Your Wordly Possessions

[Lady Dragonfly]

You open a chest... and find random generic stuff. Do you reload? And reload? And reload? Hoping to get something useful? I used to, but not any more. Actually, I hate random stuff. (Well, except the cool random stuff in Diablo clones, of course. ).
I prefer games where I can find certain items in certain places, like in BG.

I also don't like when there are tons of powerful magic weapons/armor piled/sold everywhere, especially in the beginning of the game when my char is still lev2.
I feel that this devalues my game experience a bit.
The 'cool stuff' is not the most important thing to me in a game, but it is still more fun to drool over sword+1 when it is not readily available than to purchase sword+3 /+2fire damage and full armor+3 in a shopping mall in chapter 1.

In short, I like to search for the cool stuff, find it in the hidden nooks, and earn it by solving puzzles and killing monsters.
What do you think?

(Yeah, yeah, I know, “give me a good story that is playable on my 386 and I will be happy…” :laugh

[DesR85]

To be honest, I despise the random item mechanic very much. I've seen my friend constantly need to keep on reloading in order to get the desired items. In KOTOR 2, the items are random and you need to replay it several times in order to get better items. In Gothic 3, most of the chests have random items but the worst part is the fact that they always contain a lot of useless junk instead of useful items. Talk about how frustrating it can be at times. Sure, to some people, it enhances re-playability but to me, it just smacks of frustration more than enjoyment.

[mr_sir]

I pretty much just stick with what I get and also prefer magic weapons to either be hard to find or really expensive. It adds more feel to the game and gives more of an incentive to try and find them rather than just go to the shop and have super powerful equipment from the start.

[Gilliatt]

I am not a big fan of random items or random maps either.

The only time I reload is when I get sick and tired of having multiple copies of the same object. As I said in an another post, I would be more happy if there was more gold and less items in chests, since anyway most of these items will end up exchanged for gold in a market.

I also prefer it when the good items are hard to find. The Might & Magic serie was pretty good in that. You did not get any obsidian weapons/armors early and you had to search for them.

[Lady Dragonfly]

The only time I reload is when I get sick and tired of having multiple copies of the same object. As I said in an another post, I would be more happy if there was more gold and less items in chests, since anyway most of these items will end up exchanged for gold in a market.

Have you played Bard's Tale? Everything you find is automatically converted into money, including your own stuff, leaving you with the "best" of a kind. That is another extreme I don't appreciate. Where is the fun of managing your inventory?

But I agree, it should be more gold, less random stuff.

@Des

In Gothic 3, most of the chests have random items but the worst part is the fact that they always contain a lot of useless junk instead of useful items.

Spoiler:


Actually, some of this "useless" stuff is not that useless... You need tons of them to complete various quests later in the game. Hammers, saws, pickaxes, herbs (and other junk) are very much needed.

[DesR85]

Actually, some of this "useless" stuff is not that useless... You need tons of them to complete various quests later in the game. Hammers, saws, pickaxes, herbs (and other junk) are very much needed.

Yeah, but the fact that you collect so many of them (and other non-essential items) just smacks of item hoarding, to be honest. It just makes me wonder as to why I even need to collect them in the first place when you rarely use them at all (aside from quests, that is).

[Lady Dragonfly]

Yeah, but the fact that you collect so many of them (and other non-essential items) just smacks of item hoarding, to be honest. It just makes me wonder as to why I even need to collect them in the first place when you rarely use them at all (aside from quests, that is).

I understand. But "item hoarding" can be inconvenient only if 1) you get easily encumbered (weight problem); 2) your inventory space (slots) is very limited and no "chest" is provided (room problem); 3) the inventory is not organized, messy and difficult to access (game controls problem); 4) you play on 386 for the heck of the story.

In all other cases item hoarding is FUN!!!!!
You open your inventory, lovingly sort through your countless treasures, rub your hands and say, "IT IS ALL MINE!!!!!" :devil:

[Gilliatt]

Have you played Bard's Tale? Everything you find is automatically converted into money, including your own stuff, leaving you with the "best" of a kind. That is another extreme I don't appreciate. Where is the fun of managing your inventory?

But I agree, it should be more gold, less random stuff.

I have not played it. I am not much into inventory management, but I agree that this is too extreme.

[BlueSky]

In all other cases item hoarding is FUN!!!!!
You open your inventory, lovingly sort through your countless treasures, rub your hands and say, "IT IS ALL MINE!!!!!" :devil:

Have a house in Morrowind filled with books, candles, lamterns..ohhh shiny ones..:laugh: all mine... on display armor and weapons, why yes that one of my "escapist tendacies" sorry could not resist that one DL.

[Lady Dragonfly]

Have a house in Morrowind filled with books, candles, lamterns..ohhh shiny ones..:laugh: all mine... on display armor and weapons, why yes that one of my "escapist tendacies" sorry could not resist that one DL.

:laugh: Same here. Sorted and carefully displayed. Book to book, stick to stick, soul gem to soul gem. Neat.

[DesR85]

In all other cases item hoarding is FUN!!!!!
You open your inventory, lovingly sort through your countless treasures, rub your hands and say, "IT IS ALL MINE!!!!!" :devil:

In any game I play, that's the last thing I want to do. I didn't play a game with the reason to become walking warehouse. This is my beef with recent RPGs when it comes to item management. Whenever you come across a chest, the developers are bound to fill it up with useless items and you are forced to collect them because in these chests, you have no idea whether there will be useful items (like potions, weapons, armours) or not.

I have not played it. I am not much into inventory management, but I agree that this is too extreme.

