As you mentioned, “Consider how storage works in other games.” In Diablo 4, storage used to work the same way with Aspects. You could extract an argument and keep it in your storage, and each argument had its own separate item for every variable on it. From the beginning, players disliked this system and wanted Arguments to be stored separately from inventory. It took two years, but the system was eventually removed.
Now we’re at the start of a similar path. We’re forced to store weapons and armor simply because of the enchantments we want to use. Even if we extract them, we still need to store the essence. The outcome is the same: we have to keep it somewhere and search for it when we need it.
It’s important to view this from the right perspective. Our goal isn’t to have a massive storage system—unfortunately, that’s the only solution available right now.
Idea:
What if there was a chest that could hold all food ingredients, and another chest for all cooked meals? If we can have a lumber stack for all types of wood, why can’t we have a stone box where every type of ore can be stored?
To me, essence feels very similar to Script. When I find an item, I can research it and replicate it. Likewise, when I find an essence, I should be able to study it using an Essence Ember and then either replicate it or use it directly.
I agree with this topic so much that it actually got me to sign up to the forums. I understand that having inventory space introduces a flow to the game that pushes players back to town on a somewhat regular basis and that it’s intended.
It also makes sense to me that you might have to stop your run and go back after collecting a certain number of armor or weapon pieces.
But for crafting materials like copper and threads, this really just feels like a chore. The crafting inventory should have unlimited spaces, I think. It’s not fun to be in the middle of a zone deciding whether I which type of thread/wood/coal/animal parts I want to keep. Just let me scoop all of those types of things up without worrying!
You could also just have option 3, which is unlimited item storage on the player that’s just always accessible without needing to deposit anywhere. They did this in a game called Godfall, which was more God of War style combat with ARPG loot, and that system worked out great, at least from a player perspective.
Personally, I’d prefer an unlimited inventory, but I do understand there are design reasons for having limited spaces. That makes sense for something like weapons/armor, maybe, but for crafting resources, it just feels like a chore, and it’s not fun standing in the middle of a zone deciding what resource you need to drop to pick up the thing that’s on the ground.
After setting up my housing, I have yet to run out of materials inventory out in the open world. Because when my gear inventory is full, I usually take a trip back to town to sell them etc and a quick stop in my house to “deposit similar” dumps things relevant in chests etc.
There is no reason to keep materials on you that you don’t use. So an average session doing things should not be filling up your entire materials inventory from empty.
Why do anything in the game at all? Why even have materials, resources, or Focus, or Stamina. Why not just make everything craftable, and usable without any requirements?
If you can answer that, you’ll have answered your own question.
I have an idea why the inventory system exists. I already stated it. I’d like to hear what you think the upside to forcing people back to their house for crafting resources and not just for more significant items like armor/weapons is.
It’s great for you that you don’t find the system to be an issue. I find it breaks an otherwise good flow and that it’s intrusive. I too have a chest that I can press deposit all on, but I still find this to be an issue.
I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch for this world to have some kind of crafted magic balloon device that you can load up with gathered supplies (only) and send back to Sacrament while you’re out in the field. It could either be a single crafted one-use item or it could take up a tool slot maybe?
There could be a roaming vendor/merchant that you could summon with a special horn or whistle that would offer (for a fee) to bring things back to Sacrament for you.
You could have a magical lumber bag/ore bag/etc that holds all your gathered resource types of the same category but only takes up one inventory slot.