I would really like being able to drop my backpack (or any storing item) and leave the items i had in it IN the backpack intead of helding them in my hand. It would really help if you have to fight and you have a lot of encumberance or if you want to have a backpack for going to the town at night, another one to go hunting and so on. English its not my main language so I hope that what im saying makes sense.
We plan to implement this container based system into the game soon, where every item that your character has is not located on the character but instead is located in the container (purse, pants, etc) that is located on the character. Expect this to come out in 2-3 releases.
But don’t get into nanomanagement stuff. Don’t want this “put this little peace of paper inside the back pocket of my torn jeans” things. It can be fun once but quite boring and annoying during a long play. Think it will be perfect only for large items (like backpacks or rucksacks) to become separate containers. And when you pick up items you can optionally choose with hotkeys (place it near “[left] unmark [up/dn] scroll” promt) the large container to put in. Not with the special additional dialog.
I actually have an idea on how to handle it all, it just needs a bit more work to be certain.
Even for those +3 volumes. Those could slip outta your pockets when you try to unburden yourselves.
The goal of containerizing the inventory is to track everything inside the game in a very nitpicky way, but provide an interface to it that just handles it automatically 99.9% of the time.
So when you pick something up, it gets automatically stashed somewhere. You’ll be able to tag things for quick access, in which case they end up in pockets, hosters, fanny packs etc. You’ll also be able to tag things to get dumped in a backpack for long storage, so they’ll be the things dropped if you drop the pack, and other stuff will go in fast access when possible.
If you do neither and drop a backpack, instead of getting overburdened when you take off clothing that provides storage like now, a random-ish assortment of gear will go with it.
Basically if you don’t want to micromanage it, don’t, and things will be pretty much fine, but if you want to do something specific like have a “loot bag”, this system would allow that with a minimum amount of fuss.
Also the default inventory DISPLAY will be just like it is now, you won’t have to manually scan through bags of bags to find things like in DF. It’s just that the access costs will change based on where the item is.
So if we got the system, would that mean if you are wearing a backback that has 50 volume and a fanny pack that has 20 volume a cookie that is 70 volume you still couldn’t pick up? Dat’d be pretty kewl.
Yep, you cant split a steel frame to fit into two different backpacks, then magically recombine it whenever you feel like it.
I was thinking of a more native approach, sensible to the actual needs of a player; rather than planning ahead with major concern being individual item damage, etc.
I like inovative systems, and altough I didn’t feel like playing DF longer than fifteen minutes, I understand that tracking everything is the actual way of things for Bay12. On the other hand, tabletop roleplay is the actual opposite and the rules were made as the people saw them fit. For example, If you engage in a melee, it is everyone’s understanding you’ve put your belongings on the ground, as if you were riding a pack animal fitted with sacks. Now, unlike the DM, computer tracks assets in a more, say, descriptive way. I think that shouldn’t be abused only to make the character loot more to recover intact items. I don’t mean to be silly, but really, do we need squashed meat sandwiches? On the other hand, the storage gear is somewhat fit to expectance regarding harsh conditions, so you can’t actually handle ammo stashed in a military rucksack the same as it was on some zombie’s carcass that was caught on fire (saying that you’re on a tile that incinerates). I’m only guessing, but not as wild as someone could as I’ve actually played the game, so I have the same concerns as you could. Like, if a Shocker zombie suprises you with a charged cloud, does it shatter the vial containing dangerous liquid altogether stashed in the fanny pack on your belly. Would you have thought about it to plan ahead, and would you dispose of the bag and your belongings in a pinch if what I’ve said should actually happen? It raises a whole different set of questions and an actual realism discussion.
I like thinking of it more simpler, as drops are less arguable; packing gear can be tracked in weight and volume to determine the time needed to strap/unstrap holders. Also, to get practical about it, if you go on collecting items and encumber yourself, dropping those could be made easier by telling the game you just have to “untie” of the encumberance. Being an actual fan of the more intuitive assets of the game, just like the aiming systems that draws your weapon upon the nearest of oppos, I think everyone would enjoy a code bundle that allows for automatic drops; furthermore, it’d calculate the sum of the volume stack most appropriate for such an occurance, prioritize items, assuming you’re doing it in enemy’s vicinity. Sometimes the greatest of ideas are also the simplest, so the “NEAR” flag could be introduced in defeated enemy’s drops; it could mean more calculated turn time to pick up things, but would also back up the frontline management bit that’s based on the assumption you’re managing your belongings as you pick them up, as well as when you drop them. So, a bunch of loose items on the ground in a drop tile, say, presented as a trenchcoat with some stuff and a big rifle beyond could lead to game’s understanding that you will have to wear that item or you won’t; as to press the things towards a more practical resolve.
Initially I wrote it wasn’t as worked-through idea as I would of wanted it to be, but if you catch my train of thought it’s maybe even better I’ve put it down just now.
I like Kevin’s explanations.