how do you feel about the inventory system in Dredmor?

6 or 8 per tree? I really feel like that is too much, maybe for some of the trees that have way too much stuff, like Tinkering, but for trees like Smithing, and Wand Lore that seems like overkill. I think it would be cool if each crafting skill tree had its own bag, with its own # of slots, since some crafts definitely take up more space... also, trees like Archery, and Thrown Weapons could probably use a small bag as well for ammo.

 

Or simply increase the number of extra slots based on the number of skill points invested into a particular crafting branch, so that you you don't pop 8 inventory slots simply for putting 1 skill point in a specific skill branch. This would allow core builds that require high amounts of reagents/parts/bolts to be stored in an item specific bag depending on how far into a skill you've progressed.

So like this, a person who drops 1 point into wand crafting doesn't suddenly get 8 inventory slots. but will get access to 8 slots if he or she skills up that tree enough, like say start with 0 extra slots, but +2 slots for every level invested after that.

Same could be done for throwing and crossbow skills. Putting 1 skill into wouldn't give you access to say a quiver for 8 different kinds of bolts, but rather +2 slots for every level invested into crossbow skills after the initial level.

 

Wow, was about to suggest much the same thing myself and can even be described away by your increasing skill allows you to organize related material better, thus more space.

 

I totally agree with you. Actually, I was thinking in Tinkering when I was throwing numbers, but a different number of slots depending on the skill tree is a very good idea. Also, the small bag for bolts or thrown weapons should be small too, as you say.

I recall someone asking this already somewhere, but I can't find it so... modding an item like these isn't possible at this moment, is it? Because if it is, I'd love to get to do it.

 

Two ideas:

First: How about unlimited inventory, with a weight restriction? Possibly have burliness effect carrying capacity.

Second(My personal fav): Have the inventory have extra tabs...but in order to access those tabs you must purchase them from Brax. This gives money much more use come mid-late game and solves the inventory problem.

This could even be taken further to the point where Brax can sell bags and backpacks and these are used in a similar manner that Guild Wars utilizes them, where your inventory has a slot you place them for it to work. Different tier/level bags offer more inventory.

 

@first: Rogues and Wizards get less burliness than Warriors and their respective crafts are both very clutterprone and would LOGICALLY be fairly heavy. Going by weight would mean trying to put some kind of weight/encumbrance model in and that can turn into a pain. One of the things that drove me nuts in NetHack was the absolute necessity of establishing safe stashes for gold and goodies, esp if I was a low-STR class like a Wizard or Healer. Weight is a pain.

@second: Sounds OK to me. Why just have Brax sell them? Make them available as random loot too.

 

And I definatly agree with it becoming unfair, but if there is a high enough minimum capacity it shouldnt be to much of an issue, look at the elder scroll games, they base inventory by weight and it works just fine...DoD could even add spells for wizards to increase weight!(temporarily of course)

Yeah, random loot would also work, but i figure that because money builds up and dosnt have much use later in the game, requiring the player to buy the bags would add greater purpose to zorkmids again.

 

I don't like the idea of adding weight to items, I like how inventory works now, and besides, adding holding items which add more space slots seems way less laborius than changing the system entirely, making it more "doable" in a future patch.

 

The inventory should be a-la Ultima VII, with a "natural view", but with two alternate view modes: a "list view" and a "icon view", and the ability to sort items in those two views.


Each item would have a weight and a volume. And each bag would have a volume limit, while the character has a weight limit determined by Burliness and Stubbornness.
Go past the weight limit, and swiftness gets reduced the more you encumber yourself, until you cannot move when swiftness hits 0.
And once you hit the volume limit, you'll need a second bag to carry more stuff. There would 3 bag slots.
The backpack, the belt pack and the fanny pack, but gear could come with extra pockets.
Over the curse of the game, the character would be able to replace the initial bagpack with better ones, and acquire bags for the other slots.
There would also be "ammo cases", "gem bags", "reagent boxes", "potion bags", "wand cases", etc that can hold several items of a certain type inside of them, while reducing both their volume and weight. These are put inside other bags, but show quick-acces icons under the main bag panel.
There should also be "bags of holding" (well, with some funny name instead) that can holditems without adding volume or weight.

