The Event really exposes how terrible inventory is

[Zenako]

I got all the bank tabs on my current mains.

I'm not complaining about inventory space, I'm just joining in the discussion.

I also have mules for some of the really nice stuff as well as BTA mules for other special stuff.

Cool, I'm at 60 shared and 100 banks on my main characters as well, so I know the feeling. It is also why I have 20 character slots on one account and 16 on the other...packrats anonymous is us.

[Thrudh]

The ideal for the cove would be to enter with your first bag empty. That way any pickups or other items that get shuffled would be put in there and easy to find.

This is how I handled it.

[kinar]

It takes the first available space. I've never seen any item spawn in any other way. That's why when doing stuff like this (or Hound stones, etc) you just clear the first page and its easy to find.

If you are switching items, the old item goes to where you clicked on the new item. The only time it doesn't work that way is if you go from 2 items to one (ie - weapon set changes)



First available slot in inventory, every single time.

The only exception I've seen to this...is when you drag an item from a bank into a specific spot in your backpack that is already occupied. When that happens, the item you drag onto gets displaced into the first available spot instead of the one you are adding. It will also move that item (the one you are displacing, not he one you are dragging) to the next backpack if necessary.

[Thrudh]

random nonsensical shuffling of my inventory.

I've never seen this... Items always go to first open spot... Keep the first tab mostly empty (yes you have to re-clean it pretty often due to swapping items and weapons), and everything new ends up in the first tab...

That's been my experience anyway.

[Tom318]

First available slot in inventory, every single time.

All three of them, first three slots? have you tried turning on gather in the bag, then turning it off? have you tried dragging some out from the bag, and then selling some gems?

[IronClan]

I've never seen this... Items always go to first open spot... Keep the first tab mostly empty (yes you have to re-clean it pretty often due to swapping items and weapons), and everything new ends up in the first tab...

That's been my experience anyway.

So I guess people in DDO like "recleaning" their inventory... Anyway as I'm clearly in the minority I will leave it be.

My last comment is, I've played CRPG's since Magic Candle, DDO's inventory is the only graphical one that sticks out in my mind where I've had to "adapt and overcome" by deliberately changing how I want to organize things, to how the game prefers that I organize things (and then still requires me to "re-clean" it on a frequent basis or it all goes to s*** again anyway...)

[IronClan]

All three of them, first three slots? have you tried turning on gather in the bag, then turning it off? have you tried dragging some out from the bag, and then selling some gems?

I think what we're seeing here may be bugs that some people don't experience... I can't think of any other explanation for why so many people find DDO's inventory to so satisfactory... Except maybe a lack of familiarity with good inventory systems in past RPG's most of which blow away DDO's for ease of use, organizing, and quick visual identification.

Okay guess it wasn't my last comment, so sue me =)

[Zaodon]

Try selling some gems, where do the doubloons go?

The doubloons go to the current doubloon stacks I have in bag 2, slots 13,14 and 15.

[Zenako]

So I guess people in DDO like "recleaning" their inventory... Anyway as I'm clearly in the minority I will leave it be.

My last comment is, I've played CRPG's since Magic Candle, DDO's inventory is the only graphical one that sticks out in my mind where I've had to "adapt and overcome" by deliberately changing how I want to organize things, to how the game prefers that I organize things (and then still requires me to "re-clean" it on a frequent basis or it all goes to s*** again anyway...)

Not much that we like it, but this is a discussion that has been had a number of times before. If I recall correctly many years ago one of the devs posted some insight into the issues involved. It was the consensus back then that while clearly imperfect, the current system works as a collective compromise for most players. Almost any scheme of locking down spots runs into some conflicts with how the items are tracked.

However I would add that the new alternate scheme of looking at items in the character doll/inventory screen, can give you a quick way to find specific items.

[Tom318]

I think what we're seeing here may be bugs that some people don't experience... I can't think of any other explanation for why so many people find DDO's inventory to so satisfactory... Except maybe a lack of familiarity with good inventory systems in past RPG's most of which blow away DDO's for ease of use, organizing, and quick visual identification.

Okay guess it wasn't my last comment, so sue me =)

Or maybe they don't have the tendency to do silly things (like I do a lot.) They are maybe orderly people, maybe they always have the doubloons back in the bag after trading or something. Maybe they don't play with gather a lot.

