Discussion on the use of inventory

[hhcho]

I was wondering is it really a good idea to have an inventory. It might be unnecessary since we won't be providing that many items --compared to most RPG games. Wouldn't it be easier to just go to the shop, purchase an item, and place it right on the grid without storing it in inventory? Just like how purchase and placement of buildings are unified in Starcraft.

[dwu4]

I thought about this when deciding whether or not to split the shop from the inventory. Some possible use cases I considered included "bonus" items from accomplishing optional objectives (for instance, improving your environment beyond the required level may result in a bonus (say, from an NGO or other such entity) item which would be best placed in an inventory). For effect-based items (that may not be placeable on the map), it also makes a bit more sense for the player to be able to fine tune when the item is activated.