Inventory System and Items

[Serris]

This has been puzzling me ever since I saw this game.

Every RPG has an inventory system. Would one be present in this game? I assumed there was no inventory system because the characters do not wear clothing, but I realize the need for an inventory system in an RPG.

Also, if there is an inventory system, what items should appear in the game?

Even if there is no inventory system, what could some of the "environmental objects" that you would need to interact with to complete a quest?

[Mumbling]

Good question. I think there will be some sort of inventory system, for tasks and stuff. Hmm.. Maybe it's only there while there are tasks.

As far as I know there will also be a compass in the game on the right top side(if I remember correctly..?) Maybe below that? or is there something else already *blames memory *

I guess it's up to Action

[Malte279]

I suppose this game would be less inventory based than other RPGs (no backpacks, coats of armor, swords, money etc. for the characters). However, I suppose that there will be tasks involving for example the finding of a particular plant or stone (e.g. diving task on the tutorial ground) so there would be some kind of inventory system. However, we should stick to what is realistic. A two legged swimmer for example has two hands to hold stuff and that swimmer is not going to carry anything more heavy than would be realistic in those hands. Perhaps carrying of heavy items (rocks or the like) would slow down a character and increase the expense of energy points for walking or the like. A flyer is not likely to fly anywhere while using the hands to hold anything (the beak being perhaps the only option to carry something VERY light while flying). Perhaps carrying stuff is another kind of task which may require teamwork from the players. Think of the carrying nest they use in LBT 2 to bring Chomper's egg to the Valley. There could be something like that. Or perhaps a small character (swimmer, flyer etc.) riding on the back of a larger character (longneck, threehorn, spiketail etc.) could enable the later to carry more than the small character could by making the small character make sure that the items don't slide from the back of the larger character which they would if it wasn't for the small character on the back.

PS: The larger characters could carry some stuff in their mouth or (Canyon of the Shiny stones) behind their horns, but I don't suppose that would be more than the smaller characters could carry in their hands.

[Kor]

flyers also have their feet they can carry something, since we've seen Petrie grasp things in his feet, and one of the evil flyers did carry Ducky using his feet, though they could not carry much in their beaks nor their feet.  

Having a smaller person on their backs to help keep the item, or smaller injured person, does name since and we have seen this in at least 1 episode being done.  

I would not think the inventory system would be as larger nor as developed as some rpg's are.    Also the person's strength would, of course, play a part, with flyers having a further reduction since they have to carry the very small item while flying.

[Malte279]

Having a smaller person on their backs to help keep the item, or smaller injured person, does name since and we have seen this in at least 1 episode being done.

That was a fully grown flyer though (and I still don't think it was very plausible even for a Quetzalcoatlus to carry Littlefoot, and Cera, and Spike on his back. I don't think a Petrie sized dinosaur could really carry any of the other characters anywhere. However, I suppose a Petrie sized flyer might easily serve as a kind of "parachute" for a Ducky sized dinosaur which might make for a rough landing but spare both of them any serious damage (something like that is in LBT 2). Apart from doing the parachute such a flyer might also help a Ducky sized dinosaur to leap much farther than that dinosaur usually could (making it possible for example to leap over a ditch which would be usually to broad for a Ducky sized dinosaur).

[Kor]

The Quetzalcoatlus scene to me stuck out, like a certain scene in The Hobbit, where the writer got themselves in a corner and needed a quick way to get the characters out of where they were, instead of chucking the scene and rewriting it.

It's seen a lot in other fiction also, including comics.

As for young flyers like Petrie, they could carry light things, very small rocks, a treestar.  In an episode they show Petrie carrying a leaf with some water in it.  I'd guess it was near the upper limit of what he could carry with no effort or a little effort.  With someone of Ducky's size the most he's been show to do is hover for a second or a few seconds before going down, though that would make their fall, as you said, less damaging then it would be if a non flyer had fallen alone.

