Sensuki's Suggestions #009: Inventory and Item Tooltips

[Infinitron]

trololololol

 

 On my current PC, the mouse cursor flickers which is really off putting.

 

 

Tried this? http://bitpatch.com/ie_ddrawfix.html

Edited August 22, 2014 by Infinitron

[Sensuki]

Yeah I have, it doesn't fix the flickering mouse cursor.

 

When I used to use an NVIDIA card, that tweak was required for Baldur's Gate 1 and Icewind Dale 2, but BG2 and IWD1:HoW ran fine in OpenGL mode.

[Sarex]

Must have just been BG1 and IWD1 then.

Inventory size was not a problem in BG2, I've never finished Icewind Dale 2 though. I got stuck in the Fell Woods on my first play through back in 2002 and on consecutive attempts I've always had trouble getting it to run properly on my PC without graphical glitches. On my current PC, the mouse cursor flickers which is really off putting.

 

The first bag of holding you get on the bridge after the goblin fortress. I never had a problem with the forest because I had a druid with wildernesses lore maxed out.

 

As for the graphics glitches those happened with the coming of windows 7. I talked with the nvidia driver guys about fixing it but they only did a partial solution. Though there is an easy way to fix it, I just need to do some googling to find the program for the fix, I'll come back to you on that.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Sarex

[Sensuki]

The first bag of holding you get on the bridge after the goblin fortress. I never had a problem with the forest because I had a druid with wildernesses lore maxed out.

Yeah like I said, it's been years since I played it last (probably 2008 or 2009 or something).

[Sarex]

http://zeckul.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/icewind-dale-2-ultimate-installation-guide/

 

Follow step 6.

[Sensuki]

I've used this guide to install IWD2 before, it doesn't fix the flickering cursor.

 

That fix is also required for Baldur's Gate 1 with an NVIDIA card.

[Infinitron]

http://zeckul.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/icewind-dale-2-ultimate-installation-guide/

 

Follow step 6.

 

That just does the same thing the mod I linked to does.

 

It sounds like Sensuki has a different problem, unrelated to the classic NVIDIA issue.

[Sarex]

I've used this guide to install IWD2 before, it doesn't fix the flickering cursor.

 

That fix is also required for Baldur's Gate 1 with an NVIDIA card.

 

Ah you mean when you move the cursor it flickers. Ugh, I think there was even a fix for that, but I can't remember on what forum that was.

[Ineth]

1) They wanted to make item swapping/comparing between party members be a simple 1 screen process - I applaud them for the idea, as it sounds so good in theory, but here we see the end result and its.... not as good as it sounded.

 

Moving/Swapping items between party members can actually be done very efficiently in BG2, if you use both keyboard and mouse together like this:

• left hand on the keyboard; fingers resting on the 1, 2, 3, 4 keys
• right hand on the mouse

Then click the inventory button; press the number key of one of your characters to switch to their inventory; click an item with the mouse to "grab" it; press another number key to switch to another character's inventory; and click into an inventory/equipment slot to drop the item there.

 

If you want to swap equipped items of the same slot (e.g. armor) between two characters, you don't even have to move the mouse around... just keep it still over that slot, and with a quick "[first number], click, [second number], click, [first number], click" - they are swapped.

 

Takes a little practice, but works really well.

So yeah, I don't see the PoE beta inventory as an improvement in that area.

[Osvir]

I've used this guide to install IWD2 before, it doesn't fix the flickering cursor.

 

That fix is also required for Baldur's Gate 1 with an NVIDIA card.

 

Try not using the widescreen mod I guess. It is a wonderful mod but, I can't play IWD2 with it on my machine (Windows 8 ). I recall reading something about IWD2+Win8 not being very compatible (I've played IWD2 flawlessly on Win 7 and Win Vista w/ widescreen). Anyways, not installing widescreen made wonders for me and the game picked up it's pace. Here's some stuff. I also recall something about going into one of the .cfg or .ini files and doing something I can't remember~ oh well (regarding flickering)

 

You can also play around with "Run as administrator..." as well as "Compatability Mode".

