I think this post is largely for seeking clarification rather than proposing any concrete ideas. I love the encumbrance system and the different layers for each body part, but I think the “waist” layer of the torso might be overused by too many different pieces of equipment which shouldn’t necessarily conflict with each other.
There are a few pieces of equipment which ostensibly seem very similar to each other. Examples include chest rig, tac vest, and the survivor harness. It’s not totally clear how different they are from each other. A chest rig sounds very similar to a tac vest (according to both the description and google image search), but a chest rig is on the “strapped” layer while a tac vest is on the “waist”. I’m also very curious as to what exactly a survivor harness is supposed to look like. It makes me think of a “chest rig” of sorts, but it’s basically only made out of a few leather pouches and some duct tape. Can anyone who knows more offer more insight on this item?
The survivor belt used to be a (potentially overly gamey) way to squeeze tools into a low-encumbrance package, but now it’s description makes it sound very similar to a survivor harness, albeit with more belt loops for storage. Both the belt and harness occupy the “waist” layer but it’s not clear why they should necessarily conflict.
I generally like the progress inventory space, encumbrance, and item size updates the game has seen. But sometimes it feels overly restrictive for no obvious reason. Quite a lot of items right now are impossible to carry unless you have the requisite belt loop to allow that. Prying tools like crowbars and claw bars are the most prominent example for this. I don’t fully understand why you need a belt loop to carry them, unless this was intentionally done for balance purposes (which would be fine). Claw bars and pry bars can be made very small, but even a normal sized one could easily fit inside a backpack or even a pocket. Side note: I use a large messenger bag on a day to day basis and often have overly long items (like a broom, once) sticking out of the main compartment with no issue, but I gather that CDDA doesn’t necessarily want to simulate that type of possibility yet.
Like I said above, this post is largely for understanding the philosophy behind these changes and features better. I’m not necessarily staking a position one way or another. Thanks!