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This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I'm more baffled why game devs continue to implement inventory limitations at all. I have yet to see a game that wouldn't be significantly improved by just giving the player infinite inventory space.
If you have infinite inventory space, then you need a way to navigate through infinite items. Towards the end of the game, a player could easily have nearly every item in the game. For some games, that would be fine, but for many, that would make the list of items prohibitively long. Filtering and searching would help, but if you're looking for an item that you forgot the name of, a search doesn't necessarily do much.
Then there's balance reasons. Some games use their inventory system to limit the player, making sure they don't start a level with enough health potions and grenades to cheese every fight.
In survival games, a finite inventory sets the gameplay loop: you go exploring/mining and then return to base, drop off your stuff and head out again. It makes your base valuable, if only because that's where you keep most of your resources and moving would be hard. It also gives the player a break from one task. I played a Minecraft mod that gave me an effectively infinite inventory. I went mining for so long that it started to feel like an awful slog. Because my mine shafts went on too long, getting back was itself a hassle. When I reverted back to a more typical inventory size, I could feel how a full inventory breaks up the grind and prevents mining from getting out of hand.
Filtering and searching would help, but if you’re looking for an item that you forgot the name of, a search doesn’t necessarily do much.
Keywords are the answer. If the player forgets whether the healing item is called "medkit", "first aid", or "bandage", just let them search for "heal".
Some games use their inventory system to limit the player, making sure they don’t start a level with enough health potions and grenades to cheese every fight.
That's better solved by just not giving the player that many to begin with. Some games adjust their item drops based on what you already have, so if you're running low on pistol ammo, they'll give you some. If you already have five grenades, you won't find any more until you use some. That achieves the same goal without limiting your ability to pick up different types of items.
In survival games, a finite inventory sets the gameplay loop: you go exploring/mining and then return to base, drop off your stuff and head out again. It makes your base valuable, if only because that’s where you keep most of your resources and moving would be hard.
That's exactly one of the things that I hate about limited inventory space. It's effectively the same as hauling vendor trash, and that's something that I view as an unnecessary interruption of gameplay. "You've had fun killing mobs for five whole minutes, time to do a chore!" Yeah, no, that can fuck right off. All the way off.
I played a Minecraft mod that gave me an effectively infinite inventory. I went mining for so long that it started to feel like an awful slog.
But that was your own choice...?
Plus you can put the items into categories. Fallout/Skyrim games still have a weight limitation but even in the middlegame most players are carrying hundreds of items. The devs helped alleviate frustration by categorizing everything. Need health? Go to the "aid" tab. Need new armor? Click the "armor tab." Etc
I love how modded minecraft has infinite different options for inventory management. Enderchest in a pouch, automatic pickup and sorting, intelligent sorting buttons, autopopulating hotbars, auto delete, entire mods like AE2 just to organize your chest system with a searchbar. It's a nice commentary on how difficult balancing a game around collecting limited resources and accessing them can be. The fact that certain people like certain inventory mods is telling.
Pathologic 2
God, seeing screencaps of Minecraft with terrible hotbars, or anyone else's Destiny inventory (seriously, delete shit, it's only your fault that your postmaster is full by the end of a strike)
You don't like it when their 4 and 8 are dirt and gravel respectively while they embark on their megaproject that uses neither dirt nor gravel?
Destiny players are the worst... "We need more vault space!" No, you need to learn to let go. Why do you "need" 14 different kinetic Scout Rifles. Pro-tip - YOU DON'T. I'll make an exception for elemental weapons, it makes sense to have one for each element. But other than that? Nope!
Probs cause they randomly buff/nerf stuff, so they keep them incase. Bungies own fault for having no idea what to do with the game changing systems constantly, so there's no easy way to get an exact item back once its dropped.
I would argue that you don't need any non-exotic scout rifles at all these days, or primaries in general.
I do have about 30 different shotguns that I never use though.
Exotics too, if it's not an Exotic you use often, you can make due with a collections roll. It's cheap to MW if you're at the point where you have multiple builds, and weapons are just weapons, if there's no high kill tracker, you don't need to worry about pulling (Hawkmoon, DMT, and the craftables non-withstanding).
Shit purples drop like candy too, so infusion fodder's not an issue.
I spent way too much time coming up with the most efficient and organized system in RE8.
Inventory management wasn't really much of a concern for me in the ones where the key items/puzzle solution items aren't held in the same container. I could have sworn 4 had that tho. Maybe it's just the remake that changed it? 🤔 I'm currently playing the remake and it's been putting key items in their own inventory space.