Inventory Options[solved]

[Candle]

I did a seach and didn't find anything on any Inventory Options.
Would there be that kind of system in the game system?
I'm new here ( first post ) I'm more of an adventure type gamer and looking at this in the type of system for me.
I use AGS right now but going to be moving to Linux and like the python system and use with Linux.
So would there be an inventory option?
Thanks for any help.

[mokenju1]

Hi Candle,

I would like to help more but I'm still a Ren'py n00b ( maybe that's the reason because I have not actually used hotspots or inventories in an adventure game ).

I found this thread that could be useful about the use of hotspots (although it's an older version of renpy):

http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... t&start=15

After you define the hotspot, I think it's not very difficult to create an inventory with variables (e.g. $ get Umbrella = True).

An inventory was used in the Ren'py game Amgine Park, so someone there has to know how to create it. And if people here are creating rpg hibrids, an inventory for an adventure game has to be peace of cake for them .

[PyTom]

Ren'Py is designed for visual novels, rather than traditional adventure games. You can fake inventory using variables, but we don't really support the subject-verb-object mechanic of adventure games.

[Candle]

Thanks for the link and such. you don't mind that the program is used for this type of game do you?

[mokenju1]

Sorry I was mistaken then. I've replayed Amgine Park and what was done in that game is that when you could interact with an object (the statue) all the objects of the inventary were listed and you could choose one of them.

But an adventure game doesn't always need a scumm like interface or many actions. Use and look will be ok for many of them...

[PyTom]

Thanks for the link and such. you don't mind that the program is used for this type of game do you?

I don't mind, as such. The only thing is that the further you stray from the sort of game Ren'Py was designed for, the more difficult it will be to accomplish what you want to. It's up to you to decide how to best make your game.

[Candle]

Thanks for all the input.
I don't mind doing code so won't be a problem for me to play with.
Sometimes it is more fun when not so easy to do.
The dragging part that adventure games can be just clicking on the right inventary item so if you can have a object do something when clicked on would woirk fine for me.
And your right about the scumm type inv you just have a inventory item assign to a spot and when clicked it is remove from the screen and put to the spot in the inventory. or even have it move to that spot witch would look cool I think.
Show one of my backgrounds I have done for the game I'm working on now.

[monele]

It should be feasible, but as PyTom says, the further you go from the regular VN concept, the more work you'll have to do to compensate. Inventories can be done with all the UI functions, definitely.
Actually, to make things easier, I'd strongly recommend going "first-person view" (Myst-like).

[Candle]

The Myst style is what I like to do. Not all the good with drawing small chars. lol I like to do the backgrounds and use 3d programs most of the time.

[DaFool]

I'm thinking of using an inventory... but trying to keep it simple...

You see, I have upwards of 20 different items for my game, and while juggling the variables is no problem for me, it will be a pain for the Player to keep track of them unless their quantities are listed at the press of a button.

What's the best way to do this? A Definitiion? A new Gamemenu (to be inserted between 'Preferences' and 'Load/Save')?

Swapping items will be done by simple regular menu interaction.


monele: Nettestadt Troll is now a planting/harvesting/going to market/shopping/trading/cooking sim where you have to juggle items between 6 locations. I have a feeling the experience I learn programming this may be useful for the Location Engine in Magbou2.

[monele]

Ohh, good luck ^^;... Don't go too far or you'll end up with a MagBou 2 of your own . As for inventory, I'd suggest using an in-game system using the ui functions?... I'd suggest copying the Phoenix Wright method to have a button on overlay and have that button call a function/label in a new context. In that label, it's up to you what you do, but that's where you'll be able to put a lot of UI to display items and ways to interact with them.
Either that, or have specific interfaces for each uh... merchant and stuff.

[DaFool]

I'm specifically avoiding calling in a new context. Basically the approach I'm using is a very strict status mechanism...a State Machine, if you're familiar with the term. It's just the way I think

I can't really do it the MagBou way since I'm very uncomfortable with the way events seem to float on top of the engine hoping to be triggered by certain conditions.

Of course this means that my events cannot occur out of order... so it is really a string-of-pearls structure through and through.

And I'm not really up to the task of designing a thoroughbred user interface... as long as the game mechanic works, even simple menus would suffice.

I think I'll go ahead and just limit them to when they're needed (during trading). The stats themselves are not the goal... it's what you can trade to unlock stuff, like a battle-free version of an rpg that only has semi-useful items

[monele]

Well I think I can see where you're going with this... Basically, if we take the Phoenix example, you end up having a bunch of dialogue, *while* you can access the inventory... supposedly at any time. It's not really the case since you can only access it after a screen of text has been displayed.
This means you could get this to work with an absolutely sequential concept. Just display the text... and after each screen of text, run the code that asks "do you want to continue reading or do you want to go in the inventory?". It'd be quite tedious though, and that's why the overlay function is great. It works as a thread, in a programming sense.

Anyway... you clearly won't need to have the inventory accessible at all times, so... yes... For example, while in the house, you would get whatever text is needed and *then* get a menu asking what you want to do. A choice would be to go to the garden. Once there, and after any needed text, you would get another menu asking where to move AND if you want to deal with the garden itself... opening another menu, etc...
I suppose that's how you're going to do it?