Do You Like Inventory Limits?

[Moonface]

Got the idea for this question from this post by @Maniakkid25 when they mentioned Legend of Dragoon having an inventory limit, as it made me think of games like Minecraft that have a pretty limited inventory space versus a game like Elden Ring or Horizon Forbidden West where anything can be in your inventory, and if you hit the max number that can be held of a particular item then it just gets sent to your storage automatically.

So how do you feel about inventory limits? Should it always be a thing to some degree, go away entirely, depend on the game, or something else?

[Mr EliteL]

I'm fine with whatever the game gives me, limited inventory, limited carrying inventory or unlimited that you can access whenever you want, or unlimited outside of on-hand and can be a mixture of two of those. Unlimited so you can collect as much as you want, or limited to strategize what you're going in with. Sometimes with weight issues too so then you have to be careful not going too much to avoid heavy mobility.

Although I do prefer if you have limits for travel that if you do end up maxing what you can have, that any more items that could be picked up is sent to your full storage immediately to use later, not just remain where it is until you return with space. That or if you have a party that can carry items individually, you can send it over to them temporarily, better if important items are included because you won't forget where it is anyway. If they happen to die, anything special should just return to storage instead of going with them.

[Kyng]

In the same thread, I mentioned that I'm a hoarder unless I have some kind of inventory limit... so, I do like having them in order to stop me from hoarding everything .

(Though, I don't want the limits to be *too* restrictive, to the point where I'm frequently throwing away useful items!)

[Maniakkid25]

The answer I have is like any person who understands context: it depends. After all, managing your inventory space in Resident Evil 4 can be quite entertaining (to the point that some bright spark made a puzzle game around this concept). But I actually hate it in Legend of Dragoon, mainly because the size is so restricting. 32 items, and items do not stack, meaning that your set of 5 potions is 5 itens toward that 32 item limit! It's extremely frustrating having to work with it! But in survival games, having a limited inventory is kind of the point, so you have to work with what you are given. So, it just depends on the game I'm playing.

[Dragon Lord]

I don't mind inventory limits. If nothing else, they actually help me combat my hoarder issue in games by forcing me to use/sell off items to make room for more. Sure, some games can have some pretty brutal limitations, like the OG Final Fantasy, but overall I've never felt too handicapped by them.

If anything, a game with harsh limitations can (when made right) definitely show a distinct separation between gamers who can adept and overcome with skill, and those who can't. So games that do harshly restrict me just make me prove that I'm good enough to overcome it.

[Moonface]

Although I do prefer if you have limits for travel that if you do end up maxing what you can have, that any more items that could be picked up is sent to your full storage immediately to use later, not just remain where it is until you return with space. That or if you have a party that can carry items individually, you can send it over to them temporarily, better if important items are included because you won't forget where it is anyway. If they happen to die, anything special should just return to storage instead of going with them.

Yeah, the approach of limiting what a player can carry but not forcing them to leave anything behind, by putting excess items automatically into storage, is my favourite way of games handling it, at least for action-adventure open-world games. If it's a survival game, then I don't mind if the game is constantly making me choose what to leave behind once my inventory is full because I think it adds to the stakes.
As for companions carrying items, that's basically what I end up using pawns for in Dragon's Dogma. It just sucks when they'll get themselves killed over stupid shit and take everything with them to the grave, which I think is incredibly rough when they will happily take rare loot from enemies and chests if you don't constantly keep track of what they're taking behind your back.

(Though, I don't want the limits to be *too* restrictive, to the point where I'm frequently throwing away useful items!)

As I said above I don't mind it in some games, particularly survival games. Minecraft does a good balance with it because you can at least leave excess items in a chest to come back for later (until you reach end-game to have shulker boxes on you for more inventory). For a game that outright limits it that I both like and dislike it for, Stardew Valley first comes to my mind because I like the limit when you're going caving because I think it's neat to have to decide up front how many supplies to bring at the cost of empty inventory for loot, and I like when my inventory is full having to decide what's best to take and to leave. However, I really hate the limit when I'm on my farm, especially when decorating it because I usually need more items than I can carry to do everything I want to be doing, and the time management in that game doesn't go well with having to run back and forth for items on your farm. Minecraft has the same issue with limited inventory when doing a build since again, I usually need more for a build than I can carry, but at least for that game the day/night cycle doesn't have drawbacks like it can in Stardew.

The answer I have is like any person who understands context: it depends. After all, managing your inventory space in Resident Evil 4 can be quite entertaining (to the point that some bright spark made a puzzle game around this concept). But I actually hate it in Legend of Dragoon, mainly because the size is so restricting. 32 items, and items do not stack, meaning that your set of 5 potions is 5 itens toward that 32 item limit! It's extremely frustrating having to work with it! But in survival games, having a limited inventory is kind of the point, so you have to work with what you are given. So, it just depends on the game I'm playing.

Dang I forgot about that game. I should really consider getting it because I loved the attaché case system in RE4.
As for items not stacking, this is something I've only ever had an issue with in Minecraft. Most items in that game will stack at 64, a few limit themselves to 16, but then potions and stews are not stackable at all. I don't mind it too much for potions since you shouldn't be bringing so many with you that it affects your inventory space, but stew as a food in the game is garbage compared to anything else just for the fact it can't be stacked. There is a workaround for it with bringing just one bowl and a stack of each mushroom type and just making a stew in the crafting menu whenever you need to eat, but it's still a hassle compared to other foods in the game.

I don't mind inventory limits. If nothing else, they actually help me combat my hoarder issue in games by forcing me to use/sell off items to make room for more. Sure, some games can have some pretty brutal limitations, like the OG Final Fantasy, but overall I've never felt too handicapped by them.

Funnily enough, a limit has never stopped me from being a hoarder really because all I end up doing is making shuttle runs back and forth to my storage to dump stuff into it so I don't abandon anything unless it's literally garbage.

[ShiraNoMai]

I don't mind inventory limits. If nothing else, they actually help me combat my hoarder issue in games by forcing me to use/sell off items to make room for more. Sure, some games can have some pretty brutal limitations, like the OG Final Fantasy, but overall I've never felt too handicapped by them.

If anything, a game with harsh limitations can (when made right) definitely show a distinct separation between gamers who can adept and overcome with skill, and those who can't. So games that do harshly restrict me just make me prove that I'm good enough to overcome it.

I second this take. I mentioned it in my gaming hoarder's post but Pokémon was definitely a game that made me one to be more resourceful with my limited space.