A common thing that bugs me in games featuring inventories are how unrealistically big they are. Like how you can fit stacks upon stacks of dirt in your pockets Minecraft. Not only would that take so much space, it would also be much too heavy. In Mechanaetia, starting out on day 1, would inventory be handled more believably? Perhaps being able to carry a few small items like rocks and sticks? Could there be inventory improvements in place like backpacks and wheeled carts that can allow for more space and/or ability to carry heavier things? I just feel like scarcer inventory slots in the beginning would create a more challenging game experience.
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You probably want this Thread 
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Thanks, Iâll definitely suggest something there. However, my main question really is if there will be scarce inventory when youâre ânakedâ and it doesnât seem to be answered there.
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Well, early on I am kindof forced to implement a somewhat larger Inventory, but I am trying to keep things actually small. Items dont need to be the Size of 1/9th of a Cubic meter 
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Well, realism should be the last resort to solving a problem or getting an idea for a game.
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I agree, but itâs more believabilty rather than realism I am after.
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Also there is always the option of holding just one 0.25ÂłmÂł Block in your Hands directly after picking it up. In general you need an empty Hand to pick up things from the World, since they turn into Blocks once they stop moving, you dont just magically suck shit up, like in Minecraft.
And there is ofcourse always the ability to build Microblock alike Structures that are like 0.0625m thick, and use those Panels as placeable Walls. Kinda like a Bamboo Panel or so.
Not to mention, to build a Brick Wall you dont frikkin craft a Block of Bricks and place that down, you place individual Bricks and put Mortar on that. Though technically you CAN make a Panel out of Multiple Mortar-Connected-Bricks and place THAT down too.
Note: Because there would be people who would really hate such Inventory Limitations, they can start up with a Bag of Holding alike Item to increase their Inventory Size if needed.
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Just add settings to choose whatever the player wants
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I agree with this idea. The issue with Minecraft is why build railroads/other transport means when i can shift half a mountain by myself. Now the opposite is also true, I want to craft this item and for that I need all these parts but canât hold them. This leads to game frustration not inherent to the difficult to the game, not a good thing.
Itâs a fine line between the two. Personally I like the idea that you are limited in space at the beginning but can craft bags and belts fairly early on to increase space. By mid-game space shouldnât be a concern. as you would have progressed to storage, better inventory and transport means.
There is a little game called Neo Scavenger where you wake up in a dystopian cyber future and have to fend for yourself. In that you have two hands, that was all. Early on if you were lucky you could find polythene bags or empty chip bags to hold sting and shards of glass, then later if you were lucky, sleds and sacks you could drag and backpacks you could wear on your back, so in essence you could have a backpack full of stuff and drag your stuff around.
Inconvenient yes, I believe that was the nature of the game, but the idea remains the same.
You neednât make it so difficult just more natural.
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And more importantly, Stuff that you craft with is not whole Cubic Meters worth of Blocks. You dont need â mÂł of Iron and 1mÂł of Wooden Planks just to make a damn Pickaxe.
Small Items will exist and be the majority of Items you encounter. Only building Materials can end up clogging your Inventory (which is why more creatively focused people would get a âBag of Holdingâ for Inventory expansion).
I will likely add a Wheelbarrow like Dwarf Fortress has it, where you can just dump a bunch of shit inside and then move it around inside your hands like the Dolly from that broken MC Mod. Or just have a Bucket and dump a bunch of Stuff in it to make it easier to transport, the possibilities are endless. Or even just use an actual Barrel to store Stuff in and roll it around!
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Yes, this exactly. a door is not the same size as a rock.
Personally I like the Diablo/resident evil 4 style of inventory where everything is a certain shape and inventory management is a puzzle in itself to fit more in. That coupled with weight has always been my favorite.
EDIT
I think stacksize is also important, limiting the itemstack size is a clever way to implement limitations in Minecraft for larger objects and should be carried over.
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I had same idea, could progress in tech over time as well to hauler trucks to perhaps large sandcrawlers or so, lol.
Plus drone tech on such a sandcrawler, you place a âblueprintâ of where something should go and drones come build it.
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The bigger Stuff would be custom Vehicles and an entire different thing.
Maybe also Animals and Monsters you can ride and add Armor/Inventories to.
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The Donkey with the pack becomes infinitely more useful when it can hold more than you can.
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The words âDonkeyâ and âBarrelâ made my synapses fire, I would argue that the most efficient mode of transporting goods is filling them into barrels and yeeting them down ramps. I can tell you this mode of transportation will become the gold standard. Our experts estimate that by the year 3000, every adult will have their own barrel to roll to work with.
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I was wondering, what is forcing you to keep a somewhat larger inventory for early on? I figured there could be craftable inventory solutions immediately upon starting a new world. Like baskets made of plant materials for storage and a sort of primitive backpack made of plant material too (I donât remember what itâs called, but itâs conical in shape and has like braided fibers for the strap you can sling over your shoulder. As for building material being the main space-taker, I consider that part of the challenge with scarce carrying space. I figure if the player needs shelter, they would have to rely on natural formations like caves so early on until they can gather sufficient building materials. That would give a very âstone ageâ feel.
Though, I understand this can be too much of a hassle for some players. I really liked your idea of increasing complexity with materials (like easy mode treats iron and gold as the same âmetalâ material and very difficult treats every material as itâs own thing). Perhaps the same system can be used concerning inventory? Easy makes space very abundant and difficult treats it much more believably?
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Yeah you can just choose what Material you start with, including Stuff that expands your Inventory. Why make the physical Bodies depend on difficulty Setting, if you can just give people Items that make Life easier.
Codewise âDifficultyâ will not exist, there is no arbitrary âDifficultyâ-Value that gets checked by things, you literally only get starting Material, Location and Abilities (depending on what you or the Server Owner decide), and from there you go do your thing.
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Oops forgot the thing about âSimplicityâ when it comes to Resources, which could be considered a âDifficultyâ Setting that depends purely on the Player themselves. But that is also potentially solvable with carrying Items to convert Matter or something (Magically or Technologically). Also when it comes to Items, there is always the ability to Lock them into a Players Inventory as if they were a Key Item (so you keep them upon respawn too).
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Maybe you donât need Inventory. You can use this item as material for crafting only when it is in the playerâs warehouse or toolbox or within 2 meters of the player?
Just like in the real world, items are stacked together and have their own volumes. If players need them, they can put them in order within the rangeďźJust a simple suggestion, donât care too muchďź
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Crafting stations should have configurable storage attachments for this purpose.
~Max
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