One of the last major pieces we are working on for the Habitat is the inventory storage modules. The items in your inventory will be split into three categories: materials, equipment, and consumables. Likewise, the storage unit will be divided into those same three categories to visually represent the items you have stored away. Here a few pictures of how the inventory storage area looks right now:
As you can see, the crafting materials and equipment sections are complete and feature many different items you may find as you explore drill sites, supply caches, or other Habitats. For the most part, we simply use crates or boxes to represent the number of items stored in the materials section. The module has five variations, from empty to full, and as you store items you will see it change to represent its contents.
The equipment section is a little more complex. The most important pieces of equipment are visualized individually for quick identification. This is because we want players to choose what pieces of equipment they can take out on EVA’s, leaving behind potentially important or useful tools that they have to keep track of. Your inventory will fill up quickly with heavy tools, so it's important to only take what you think you need on long trips. Here’s a closer look at all the equipment stored away:
Each piece of equipment has it's purpose, and knowing when to use them will be important. Some are easily identifiable with unique models, but some others are only shown stored in a case. This was intentional to reduce modeling and allow placeholder art for pieces of equipment that may be added in the future. Currently our Haz-Mat Kit, First Aid Kit, Soldering Kit, and Wiring Kit all share this model:
You will notice that the only difference is the diffuse texture that is applied to each. We feel that paint color and labels are enough to differentiate these pieces of equipment. Sharing textures and models between assets is important to reduce load times and file sizes. As we approach the release of our early access, we will be taking many steps like this to future-proof our game. Share your thoughts in the comments below.