[action9000]

Yes there will be inventory.  You all are on the right track for what I'm thinking of doing but I'll explain later.  That being said, any ideas are more than welcome!

I'll repond here in more detail when Sept. rolls around and I have time to get back into working on the game.

[Serris]

I just thought of an item that would need to be interacted with or even carried.

I mentioned how Ducky in LBT IV used a vine to rescue Cera from some rapids.

I'd assume that you'd need to either find a vine nearby or carry one in order to use this.

And since vines aren't heavy I'd imagine that the large characters can carry 3 or 4 vines and the medium characters (Fast-Runner) can carry 1 or 2 vines.

And after the vines have been used to rescue someone, they disappear (perhaps the vines were swept away by the rapids or they broke just as the character was on dry land?)

[Kor]

It could be it sometimes gets swept away or breaks, but if you notice the gang, and other dinos, seem to not think in terms of, I'll carry this around in case it is useful later on.  They seem to be of the mentality that I"ll look around and see what I can use for this purpose.  One could say that is the natural way they think.  They've never gone to the next step, like humans would and try weaving grass or vines to form a basket, or using clay to make something that can hold water.   Not that they are stupid, but it could be dinos are not use to, or never have, thought in those terms in those ways.  That takes a different method of thinking maybe to go to the next step.

Once they are done using an item sometimes it is broken or lost after it's use is over, at other times they just toss it aside.  Like in the lbt episode I watched today, The Starday Celibration.   After the vine breaks after most of the gang have been saved, which was laying nearby Cera used a branch that was on the ground to save Spike, and tossed it aside once Spike was saved, she didn't thin, I'll carry this around in case it's useful.  

They have carried some things before, like the night flowers in lbt movie 4, or Cera a shiny stone in one of the episodes, but likely it will have to be emphasized that the lbt dinos do not think in terms like a human would of carrying something around in case it proves useful now and then.

[Malte279]

It could be it sometimes gets swept away or breaks, but if you notice the gang, and other dinos, seem to not think in terms of, I'll carry this around in case it is useful later on. They seem to be of the mentality that I"ll look around and see what I can use for this purpose. One could say that is the natural way they think. They've never gone to the next step, like humans would and try weaving grass or vines to form a basket, or using clay to make something that can hold water. Not that they are stupid, but it could be dinos are not use to, or never have, thought in those terms in those ways. That takes a different method of thinking maybe to go to the next step.

I totally agree with you on that one Kor
It is also why I think that an elaborate inventory system such as can be found in other games would not fit well into this one. When designing the tasks I reckon we will make sure that there is always a possibility to manage it by working together (there are probably going to be tasks which cannot be done unless you have some specific species member in your group) or by looking for helpful items in the relatively close surroundings.
The only exception where I think dinosaurs have to carry stuff around for longer distances is when they actually have the quest to find a particular plant, stone, whatever for someone else, so the carrying would be part of the task itself. I don't think carrying stuff around because it might be useful some time in the future would be realistic.

[action9000]

It is also why I think that an elaborate inventory system such as can be found in other games would not fit well into this one.

In a way, the inventory system in this game is more elaborate and complex than in other games.  No just stuffing stuff in a backpack or having an array of items on your screen in a grid or something - we have to make use of the clever ways LBT characters could carry stuff using nothing but themselves..and find a way to convert that into something a computer and a gamer can work with.

Okay, everyone: Here is the current inventory system until someone comes up with a better one:
First of all, we're dividing every object in the game into 1 of 4 weight classes:

1. Easy enough even for a flyer to carry.
2. Can be carried by larger characters (e.g. in the mouth)
3. Can be carried by a larger character with the assistance of a smaller one.
4. Carry THAT??? Are you kidding?

Items will also have a strength value attached to them to determine how much energy it takes to move the item and what dinos (small, medium, large) can carry it.

Next, we create places where each dino type can carry objects:

Picture a few boxes on your screen.  This is your inventory.  

If you are a small dino, you will see 2 boxes normally and 3 boxes if you are riding a large dino.

