Inventory and sorting

Game Play & Game Design
#1

Hi

I’d like to get some opinions/feedback on how you guys prefer the sorting of items between containers. This means “how do you prefer to move an item from your player’s inventory into another inventory”. For example, there’s the Minecraft style (clicking swaps the contents of your cursor with the slot), and the “swap” style (clicking an item automatically moves it to the first available slot in the other container). There are many more than what I listed, but I’m just looking for a general opinion of what fits best for you.

Thanks!

#2

Why not use both? :slight_smile:

I think in Minecraft you can click to transfer items automatically and drag them manually.

#3

One thing I admired about Minecraft was the ability to use your mouse to transfer items in different ways. E.g. Splitting items equally over the tiles you dragged the cursor over, or just one on right click. It was very considerate to the user.

Here are some things I’d maybe like:

It could be taken further to automatically place items near items they are more related to. e.g. Don’t automatically place stone near your bread, place it near other stone if you have any. If you don’t have any stone, then place it near other construction materials, and so on.

In RPG style games where items take up multiple spaces and you have to have to play tetris with your items, I think some system of automatically rearranging loot items to reduce wasted space could be convenient. Perhaps only do this to items that the user hasn’t manually moved since picking it up, or provide a separate inventory for loot and regular items.

If there will be multiple interfaces on the screen, please let me drag items between them, not only between cotainers on the same interface.

In general, I prefer to use my cursor to move things, meaning move the item with the cursor until I click again, or let go, etc. It gives me time to think about space while I’m dragging the item and the cursor becomes a good visual for my mind. A key + click is then good for automatically moving an item.

#4

In Minecrraft the inventory offers many different and usefull ways to sort, split and transfer items. There are also a few mods which add different features to the inventory. You can use those different features by using different keys or combination of keys.
To give you a few pointers, which those features are (some are from mods):

  • Shift + click moves the item-stack under the cursor into the other inventory (i guess into the first slot)
  • Right-click selects half of the stack, which you can then “drag” into the desired slot.
  • Space + click moves every item into the other inventory, if there is enough space.
  • Ctrl+Shift+Click moves every stack of the item under the cursor into the other inventory (e.g. if you have more then one stack of stone)
  • Pressing “R” sorts the current inventory, you might “group” items, e.g. blocks, food, weapons, tools etc.
  • Right-clicking with Armor in your hand swaps the armor into the right slot (e.g. chest-plate to the chest-slot)

As i don’t know your game or the items you will have, i don’t know which features will make sense in your case, but i hope those pointers will help you.