I must admit to loving the Diablo inventory. It represents both shape and size nicely. If you wanted an additional weight counter, that''s easy enough to do behind the scenes.

As for the interface itself, how about this... a small backpack icon in the corner of the screen, or on your toolbar/sidebar, wherever is useful. To pick up an item from the floor, click on it, drag it to the backpack. When the cursor is over the backpack, the inventory screen pops up (make it transparent if you like, or do split-screen like Diablo) and you can now continue dragging the object to the wear-location on your character or the inventory slots. Voila, simple drag-and-drop object management. Perhaps if you were carrying containers, you could drag your objects onto them, and they would pop open too. They would need a ''close'' button in the corner, and dragging your item there would close the container, re-revealing the inventory behind it. The idea being that you can drop your item in any container without releasing the mouse inbetween.

Just an idea.

quote:Original post by Kylotan

As for the interface itself, how about this... a small backpack icon in the corner of the screen, or on your toolbar/sidebar, wherever is useful. To pick up an item from the floor, click on it, drag it to the backpack. When the cursor is over the backpack, the inventory screen pops up (make it transparent if you like, or do split-screen like Diablo) and you can now continue dragging the object to the wear-location on your character or the inventory slots.

This sounds good, but having to place every item in the backpack manually could get a bit irritating at times (for example in hectic diablo-like game play). There''s a lot of drag-and-drop involved. What about this:

When you single-click on an item your character would try to pick it up an place it in the inventory automaticly. Only if the inventory is full will the action fail (and this will be relayed to the player in some way that do not break the game flow, no popup boxes, but for example using audio).

When you double-click on an item the inventory will pop up (either transparent or as a split screen) and your cursor will change into a mini-version of the item. You are now free to place it yourself and maybe drop some old stuff in the process to make room in the inventory.

I think the above method would be good because it would minimize the amount of time spent on managing the inventory. The inventory screen would only be seen when there''s not enough room in it or when the player himself choose to. The choise of quick-and-easy pickup on single-click and inventory management on double-click could of course be reversed or left as an user option.

Regards

nicba

The inventory system that i was previously talking about would work in a similar fashion to the way window''s handles icons. With the exception that the icons would be closer together acting in a more cohesive fashion. You could even file them into sacks (directories) if you wanted more space but at the cost of ease of reach. The player would be able to move/handle the icons by using hotkeys that shift them in preset postitions or if they wanted they could handle them manually. Example preset postions might be 1. Frame - which makes all of the inventory items spiral around the outer edges of the viewing area 1. All left - all inventory items are pulled to the left of the screen as if there''s somekind of inventory magnet there. 3. All right/top/down. 4. Corner - same as "All left" accept the items would be pulled into a corner (of the players choice). Note that the way the i had invisioned this idea was that the area where the inventory items are have a filled in backdrop that would look like leather or something that appears like the inside of a bag. So it is in a way a separate area that is chewing up screen space as you place more items in it.

Another idea i''ve had recently is to have drop down menu''s at the top of the screen that act as bags. These drop down menu''s would obviously be graphically altered to fit with the style of the game. The problem with this one is that it can be quite easy to accidently use something becasue something going on in the game might disturb you while you''re trying to select an item.

Both idea''s use the drag and drop method of handling items (collecting items) and double clicking to make use of them.

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Our Goal is "Fun"!

If you allowed the player to carry as much as they wanted to in an inventory system that scrolled like fallout out then it will take them longer to find what they want. This would have the same affect.under the conditions that the game couldn't be paused when looking into the inventory. Maybe anyhow. That other idea (using screen space) could/should probably be refined and test first so i won't go on about that, enoughs enough Thanks for the feedback everyone!

quote:
By Dwarfsoft
You could base this on 'running' as a higher risk of breakage (bouncing backpack is likely to split) and a walking is a fairly low risk. Fighting is likely to cause an overlaiden backpack to be cut up (the player would be slow carrying all that extra weight ).

This reminds me of another system i was thinking of where the player can stack heaps of stuff in their backpack but at the risk of breaking inventory items. You'd have to keep a tab on what was put in first and the more that goes in on top to more damage items get.



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Our Goal is "Fun"!

Edited by - Paul Cunningham on August 27, 2000 11:50:58 PM

quote:Original post by MadKeithV

I see that my question has conveniently been ignored

Ouch, that hurt I feel so guilty now, My apologies to you.

quote:By MadKeithV
I''ll just ask one, annoying little question:
Why do you want inventory management?

At first i was thinking that inventory management had always been around and that we were just asigning a term for something that needed it. But then i realise that what you''re saying is that inventory systems should be aimed at automation in the same way that gui''s go for user friendlyness/ yes? Thus no need more inventory management in some games.

*Brainwave* I wonder how an inventory system could work in a RTS?!! Inventory management could hold a purpose there?!

quote:
Think about what you want to achieve, and why, and then start designing the features around it.

I tend to agree that this is probably one rule of game design that will hold sted for many a type of game. Damn it, now i got to work out how to break that rule I shall keep it in mind, that''s what i''ll do!



I love Game Design and it loves me back.

Our Goal is "Fun"!