Item condition: estimations rather than percentages

[Edrick]

While it is very handy to know the exact percentage of the condition any given item is in, it’s not very realistic or immersive. So I wonder whether it wouldn’t be more reasonable if the player were to have to make due with mere estimations, ranging from great to ruined.

[table=width][tr=text-align][td=border]Percentage[/td][td=border]Estimation[/td][/tr]

[tr=text-align][td=border]100% – 81%[/td][td=border]great[/td][/tr]

[tr=text-align][td=border]80% – 61%[/td][td=border]good[/td][/tr]

[tr=text-align][td=border]60% – 41%[/td][td=border]okay[/td][/tr]

[tr=text-align][td=border]40% – 21%[/td][td=border]poor[/td][/tr]

[tr=text-align][td=border]20% – 1%[/td][td=border]bad[/td][/tr]

[tr=text-align][td=border]0%[/td][td=border]ruined[/td][/tr][/table]

The game engine would still reckon in percentages, of course, but the player won’t be privy to them.

[Kazmanli]

That would be a pretty good idea. However many of the other features like heat and calories work on percentages and numbers too. You change this little feature you have to change the rest to follow a theme.

[Edrick]

That's true!

I suppose for food and drinks it would be good to have estimations of the nutrional value per ounce instead of an exact calorie count. I wouldn't know what these figures would be for most things, but the estimations could simply range from very high to very low.

For other things, like fire duration, perhaps it would be good to change it from exact time left to estimated time left. Which means a fire will usually last longer or shorter than one thinks beforehand.

[FoneBoneJay]

+1 I like

[TLDFAN]

Right on this is a good idea I think too. I particularly like the idea of taking an item from poor or bad condition and allowing the user to invest a variable time but with a certain range into the project of improving it so that you never know exactly how much better it is going to be but you get the idea, more time usually equals better condition.

Take for example sewing up a coat, maybe you take it from condition bad to poor with 1 hour of sewing, or bad to okay with 2 hours of sewing, but maybe there is an option to use the same amount of material but spend 4 total hours doing the sewing, and therefore take an item from condition bad to good or great. This would eliminate the whole need for percentage based conditions while still allowing the game to track based in a percentage and allowing the player to make decisions based on a more realistic "condition".

[miandelam]

+1

Might help with getting the wrong impression and expectations if those cold hard numbers aren't seen.

[FoneBoneJay]

Well they could color code it too. They sort of have a color code going right now, just color code the condition. Then if they ever implement a UI with character image, they would have a good start for color coding what needs priority on fixes. See we've solved all their design problems right here. The Number to solve all issues is 42.

[miandelam]

But make sure color blind people have some way of knowing too.

[FoneBoneJay]

Yeah the words.

[wynarator]

+1, great idea, everything that helps immersion is good.

[Edrick]

In the same vein:

Knowing the exact weight of items is not very realistic either. And in this case we don't even need an estimation on our screen. Players will know that a toolbox is on the heavy side and bag of beef jerky quite light.

Instead of giving you a total weight down to the decimals, the inventory could then simply tell you if your backpack's become heavy or too heavy. Your character already says so every now and then.