There's an old Windows game I played called Castle of the Winds. Items were represented by icons, like Wow. But each item had weight and bulk attributes. I don't think there was stacking in that game, but I expect it would be easy to implement. In general, I really liked the system. Items were easy to identify visually without having to deal with different shapes. Containers didn't have a limited number of slots, just total weight and bulk limits. You can implement sorting on several different attributes. They even had specialized belts with slots that could only be used for certain types of item.
I definitely know which one your talking about, maybe it would be a good model to base one off.
Like Sandman said, why not just add a "bulk" or "volume" characteristic and restrict players in that way? If you want to spend dev resources to make the inventory an engaging and immersive element of gameplay, I've always been a fan of having a bunch of "slots" in your inventory for different item classes, so you'd wear a scabbard for your sword, a quiver for your arrows and a holster for your pistol, and then you'd have a "satchel" or something with generic item-storing properties. It feels good when your bandolier is "full" of cartridges, and the matching item type feels like a fun and intuitive "bonus to shotshell encumbrance" when compared with the ungainly heap of shells you might otherwise have had rattling around in your knapsack, and the associated penalty to reload time. I still haven't seen it in a game, but I'd prefer a minigame where you collect empty pistol magazines after a fight and recharge when with cartridges before they become available for quick reloads again. I doubt I'm in the mainstream on that one, though.
But having gear that customizes your modular inventory could go a long way toward making the inventory minigame feel lees like busy work and more like character customization. I guess you can have three swords rattling around on you, but the associated penalties to stealth and agility might make you think twice. Having a freaking halberd is cool, but you can't exactly holster it when you want to climb a fence or do some swimming, so you might wind up leaving it behind. The same goes for a bazooka or magic staff or iron breastplate. If "encumberance" become a complex and engaging element of gameplay instead of just being a switch that turns of your ability to run, people might take the inventory more seriously, and enjoy your innovations more.
How big a role will your inventory play? Can you go out there with a bedroll, a bowie knife and a pack of cigarettes and be okay for a few days? Will you have to stop between boss fights to take off your horned platemail of fire resistance and put on your kevlar riot gear of bullet deflection? Will a good strategy include fifteen glass bottles of health potion, twelve frag grenades and a guitar? Will it be wise to pack up the contents of an enemy base and cart it all back to town to sell to the local fishmonger?
One of the reasons that inventories get so much use and abuse in normal gameplay is the character's role as a courier/packmule. Many mission rewards take the form of commodities that can be traded for currency, and that means we'll routinely ignore our personal loadout and focus instead on hauling merchandise and spoils back to town/base/camp. Introducing a mechanic for that, like the dog in Torchlight or the town portals of Diablo can do wonders to keep personal inventory lean and efficient. What if, after clearing a dungeon, you could sell salvage rights to some NPC, who would go back there and gather up the phat lewts, then pay you for them and/or allow you to sift through them in his showcase and grab the stuff you want. Imagine how much time would be saved if you didn't have to search every dead rat for magical scepters.
Like Sandman said, why not just add a "bulk" or "volume" characteristic and restrict players in that way? If you want to spend dev resources to make the inventory an engaging and immersive element of gameplay, I've always been a fan of having a bunch of "slots" in your inventory for different item classes, so you'd wear a scabbard for your sword, a quiver for your arrows and a holster for your pistol, and then you'd have a "satchel" or something with generic item-storing properties. It feels good when your bandolier is "full" of cartridges, and the matching item type feels like a fun and intuitive "bonus to shotshell encumbrance" when compared with the ungainly heap of shells you might otherwise have had rattling around in your knapsack, and the associated penalty to reload time. I still haven't seen it in a game, but I'd prefer a minigame where you collect empty pistol magazines after a fight and recharge when with cartridges before they become available for quick reloads again. I doubt I'm in the mainstream on that one, though. But having gear that customizes your modular inventory could go a long way toward making the inventory minigame feel lees like busy work and more like character customization. I guess you can have three swords rattling around on you, but the associated penalties to stealth and agility might make you think twice. Having a freaking halberd is cool, but you can't exactly holster it when you want to climb a fence or do some swimming, so you might wind up leaving it behind. The same goes for a bazooka or magic staff or iron breastplate. If "encumberance" become a complex and engaging element of gameplay instead of just being a switch that turns of your ability to run, people might take the inventory more seriously, and enjoy your innovations more.
This is somewhat implemented in the above mentioned Castles of the Winds, you buy bigger and better backpacks to store your stuff, you buy belts with more 'quick slots'.
I was toying with the idea if you actually jump in a lake in full plate armour you will sink to the bottom and be forced to 'walk' along rather than swim, the idea that certain armour 'clanks' when you move (though I'm not sure if that would just be annoying sounding).
How big a role will your inventory play? Can you go out there with a bedroll, a bowie knife and a pack of cigarettes and be okay for a few days?[/quote]
Maybe, hunger, thirst and sleep where one of the things I have been considering including, so as long as you can supply yourself along the way, that maybe restricted to a 'hard-core' mode however.
Will you have to stop between boss fights to take off your horned platemail of fire resistance and put on your kevlar riot gear of bullet deflection? Will a good strategy include fifteen glass bottles of health potion, twelve frag grenades and a guitar? Will it be wise to pack up the contents of an enemy base and cart it all back to town to sell to the local fishmonger?[/quote]
The other factor I had in mind is you could, if you wanted to, play the game simply like you would say a space trading sim (except in a fantasy world) ... so depending on merchant skills maybe you could simply not sell all that stuff to the locals? They might buy your first five rat tails but than have no more demand for them unless your a really suave businessman.
One of the reasons that inventories get so much use and abuse in normal gameplay is the character's role as a courier/packmule. Many mission rewards take the form of commodities that can be traded for currency, and that means we'll routinely ignore our personal loadout and focus instead on hauling merchandise and spoils back to town/base/camp. Introducing a mechanic for that, like the dog in Torchlight or the town portals of Diablo can do wonders to keep personal inventory lean and efficient. What if, after clearing a dungeon, you could sell salvage rights to some NPC, who would go back there and gather up the phat lewts, then pay you for them and/or allow you to sift through them in his showcase and grab the stuff you want. Imagine how much time would be saved if you didn't have to search every dead rat for magical scepters.[/quote]
Another aspect I was thinking, among Daggerfall style horse and cart options, Dungeon Siege pack donkeys etc was the ability to sweet talk/bribe npc's into becoming 'followers' ... if anyones played Might and Magic 6 and 7 that might give an idea, perhaps the ability to leave them to search for loot as well as having their inventory space could add to that?
