Oh, and another question, is it going to be computer only, or are you planning on supporting a gamepad or another type of controller?

Talroth, most modern guns use magazines, not clips. :)

How about pants pockets? A radial menu around the pocket would be a pretty good approximation of rummaging around for a key or vial of serum, and it wouldn't break immersion the way an inventory screen does. What's more, it could be more secure, since you might lose or have to abandon your backpack (crawling thorugh a vent, or captured by psionic government agents). The radial menu would do well for key rings (which one is it?) as well.

And I like the backpack very much. I'd add that the game should not pause, and your character should have to use both hands to swing the pack around and start going through it, or stop, kneel, and put the bag on the ground before rooting around in there.

For gun management, environment interactions and just basically moving around I've done a little writeup of a few ideas I think are good here. (any comments or suggestions would be nice). Also here.

I agree with others here that a rotating inventory would be great.

I like the idea of 'slots' taking up the number keys 1-5.

Holding 'Q' brings up a list that can be navigated with the mouse or keyboard. Releasing Q makes the list disappear. Tapping Q also makes the list pop-up, and hitting Q again will make it go away. The first list is along the lines of "weapons", "items", "health items", "ammunition", "actions", etc. Pressing the left keyboard arrow or clicking with the mouse expands the selected section, pressing Esc or the right keyboard arrow goes back to the last list. Pressing any of the number keys 1-5 will assign that key to the current menu, item or action that's selected.

If you select an item a new menu will come up with actions to do on this item, "drop", "use", and anything special to the current item. Everything can be done using the menu in real time, if you want any of the actions to be faster just assign them to one of the 1-5 keys.

This could also be done using a rotating inventory, pressing down would be 'select', up would be 'back' etc.

This is quite similar to the fable inventory system.

If you can afford the time and energy to great the graphics for the main character, I think the best way to show health is through movement and the look of the character. This is of course if it's 3rd person. Otherwise something like the max payne health graphic is simple and effective.

[Edited by - umbrae on January 2, 2006 5:25:24 PM]

I agree that character behavior and appearance is a good way to reflect health, but it's tough to implement and pretty difficult to interpret sometimes. You'll never convey the intuitive sense of being hurt, so a straightforward statement of condition is the most useful way to get the message across. The body diagnostic from Deus Ex is a good way to show damage to different body parts, and I think sustaining injuries, rather than just taking damage, is important in survival horror.

Don't forget the bleeding face from Doom. I loved that little guy.

I recommend that you don't get too terribly organized with the inventory system. Optimally, I'd like to see a system where the player chooses where to put the item when he picks it up (pocket, backpack, hand, boot, etc) and then has to remember where it is later, or search around for it.

And perhaps you could have fullness and stability be factors. If you have too much stuff in your right front pants pocket, then falling down might cause you to drop something. If a mutant hits you in the back with a pipe, it might break your walkman or kill the kitten you have riding around in your pack.