If you are a large dino, you will see 2 boxes normally and 3 boxes if a small dino is riding on you.

For small dinos - Swimmers and flyers:
They have two hands.  Each hand can carry one class 1 item.  
OR
Both hand spaces can be taken up by a class 2 item but it will be heavy and will affect this dino's energy significantly.

For medium dinos - Fast-runners:
Similar to small dinos but they are able to handle heavier objects since they have more strength.

For large dinos - Longnecks, threehorns and spiketails:
In their mouth: A large dino can carry up to two class 1 items.
AND

On their back:
A large dino may also carry up to 2 class 1 items
OR
1 class 2 item
OR
1 class 3 item

The requirement to using their back as cargo space to move most items is that a SMALL dino must be riding on the large dino's back in order to balance the item.

When a small dino is riding a large dino, both/all players involved in this ride will see the 3rd inventory box appear on their screen.  When one of the players adds an item to their inventory, all players involved will be asked if they want to accept this item.  When all players agree, the item is added to both/all players' 3rd box in the inventory and the game continues like this.

[Myrkin]

Question: How this "riding-carying" system will work for single player? Will we have other npc-dino to help us carry things all the time or only when it is required to accomplish some task he/she gave to us?

[action9000]

Question: How this "riding-carying" system will work for single player? Will we have other npc-dino to help us carry things all the time or only when it is required to accomplish some task he/she gave to us?

Simple answer: It won't.

Some tasks, such as many of those which require such carrying methods, will require more than one human player to complete.  

Not every single larger item that sits on a large dino's back will have to be balanced by a smaller dino.  
I suspect that most items will though and there is the advantage of losing less speed/stamina if you have the small dino there to help you too, even for items that don't completely require the small dino.

[Kor]

I guess like Spike carries a lot of night flowers at the end of the 4th movie.

[NaNaNa]

You wouldnt need to carry food around, and in the movies whenever you needed rope (vines), they would conveniently be nearby.

In the fifth movie, chomper carried a lot of food using a leaf as a sack. Maybe we could do that?

[Kor]

For certain reasons maybe, but it seems in the movies characters don't do that sort of thing very often.  Spike carrying the night flowers back to the great valley, chomper to his friends, so it seems they would likely have to have a reason, maybe part of a quest. Some plants for some sick dinos, moving some sharptooth or fastbiter eggs away since they are to close to the great valley, or helping a flat tooth to move some of her eggs into the great valley, or some other specific reason.


 Unless the game wants to deviate a bit from the movies and tv series.

[NaNaNa]

The movie characters rarely use stuff at all besides their own body parts. But in a game, there's probably going to be a lot more items.

[Malte279]

Not necessarily. There are not likely to be any items which are to be carried around permanently. For all that has been discussed far there are basically three classes of items.
1. Foodstuff - Treestars or whatever else to restore stamina. Most of the time it would be used right away and the range of how far one could carry it before it disintegrates would be limited.
2. Stuff that is helpful in solving a task - this could be anything along the lines of a vine or stick or whatever which would allow a character to perform some action he or she could not conduct without the item.
3. Quest items - That sparkling stone you find for Tria, the lost egg from somebody's nest, the particularly rare treat somebody is searching for etc. All the stuff that is the object of a quest but is not to be used in any way other than getting it to the one who send you on the quest.

Unlike most RPGs this one is not going to have a strong focus on collecting items and also it is not to focus much on fighting. We are to some degrees entering new land here and need to find elements other than the traditional elements to keep players hooked.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

Will there be a form of currency, so players can purchase stamina, or possibly access to new parts of the map? It could be something like red tree stars or sweet bubbles, given to the characters when they complete a quest.

[Mumbling]

Will there be a form of currency, so players can purchase stamina, or possibly access to new parts of the map? It could be something like red tree stars or sweet bubbles, given to the characters when they complete a quest.

I dont think that sounds too much like LBT... "Hey can i buy some more stamina?".. nah