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[GlyphGryph]

Very weird, Flying Dice, I've never seen that bug before.  Those are definitely gas pump style explosions.  If you have any guess as to what might have caused it--anything out of the ordinary--please let me know.

Wait a minute, that means I DIDN'T randomly walk into a minefield! It was the gas station I burned down! Argggh!

That makes it worse, somehow...

[SirAaronIII]

Your blazing misdeeds have finally caught up to you, ending your life in a horrible (and yet spectacularly cinematic) fashion.

...That should totally be a death quote.

[Flying Dice]

Very weird, Flying Dice, I've never seen that bug before.  Those are definitely gas pump style explosions.  If you have any guess as to what might have caused it--anything out of the ordinary--please let me know.

Wait a minute, that means I DIDN'T randomly walk into a minefield! It was the gas station I burned down! Argggh!

That makes it worse, somehow...

Remember kids, when lighting a gas station on fire in postapocalyptia, start running as soon as you light the flame!

Now you know! AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE!

Why couldn't I resist the tempation to do that?

In regards to that: No, I don't recall doing anything that would have bugged the game out like that, no use of [z], editing game files or anything, and I had done the same thing with two other gas stations without incident.

Also, the Vector is fucking amazing. No recoil and a deep magazine. <3<3<3

[Whales]

Also, the Vector is fucking amazing. No recoil and a deep magazine. <3<3<3

I just found out about the TDI Disraptor, basically the same as the Vector except chambered for .50 BMG, a very powerful machine gun / sniper rifle round.  It's only a concept / prototype right now, but I figure it'd see production by the time Cataclysm happens.

[G-Flex]

Hrm. I know encumbrance has been mentioned before, and I think my problem with it is that it just seems so severe. Even a single point of torso encumbrance is rather consequential for a melee character, and it's pretty hard to avoid that. I would personally like to see the first point (or two?) of encumbrance to be a bit less severe on some body parts, but still severe for higher numbers.


I think the reason carrying capacity bugs me is just because we don't have things like shopping carts, wheelbarrows, vehicles, or other means yet of carting around lots of goods. I think this would help matters a lot; you could haul around a shopping cart for your supply runs, but there would still be an element of risk involved in the sense that if you have to flee tough enemies, you'll likely need to leave the cart behind and lose whatever's in it.

[Whales]

Carts/movable furniture (they're the same thing, really) have been discussed to death, it's a feature I'd like to have and may include some day, but it's a big task.

A single point of torso encumbrance is not a big hit for melee fighters, actually.  Three points is enough that it'll strongly affect your odds in melee, and shouldn't be done without careful consideration; more than that is making melee unrealistic or in the realm of the expert.
Like many elements in the game, it may seem a bit harsh at first; but keep playing, you'll get the hang of things and find it to be quite easy and forgiving.

If you're deadset on optimal melee fighting, well, learn to live with fewer items.  If carrying tons of gear is a crucial part of your playing style, pick up a gun and use that.  Or find a nice balance between the two that works for you--there's a lot of wiggle room here, and it may involve items that you haven't discovered or acquainted yourself with yet.  Cataclysm is, if anything, a game that rewards experimentation and creative problem-solving.

[G-Flex]

Carts/movable furniture (they're the same thing, really) have been discussed to death, it's a feature I'd like to have and may include some day, but it's a big task.

I can see a couple reasons why it would be challenging, but I think it's somewhat important. You've gone with a somewhat realistic approach when it comes to carrying capacity (in that people can't really carry much on their person at a time, especially without storage like a backpack), and I like that a lot, but without things like carts (or even the ability to, say, lug things around by carrying them in a box), scavenging for resources can get kind of painful, which is neither fun nor realistic. Even playing a relatively strong character with Packmule, being able to carry the six 2x4's necessary to board up a door frame at all was pretty arduous.

Also: Is there a hard limit on the number of items you can carry? I've gotten a "you're carrying too many items" type message before, and I was curious why there would be a limit on item count when the game already tracks item bulk/volume.

