These suggestions are focused on style and ease of access when the player is outside the inventory and menus. There are about two suggestions that I would like implemented for style and easy access.
Suggestion 1. Gask Mask - Hotkey to equip.
Request With animations, I’d like it to be a mask the player pulls out of their jacket (just because there’s always a jacket). This one works on smarter play and easier navigation. This suggestion heavily would rely on the immersion factor.
Actions Hold key [X] (Consoles would use some combination and hold) and if a Gas Mask has been found, it is pulled out of the jacket (changeable) and overlays your head. This would be visible for you as you pull it over the FPS camera, but also visible for your teammates. The mask that applies over the character will either be the one last selected through menus.
There could be variation between equip times for animation speed as you move or hold still, but if that’s too much… Then I’d really just like a quick key for equipping the mask and the animations for doing so.
Suggestion 2. Quickslot item switch by Category - Automatic
Request Make it that most items switch after use in the quickslot menu by their category outside of the inventory system. This is just in terms of functionality, but can involve an animation of fumbling around when the action of switching items happens.
Actions Equip ‘Simple Medkits [4]’ and ‘flares [5]’. Mid-Battle, use up ‘Simple Medkits [4]’, the slot becomes empty (sound indicator plays), then gets refilled with any other Medkit available. Condition works only on consumable Medkits, not deployable. IF regular flare runs out, switch to any next throwable distraction - 1. Sticky flare 2. Firework.
This is a simple way to ensure you’ve had the most optimal available arsenal at times without having to fumble through the inventories. This can work more loosely on what items get equipped as for random chance or work more strictly and have a specific order for things that run out to replaced with specific items. When selecting Hotkey 4 in inventory, you could have a row appear above in descending order to what items fall in next after the main one runs out in the slot.
This would easily implemented if this was a PC focused game. However it’s obvious DEVS don’t want to create a seperate game version for PC and Console. Each UI tweak must be also implemented to Console version (gamepad controls) and that is where you start having problems.
Gen Zero for PC is a lazy console port. I’m not saying its a bad game (it got much better after last update), just don’t expect them to create a PC (mouse and KB) focused UI with more buttons.
Also it’s a small DEV team so I’m not really complaining. Their game engine is amazing (I wish Bethesda had something like this for Fallout and Elder Scrolls).
I don’t play console, but I’m sure if they did something like a hold 2 button combo, it’d trigger the gas mask for one. For quickslots it’d be more of what I’ve written in Action… It’s automatic and doesn’t need extra UI elements.
The whole idea is to eliminate the need to go in Inventory mid-battle by doing one function with a combination of keys or single key for PC and another function automatically for convenience. Then even give choice towards this automatic function by having an ON/OFF in the game settings.
For a small team, what they’ve nailed is atmosphere and setting. Gameplay is solid enough. I don’t expect them doing cinematics, but a play on immersion elements and easier usage is a must.
PC side is still missing easy way to close loot interface. You have to press ESC every time you have taken item(s) you want.
And for me that is about 95% time.
Its easier to use R loot all, and then dump unwanted items.
Console players have nicely all buttons in finger tip reach.
I like your ideas, but we also have to ask if it’s not intentional that you have to fumble through your backpack to quickly slot new items. If you could just hit a button to whack out your gas mask, then enemy gas attacks would be way less dangerous, 20% resistance is no joke, after all, especially as you can get to 45% resistance with armor 3 + chemist + vanguard already.
Same goes for medpacks. At this point I think having a quick-heal button that automatically prioritizes medpacks would make combat easier than it already is by enabling you to not use a quickslot and never having to stop to switch medpack-type if you run out of simple/standard/advanced ones.
Oh no, at no point do I want the Hotkey to be quick for the gas mask. I want it to be convenient, but also take a couple of seconds to equip. I want a nice animation to play, so it plays more on the immersive aspects.
I would be fine if it took a few seconds for the automatic system. Just that I’d rather hide the parts that seem clunky and let the player focus on his surroundings more, being more immersed.
You’d not think it’s that necessary until you’ve experienced it both ways. It could be as insignificant as weird fences that go inside ground or above ground for you to pass… If it was all adjusted perfectly with custom cut holes, you’d more likely think ‘Oh, I like it this way now’. It’s a small detail, but these things add up to make a larger issue. The larger the negative impact (even by 1%) the more likely someone is to reach their snapping point.
I’m all in for bindable gas mask button. But putting the mask should take at least 5 seconds and same amount to take off, plus it would stop player from moving until its on/off.
I don’t think it’s necessary (not as much as better inventory sorting, for example), but I agree the current way to solve it is clunky. It’s always about the the implementation, and there’s always a reason to polish rough edges. Convenience that does not defy balance is always welcome, and your proposal is very reasonable.
I would be happy if the “Utility list” would be on the far right of the list.
Seems logical to have equipped items on first inv press, main weapons on first C press and Utility on first Z press when opening the inventory.
Right now its open inv, C C C C which has lead me to instead open inv and click the Utility icon with my mouse to get any kind of fluidity or flow when in the heat and needing to refill or change out my quickbar.
Also move the “Crafting list” to the middle by the “Ammo list” since they are hardly used for anything other than dropping overflow items now with the new “ammo swap hotkey” function also ingame.
Suggestion 1. Gask Mask - Hotkey to equip.