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Jeff Vogel: Skyrim's Inventory System Is A Drag
Jeff Vogel, the creator of many cult RPGs, had to let some steam off about Skyrim in his latest blog, in particular the wearisome inventory system.
We have all been playing Skyrim, and we all have our gripes with something, whether it be bugs or not being able to ride dragons. Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software is particularly perturbed by Skyrim's looting and inventory systems.
Looting the dungeons takes ten times longer than killing the monsters within. And you can only carry so many pounds of treasure.
This flawed system, according to Vogel, has been a problem in Bethesda's games at least since Oblivion. Vogel points out how in his games this monotonous and tedious part of the gameplay is skipped.
In my newest games, I give the player a Junk Bag. You can put infinite items in it, their weight isn't counted, and, when you reach a store, you can push a button to sell everything in it.
If I can keep even one player from spending a hour picking through his or her backpack and trying to shed those three extra pounds, I have done my good work as a citizen of the Earth.
If I can keep even one player from spending a hour picking through his or her backpack and trying to shed those three extra pounds, I have done my good work as a citizen of the Earth.
The question that Vogel provokes is whether anyone is actually having any fun with such a tedious inventory system to compete with at all times. He mentions that he thinks Skyrim is a good game, it seems that Vogel takes issue with this particularly aged mechanic, and in all honesty he isn't wrong for doing so.
What do you think of Skyrim's inventory system? Is it old, annoying and flawed? Or do you find it a pleasure having to shed two pounds so you can run again?