The "natural view" would require you to open them separately (when the inventory is open, there's icons next to the bag representing each one) but in the list and icon views of the inventory, everything is sorted seamlessly. The items inside would be manually sortable, or with a quick button. Google images for "ultima VII inventory" or "ultima vII backpack" you should get what I mean with "natural view". (You can also get it and play it, if you think you can handle the best 320x200 resolution game EVER)

The main view of the bag in "natural view" would be a backpack with icons representing the other bags to its left, and icons representing the special item bags under it.
Click any of those icons, and the bag changes to that one.

The main view in the list view would be a list much like the "detailed view" in any OS explorer, with small icons to the left, names next to them, and the properties of the items aligned to the right of the names.
There would be scrollbars at the right side and and at the bottom, and the panel would be resizable.
The other bags and special containers would appear as folders at the top of the list.
This view is always sorted. The default sorting is "bags first, by", other sortings would be possible, by clicking at the names at the top of the list: Name, icon (in-game order), value, weight, volume, damage, stack size, etc...

The main view of the icon view would be much like the current one, but with a scrollbar to the right. You can sort only with the in-game order.
This view is also resizable.


That would do it for me.

 

I also really hate weight limits. Artificial limitations in RPGs in general just add burden onto the player without much reward. Durability ratings, weight, finite town portal scrolls, etc. There's not much point except to add tedium.

 

Agreed. Complicating the system too much only achieves getting the player bored. I think the inventory system is fine just as it is, I think just adding some extra spaces as it's being discussed is enough to solve inventory management for crafters.

 

I mostly just want all of the crafting stuff out of my inventory. I especially don't care for the fact that each crafting widget takes up a slot, and they litter the ground throughout the game. Why not just build those things into the crafting system and nuke the items permanently? They seem totally trivial.

 

Better yet, why not just go with crafting rooms like in the megacrafting mod? Put one room on each floor with a workbench where you can craft items. Maybe put a craft vending machine in it. That makes crafting a little more strategic, I can't just whip up a new batch of crossbow bolts in the middle of combat should I run out.

 

Because said rooms are random, and to make it really fair for everyone, we would need 6 or 7 crafting rooms per floor, to make sure that you actually get rooms you can use for crafting with a skill you chose.

 

Which is why, so far, I feel this is the best solution to everyone's inventory problems.

 

Actually my idea was to simply make one room and let it serve as a crafting room for all purposes. Thus it would have a "workbench" for each skill set, much like the forges or stills you find as clutter now, allowing you to craft there.​

 

I was thinking of this the other day! And taking that even further...

Why have ores at all? Just get rid of them and the ingot press and increase the ingots you find at random. Replace the press food recipes with...some kind of cooking thing, like a Brax Foreman Gryll. Then you could have some more mid-tier (15-30hp) healing items that can be made with recipes to reduce cheese and meat clutter.

Or give me a button to mass-grind all cheese and meats. That would be miraculous.

 

I do like this.. but how about crafting stations can be found on the floor, just like the grill? Because a room with every crafting station on every floor sounds a bit too convenient for my tastes ^^

 

Perhaps give the fabled dwarven panini press a use?

 

Why not simply add recipies to the current individual crafting types to handle their respective bits. Starting at level 1 (so you need to have the skill) you can have a basic low storage bag (say 4 slots). As you progress in skill you can make larger capacity bags each increasing the slots by 1 or 2 slots.
While tinkering can also have quivers that can hold arrows, and Smithing (and/or Tinkering) can have bandoleers that can hold throwing weapons.

This means you initially wont have the materials to make one nor have the extra space but likely by dungeon level 2 or 3 you will have bits for a basic one, which is where it realy starts to become useful.