Back packs

[Kissysuzuki]

Just sorting my inventory and bank tonight. I'm a huge fan of large packs with the icons on them. but is there anyway of me being able to edit the bag name?

Eg:

Clothes bag - ql10-50 str sta

Weapons bag - shotguns ql 100+


Now that would be mega usefull

[Sallust]

Sadly enough few people wear backpacks anymore because of all the web cloaks, you're gimping yourself if you do. Since you decided to make the "non-cloaked" look have stats about on par with armor cloaks, it would be nice if you did the same by putting out higher level backpacks with more bonuses.

[Kissysuzuki]

Perhaps I should make myself more clear.

I don't wear my back packs I have little or no intention of doing so.

Merely when they reside in my invetory and my bank I'd like to be able to edit the name or description.

Eg: This bag black button bag contains NCU chips and Belts

This vehicles bag contains Bracers and rings.


I have 7 bags full of nano crystals

9 or 10 of armour all catgories.

4 or 5 weapons bags


I just think it would we helpful if I knew what was where without having to drag all of them out of the bank.

[Cz]

Originally posted by Kissysuzuki
Just sorting my inventory and bank tonight. I'm a huge fan of large packs with the icons on them. but is there anyway of me being able to edit the bag name?

Problem with that is that we'd have to make a new item instance in the database for each backpack with a different name, which would make for one huge database after a while.

Maybe even more backback variants could help though?

[Kissysuzuki]

Originally posted by Cz

Problem with that is that we'd have to make a new item instance in the database for each backpack with a different name, which would make for one huge database after a while.

Ok I see that problem.

Originally posted by Cz

Maybe even more backback variants could help though?

But I see that you get my point. Surely more variants is lots of code writing though. where as an editable name would be applicable to all packs. 1 code does all as it were.

However either of these would make me the only happy enforcer in the game lol

[Kzak]

Perhaps such a label for a backpack need not be in the database at all, but recorded in AO's preferences file, like the icons on the hotbar? Would save the database much abuse, I hope.

I don't know if that's possible, though. Cz, any thoughts on this idea?

[________Kneebreakcer]

Originally posted by Cz

Problem with that is that we'd have to make a new item instance in the database for each backpack with a different name, which would make for one huge database after a while.

Well, that really depends on how the data tables are structured. I'll make some assumptions here which may be mistaken since I don't know how it's actually configured, but here goes.

First we'll assume two tables. One is the item list which includes names and attributes for all items in the game. Second is the character list which contains all details about each character (i.e. what player it belongs to, current stats, inventory contents, etc.) The second table could be, and probably is, really several tables but we're trying to keep the concept simple.

When a character acquires an item a reference must be entered into the character table pointing to the appropriate record in the item table. A separate reference for each instance of a given item. The character table then looks to the item table for all details on any items in inventory. True, the entire details of the item could placed in the character table but that would redundant at best, and as you say, would greatly inflate the size of the character table.

Now, in the character table you have to keep track of all items a character owns, whether they're equipped, in the main inventory, the bank, in packs, and if in packs, whether in the main inventory or in a bank. Since characters can and do have multiple copies of various types of packs (and other items) the table must have a way differentiating which pack of a given type contains which items (if any).

This then leads to the assumption that each pack a character owns must have its own unique identifier once in the character's table. Otherwise, when a player puts an item into a pack, all copies of that pack would have a copy of that item (and we wouldn't want any duping now, would we?). Since this indentifier already should exist it shouldn't be too difficult add an additional field to store a custom identifier. This field would be limited to a certain character length of course, both for visual reasons, and more importantly, for file size. Anywhere from 8-12 characters would be sufficient.

The only major difficulty comes from adding a function to the interface to allow a player to add/change a custom identifier. You'd have to have another dialog box come up when viewing the info on a pack that would have an option for renaming the pack. No additional graphics changes need to be made to the packs themselves however. Already, there is a "rollover" effect that shows the name of an item in the inventory. For packs, a simple reference change could look to the custom identifier field, and if a value is present, show that value with the "rollover". If the field is empty, then the standard default value that currently shows would be used.

Another minor concern might be what happens when characters trade packs with custom indentifiers. Should these indentifiers carry over to the new character? Again, technically it's not an issue as your adding only one more field to the data transfer process. The question really comes from those that might choose pack identifiers that could be offensive to the person receiving the pack. However that's judgement issue rather than a programming issue.

I realize that I've oversimplified the functions involved, but hopefully I'm not too far off on the basic workings of the system. How about passing this on to the developers and seeing what their take is? It shouldn't be nearly as tough or impactful as you seem to think. And this is really what the players asked for (and were initially promised) when the changes where originally suggested.

[Kissysuzuki]

Shot in the dark but.......


If I followed that correctly then, each pack I ever buy will have some code generated for it so it knows its mine. that code must vary for every pack i own so it doesn't get mixed up with the others.