A single point of torso encumbrance is not a big hit for melee fighters, actually.  Three points is enough that it'll strongly affect your odds in melee, and shouldn't be done without careful consideration; more than that is making melee unrealistic or in the realm of the expert.
Like many elements in the game, it may seem a bit harsh at first; but keep playing, you'll get the hang of things and find it to be quite easy and forgiving.

Yeah, I'm probably overestimating the effects of that. I think this is partly because I'm not sure what an action point is really worth. The game is very transparent about action points in some respects (effects of certain traits or status effects, etc.) but very opaque in other respects (some running speed effects not being tallied into the move speed display, speed of attacks and other actions, etc.).

If you're deadset on optimal melee fighting, well, learn to live with fewer items.  If carrying tons of gear is a crucial part of your playing style, pick up a gun and use that.

To be fair here, it's not just items; it's also armor. Of course, I'm not experienced enough with the game to say for sure how difficult it is; maybe a kevlar vest plus a utility vest isn't too encumbering after all. One thing I really don't get is why it's faster to run with a skirt on than with no pants on at all.

I don't necessarily care about having a ton of gear on hand at once. When I get bugged by carry capacity, it's when I'm trying to gather crafting parts or useful supplies. One thing I have found, however, is that with the right clothing (even without a backpack) and the Packmule trait, it's really not so bad at all except in certain cases.



In other news, the town generation could probably use some more intelligent placement of buildings. I managed to start in a town without a single grocery store, which was pretty bad since I was a vegetarian! I think guaranteeing certain building types and maybe spreading them out more on average (if it's not done like that already) would be a good idea. Obviously, the same could be said of building layouts and features, but I assume that'll see work in the future.

[ChairmanPoo]

Also: Is there a hard limit on the number of items you can carry? I've gotten a "you're carrying too many items" type message before, and I was curious why there would be a limit on item count when the game already tracks item bulk/volume.

I've found the same. I think it's related to inventory characters.

I find it curious as well, as it decreases the usefulness of backpacks drastically.

[Drevlin]

It's limited to 52 because items are bound to a-z/A-Z letters. Whales said that this limitation is intended for two reasons: (1) to avoid the player carrying a lot of items (for example you could be able to carry an infinite number of lighters because volume and weight are 0) and (2) he wants you to be able to access an item in only two keystrokes instead of entering the inventory and navigating through it.

[hemmingjay]

in regards to the TDI Disraptor, please make sure it's weight and encumbrance are appropriate for the heavy machine gun it is, and not treating it like a another smg.

[Sergius]

It's limited to 52 because items are bound to a-z/A-Z letters. Whales said that this limitation is intended for two reasons: (1) to avoid the player carrying a lot of items (for example you could be able to carry an infinite number of lighters because volume and weight are 0) and (2) he wants you to be able to access an item in only two keystrokes instead of entering the inventory and navigating through it.

Well, #1 is easy to fix. Make lighters not be volume 0 (use fractional bulk if needed) or just stop caring, since lighters aren't THAT rare or useful). Seriously, if you're having a carry capacity at all, arbitrarily limiting your inventory to N items is annoying.
#2 sounds nice in theory, but in practice, you're not going to memorize more than maybe 2 or 3 items that you need to use frequently (could set hotkeys or something) and even that is iffy since dropping them often ends up with random letters (specially in the case of bear traps which seem to be re-created every time they are triggered and get a new letter). Odds are you'll end up navigating just to find out WHAT hotkey is assigned to an item.

[FunctionZero]

And navigating sounds nice in theory too, until you get to a point you actually need to repeat an item.
Digging a trench? Reading books? Good luck spending hours just navigating that menu.

Secondly, we're getting item stacking somewhere in the future. That should alleviate most of the problems.

