Inventory

The inventory and inventory management form a crucial part of the game. The invenory can be used to eqiup, craft, wear and eat items that have been collected throughout the game world.

Mechanics

The inventory displays the items the player has collected. Clicking on a container found throughout the game world will also display that object's inventory. In previous versions, double clicking on an item in the storage object's inventory would automatically add that item to the player inventory. This action removed the need to drag and drop items directly into the player inventory panel or on to the inventory icon. In recent versions, a single click will perform the same action - whether removing items from the player inventory and adding those items to the displayed storage inventory, or vice versa.

Once in the inventory an item will encumber the player according to the value associated with that item; the value is based of the item's weight and how awkward it is to carry. The maximum encumberment limit is second number on top right of the player's inventory; without any relevant traits the value is 8. In the example pictured, Benjamin Green has 2/12; therefore 12 is his encumberment limit. The encumberment limit can be increased via the strength skill. Also, equiping items and moving them to your bags will reduce their encumberment; the bags themselves have encumberment limits that can't be exceeded. Actions taken in the inventory often require some time in the gameworld: progress is represented with a green bar above the player's head.

Here, the player is moving the jar of peanut butter from a cupboard (on the right) to their inventory (on the left). Looting items takes time, and the character's progress is indicated by the green bar over the item icon.

Equipment

From the inventory interface the player can choose items in their inventory to equip in either their primary or secondary slot. Equipment can include such things as guns, bats, slicing and stabbing weapons, tissues (to muffle sneezes during a cold) bags, hammers, trowels and gardening spray cans. While the weapons all offer an attack funtionality, some of these also offer secondary uses when equiped. The fire axe allows you to chop down trees, the sledgehammer allows you to knock down player constructed walls, the hammer allows you to perform carpentry actions and the trowel allows you to farm.

Crafting

The inventory also provides the ability to craft, currently (v.2.9) via a right click contextual interface, where if you have the correct items to craft something, you will be offered the choice to craft it. This is most useful for bandages and food recipies, although other crafting recipies can improve weapons, such as hammer + nails + Baseball Bat = Spiked Baseball Bat

Clothing

In bedroom dressers and in various other containers you will find clothing, and once in your inventory, you will be able to "wear" that clothing, (provided you are the correct sex) currently the only functional use is that of keeping warm or cool, using the sweater and vests. Clothing does not appear to offer any protection from scratches or bites, nor do colours have any effect on gameplay.

Food

Food can be crafted and eaten from the inventory via the right click context menu. Crafting food into "better" recipies often provides higher bonuses to hunger and or happiness and boredom. It can also ration food, such as using the saw + watermelon = Watermelon Slice x10

Storage

The general strategy involved in inventory management is to stay as light as possible and carry 1-2 bags that offer a good weight reduction and have a high storage limit, such as the duffelbag the results of the days scavenge are then returned to the safe house and stored, either in the fridge or other suitable container for future use.