If that code appeared in the description that would do me fine. Esspecially if it was a sensible one like.

Kissysuzuki/sharpstar/159

me/it/unique number applied to it.

kissysuzuki/clothes/12

kissysuzki/vehicles/14

brownhornet/vehicles/14

I'd beable to hold the Hornets bag at the same time as mine because its code is different even though its the same bag.

Right?

Did that make any sense at all?

[________Kneebreakcer]

Close, but not exactly. The unique identifier would be set automatically when the pack (or other item) is moved into your character's inventory. The custom identifier would be a separate field and it would be up to the dev's to determine if that custom indentifier gets moved as well.

By your example, when "brownhornet/vehicles/14" gets transferred to your character it would change to "kissysuzki/vehicles/15".

What I'm talking about is more like this. In the Kissysuzuki record in the charcter table there would be an identifier of something like:

vehicle pack01

Then there would be another field for the custom identifier where the player might choose a value like:

cool planes

If you got a second vehicle pack the new one would have a identifier of:

vehicle pack02

And again, a field for a custom identifer for the second pack. If you then gave one of the vehicle packs to another player the system sees how many vehicle packs the character has and assigns it a unique identifer based on that.

Does that help at all?

[Vdpmeat]

Add a roll over on the bank inventory slider that tells you which row you are looking at.

User defined labels on bags sounds nice but it seems to me that it would be much easier to just add a little something to the user interface than to make some dynamic database changes that add to network traffic.

My problem is that I may have 20 weapons bags... if I knew which row # of bags I was looking at in my bank it would help a quite a bit, since I can't tell by looking at a 2x3 matrix of the same bags where I'm at in my bank.


Or is it just me?

[________Kneebreakcer]

Originally posted by VdpMeat
User defined labels on bags sounds nice but it seems to me that it would be much easier to just add a little something to the user interface than to make some dynamic database changes that add to network traffic.

Actually, there shouldn't be any additional network traffic at all with the solution I proposed (except when a player actually changes pack name) as the no additional data is being sent/received. It's simply a few extra bits of data in the database. What you're asking for though could conceivably add to traffic since the system would have to keep track of where you were in the window and update it every time you moved the scroll bar.

[Cz]

Ok, I'm no database expert, so I won't try go into a discussion on that. I know it's been considered and said to be difficult though.

Originally posted by Kzak
Perhaps such a label for a backpack need not be in the database at all, but recorded in AO's preferences file, like the icons on the hotbar? Would save the database much abuse, I hope.

That is a different idea, which I do not know whether has been considered or not. I'll throw it into the suggestion system.

[________Kneebreakcer]

Originally posted by Cz
Ok, I'm no database expert, so I won't try go into a discussion on that. I know it's been considered and said to be difficult though.

That's why I asked to pass on my suggestion to the developers. If it's really that difficult then I'm curious about how the database is actually configured. Is it the field referencing that's the problem or the user interface changes? I realize you don't know Cz but perhaps the ones who do can take another look at it.

[Snuble]

Yeah, a way to "tag" an item (in this case backpacks) would be great... I've got 10+ implants backpacks in the bank now, and its a pain to find just the one implants set that I need at a given time

[Cz]

Originally posted by Kneebreakcer
That's why I asked to pass on my suggestion to the developers.

Already have. It's not the first time this suggestion comes up.

[Kissysuzuki]

Originally posted by Cz

Already have. It's not the first time this suggestion comes up.

Nice one Cz.

I award you a Brownie point and the rest of the day off

Happy trails

[cold]

Originally posted by Cz
Maybe even more backback variants could help though?

Yes. Cheap ones that we can actually afford at low levels, too.

While you're at it add a few that look cool and have less than a 200 adventuring req

[Kissysuzuki]

Originally posted by reality


Yes. Cheap ones that we can actually afford at low levels, too.

While you're at it add a few that look cool and have less than a 200 adventuring req

How about a medical one that adds a bit to treatment. kinda like the biomech cloak stats?

[Jayde]

IIRC, the ResourceDatabase and charcater database are not tied together in any particular manner. At least, from what I can gather. =)

Renaming packs would probably be a pain for the devs. Perhaps something could be worked out via preferences and the unqiue ID for the item in question...however, I doubt they really want to put the time and effort into this with so many other things left ot be addressed.

To be perfectly honest, the best solution would be Cz's original solution--create more types of bags. Making an item in the DB is much easier thana coding solution--as Funcom already has tools (I hope?!) to do this pretty easily.

Considering 14.5 has added a total of about 40,000 items to the DB, it's something they have plenty of experience with by now. :P

-Jayde

[Jayde]

Originally posted by reality


Yes. Cheap ones that we can actually afford at low levels, too.

While you're at it add a few that look cool and have less than a 200 adventuring req

Hmm...shouldn't that be MORE than 200 Adventuring req? Considering that there is no real purpose for the Adventuring req fo, oh, ya know...Adventurers? =P

-Jayde