Inventory System

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bkboggy wrote:

A few games I played had an option to auto arrange the inventory, so that you wouldn't have to spend time doing it... they could add that... wouldn't be too hard, I think.

Sounds like a good idea; playing inventory tetris can be somewhat annoying at times, and having an option to have the game sort out item arrangements for you would be pretty neat. One other thing would be the ability to rotate items so they can fit better, like if there's a 2x1 (2 high) space that would fit a flask, and you want to fit in a sash (1 high, 2 wide), so you rotate the sash to fit in the slot.

As well as the auto-sort kinda dealio, another solution for decreasing the hampering of grid-based inventory would be the ability to increase inventory size, like adding more rows and columns of squares to the main inventory, or having extra inventory screens similar to having extra bags, so that players can bring home larger hauls and get more items.

I've theorised three different ways for inventory enlargement to be implemented, each dependent on different things.

#1: Inventory size being an element of Strength-based passive skills, which would make inventory size dependent on the level of one's character.

#2: Inventory size being bound to items, such as rows and columns, or even simply bags, being found in the world as drops from monsters and chests and maybe even as quest rewards, which would make the system depend both on character level and where the character is, assuming that loot quality is tied to the monster level of a location.

#3: Inventory size being something to can buy from the microtransaction store, meaning inventory size is something you pay for.

Number 3 might not seem as desirable as the other two options, but it wouldn't technically be buying power, since bigger inventory doesn't mean you deal more damage or have more mana; it just lets you carry more stuff around. Also, Grinding Gear already does this to an extent with the extra stash tabs; you can buy more space to store things in without carrying them around, so it wouldn't be too much of a leap to make larger player inventories a paid feature.

That being said, having inventory enlargement being a passive skill of sorts or having it work according to items would add an extra dimension of gameplay, which would be pretty cool and more accessible to the players. Still, being that they don't offer too much stuff in the store right now, and also how they offer quite a substantial amount of Stash space and character slots for free, I think it'd be ok for character inventory size to be a thing you buy with cash.

After all, Grinding Gear gotta eat, and selling increased inventory size could prove pretty lucrative and help them keep this game going. But this is just my view, and i'd like to see what other folks think of this.

The choice of reorienting the position of items to make space in your inventory would be helpful

Inventory management metagames really grinds my gears. I'd be fine with unlimited inventory, but that's just my opinion.

Having both grid- and weight-limited inventory is a bad idea in my opinion. Grid then becomes just a nuisance. (See Neverwinter Nights).
As for the weight-based inventory: it can't depend on strength stat, that's for sure. It's realistic, but it would put classes like witch at a disadvantage, and it shouldn't.
I'm not exactly the biggest fan of grid-based inventories, but it is already in the game, and it works. I don't think messing with items weight would add fun to the game or be cost effective. (Time spent on rewriting invetory system could be spent on adding more game content).
Not to mention that grid-based inventory has it's merits. There's room for displaying item's image. There's this old-school Diablo feel. There's an opportunity for you to use your tetris skills.

However, what current inventory system could use in my opinion:
1. Sort button. Because managing items' layout yourself is more tedious than it is fun.
2. Some convinient way to carry currency items. Like separate inventory grid just for those. Oh, I already hear everybody saying: "but now it makes you decide what currency items do you want to carry with you and not just hoard everything, like 100 laterations orbs!". Maybe. But it also makes me don't want to pick up currency. "Oh no, another chromatic orb. I might need it someday, but it's one more inventory space gone." Putting those in stash isn't really fun either (unless you could pay in shop with items from the stash (Maybe you can? I haven't tried.))

It's also worth noting that most modern Action RPGs allow players to both carry more gear and not to return to town to sell it. (Torchlight allows your pet to do that (which pets do in real life, in case you din't know)), and Diablo 3 allows you to turn items into gold and materials whenever you want (if I'm not mistaken, I haven't played it yet). Titan Quest gives you a LOT of inventory space and has more towns.
Of course, some people prefer the old-school approach. I gues it is the case with GGG. ;]

(Haven't read the entire thread)
I think the whole Inventory Tetris "mini-game" is part of the experience and fun. I like it.

Like some people said, that a few other games had an auto-sort button. TitanQuest were one of them. It did its job very well. Another very good thing with it was that you could switch between different sorting methods.

i actually hate weight based inventory. To me its more annoying than the grid.

With weight based inventory- instead of rearranging items, you have to constantly be looking at how much things weigh.
Its more of an annoying math problem than the tetris method.

My biggest gripe with the current system is that i should be able to displace as many items as i want when placing a new bigger item.

If i find a new item that takes up 6 spaces and i try to place it while on the inventory screen- all items in its place should get displaced automatically. Make them float or something, and if i dont re-place them they should just fall to the ground when i walk away.

The devs have clearly said this isn't going to change (Wish I had the source) but it was on a video. or maybe in the suggestion forum. One reason is the MAPS system. Where you have to think about what you are going to carry out. You are limited and there may be more loot than you can carry so you need to choose and choose wisely.

Yes the inventory system is frustrating and requires a LOT of town visits to sell stuff, but those town visits require precious town portals which is currency so now you weight what item you pick up vs the value of selling it. I enjoy that it's a more complex system that forces you to make decisions like this.