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Growler
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 6:06 am Post subject: Reply with quote
Hey, what are your suggestions for improved inventory management?
I'm developing an old-school RPG (along lines of early Wizardry, BT's, & DW), so appreciate any suggestions for easier interface function. Very Happy
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SenorOcho
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PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2012 11:05 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, you've got all kinds of ways to improve an interface while keeping that older feel... for most RPGs it's hard to go wrong with a drag-and-drop paperdoll interface for inventory and equipment. If expendable/usable items aren't an issue then you could also consider a shared party inventory to cut down on "ok, WHICH guy had that...?", not to mention the annoyance of "Piles of loot! Oops, Player 1 can't carry any more! Player 2 can't carry any more!", etc. ...
Regardless, mouse support is a plus in any interface.
Of course, any kind of streamlined system is going to be harder to code than menus! Laughing
But that's the trade-off-- What are the activities you want your game to focus on? The player's time and attention should be mostly going to those things. For example, if towns are supposed to be safe places that the heroes don't need to explore, then I wouldn't make them fully navigable like in Might and Magic-- I'd go for simplified like in Wizardry. You trade a little bit of immersion, but if your city really is nothing more than a place for the player to dump loot and resupply/rest, then why treat it as anything more? I, as a player, want to get back to the real action as soon as possible! Wink
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Meanwhile
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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2012 7:24 pm Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post
Hey all, suprised to see so much action on these forums. Has someone raised the dead?
SenorOcho wrote:
mouse support is a plus in any interface.
The Devil Whiskey has mouse support, but I found using the keyboard is much faster and easier.
A drag+drop paperdoll interface is OK. Eye of the beholder was great, and I played the heck out of it back in the day, but we don't really need graphics for every armor and item do we? Lots of games try to shnazzy it up with graphics, but I prefer a text based inventory system. Text is just simpler and to the point. I think the gold-box inventory and encumbrance system works well and better than the bards tale inventory system of just limiting number of items.
Plus this...
SenorOcho wrote:
Of course, any kind of streamlined system is going to be harder to code than menus!
I definitely agree on this...
SenorOcho wrote:
If towns are supposed to be safe places that the heroes don't need to explore, then I wouldn't make them fully navigable like in Might and Magic-- I'd go for simplified like in Wizardry. You trade a little bit of immersion, but if your city really is nothing more than a place for the player to dump loot and resupply/rest, then why treat it as anything more? I, as a player, want to get back to the real action as soon as possible! Wink
It sucks to have to walk around endlessly just to find a shop to sell items in a place void of monsters.
Not to keep bringing up the gold box games but I particularly liked Curse of the Azure Bonds use of towns in which some towns either were simple in that the had basic text based Inn/Temple/Training Hall/Bar options, or they had an area to explore and fight battles.
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Growler
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PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2012 9:37 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Meanwhile, good to have ye back!
Yeah, there's been a mini-revival in the DW hood.
Much appreciate both your ideas & suggestions, SenorOcho & Meanwhile! Razz
Very helpful..esp since I've not played that many.
Like the idea & functionality of a drag'n'drop inventory system, but as you both said, it'll be harder to code, so may have to go with simpler keybd/menu system for most stuff in first game chapter. Then will upgrade features & functionality with each new chapter release.
If you guys each want to private-message me with an email address, I'll keep you posted on developments.. will also be looking for alpha/beta-testers down the road. Cool
Interesting re towns.. I had already decided to forgo towns (at least for 1st chapter), and focus on developing a good dungeon to start in.. then will build out from there in terms of wilderness, towns, etc.
Hadn't thought about a 'shared party inventory' .. that does seem worth considering.. could simplify both development & game-play.. any more thoughts along those lines?
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SenorOcho
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PostPosted: Fri May 25, 2012 5:20 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Meanwhile wrote:
It sucks to have to walk around endlessly just to find a shop to sell items in a place void of monsters.
Of course, it's even worse if your "main base" has meaningless random encounters-- another gripe I've got with DW... returning from a dungeon to sell junk, rest, level up, refill SP... you've got to go hit a shop, the inn, the training halls, the mana recharge place, which are all far enough apart you'll have butchered half a town's population worth of random encounters! Razz
Meanwhile wrote:
A drag+drop paperdoll interface is OK. Eye of the beholder was great, and I played the heck out of it back in the day, but we don't really need graphics for every armor and item do we? Lots of games try to shnazzy it up with graphics, but I prefer a text based inventory system. Text is just simpler and to the point.
It's not about fancy graphics, it's about a more accessible interface! After all, you've got to put a description of your items somewhere for the player to look at so they can decide if the weapon they picked up is worth using over the one they've got.. Do you want to force them to navigate multiple menus to do that? Have them consult an external guide? I'd rather they just mouse over the item's icon and get a nice little popup showing the item's stats.
A mouse-over is a good way to highlight item/armor/other inventory details. It can also be easily added keyboard style with moving the down-arrow until the item chosen is highlighted, then setting up key action to click (d) for (d)escription, or (d)etail, which can then view the item's extended property descriptions, and hitting Esc. can escape back to the inventory list.
For simplification sake, you may want to use keyboard initially for first release and then make mouse pointers for a later release.
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A party inventory system is a great idea. Hadn't even thought of that until Seocho mentioned it, but if a 1 click of (i) for (i)nventory could bring up a screen containing a spreadsheet of sorts containing all items that each character has and you were able to modify what each character has equipped and switch items to and from, that would be a karuelin kuel.