Separate bag and list modes? Why not the best of both?

I started thinking more about inventory management after getting seriously annoyed about the R26 list mode grouping, trying out bag mode as a replacement and finding it even worse.

Spoiler: Some random details about the present state of list and bag modes

This is really not the topic of this thread, but...I'm mentioning these because some of these issues can probably have a quick and easy fix.

In list mode, why on earth should just about anything and its cousin be listed as a "craftable item"? Why even have the "All items" category any more? If categories are immutable, at the very least they should exclude out items from other categories.

My tale of experimenting with the current bag mode short and sad. At first I was not able to even see by one glance if I happen to have arrows in my inventory - I had to turn on the list mode to verify they really were there, after that I could finally spot them in bag mode (can you? - have a look at the screenshot below). I also found it extremely difficult to manipulate the arrows (I have near pixel perfect mouse skills but despite that I had serious difficulties grabbing the arrows) so I had to conclude that this is next to impossible to use in its current incarnation.

Then I started pondering questions like this: Why on earth do we even have separate "list modes" and "bag modes"? What would be some of the requirements for ideal inventory management?
As an answer to the latter question, I came up with the following list:

• Quick and unambiguous answer to the question "Do I have X with me, or not?"
• Quick and unambiguous answer to the question "How much of X do I have?"
• Items can be selected (all, some or just one)
• Items can be moved (all, some or just one)
• Items can be queried about their properties
• Items can be searched (by their name or other properties)
• Items can be renamed (given a custom label)
• Items can be sorted by their properties (weight, quantity)
• Items can be grouped (placed into containers like pouches, backpacks, chests etc.)
• Item groups can be nested (e.g. pouch into backpack, and backpack into trunk)
• Item groups can be given properties for distinguishing them from others
• Items can be viewed by category (tool, container, ammo, weapon, armor, reagent etc.)
• Items can be viewed as icons, simple lists, or detailed lists
• Item viewing mode can be individually customized by container

Actually many of us use such systems every day, systems that fulfil all of the above criteria, besides being extremely mature and robust. I'm speaking, of course, about file systems and file managers. Cloud file managers use databases instead of file systems, otherwise it's more or less the the same story. We are not talking about systems that reinvent the wheel. Can it really be that difficult?

The first question ("why do we have a separate "list mode" and "bag mode") started to baffle me even more. In R26 neither of them seems to get any love. Why divide the attention?

My ideal inventory management system for this game would be container based (like the current "bag mode") but combine the best features from both "bag mode" and "list mode". The most important changes would be the ability to place containers inside containers, and the ability to set a container specific view mode, so one container could be chosen to look like the present "bag mode", and another container could be set to look like the present "list mode" (all present day file managers do this with ease). Bag type mode would in any case need at least options to show item properties like quantity and weight as overlays.

What I love about the current bag mode is that the required containers need to be crafted or bought. This would also open up possibilities to have "magic containers" that increase carrying capacity.

Comments, thoughts? Please keep it constructive and civil.

 

And your analogy makes my current choice of list mode the right one for me because that's the way I have things set both in OS X and Windows ("details" mode for Windows).

I wouldn't mind seeing a tree view list mode. Preferably how OS X does it where you can see everything in one list by clicking on triangles, not the two-pane version that Windows prefers to use. But this is all a presentation thing that can wait to be added in when they're not trying to rush to add towns and implement the Episode 1 story. The inventory system is already designed the way it needs to be, and that's the important part to get first.

It's a little weird knowing that I can drag a chest full of stuff into my list mode inventory, and see everything appear in the inventory, then when I drag the chest out to place it somewhere else, it remembers its contents and takes them with it.

If it ever gets to the point where it is again worth trying to sell reagents, it would also be nice to have "closed" bags that they can't be taken out of, so that you can't use them up by accident during delivery.

 

Containers in containers is I believe, already a planned feature. Being able to set modes for each is an interesting idea. We have both modes because there is demand for both. I really dislike list mode.. others really dislike bag mode.. but bag mode is also traditional for Richard.