The main reason for this feature isn’t to enhance realism in general, but rather to enable specific features like, “drop bag before combat to lose encumbrance”, and “have some items in quick-access locations and some stowed away”. In order for those features to work properly, we’d need to track which items are stored in which containers.
As for specific issues:
It might make sense, but I don’t see a point to trying to support it.
Once the rest of the system is in place, this would be trivial to add.
I’ve considered having length limits, or perhaps just a “long” tag as you suggest for these items.
See my above comment about why we want this system, just making it a bit more realistic won’t do it.
[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:21, topic:8994”]The main reason for this feature isn’t to enhance realism in general, but rather to enable specific features like, “drop bag before combat to lose encumbrance”, and “have some items in quick-access locations and some stowed away”. In order for those features to work properly, we’d need to track which items are stored in which containers.[/quote]CataTweaks’ hybrid inventory already fulfils these requirements very well. It also makes it possible to do things like refill empty plastic bags and bottles.
Where’s the harm in filing the serial numbers off and including it in mainline? Not talking about the entire mod, just the containers part.
Unless someone’s actively working on an improved inventory right now?
Perhaps there should be a sticky thread in order to prevent this proposal/question from showing up every other day.
Personally, I have no problem at all with the current inventory system, and I believe making it more “realistic” is not worth the hassle. You have to admit that most other games you are playing probably have a hugely simplified inventory system as well.
Being able to treat bags as containers is a gameplay and quality of life issue. Currently to drop a bag’s worth of inventory you have to drop every item individually and then drop the bag. With the hybrid system you simply drop the bag and you’re done.
It makes organising your inventory easier and makes things in game that are currently a huge pain in the ass, such as living out of a duffel bag, much simpler and less of a hassle. It allows you to use a bag for looting with the same convenience as things like shopping carts. In short, it really opens up your options for moving your accumulated stuff around, whereas currently the game tends to steer you towards building a vehicle to do that.
So again, it’s not about realism, it’s about user experience and authenticity. It’s about being able to do things without getting carpal tunnel, or having to spend 10 in game minutes emptying out your pockets every time you want to put a backpack on the floor.
Personally, 90% of what I’d want could be accomplished by offering the player a free multidrop when a worn storage item is removed or destroyed, and the user becomes encumbered. I don’t think it would even be necessary to track volume or anything.
“A zombie is approaching!” -> drop duffel -> “You are now encumbered! Drop some items (instant)?” -> drop stuff -> go nuts on zed -> pick everything up the slow way.
Total in-game time: only that required to drop the duffel bag.
It solves half the issue, it still requires a whole load more user input than simply dropping the bag though. All those discrete inputs required for each item, as well as needing to sort through your inventory every time. Contrast that with how you interact with a shopping cart: you put things in, you take things out, you drag it around. It’s quick and easy, and CataTweaks made interacting with a bag exactly like that.
The hybrid inventory system does everything people seem to want. I can’t speak for others, but I can attest that it improved the gameplay experience immeasurably for me. So much so that I stopped playing when Robik stopped supporting the mod, and I haven’t really played since.
Kevin’s main gripe with it seemed to be mostly centred around the fact you needed to use the advanced inventory window to access worn containers. It just seems a shame to ignore an actual working and implemented solution because of that, especially in lieu of some theoretical future update that might never happen.
[quote=“Coolthulhu, post:29, topic:8994”]Having to use advanced inventory does sound like a pain.[/quote]It wasn’t really, it was actually rather streamlined. There was a shortcut for worn backpacks (just like the one for dragged vehicles), and interacting with containers on the ground or in your inventory was just a matter of selecting them. You could actually drill down to containers inside containers ad infinitum, it was rather neat.
It’s not that relevant anyway since Kevin wouldn’t merge it back then with just an advanced inventory interface, so I doubt he’d do it now.
[quote=“Coolthulhu, post:29, topic:8994”]Writing a “show all containers” display and “put into any container” function would probably be quite easy.[/quote]I’m not familiar with the project, so I couldn’t say. If it really is easy then I’ll reiterate that it’s a shame if the idea was rejected purely for lacking that.[quote=“Coolthulhu, post:31, topic:8994”]CataTweaks is probably no longer mergeable. At this point it’s pretty much dead, unless someone decides to do all the work and revive it.[/quote]Yeah, I’m not advocating that. There’s stuff in CataTweaks other than the hybrid inventory that aren’t relevant anyway.
Just thought I’d point out that if there really is a demand for an improved inventory (i.e. being able to interact with containers), then a workable solution was already found once. It might be worth checking out how Robik did it (or even talk to him, is he still around?), to see if you like the ideas and if they’re feasible to implement in mainline.
I don’t post here often, in fact I’d forgotten I had an account. But lets just say after I read Kevin’s last post in this thread I felt compelled to comment.
[quote=“Derpular, post:27, topic:8994”]Personally, 90% of what I’d want could be accomplished by offering the player a free multidrop when a worn storage item is removed or destroyed, and the user becomes encumbered. I don’t think it would even be necessary to track volume or anything.
“A zombie is approaching!” -> drop duffel -> “You are now encumbered! Drop some items (instant)?” -> drop stuff -> go nuts on zed -> pick everything up the slow way.
Total in-game time: only that required to drop the duffel bag.[/quote]
While the game doesn’t do so when your storage-clothing is destroyed, it already does this when you drop one - up to a volume limit equal to what the item stores.
Yes, I still check forum and Git from time to time to see what’s new. I even played a bit recently to check new tileset with overlays.
Though, as for playing, I am on the same boat as you. Without hybrid inventory management, moving items around, especially between z-levels, is so annoying I am no longer able to force myself to play for extended amount of time.
Sorry for stopping support of CataTweaks. It was hard decision, but as Coolthulhu can confirm, maintaining large PR, when you have to make changes to already finished code every day just to keep it updated, is lot of frustrating work. There is still link to compiled version of game (from December though, so almost 4 month old) in CataTweaks thread (link in the sig.) if anyone wants to try how hybrid inventory management worked. Description of it is in the first post.
Right now, I am waiting for inventory system David Keaton is working on, hopefully, it will be done eventually. He is consulting it with Kevin so there is better chance to push it into main line than was mine.
Though I think that you could still get the system in if you split it into small parts. Big PRs are hard to get through, but I’m pretty sure the inventory management system isn’t all that monolithic.
Plus, this time it could have a better chance of getting merged because I rewrote the use function system in a way that allows invoking containers’ functions easily.
You could easily make “toolbags” - that could be the first PR. Adding a put in/pull out function to bags and other containers would be a simple, self-contained change.
Then the advanced inventory system to manage it.
etc.
