fallout 3 inventory system based on weight. I am a pack rat so stuffing my pockets with everything I can get my hands on is a big thing for me. It is far simpler than a grid system. I am playing borderlands and I feel like I am in the inventory system for ages trying to decide what gun to drop. I want to avoid if that is at all possible.

 

I like the idea of upgradable packs like Hypevosa mentioned. I like the room saving items but with the added crafting ability to the game you would want to carry more as you don't know if that thing you are leaving behind is rare herb that can grant you a high level healing potion. But if I had the choice I would like the Fallout 3 system.

 

How the inventory is displayed is important to me. I like the Tales of Graces F approach where all crafting ingredients are on one page and potions on an other and weapons and armour on another.

[Hypevosa]

Why have a bank when you can have your own, permanent secret chest, or can just store everything in your house? (We already know we're getting one)

 

Your system just seems to be giving the player extra stuff for doing nothing but having money... what's the point when they could just spend it on good gear and useful things instead?

 

Hoarding should be a choice a player makes because they like doing such things, not because it actually gives them any real advantage beyond having anything they need.

Edited October 2, 2012 by Hypevosa

[TrashMan]

I think Obsidian should go with either a volume based system (e.g. Diablo) or a weight based system (e.g. Fallout). Doing a combination just makes things needlessly complicated.

 

Why would it be needlesly complicated?

 

Think of DA:O or Skyrim ordered list inventory.

 

Except insted of just having Weight: 90/120 at the bottom fo the screen you also have Volume: 80/100

 

Weight would depend on strength but volume would be mostly fixed (could only be increased with bags orbackpacks)

You just have 2 numbers to keep an eye on.

 

Easy.

 

 

 

• Will enemies just drop everything they are wearing, or just something random based on their creature type? e.g. Wolves drop leather, bandits drop weapons/armour.
  
• How many items will be dropped?
  

 

I think this would be an issue only to pack rats.

 

Who cares how much stuff eneemies drop if you can only carry a very fixed amount back.

And if most of the stuff would be worthless anyway...like damaged armor(altough I guess you could sell it as scrap metal)

[DocDoomII]

Anything but, please, not something like the stupid Skyrim inventory.

Skyrim and Dragon Age II inventory are like, the most horrible things ever brought to life.

[Hypevosa]

I still have an issue with having a raw volume measurement, as that doesn't take into account shape at all. For example, while the adventurer's backpack I proposed would theoretically fit 2 full plate armors in it, there's no way one could actually do so without a giant portion of one of the chest plates poking out the top of the pack, or without cutting the chest plate in half and sandwiching it around the other. There is something to be said for bulky items needing to be taken into account. Honestly full plate armor and similar things shouldn't be the most common armors found anyways. Same with a halberd or a claymore - how does that ever fit into a backpack? That's why I kept the strap slots.

[moridin84]

Why would it be needlesly complicated?

 

Think of DA:O or Skyrim ordered list inventory.

 

Except instead of just having Weight: 90/120 at the bottom fo the screen you also have Volume: 80/100

 

Weight would depend on strength but volume would be mostly fixed (could only be increased with bags orbackpacks)

You just have 2 numbers to keep an eye on.

 

Easy.

Having volume just be represented as a number... doesn't make much sense. It would work easily since it's just a another number but... there's no real value in adding it.

 

When I said 'volume based' I meant Diablo style' date=' where you are playing inventory tetris. See this from Diablo 1.

The sword takes 3 slots, the armour takes 6 slots, a potion takes 1 slot.

 

I think this would be an issue only to pack rats.

 

Who cares how much stuff enemies drop if you can only carry a very fixed amount back.

And if most of the stuff would be worthless anyway...like damaged armor(although I guess you could sell it as scrap metal)

I'd rather you didn't just brush this aside.

 

The inventory system is for managing items isn't it? Then aren't the types and numbers of items you get really, really important?

 

To give a simple example. In a game with a lot of unimportant 'junk' loot, a weight based system is better, since you don't have to manually drag things around, just clicking and scrolling.

Edited October 2, 2012 by moridin84

[TrashMan]

Why would it be needlesly complicated?

 

Think of DA:O or Skyrim ordered list inventory.

 

Except instead of just having Weight: 90/120 at the bottom fo the screen you also have Volume: 80/100

 

Weight would depend on strength but volume would be mostly fixed (could only be increased with bags orbackpacks)

You just have 2 numbers to keep an eye on.

 

Easy.

Having volume just be represented as a number... doesn't make much sense. It would work easily since it's just a another number but... there's no real value in adding it.

 

When I said 'volume based' I meant Diablo style' date=' where you are playing inventory tetris. See this from Diablo 1.

The sword takes 3 slots, the armour takes 6 slots, a potion takes 1 slot.

 

What do you mean it doesn't make much sense?

What do you think slots are other than representation of volume?

 

If you have 20 slots and items take up a different number of slots, how is that different than having 20 volume and items taking up a different number of volume units?

 

IT'S THE EXACT SAME THING...only without the tetris

 

Your backpack has a limited volume.

 

When volume is just a number you don't have to worry with tetris, because you KNOW you can fit X volume. Exactly how you arrange it doesn't matter.

[DocDoomII]

It makes much more sense to me to have a parametric volume value instead of a stupid tetris minigame inventory.

[Hypevosa]

It still fails to take into account things whose shape limits them from being in the pack, or being in the pack together. It's the reason I essentially have the volume system you proposed, but with bulky slots for when bags can't contain something like 2 full suits of plate mail armor, and strap slots for things like halberds.

[DocDoomII]

Personally I'd like to not have to tetris my back pack, and spend more time trying to sell stuff to multiple vendors because the finished their money or simply are not interested in what I have looted in the last dungeon.

[Hypevosa]

Personally I'd like to not have to tetris my back pack, and spend more time trying to sell stuff to multiple vendors because the finished their money or simply are not interested in what I have looted in the last dungeon.

 

That's also why I automated it. ;D I like the sense tetris can make, but I am not one for 15 minutes spent rearranging inventories.

[moridin84]

Your backpack has a limited volume.

When volume is just a number you don't have to worry with tetris, because you KNOW you can fit X volume. Exactly how you arrange it doesn't matter.

 

It makes much more sense to me to have a parametric volume value instead of a stupid tetris minigame inventory.

 

Well I agree that the tetris minigame is a bit silly. I think that's the only way to do a volume-based system though.Or rather, the only value in doing a volume based system.

 

If you do it via numbers then it's not any different to weight. It's just instead of the amount you can carry being based on your strength, it's based on the amount of pack space you have.

 

And if you combine it with weight... then it means you have to worry about two things (which are basically the same) instead of one. It doesn't seem interesting or fun

 

 

It wouldn't be a big deal if you only had to worry about your own inventory, but you have to worry about the inventory for any companions you have as well. Or may not have.

[DocDoomII]

Then excuse me, but why not as in my suggestion?

No inventory slots.

A value for volume.

The game arranges the items by itself.

 

If a dagger weights 500g and occupies "3" volume, a full set of set of armor could weight 50kg and occupy "80".

If a normal human could carry "100" in his backpack you already have a situation where it's impossible to carry 2 full set of plate armor a 5 helmets and 3 shields and whatever else.