Weight or carry capacity, Item usage...

If this has been said before i apologize, i am at work and didn't have time to go through all the posts. But i am curious as to whether or not weight will have a factor in this game and if certain stats or attributes will make it better or worse.

Example (very simplistic for my demo), someone who has 20 strength might only be able to carry 20 pounds of gear in his bag or have 20 slots. Where as if he gained strength to 40 he would be able to carry 40 pounds or have 20 slots. Im not saying to implement both, just throwing both scenarios out there.

I remember in UO that i would have to piggy back bags of ore to my house if i couldn't carry them on my person. I don't necessarily say to do that, but i want to be able to gain strength and be able to carry more items than a normal person, because my character is stronger.

On that topic, what about item usage as well, if i have 28 strength, i can use certain weapons or armor that weaker people might not. Just a thought, wanted to throw it out there if it hasn't been brought up.

Thanks,
ThommyGunn

 

I would hope there would be encumbrance. Not only how much you can carry based on stats, but also what fits where: like putting a bastard sword in a coin purse.

NWN did this well as you have the D&D rules on encumbrance and weight. In addition, the containers had a grid and some things took up more squares than others. It worked well and I love choosing between the new sword you found which would require you drop some stuff to carry it back.

You movement/combat speed should also be affected when you are over-encumbered.

 

Exactly my point, thank you for adding!

 

The grid isn't particularly popular as I recall but I'm all for encumbrance, limited inventory space and weight limits.

 

I made a post about carrying weight in another thread, so I'll just copy it here^^:

How about some realism in Looting? Weapons, Armor, etc. are extremely heavy. So it should be nearly impossible, just as an example, to steal a heavy plate armor, when you?re wearing heavy armor yourself (it should be impossible, off course, to scrap found armors for metal outside your home forge, too). And if you do it anyway, you?re so encumbered, that you?re enormously slowed down. Even weapons are really heavy most of the time. So, looting a mighty two handed hammer shouldn?t be that easy. And besides that, you?re also carrying supplies, potions, other items of all kind, etc.

And to prohibit harassing enemies: when you can?t carry the weight of the equipment, you can?t take it or you have to leave something yourself on the spot to get more space.

The benefits: People would be forced to think, what they really want to take with them. Would prevent victims from getting looted senselessly. And the victor would have to take a risk, when he encumbers himself in the wilderness.

Contra: Much less looting, off course and difficulties for parties, when going to a dungeon, for example (but again as a pro: the group would be forced to plan thoroughly in advance, where they are heading and for what target).

Cheers,
Andreas

 

I'm for weight limits if weights make sense. None of those nonsensical 14 lb swords I keep seeing in video games.

 

I like it, but would also like the ability to use carts and to unload cargo at the docks from a boat. Gathering will become tough if you have to run back to town every few minutes.

If you want weight to regulate looting then salvage stations will have to be implemented to keep players from just salvaging everything they cant carry.

 

Yea, total inventory IMO should be limited by weight, and items should also have a size -- not just a weight -- with bags having a size limit to them.

Of course, if that were the case, it would also make sense to allow the player to put weapons and shields, along with things like pouches and purses on his belt or on a strap across his body. I really like the idea of beltpouches for a lot of reasons. You could have a reagent beltpouch, and the spells you cast would have to rely on the reagents in that pouch on your belt, rather than ones hidden somewhere deep in your backpack. Players might also end up having belt pouches underneath layers of clothing, which will force looters to scavenge the body.

It would then even be interesting if there were some mechanic to encourage players to put small mass items like coins or reagents in small bags instead of mixing them in with their backpack -- ie they would get scattered easily in a big bag with other items. Although that might be too complicated a mechanic in the game. I'm just throwing it out there.

 

As I was reading I recalled two things. Pouches from U7.. and now that I mentioned that the U7 paper doll also had a dagger slot did it not? I love the idea of belt slots that you can hang things from.. but as anyone at Portalarium should know.. RG especially.. pouches and daggers are not the only items people hang off their belts. Cantines, mugs and other accessories.. various frogs can hold a variety of items that also include smaller one handed weapons. I myself used to hang a bearded saxon axe on my belt along with a boarding axe, dagger and pouch all at once.

The second item I recalled was a Skyrim mod called Armed to the Teeth that basically allowed most weapons in the inventory to show on the body. I would be absolutely thrilled to see this (and the belt slots) in SotA. Especially since you wouldn't be able to fit most weapons in a pouch or backpack.

Speaking of backpacks.. if they had exterior inventory slots too that'd be awesome.. for items like torches, bedrolls etc.

 

Real weight limits would also make it awful hard to carry a lot of armor back to a city and deter looting. Of course, I have no problem with packhorses and hirelings carrying things and also bringing things back to the city as some have suggested.

But if you don't take the time to pay for and manage these things, why should it be allowed? Because you as a player really, really want loot? Personally, my answer If I were a designer would be "tough luck."

 

Indeed. I think the arguement can be made that proper restrictions is good for a healthy economy. The player must pick and choose what is valuable to them rather than just taking everything they can find and flooding the markets with chaff. That said I think as much as possible should be useful to someone.. but just not everyone. A spell chucker wouldn't find much interest in a piece of beat up platemail.. but a crafter sees something they can salvage.

 

Thank you everyone, those are perfect examples and Ideas, but like you said @Bowen: this would make people less likely to just pick up all the trash and flood the market, make people more strategic on which items would actually BENEFIT them rather than just vender trash, and like your example, a caster would rather dig deep and find a pouch or reagents and maybe some small items or new clothing, where as a crafter might find stuff to salvage, while a fighter might find a little bit or anything just to bring back to town and sell or have a crafter to repair for them.

I just want it to feel right, also showing what we wear and have equipped on the screen, I REALLY WANT THAT, I love putting a cloak or pants or weapon and seeing it in its proper place on my actually character, not just some stat somewhere. Also having the bags be specific to item sizes is a nice idea as well, so if you have a huge great axe or whatever, it wouldn't just sit in your backpack, you'd have to tie it to your person or have a larger sack to accommodate that item. That's cool...

Have fun Devs

 

I loved weight in Everquest, as a crafter of weight-reduction bags, I should have gained exp for all the killings I made in the AH...

Finieous
Proud Citizen

 

One of the things that has dissapointed me in most games so far is the unrealistic approach to weight. In most games that include items / wear weight caps the threshold is always all (no restriction) or nothing (encumbered).

I would advocate for a more realistic system where dexterity and stamina available vary proportionally with how much you carry based on your strength, up to your encumbrance limit. Lightly geared and loaded characters would therefore have better freedom of movement than their similar peers with heavier gears or stuff in their bags. This has ramifications not only in the carrying capacity of the character but in choices of protection, weapons, tools and utility nick-knacs carried. It also works well in a classless system where characters can decide what is important for them in their play style.

Perhaps there is a need for a quick scouting party needed from characters that would normally be heavily loaded, that can outrun an heavily armed opposition in their search. The proposal above would work well with this.