Improving the looting interface?

[rjshae]

Hopefully this hasn't been discussed before...

 

One of the elements of CRPGs I find tiresome is the modal dialog box used for looting a corpse or a container. You have to click on the corpse, possibly scroll through a menu and select the looting option, relocate the mouse to the dialog window, grab the items you want, then relocate the mouse and click on the close button. It requires at least five steps, each consisting of single-handed mouse positioning/clicks. When this is done over and over it can grow very tedious.

 

Wouldn't it be nice if we had popup, mouse-sensive interface that functioned more like a graphical menu? You move the mouse over the corpse, right-click, and the menu pops up showing the loot items in a graphical array. You then click on the items you want and finally move the mouse well outside an area surrounding the popup to make it go away. The number of required steps drops to three and the last does not require a precise mouse positioning. (The shift key could be used to hold the popup open so you can click and drag, then make it close when you release the key.)

 

What do you think?

 

Please be nice. Thanks.

[DocDoomII]

 

Wouldn't it be nice if we had popup, mouse-sensive interface that functioned more like a graphical menu? You move the mouse over the corpse, right-click, and the menu pops up showing the loot items in a graphical array. You then click on the items you want and finally move the mouse well outside an area surrounding the popup to make it go away. The number of required steps drops to three and the last does not require a precise mouse positioning. (The shift key could be used to hold the popup open so you can click and drag, then make it close when you release the key.)

 

 

Well, but then the dead body's inventory would appear every time you mouse over it... that would be quite inconvenient, wouldn't it?

[rjshae]

Wouldn't it be nice if we had popup, mouse-sensive interface that functioned more like a graphical menu? You move the mouse over the corpse, right-click, and the menu pops up showing the loot items in a graphical array. You then click on the items you want and finally move the mouse well outside an area surrounding the popup to make it go away. The number of required steps drops to three and the last does not require a precise mouse positioning. (The shift key could be used to hold the popup open so you can click and drag, then make it close when you release the key.)

 

 

Well, but then the dead body's inventory would appear every time you mouse over it... that would be quite inconvenient, wouldn't it?

 

Nope, because you "move the mouse over the corpse, right-click". But they could add an option to control- or shift-mouse-over in cases where that is preferable.

Edited October 2, 2012 by rjshae

[Sick]

You can make it even simpler:

Hold shift - mouse over the corpse - pop up appears - pick up what you want - release shift - pop up disappear

[DocDoomII]

Oh, I missed the click thing.

Yes that would be quite fancy.

[rjshae]

You can make it even simpler:

Hold shift - mouse over the corpse - pop up appears - pick up what you want - release shift - pop up disappear

 

Yep, plus there could be popup mini descriptions of an item when you hover over an icon.

[Hugo Rune]

I like that idea a lot. Going through the bodies of every single enemy after every fight (together with inventory management) is one of the things that annoy me most in cRPGs. I'd like it to be made as simple and quick as possible. I'd even go a step further: I'd like to have a key that I could press after a fight that brings up a window that shows all the loot in my party's area of sight and lets me choose what to pick up. After closing the window they'd just swarm out to collect everything I selected. Really, I don't even want to have to move the mouse over the bodies.

[rjshae]

I like that idea a lot. Going through the bodies of every single enemy after every fight (together with inventory management) is one of the things that annoy me most in cRPGs. I'd like it to be made as simple and quick as possible. I'd even go a step further: I'd like to have a key that I could press after a fight that brings up a window that shows all the loot in my party's area of sight and lets me choose what to pick up. After closing the window they'd just swarm out to collect everything I selected. Really, I don't even want to have to move the mouse over the bodies.

 

Yes, that would work better in the case where there are multiple loot piles. But I think I would still prefer it to be a pop-up, rather than a modal dialog. Thanks.

[rjshae]

Another notion along thee lines:

 

What if the pop-up loot box had a bar chart of the party member's encumbrances along one side? It would show the names of the party members along with the percentage of maximum encumbrance, with the color changing as it gets near the limit. Clicking on a loot item would add a shaded region showing the percentage amount of encumbrance increase of adding the item to that character's inventory. The item could then just be dropped on the character name, rather than having to drag it all the way across the screen to the party icons.

 

This way we could avoid having to reshuffle inventory because a party member has picked up too much loot. They could also add bags of holding to the list so we can drag items directly to those containers.

Edited October 2, 2012 by rjshae

[LadyCrimson]

I don't have an issue with the typical click and loot model, but I like this idea as well, for saving looting time/clicks. And I'm always pro bags of holding...or in my case, I might need a couple crates of holding, haha.

 

Just wanted to add, however, that I'm one of those people that doesn't like non-optional auto-arranging inventories, because I want certain things to always remain in the same spots so I don't have to hunt for them amid all the inventory squares all the time. So if party members went out to auto-pick stuff up, I'd want them to stop/be "full" without moving stuff around to max out what they can fit. I'd rather shuffle things around myself, still.

[Malkaven]

I always found it annoying to have to encumber myself and then divvy up the loot among the party in a different interface. Very annoying if your a weak caster. I like the pop-up loot box idea. Then one could divvy up the loot from that window without it touching your inventory.

[Calmar]

For me, such convenience toolsmake finding treasure less exciting. Some games allow you to auto-collect coins and magical treasures, to determine what stuff you want or do not want to be auto-collected, have endless inventory, or allow automatic sorting of the inventory.

