Bolts of cloth and other inventory condensors

[Chakravanti]

I've been thinking that one thing that would increase trade is 'inventory containers' of a sort. For linen and silk, this would a dowel rod on which linen could be rolled onto I would think it should be 4 spaces tall, and could contain up to 300 pieces. After it gathers 50 pieces, it becomse 2x3 with a new sprite obvious, and 3x3 at 150-250. It would take a stick or two maybe a block or two to craft. The rollover display would Show, Item name, Quality Level (which could be the dowl rod [useless unless capacity is relevant], or the average quality of the linen (although individual linen should retain quality) , and Current # of linen contained.

You could, alternatively code it off of the build UI. Where the rod shows current content/Max capacity instead of the three usually used for building. Just remove the last # and the build button. I mean...we already use it for 'quantum storage' anyway.

It occurs to me that troughs might also have a more intuitive functionality through this display.

IF you have a build display open and you shift click the bolt of cloth or the 'quantum storage' window and then it would transfer the items from the bolt to the banner...or whatever you're building.

Of course you might want to fix the method by which window focus is determined. Currently it's a little buggy.

The primary purpose behind this would be to make trading, storing (and stealing!) large quantities of these items more viable. As the map increases and bulk transportation is added and instant travel is removed or reduced This would be a powerful game mechanic. Obviously the actual size and capacity are just suggestions and a better more balanced figure might be applied if this not such.

There are likely other things which could benefit from Quantum Storage. Log piles, lumber piles (for boards). Which would not be in the inventory but a built object that you could store hundreds of beams of lumber into. We already do this and I think Gautemus suggested woodpiles already for this reason some time ago.

[Machenoid]

Carrying such inventory-enlarging items should reduce your movement speed, like carrying any other massive weight. Possibly also alter your sprite so it looks like it's carrying a backpack-type item on the front of their body, like they're carrying an additional backpack (or frontpack)

Also, i'd suggest putting in another stat for the item which would count the average difference between each items' quality. That way a stack that has a single high-quality item in it that boosts the quality average can be seen by the potential scammer victim, and avoided in trades. Example:
Stack one "Total items: 10. Average Quality: 50. Average Difference: 50 quality" [Item quality varies by 50, on average]
Stack two "Total items: 10. Average Quality: 50. Average Difference: No difference" [All the items have the same quality, 50]

[Jackard]

Why would you want condensers instead of item stacking? They fill the same role but the latter is simpler and has more utility.

[Chakravanti]

Why would you want condensers instead of item stacking? They fill the same role but the latter is simpler and has more utility.

because 'stacking' is a cheap way of doing the same thing. It lacks conceptual appeal. Yeah, stacking might effectively achieve the same damn thing and simplicity detracts from suspension of disbelief.

I have several chests full of stacks of linen I'm loading the wagon up to take the highway to (insert established merchant/trading village here) WIth several chest full of

Stacks of linen

Bolts of cloth.

Yeah. Boil it down and it's just a realism argument because in the end the interface, number of clicks and so on and so forth are pretty much all the same.

Except that I can move a bolt of cloth with 350 linen to another chest/inventory/etc. with one click versus drag n dropping 6 stacks. Minor difference except that one has significantly greater aesthetic appeal.

[Jackard]

okay have fun building and storing and shiftclicking and carrying around a bunch of useless empty wooden dowels that require special graphics and only work for one type of item

then multiply the uselessness and irritation of a dowel by as many other condenser types as needed

[Jackard]

if youre looking for more ways to make the game annoying youre doing an awfully good job of it

[Sever]

Think of a dowel, which is a thin piece of wood that could fall down into the corner of a chest and hardly take up any space without stuff on it. Maybe you could just not have a dowel, or just use up a branch to make one on the spot. Then you don't have to store empty dowels because they don't even really exist. You could have the same thing for other things, the containers are just something you have because you're in the business that uses it.

[Pacho]

heck, maybe just make it so right clicking a piece of cloth (any cloth) onto a branch makes it into the start of a bolt of cloth of the appropriate type.

[Chakravanti]

heck, maybe just make it so right clicking a piece of cloth (any cloth) onto a branch makes it into the start of a bolt of cloth of the appropriate type.

This.

[Jackard]

Yeah. Boil it down and

It's not even a good realism argument, because inventory and equipment are already abstracted. Your character is assumed to have all manner of pouches, belts, rope, pockets, sacks, whatever they need to carry what they do.

When you stack an item like seeds, they're not floating in midair or scattered underneath other items - your character is storing them in a separate compartment where they can be retrieved at will. Robes and packs make storing items in this way even simpler, and that is why they grant a bonus!





If you really wanted to go the full realism route, you would suggest inventory size being affected by empty hands and other equipment like coats, pants and belts. (Boy, would that be irritating...)