I’m relieved to see that 89% of the game’s userbase is okay with the skirt-based inventory that I proposed. Unfortunately, the other 11% have been very vocal in their disapproval of it. I don’t want to fill up this blog with posts about the subject, but I do want to clarify a few things about the matter.
My intention with the skirt-based inventory was not to be controversial just for the sake of having shock value, or be lewd just for the sake of fanservice, or be “random” just for the sake of humor. My goal was to invoke the idea that Yandere-chan has a “Coat Full of Contraband” around her hips.
When I said that the inspiration for this feature was Resident Evil 4, I meant it. I wasn’t just thinking about the grid-based inventory, but I was also thinking specifically about this character from the game:
I was trying to portray Yandere-chan as being shady and sneaky, like a back-alley salesman with a coat full of stolen watches. As an added bonus, the exposed panties were perfectly consistent with the game’s visual themes, since multiple gameplay mechanics involve panties, and the game often utilizes anime tropes. This is why I felt – and still feel – that a skirt-based inventory makes the most sense out of all possible options.
Now, with all of that said, there is one thing that bothers me about the inventory I’ve proposed…the grids are separated. I would much rather have one continuous grid; it would be way easier to program, and way easier for the player to use.
I had an idea. What if Yandere-chan was wearing two skirts? That way, she could have one continuous “grid” instead of two separate grids.
(The above concept art represents the idea of wearing two skirts; it does not represent the actual appearance of the final inventory. The final inventory would have “generic” slots instead of 4 slots specifically for weapons, 4 slots specifically for rectangular objects, etc. Or, the final inventory might just use tape instead of pockets and Velcro straps.)
This solves the problem of having two separate grids, does a better job of depicting the character as a someone with a “coat full of contraband”, and may also appease the 11% of the fanbase who were uncomfortable with the previous inventory system.
Now, before I move on, let’s get one thing straight: I don’t intend to make a habit of appeasing people who are whining because that they think something is offensive. In this case, turning two grids into one continuous grid had the side effect of covering up the panties that were making some people feel uncomfortable.
- Burning someone alive: OK!
- Crushing someone’s skull: OK!
- Stabbing someone to death: OK!
- Pushing someone off a roof: OK!
- Poisoning someone’s lunch: OK!
- Framing someone for murder: OK!
- Drowning someone in a toilet: OK!
- Sabotaging someone’s love life: OK!
- Electrocuting someone to death: OK!
- Kidnapping, torture, mind-breaking: OK!
- Seeing panties: Whoa! This is gross! I can’t support this game anymore!
I asked people to give me their feedback, and I got it. Many people had sensible, level-headed criticism that made perfect sense to me, and I even found myself agreeing with them. But some people were way more offended than I ever expected. If the prospect of panties on the inventory screen made you totally flip out, then it may actually be good idea for you to simply stop following the game’s development. It’s only going to get more and more deranged from here on out.
That inventory is too big! She can carry too much stuff! The game will be too easy!
The size of the inventory will be adjusted if it’s making the game too easy or too difficult.
Where would Yandere-chan get a custom skirt like that?
Her mother, who created the skirt herself in April of 1989.
Yandere-chan’s mother tried to give this skirt to her daughter last year, but Yandere-chan declined, seeing no use for it. After meeting Senpai, Yandere-chan suddenly imagined many uses for this skirt, so she began wearing it starting on the first day that the player gains control of the character.
That inventory is unrealistic, because…
Whoa, hold on. You didn’t actually expect to see a realistic inventory in a video game, did you? Inventories in video games are always unrealistic. If you try to reconcile how video game characters manage to carry around dozens of separate objects, you’ll go insane. Just look at all the stuff that Link is able to carry!
The purpose of the grid-based inventory isn’t to provide a realistic explanation for how Yandere-chan can carry everything she has; it’s to provide the player with a clear view of what they are currently carrying, and increase difficulty by placing limits on how many items the player can carry at one time.
Okay, with all of that said, let’s try another poll…
EDIT: Here is a screenshot of what the results of the poll looked like on June 26th 2016:
By the way, there is something worth mentioning: For the sake of a debug build, the only kind of inventory we need is a “functional” inventory. I will probably implement a ring-based inventory for the debug build, and won’t make any decisions regarding a grid-based inventory until at least 6 months from now, once I have taken care of other, higher-priority features.