Edited August 22, 2014 by Osvir

[Stun]

What? Inventory Weight limits were a *huge* deal in the IE games. Most people did not "just drop things in any available slot until a limit was reached and then start dragging things over to the next character." instead, it was exactly as infinitron suggested. You made sure your high strength characters carried all the heavy stuff, and your weaklings carried the keys and scrolls and excess potion stashes.

 

<shakes head>

Edited August 22, 2014 by Stun

[Sensuki]

I really don't know what players he was watching, and I also think he took what Infinitron said the wrong way.

 

The joke over at the RPGCodex is that this post is the reason we have a small per-character inventory.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Sensuki

[Fen(rir)tastic]

I should start by saying  i LOVE the ability to take in all the inventories at a glance so i don't have to open up multiple separate windows and or remember where i organised what category of items. The two parts i/others probably struggle with in honesty is probably just that this system is a fairly significant deviation from my previous experiences so i find it awkward (I will get over this) and that it adds complexity not specifically strategic value. Though i guess the later would depend on your definition but i feel like if the inventory was slightly larger 12-14 slots and the stash had a much more advanced sorting mechanism that the system would not be as jarring for some. Currently the limited inventory and limitation on the stash seems like a complex way to make players take more time traveling to towns to re-equip or waste camp materials for contingency planning. While i don't disagree with this hard decisions methodology, i feel like with something like inventory it can be laborious to add additional steps to managing resources when really you want the strategy to come from when and how you best implement your tools not if you bring your tools that particular day though that is an element. 

I also agree that the idea of comparison tool tips could be very useful or at the very least if we are forced to open and close multiple items that the description and its stats should be cleaned up to be more intuitive and familiar (Others have covered excellent recommendations for item information). One of the biggest factors im struggling with in this game is i just don't get enough information and feedback (Covered by others in other posts). Im sure most of this will be fixed or adjusted as time goes on. 

Either way i will adapt just like it did to Planescape from BG/ID. 

Edited August 22, 2014 by Fen(rir)tastic

[Ineth]

I've never finished Icewind Dale 2 though. I got stuck in the Fell Woods on my first play through back in 2002

 

Ah yes, the Fell Woods... The part of the game where the designers must have thought: "Oh look, we've got this skill called Wilderness Lore in the game, which has no combat relevance and is practically useless so far and unsuspecting first-time players will likely not choose it for any of their characters. Yeah, let's add a puzzle that is near-impossible to solve without that skill, to the critical path in the second half of the game. MWAHAHAHAAA!!!"

 

[Tartantyco]

That's a huge deal to you, Stun? Some brief inventory organizing?

 

"Decisions, decision... I guess I'll put this heavy stuff in my Fighter's inventory, and I'll put this scroll in my... Mage's inventory! I'm so brilliant! Look at me guys, I'm roleplaying so hard right now!"

[Corto81]

 

What? Inventory Weight limits were a *huge* deal in the IE games. Most people did not "just drop things in any available slot until a limit was reached and then start dragging things over to the next character." instead, it was exactly as infinitron suggested. You made sure your high strength characters carried all the heavy stuff, and your weaklings carried the keys and scrolls and excess potion stashes.

 

<shakes head>

 

 

Myeah. I can't speak for anyone else, but I made sure all the armor and weapons were carried by fighters and rangers and then the scrolls and gems by thieves and mages.

 

...

 

I'm not a huge fan of the inventory system in POE.

 

Not to be negative, but it's a step back from both the old IE games and the newer ones Sensuki mentioned (Diablo 3, Grim Dawn, Path of Exile, etc etc.).

 

There's still time to do an overhaul, but yeah, as of now... More of the "needlessly reinventing the wheel" stuff IMO.

[Sensuki]

That's a huge deal to you, Stun? Some brief inventory organizing?

 

"Decisions, decision... I guess I'll put this heavy stuff in my Fighter's inventory, and I'll put this scroll in my... Mage's inventory! I'm so brilliant! Look at me guys, I'm roleplaying so hard right now!"

 

You mistook what he read JUST as Josh Sawyer did. He said the reason his Fighter carries the armor is the Fighter has a high carrying capacity. 18/00 let's you carrly like 300lb worth of gear. 9 Str you can only carry 50lb.

 

So Fighters carry all of the suits of plate mail and the Wizards carry all of the scrolls, because they weigh nothing.

