Unit 1: Inventory

There are many different and wonderful types of inventories that have been created to fit different games, each with different mechanics and styles. Below, I will look into 3 different types of inventories and how they fit and impact the game they are in.


Inventory 1 - Skyrim - Weight Based Inventory

Skyrim utilises a weight based inventory and does so with huge success. Having a weight based inventory system means that the player must use his space wisely and cannot simply take every item he/she sees. Skyrim's inventory allows you to see every item in you inventory as it would be shown in game. You can rotate and zoom in and out of each item before you choose it. Information is listed on the item when you scroll over it, information like the damage, weight and even value. Interacting with this inventory is simple, you simply press 'I' on your keyboard (If you're playing on PC), select items and then easily navigate with the cursor through the different items you have stored in there. However items are not the only things that can be controlled this way, you can also choose what is equipped weather it's a skill, item, spell or even the map. All of these things can be accessed through the menu/inventory. Not only is this inventory smooth and easy to navigate round but it also looks the part. I think that the inventory really fits in with Skyrim's aesthetics. It uses a translucent panel that features all of your items however you do not leave the game as you can still see what is going on in front of you (Although the game does pause while you navigate through the menu/inventory).

I think that Skyrim's inventory is one of the best that I have seen. I think this because it look outstanding and it is so easy to navigate, even someone with no experience in playing games would be able to fully understand it and how it works. This would be something that I would like to incorporate into my own inventory. I would like my inventory to be smooth, simple and look great as well. 

Inventory 2 - Borderlands - Limited Inventory

The inventory in Borderlands is limited. This means that you cannot just have as many item as you like, your inventory has a maximum capacity. I think that this is a good Style of inventory because I think that it is better to have to make at least some choices to your items and equipment. I find that quite often in games that have an unlimited inventory, I find myself getting frustrated because I cant find a weapon/item. So I believe that limiting the number of items you can have in your inventory is a good idea . In Borderlands you start out with just 12 item slots, however this is upgraded as you progress through the game and the maximum number of slots available is 72. Interacting with this inventory is simple, you just bring up the inventory screen and click on the items that you want to equip and un-equip. However this inventory allows you to change you current quest and add skill points to your chosen character I feel that this makes everything more complicated and could be slightly confusing to someone who hasn't played very many games. You can access the inventory at anytime by pressing the 'I' key on your keyboard. Does the inventory suit the game though... I'm not so sure, when first pressing the inventory key for the first time, I was expecting to be met by a sort of run down, junk styled interface, however instead I was met by a messy blue and yellow panel that really didn't look to appealing at all so in my opinion, no, I don't think it does.

My overall opinion however in not a bad one. I feel that this inventory has both good and bad points in it simplicity and its visual appearance. I think that aspects of this could be incorporated into my own inventory. Aspects such as the simplicity, however if this inventory has shown me anything, it is that the way that the interface looks is big part of every inventory and is something that will need to correct when designing my own.

Inventory 3 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Shape Based Inventory

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one of the fewer games that actually uses a Shape based inventory system. This means that the players items will take up an block or multiple blocks of space and the player must use the space wisely to ensure that all of his/her items can be stored. Interacting with this inventory is Fairly strait forward, you simply press 'I' or 'F1' on your keyboard and this brings up you inventory. The player can then drag and drop items to move them around their inventory however the game does actually arrange your items for you (The arrangement can be changed and moved around by you if you are not satisfied) items can also be dropped by dragging and dropping outside of your inventory slots. In my opinion this inventory suits the game very well. It has a kind of futuristic look to really merge well with the futuristic concept of the game.

In my opinion this inventory is very different but it works well with the game and I think that it is a very good inventory overall, however shape based inventories are not something that I have had a whole lot of experience with and I think that the more traditional inventories are slightly better as they are far more versatile. Looking at this inventory has made me think that, although the shape based inventory works well in Deus Ex, it may not be the kind of inventory that I would like to design.