[Tom318]

The doubloons go to the current doubloon stacks I have in bag 2, slots 13,14 and 15.

What about turning gather on and off, and dragging stuff out of the bag and then selling them? you will soon find that your doubloons are all over the place lol

[Thrudh]

So I guess people in DDO like "recleaning" their inventory... Anyway as I'm clearly in the minority I will leave it be.

I like it better than not being able to find items I'm looking for, and complaining about it on the boards...

But that doesn't mean I like it.

[Zaodon]

Since I don't see these "bugs" people are talking about on any of my 45 characters across 3 different accounts, let me explain what I see on a day-to-day basis.

Swapping Equipment directly:
I have my swappable equipment on hot bars. The process I used was to open inventory, and drag the item to the hot bar. Example: Drag two Hats to hot bar 8, position 1 and 2. When I want to change hats, I click my mouse on the button on the hot bar (position 2, for example). The hat I am wearing will swap "in-place" with the hat in my inventory.

Example:
I wear Minos Legens. I have a "Haggle +15" hat in "BAG 5, SLOT 9". This is the right-most bag (the bag you get after 150 coin lord favor and using a collapsed portable hole.) When I click my mouse on hot bar 8, position 2, the Haggle hat goes on, and the Minos swaps to BAG 5, SLOT 9, exactly where the haggle hat was. If, as a test, I move the haggle hat to BAG 3, SLOT 15, then that is where the Minos goes.

Swapping 2-Weapon weapon sets:
I have several weapons sets. For example, a pair of Min 2 Khopeshes, and a pair of Muckbanes. I store my unequipped weapons in BAG 4 (on my melee toons, most of bag 4 is full of weapons, if not all of it. I am a weapon ho.) I have my muckbanes in BAG 4, SLOTS 1+2, my Min 2's are equipped. I have Min 2's assigned to Weapon Set 1, Muckbanes to Weapon Set 2. I dragged Weapon Set 1 (Min 2's) to Hot Bar 2, position 1. I dragged Weapon Set 2 to Hot Bar 2, position 2.

Clicking Hot bar 2, position 2 will cause the following to happen:
- Muckbane in Bag 4 slot 1 will equip to right hand. Min 2 which was in right hand will go to bag 4 slot 1.
- Muckbane in Bag 4 slot 2 will equip to left hand. Min 2 which was in left hand will go to the first open inventory slot available, going left to right, starting in bag 1 slot 1 until it finds a place to land. (<--- Turbine, please fix this)

Crystal Cove items:
I turned OFF auto-gather on my bags. This means that my doubloons, map pieces, treasure maps, compasses, requisitions, and drinks will all go into my inventory and not into collectible/ingredient bags.

Whenever I get a new thing that I do NOT already own at least 1 of, it goes to the first available empty slot. Once my character has the item, I can move them to another place. For example, I moved all CC items to Bag 2. Doubloons are in Bag 2, slots 1,2+3 (c,s,g). Bag 2 slot 4 is compasses. Bag 2 slot 5 is map pieces. bag 2 slot 6 (1st slot in row 2) is dragonshards. bag 2 slot 7 is diamonds, slot 8 emeralds. From slots 9 through whatever are requisitions, drinks, etc.

If I kill a mob in the outside area or in the quest, and either coins or gems drop, those coins or gems will automatically add to the stacks in bag 2.

Example: bag 2, slot 1 contains 512 copper doubloons. I kill a mob in the outside area and it drops 21 copper doubloons. Bag 2, slot 1 now contains 533 copper doubloons.

Example: bag 2, slot 7 contains 51 diamonds. I kill a mob in the quest and it drops 3 diamonds. Bag 2, slot 7 now contains 54 diamonds.


Hope this helps.... someone.

[Zaodon]

What about turning gather on and off, and dragging stuff out of the bag and then selling them? you will soon find that your doubloons are all over the place lol

If I turn autogather on (or manually press "Gather"), and then want to remove items from my bag, I DO NOT DRAG the items out of the bag. That causes multiple stacks of stuff!! DO NOT DO THIS.

Instead, click the item in the bag, and press the "<=" (left arrow) key on the bag UI. This will remove the selected item from the bag, and it will AUTO STACK IT with any items already in your inventory, no matter where they are (unless that stack is maxxed, in which case, it starts a new stack in the first open spot, left to right).