I agree. That is a little too extreme if you ask me.

[Lady Dragonfly]

In any game I play, that's the last thing I want to do. I didn't play a game with the reason to become walking warehouse.

How does it impair your overall game experience?

Whenever you come across a chest, the developers are bound to fill it up with useless items and you are forced to collect them because in these chests, you have no idea whether there will be useful items (like potions, weapons, armours) or not.

Do you prefer empty chests? Items with the label "quest item" (it happens too), items specific only to your build (e.g. swords for sword users, axes for axes users, chickens for chicken chasers)?

[mr_sir]

Whenever you come across a chest, the developers are bound to fill it up with useless items and you are forced to collect them because in these chests, you have no idea whether there will be useful items (like potions, weapons, armours) or not.

Or you could roleplay a little and instead of taking every single little item you find, just take those that catch your eye or that you know would get a decent price.

[DesR85]

How does it impair your overall game experience?

One word. Frustration. And I don't like to waste time trying to manage the large number of non-essential items when there are more important things to do in a game.

Do you prefer empty chests? Items with the label "quest item" (it happens too), items specific only to your build (e.g. swords for sword users, axes for axes users, chickens for chicken chasers)?

Items that are of use in combat/non-combat situations and for healing purposes. Items such as a character's gear (armour, weapons, shield, etc.). That's it.

Or you could roleplay a little and instead of taking every single little item you find, just take those that catch your eye or that you know would get a decent price.

You're right. Perhaps I should have a little more patience when playing RPGs. While I wouldn't mind playing a game according to my own pace, I don't like to get stuck in a game for too long. Frustration will sink in sooner or later.

[Lady Dragonfly]

One word. Frustration. And I don't like to waste time trying to manage the large number of non-essential items when there are more important things to do in a game.

Life is full of non-essential items. Games try to imitate life, so, naturally, you cannot expect to find a real treasure left "just for you" under every bush. There will be plenty of mundane items lying around. You may interact with things however you wish. You can hoard them, steal them, sell them, use them, disregard them etc. That is your role-playing experience. I think, Gothic series and ES series are good examples of this "open" approach.
You don't have to pick up every pixel if you don't want to.

Items that are of use in combat/non-combat situations and for healing purposes. Items such as a character's gear (armour, weapons, shield, etc.). That's it.

Then pick up only what you need or what you want. Or sell everything. The games I mentioned both have a precious feature: everything you sell remains in the vendor's inventory, so if you sold something important, you can buy it back. Gothic 3 would not let you sell the important quest item (it would not appear in your inventory during the trade).
Besides, you may want only a weapon/shield, but the spellcasters will need scrolls, books, wands and ingredients; bards, thieves, druids have their own priorities etc. Altogether, a glorious clutter.

You're right. Perhaps I should have a little more patience when playing RPGs. While I wouldn't mind playing a game according to my own pace, I don't like to get stuck in a game for too long. Frustration will sink in sooner or later.

I agree, some games can be frustrating. Just pick up the ones you have fun with and stick to them.

[BlueSky]

On a first playthrough I tend to grab everything...
But now for example in Morrowind I tend to snatch only the things I know I'll use later, or....ooh shiny ones....I satisfy the collector in me, still grab all books...and tend to think about how the items would look on display...:laugh:

[Lady Dragonfly]

On a first playthrough I tend to grab everything...
But now for example in Morrowind I tend to snatch only the things I know I'll use later, or....ooh shiny ones....I satisfy the collector in me, still grab all books...and tend to thing about how the items would look on display...:laugh:

Then you probably enjoyed the "Champion of Clutter" quest.

I also like Gespenar-upgradable items. You never know what you might need...

[DesR85]

Life is full of non-essential items. Games try to imitate life, so, naturally, you cannot expect to find a real treasure left "just for you" under every bush. There will be plenty of mundane items lying around. You may interact with things however you wish. You can hoard them, steal them, sell them, use them, disregard them etc. That is your role-playing experience. I think, Gothic series and ES series are good examples of this "open" approach.
You don't have to pick up every pixel if you don't want to.

Well, of course I don't expect come across anything fancy (or useful) during the course of the whole game. So yeah, in Gothic 3, I got sick of getting a lot junk up till the point that I just decided to get what is necessary and sell off the useless stuff (not to mention that I just leave the useless stuff alone if I don't want them).

But still, why do developers want to add useless items in the game for? Well, yeah, as what most have mentioned, you can avoid picking them up but why add them when it doesn't serve any particular use to the player at all in the first place? Is it for aesthetic purposes? This is what I've been wondering about for a long time.

I agree, some games can be frustrating. Just pick up the ones you have fun with and stick to them.

That's why I regret getting Gothic 3 in the first place. It got on my nerves after a while. That's why I reverted back to playing Company of Heroes after a few weeks of Gothic 3. I enjoyed that game much more than Gothic 3, to be honest.

[Lady Dragonfly]

But still, why do developers want to add useless items in the game for? Well, yeah, as what most have mentioned, you can avoid picking them up but why add them when it doesn't serve any particular use to the player at all in the first place? Is it for aesthetic purposes? This is what I've been wondering about for a long time.

To make...
1) ...the world more believable,
2) ...your life harder,
3) ...graphic artists earn their bread and maybe a bit of butter too,
4) ...people like BlueSky and Yours Truly seek professional help.

That's why I regret getting Gothic 3 in the first place. It got on my nerves after a while.

I understand. Myself, I enjoyed Gothic very much in spite of all bugs. I like open, highly interactive worlds full of possibilities.