Weight-Based storage system

[Nanako]

As i'm sure all of you are aware, a backpack holds seven items. Exactly seven items. It doesn't matter if it's seven pills, or seven laser carbines, or seven pens, or seven stacks of 50 sheets of metal.

While doing a little digging today, i've come to realise that the system wasn't designed to support only this method. All containers have three variables. The maximum number of slots they have, the maximum weight of any single item they can store, and the maximum total capacity of the items within (based on the sum of combined item weights)

That last one is important. Right now, a backpack has 7 slots, a max size of 4, and a max capacity of 28 (equal to 7x4)

IT doesn't have to be this way though. It would be extremely easy, a matter of just changing a few numbers, to allow containers to store items based on their size. With backpacks, we could set it to 28 slots, while keeping the same weight limit. it could still only hold seven of the largest items, but it could hold a larger number of small items. We could even set the weight limit a bit lower, and it'd probably still result in a net increase in carrying capacity, but be more believable

The same could be done for things like cardboard boxes, which are obviously just a box-shaped space. But the current system could be kept for webbing vests and toolboxes, since those are divided into discrete pockets or sections for items to fit things in

This would be a big change in game terms, although a VERY small amount of effort in coding terms, i'm not planning to submit a PR for it at the moment, but i'd like to discuss the idea, see what people think.

What do you think would be the pros and cons of this way of doing things? Would you like it, or dislike it, why? Give me your thoughts

[Fire and Glory]

I'd like this.

Oftentimes I can't carry something like, say, a stamp, or a sheet of someone's medical records with speshul needs, because I'm carrying too much useful shit, this'd make things more realistic because obviously

seven laser carbines, or seven pens,

makes no sense at all, and tends to get highly irritating when I am carrying a lot of small items that suddenly obstruct me from carrying anything else.

That's my two cents.

Regarding pros and cons, a great pro is that the current system just makes no fucking sense from a realistic stand point, and from what I've noticed, most Roleplaying props (Paper, clipboards, stamps, lighters, etc) are almost exclusively small items, so this'd help us have more options in interactions without infringing on our ability to be effective.

I suppose this could be exploited, carrying twenty grenades in a pack or something, but....we can already do that by shoving them in our boxes and things, in fact I often put minor things that I don't need to have but would prefer to keep around in my internals box, so yeah, I don't see much wrong with this.

it'll also let me carry even more shit for my packrat tendencies during crisis

[Daughterofmysins]

I like this idea significantly more than how the system is now. From an in-universe sense It really doesn't make sense how It works now anyway (Although it's probably the simplest way to handle storage from a coding perspective)

[Ricky_the_banshee]

Finally, someone suggests this and happends to be part of the team. I wouldn't see any problems with this, because I would most definitely take this over "pencils not fitting in just one tiny bit of space in my "full" backpack"

 

[Kaed]

I had assumed all this time it behaved like this because the coding for storage space was shit and limited. If there's a way to fix this and make it less horrible, I fully support it.

As for the concerns about backpacks being too full of grenades or something, I think it would be hilarious for a security officer to open Urist McTator's pack and find like 20 grenades inside it.

"HOLY FUCK THIS GUY IS LOADED"

[MrSmooooth]

Definately supported. I'd love to be able to carry more small items like clipboards, pens, stamps, paper, folders, cigarettes, ect. around without having to worry about the arbitrary inventory slot limit. Weight based capacity seems so much better.

[Skull132]

I heard whispers that Polaris might have something like this? Might it be worth ripping that, instead of making our own? Provided the whispers are true, of course.

[Daughterofmysins]

My body is ready to hold 50 pens in my satchel

[Damarik]

I'm on board with this too. With the odd variety of jobs I play, I'm often at my item holding capacity in ways that make no sense, so I'm always having to drop this or swap out for that. This is totally something that's needed.

[Mofo1995]

I'm all right with this so long as we maintain a repertoire of items that would make no sense to fit in a satchel or backpack. Or would this system only effect containers but not overall carry weight?

[Fire and Glory]

I'm all right with this so long as we maintain a repertoire of items that would make no sense to fit in a satchel or backpack. Or would this system only effect containers but not overall carry weight?

The bigass items like laser cannons still wouldn't fit in a backpack, but the big items like laser carbines would limit space to 7 slots if 7 were being carried, so in the end we're still carrying the same amount of weight.

[Nanako]

I heard whispers that Polaris might have something like this? Might it be worth ripping that, instead of making our own? Provided the whispers are true, of course.

 

I'm saying the system is already designed to work this way, it's jsut a matter of configuration, changing some numbers, the coding work is minimal.

Maybe there'd be a little work in adding a capacity check for examining the backpack, and for rebalancing the weights of some larger things that we don't want to be allowed to fit, but its really not much work, i don't see a need to look at others' code unless they've done something really special

In any case, this is a surprisingly positive response, i rarely see an idea get such universal support. does anyone have any problems or objections to it?

[The Stryker]

I heard whispers that Polaris might have something like this? Might it be worth ripping that, instead of making our own? Provided the whispers are true, of course.

They actually do, but it's silly. I could put a spear in my satchel.

Maybe stop large/bulky things from being put in bags?

[Nanako]

I heard whispers that Polaris might have something like this? Might it be worth ripping that, instead of making our own? Provided the whispers are true, of course.

They actually do, but it's silly. I could put a spear in my satchel.

Maybe stop large/bulky things from being put in bags?

have you ever tried putting a long pole into a backpack?

it will go in easily enough, poke out the top of course, but if the backpack's tall enough to get half of it in, it should stay there

Like this notable bag from The Walking Dead

 

IT has its own wiki page for some bizarre reason http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Sheriff's_Bag_of_Guns

that bag held six shotguns, two rifles, and eleven handguns

I think this is bigger than our ingame backpacks though, so we shouldn't aim that high. like maybe 40% of that. And the w_class of long guns should probably be increased

[Skull132]

I heard whispers that Polaris might have something like this? Might it be worth ripping that, instead of making our own? Provided the whispers are true, of course.

 

I'm saying the system is already designed to work this way, it's jsut a matter of configuration, changing some numbers, the coding work is minimal.

Maybe there'd be a little work in adding a capacity check for examining the backpack, and for rebalancing the weights of some larger things that we don't want to be allowed to fit, but its really not much work, i don't see a need to look at others' code unless they've done something really special

In any case, this is a surprisingly positive response, i rarely see an idea get such universal support. does anyone have any problems or objections to it?

 

The thing is. If another codebase has a system we desire already made, it is usually preferred we at least attempt to use the pre-existing model.

Plus, I do believe theirs is slightly fancier, with a dynamic UI and other fun things. Get their code and play around with it, see what it looks and feels like.

[Bedshaped]

Yeah Polaris use it and it's really good. Good artists copy, great artists.... y'know.