 

I find it much more fun to browse through a beaten opponents stuff and decide what I want to keep and store stuff I can't carry at some safe place. After one has survived the early phase of a game, it is usually no longer necessary to collect everything, or to fill your inventoty with 30 axes and sell them for 2 gold pieces, each.

[Krios]

A often requested feature is the 'auto-loot'. Make it a toggle so people who have lots of free space can turn it on, whereas people who want a better control scheme and turn it off.

[HansKrSG]

Autoloot smells like a hack'n'slahs or an mmorpg. Can't say the "loot-system" of the IE games ever bothered me, butmaybe I am oldfashioned and have struggled with worse in the early nineties.

[AwesomeOcelot]

Manual looting is fun, it can be interesting and immersive, to have characters with the items you'd expect, and maybe items that tell something about them.

[C2B]

Manual looting is fun, it can be interesting and immersive, to have characters with the items you'd expect, and maybe items that tell something about them.

 

Yeah, I agree.

 

Autolooting makes the whole process feel *off* sometimes for me.

Edited October 19, 2012 by C2B

[Wirbowsky]

When looting, you could have the loot already sorted in three areas:

- quest or important items

- valuable items

- the rest

[Tigranes]

Autolooting means you don't notice when you pick things up, you forget where something came from, you might pick up a great magical weapon but not notice it for a while, then scratch your head. Not fun.

 

I do think a hotkey for Loot All, or similar functionalities, are useful.

[C2B]

I do think a hotkey for Loot All, or similar functionalities, are useful.

 

Highliting lootpoints is usually good enough for me.

[Takamori]

AoE Loot, click in one of the bodies, it will give you the list of what dropped in that encounter.

[Water Rabbit]

I have always just opened the container and used the "Loot All" button until my inventory is full or I am so encumbered that I cannot move and then I sort it out. I have tried systems where you can order your companions to loot the bodies, but they seem to be too slow. In games where they auto-equip the best loot it can be a blessing/curse.

[Kaz]

I'll pass on auto-loot as well. (although it's not what OP is suggesting)

 

I do like the idea of giving the looting system a revamp, and I want to point out that it wasn't the decision making of what to pick up that was tedious but rather the mechanics behind how loot was picked up.

Say your fighter loots a chest containing some scrolls and want to give them to your mage. In the old IE games you'd either had to have the fighter pick them up and manually move them one at a time over to your mage's inventory, or select the fighter, move him out of the way, and have the mage walk up to the chest to grab them. Doesn't sound too bad.. until you have to do it a hundred times over the course of the game.

I like what OP suggested here and would like to add a few more points. An obvious improvement would be to allow multiple items to be selected in loot screens or for transferring items between inventories. (ctrl or shift click to add/subtract from selection) So using the example I gave above, I could stay in the loot screen with my fighter, select the mage related items using ctrl or shift, then drag that selection group over my mage's portrait for the transfer. Boom.

 

I'm re-playing IWD now and can relate to the "multiple loot piles cluttering floor" issue. Might be cool to get a mini preview of the pile's contents when you hit Alt to highlight the piles.

 

Not to derail the topic, but while I was thinking about all of this I had another idea.. it's been hinted that there will be a stat or skill sets which enhances the ability for character to notice things, like knowing the true name of a demon etc.

 

When you are not fighting, that's when non-combat abilities come into play. We plan to add abilities that will let you become better at achieving four different non-combat goals.

Learning new things. This includes finding out previously unknown information, like the location of town or a hidden door, or uncovering secret knowledge, like a potion recipe or the true name of a demon. Or maybe you just want to know a good place to gather materials like ore or herbs. We will make abilities that let you find things out.

 

Loot screens might be an interesting place to hide extra info, or a chance to find a secret pocket on the corpse for a little extra gold/loot on the side for characters who picked up these perks. Should be balanced within reason of course.

[Hassat Hunter]

I like that idea a lot. Going through the bodies of every single enemy after every fight (together with inventory management) is one of the things that annoy me most in cRPGs. I'd like it to be made as simple and quick as possible. I'd even go a step further: I'd like to have a key that I could press after a fight that brings up a window that shows all the loot in my party's area of sight and lets me choose what to pick up. After closing the window they'd just swarm out to collect everything I selected. Really, I don't even want to have to move the mouse over the bodies.

You stole my idea!

 

So (combing some great suggestions here with what I think is best) my interpretation would be.

* There is a loot button on the HUD. Pressing it will give a popup with every item ON THE GROUND! (so not boxes or chests and such). Members will have their encumbrance (and free slots?) listed on their portrait now too. You will simply click what to take, or drag to another party member if (s)he should pick it up instead (and allow right-click with dropdown box with names for those who dislike dragging for some reason). Once done, everything picks up whatever was selected. Nice, quick and easy.

* Chests would just display their content on interaction. Same should apply as above user said that you can immediately hand over items to another member without first going into the inventory. Also same encumbrance/item stats as above on portraits while the container is still open.

 

Some pretty good ideas here folks! Nice!

[HangedMan]

I would like a looting interface similar to Neverwinter Nights 2's.

[Jarmo]

D&D gold box adventures had the best system so far, now also in Mount & Blade (but it's inferior there).

When combat is over, you get a list of everything that was dropped. Pick what you want.

 

Fast, convenient, easy.