[Calebro]

Since I don't see these "bugs" people are talking about on any of my 45 characters across 3 different accounts, let me explain what I see on a day-to-day basis.

So what you're saying is: I've never seen it, so it never happens?
Well, I've never seen a ballerina eat a cheeseburger, so I guess all ballerinas must be vegetarians.

I've seen it happen. It happened to me earlier while taking something out of the bank.
Double click on the item in the bank while on tab2. Tab 2 was half filled, sequentially, from top left to around half way down the page.
The item that was in slot 1 on tab 2 moved to the first empty slot on the page, and the item from the bank entered the very first slot on the tab.

Normally you don't notice things like this happening because you aren't looking at your Inv when you pick things up, but I can confirm that I've seen it happen.

It happens. I've watched it happen. I watched it happen yesterday. And it had nothing to do with any other objects in my inventory being equipped or not.
I clicked on an item in the bank, and I watched an item change positions in my Inv so that the previously banked item took the slot that the other item was previously in.

Just because you've never seen it happen with your own eyes doesn't mean it can't happen.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

The only exception I've seen to this...is when you drag an item from a bank into a specific spot in your backpack that is already occupied. When that happens, the item you drag onto gets displaced into the first available spot instead of the one you are adding. It will also move that item (the one you are displacing, not he one you are dragging) to the next backpack if necessary.

You're right, I forgot about the bank thing. If on the other hand you click on an item in the bank it shows up in inventory as expected in the first spot.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

So I guess people in DDO like "recleaning" their inventory... Anyway as I'm clearly in the minority I will leave it be.

My last comment is, I've played CRPG's since Magic Candle, DDO's inventory is the only graphical one that sticks out in my mind where I've had to "adapt and overcome" by deliberately changing how I want to organize things, to how the game prefers that I organize things (and then still requires me to "re-clean" it on a frequent basis or it all goes to s*** again anyway...)

No one said this was a good inventory system, but it doesn't work the way that it is described in the OP. It is far more predictable than that.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

All three of them, first three slots? have you tried turning on gather in the bag, then turning it off? have you tried dragging some out from the bag, and then selling some gems?

Yup. I sold A LOT of gems last time around. I cleared one page on the guy I was running on (oddly the second page, just the way inventory worked out it was almost clear anyway) and it always worked fine.

[Calebro]

The only exception I've seen to this...is when you drag an item from a bank into a specific spot in your backpack that is already occupied. When that happens, the item you drag onto gets displaced into the first available spot instead of the one you are adding. It will also move that item (the one you are displacing, not he one you are dragging) to the next backpack if necessary.

Then explain what happened to me yesterday.
All tabs filled from p1. All tabs filled from p2. All tabs filled from p3 from the left to right to about half-way down the page - yes, it was p3, not p2 as I said earlier. There were around 13 items on p3.
I double clicked on an item in the bank.
I did not drag the item to my inventory.
It should have entered my inventory in Inv slot 55.
Instead the item in Inv slot 41 moved to Inv slot 55, and the banked item entered in slot 41.

[Zlingerdark]

I change my inventory from the bag tabs to the list version, and select the potions tab (not sure why torches, teleporters, barrels end up there). Then just keep hitting "I" double click torch, hit "I" and move to next position.

Best method for me, and I do not have to spend too much time scrolling a single tab window to find the item I need. Still the inventory organization needs some serious UI upgrades. Namely allowing to keep item on the hotbar, even if they are grayed out when you are out of them, instead of having them drop from your hotbar after the last one. Much like what happens when you remove a spell from memory and it remains in the hotbar but grayed out.

What makes it difficult is that CC is time critical, so looking through the inventory takes away valuable time. Sure you can put items in your quickbar, I have to reinsert torches 6 or 7 times, opening my inventory each time, which is not a problem during normal breaks but 20 minutes can go fast and every minute counts sometimes...

Let's check, do I have any torches left? INV->tab-tab-tab-tab Ok no? -Port->purchase-purchase Oh I am at my torch limit? Where did I put that requisition, INV->tab-tab-tab... none there? (might have been quicker just to make the purchase attempt and see if it went through) -Purchase-, now where did that go? INV-Tab-tab-tab-tab...there it is, -purchase- now more torches -purchase-, now where are they at? -INV->tab-tab-tab-tab mranwhile the mobs are killing your workers and you're not laying any new torches...etc..