[Stun]

18/00 lets you carry 400lbs worth of gear

 

That's a huge deal to you, Stun? Some brief inventory organizing?

 

"Decisions, decision... I guess I'll put this heavy stuff in my Fighter's inventory, and I'll put this scroll in my... Mage's inventory! I'm so brilliant! Look at me guys, I'm roleplaying so hard right now!"

Hey, I just bought you an early Christmas present Tart, it's a best selling Kindle title. "Reading miscomprehension"- by Imus Points. Edited August 22, 2014 by Stun

[Tartantyco]

No, it's you guys who are seriously misunderstanding Sawyer's point. There is no functional difference between the IE system and the color-coding system Sawyer refers to, except that they're separated by entire screens instead of having a shared screen. Your party has X amount of total carrying capacity, and will carry that amount regardless. If you can't fit certain valuable items, you'll just come back for them later. The PoE inventory system simply removes redundant steps.

 

I'm sorry, Stun. You have not been awared overruling powers. Only people with the Eldoth avatar are granted that.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Tartantyco

[Sensuki]

dat edit

[Sensuki]

No, it's you guys who are seriously misunderstanding Sawyer's point. There is no functional difference between the IE system and the color-coding system Sawyer refers to, except that they're separated by entire screens instead of having a shared screen. Your party has X amount of total carrying capacity, and will carry that amount regardless. If you can't fit certain valuable items, you'll just come back for them later. The PoE inventory system simply removes redundant steps.

WTF are you kidding?

 

I highlighted this line because I mentioned this exact thing in my video. Listen to my video again - I say exactly this in so many words.

 

We are talking the reason Josh Sawyer CHANGED the inventory to be like it is now from his previous idea which was just a shared party inventory for everyone.

 

We believe (and he pretty much says as much in an interview) that is because of this formspring conversation with Infinitron.

 

Here is the FULL Convo from Formspring

 

So, Project Eternity will have a unified inventory for all party members, as opposed to the Infinity Engine games' per-character inventory. That doesn't bother me so much, but what's your opinion of per-character inventories? You don't like them?

In a game where one player controls all party members, I don't think it adds anything to the game to split gear up across 6 screens. There's no mental challenge to the process of organizing items across the screens. It's just busywork.

If each companion has different encumbrance thresholds, it's not as simple as just splitting the inventory..There's also a roleplaying factor involved.

 

"This is my strong fighter, he carries the heavy stuff. This is my mage, he carries all the scrolls."

You could accomplish the same thing by color-coding a single grid to represent what parts are carried by what character. In practice, people playing IE games just drag items onto any available slot until a limit is hit, then drag it to someone else.

Josh mistook what Infinitron said, possibly pretty much skimmed over his first paragraph and only read the second one, and then wrote his final response based on "I want My Fighter to carry the heavy stuff and my Wizard carries the scrolls"

 

Josh mentioned this conversation in a video interview, and criticized Infinitron (even though he couldn't remember who he was) for having this ridiculous notion and stated that this is one of the reasons why they have a per-character inventory, the words he used was "like that's a real fûck'n thing man!!?!!".

 

Infinitron was actually talking about encumbrance. We did not know at this stage if there was encumbrance or not in Pillars of Eternity (called Project Eternity back then).

Edited August 22, 2014 by Sensuki

[Sarex]

Sensuki I wouldn't really try with Tart, he has some issues.

[Infinitron]

Actually, Sensuki, I didn't care as much about the encumbrance as I did about just having separate inventories (whether on the same screen or not).

 

Also, I interpreted Josh's response as saying that he would somehow combine inventory endurance limits into the unified grid.

 

Like, you'd have one big grid, not physically separated between party members, with each box being color-coded to the companion it belongs. Stronger companions would have more boxes. I imagine that would look pretty weird, though.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Infinitron

[Sensuki]

Well in an interview he mentioned your line about the Wizards and scrolls, but in a mocking fashion, so my guess is that he mistook your words.

 

Paladins have a Smite-like ability because Gfted1 wanted a Smite-like ability, so it's not unbelievable.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Sensuki

[Infinitron]

I don't mind the mockery, I recognize myself that it's kind of a LARPy thing.