[Shades]

Being able to reassign the keys for items would be useful in addition to the stacking, it's much easier to always know my hammer is on 'a' than having to hunt for it. (not that I actually use the hammer that much, but you get the point)

[Whales]

Carts/movable furniture (they're the same thing, really) have been discussed to death, it's a feature I'd like to have and may include some day, but it's a big task.

I can see a couple reasons why it would be challenging, but I think it's somewhat important. You've gone with a somewhat realistic approach when it comes to carrying capacity (in that people can't really carry much on their person at a time, especially without storage like a backpack), and I like that a lot, but without things like carts (or even the ability to, say, lug things around by carrying them in a box), scavenging for resources can get kind of painful, which is neither fun nor realistic. Even playing a relatively strong character with Packmule, being able to carry the six 2x4's necessary to board up a door frame at all was pretty arduous.

Discussed to death!

A single point of torso encumbrance is not a big hit for melee fighters, actually.  Three points is enough that it'll strongly affect your odds in melee, and shouldn't be done without careful consideration; more than that is making melee unrealistic or in the realm of the expert.
Like many elements in the game, it may seem a bit harsh at first; but keep playing, you'll get the hang of things and find it to be quite easy and forgiving.

Yeah, I'm probably overestimating the effects of that. I think this is partly because I'm not sure what an action point is really worth. The game is very transparent about action points in some respects (effects of certain traits or status effects, etc.) but very opaque in other respects (some running speed effects not being tallied into the move speed display, speed of attacks and other actions, etc.).

Checking the stats for your weapon will reveal how many movement points it uses per attack (this is then slightly modified by your skills / dexterity).  Ground running speed is a flat 100 unless you're on rough terrain.

To be fair here, it's not just items; it's also armor. Of course, I'm not experienced enough with the game to say for sure how difficult it is; maybe a kevlar vest plus a utility vest isn't too encumbering after all. One thing I really don't get is why it's faster to run with a skirt on than with no pants on at all.

Call it a nethack moment

I don't necessarily care about having a ton of gear on hand at once. When I get bugged by carry capacity, it's when I'm trying to gather crafting parts or useful supplies. One thing I have found, however, is that with the right clothing (even without a backpack) and the Packmule trait, it's really not so bad at all except in certain cases.

The new inventory update, which is so close I can taste it, addresses this by allowly you to craft using items from the floor nearby.

In other news, the town generation could probably use some more intelligent placement of buildings. I managed to start in a town without a single grocery store, which was pretty bad since I was a vegetarian! I think guaranteeing certain building types and maybe spreading them out more on average (if it's not done like that already) would be a good idea. Obviously, the same could be said of building layouts and features, but I assume that'll see work in the future.

Don't know if you've been out here to rural New England, where the game is set, but lots of small towns don't have a grocery store.  Lots don't have any commercial zoning at all.  If you spawn in such a town, loot the houses for food, find wild food, travel to the next town.  Grocery stores, actually, aren't that great!

in regards to the TDI Disraptor, please make sure it's weight and encumbrance are appropriate for the heavy machine gun it is, and not treating it like a another smg.

Heh, don't worry, there's no way I'd place a weapon that powerful in the game without giving it some serious drawbacks.  it may be extremely low-recoil for the round it fires, but recoil's still gonna be there with a .50 BMG; it's heavy and bulky, and of course .50 BMG won't be the easiest round in the world to find.



Inventory letter assignment has also been discussed to death, suffice to say it won't be changing.  Yes, inventory stacking is a feature in the next big update, which will mean that volume limitations will hit before the 52-item limitation almost all the time.

Being able to reassign the keys for items would be useful in addition to the stacking, it's much easier to always know my hammer is on 'a' than having to hunt for it. (not that I actually use the hammer that much, but you get the point)

= allows you to shuffle inventory letters.  It's not documented due to a bug in the help menu that overwrites it.  Derp.

[Shades]

= allows you to shuffle inventory letters.  It's not documented due to a bug in the help menu that overwrites it.  Derp.

Clearly my knowledge of the code isn't as good as I thought thanks.