Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Item count modifications
Now that we have discussed the features of the inventory, we need to figure out how
items in the inventory can be gained or lost. This can be done in the following ways:
• Buying, selling, and trading items
• Dropping and picking up items
• Destroying or using items
Item bartering
If your game has a lot of items in its world, you might have included shops within that
world. In these shops, the player can sell their items or buy more items. This method
is very common in role-playing games, as these types of games have many items.
Another way to barter items is to trade them. This can be done in offline games, but
this is mostly seen in online games where players can use a menu system to trade
their items.
Dropping and picking up items
When the player's inventory is full or almost full, they might come across an item that
they want. If the option is made available, the player can drop an item they don't want
anymore and pick up the new item to replace it. Dropping an item can insert it back in
the game world or simply destroy it. Picking up an item can be done by walking over
it or selecting it with a key or button.
Destroying and using items
If the player has a bow, they will most likely have a multitude of arrows to shoot. When
these arrows are shot, the number of arrows will go down. Once all arrows have been
shot, the arrows will no longer be in their inventory, since the player has used them
all. Using healing items might also modify how many healing items are left, unless the
items are designed to stay in the inventory without a limit on usage.
Destroying an item can be done manually by the player if they no longer want to keep
that item. There can also be a condition stat on a weapon or a piece of armor. When
the condition gets too low, the item will be destroyed in the inventory, making it unus-
