Potential Inventory Solution

[Selindrile]

We all love the wardrobe, we really do, and we do understand your worries about server load and zoning-time etc etc, I have a suggestion that may have been suggested before, but, I strongly believe in it, if we have the capability to do such.

Make the wardrobe job-specific, (Or preferably create a second, job-specific wardrobe), this new wardrobe doesn't even need to load if you're not on a particular job, and it shouldn't accept gear that's not job specific, for example:

I'm on Blue Mage, I have a wardrobe that I can only add items to that are equippable by Blue Mage, and Blue Mage only, I can equip directly from it, like our current wardrobe.

When I change jobs to Warrior, my "Blue Mage wardrobe" completely dissapears and doesn't load, isn't visible anywhere on my character (thus, not creating 22 more inventories worth of server load every zone, only one specific to my job, exactly like wardrobe is now.) There would only be one wardrobe-per-job-per-player.

To prevent items getting "lost", these wardrobes should only accept job-specific-equipment, so that you can't go, "Oh where did I put my Thaumas body?" But, you don't care about your Blue Mage AF's location when you're on Warrior, so it's fine to be completely unfindable, for example.

[bungiefanNA]

That would add 22 inventory spaces, and it already takes a long time to load the ones we have. You're asking for a large increase of loading times.

[Kensagaku]

...For the "job-specific equipment" (i.e. you're being particular to AF/Relic/Empyrean mostly, with only a few other unique pieces to jobs) there's a thing called a Porter Moogle that only takes a few minutes to put gear into and pull it out of. =x

That being said, having 22 inventories of wardrobe will STILL create 22 inventories of server lag regardless of having them "disappear" or "nonexistent" when you switch jobs. The reason is that the data doesn't disappear; it's associated with your character, because otherwise how would they pull the knowledge of what you have in your "vanished" inventory when you switch back? There has to be flags in place that says "they have X gear," and then there has to be information on what those flags mean, which means more processes for each piece of gear they're calling back. I.e. it's really nothing different from the porter moogle; though items don't exist in your inventory, their data flags exist on the item you have in your inventory. Doing so by linking "wardrobes" to yourself will just increase server load times exponentially.

[Selindrile]

Please read the post before commenting.



When I change jobs to Warrior, my "Blue Mage wardrobe" completely dissapears and doesn't load, isn't visible anywhere on my character (thus, not creating 22 more inventories worth of server load every zone, only one specific to my job, exactly like wardrobe is now.) There would only be one wardrobe-per-job-per-player.


This would not create 22 more spaces if implemented properly, much the same way you have all the things stored on your porter moogle currently, if they are simply linked to flag in some way, and only loaded when your job changes (think key item equipment slips).

From a datastructure perspective, think of each "wardrobe" as a single table, with a list of all the job-specific gear, and a check, or an X beside it, likely you'd only be able to put gear that is able to be stored on the porter moogle into it, for similar reasons (augments/trials would be cleared, or else they would each require their own data, instead of being a check or an X)

It would not need to send you this data each time you changed zones, it may increase the time it takes to change jobs, but, small price to pay, as someone who has spent far too large a portion of his FFXI staring at his porter moogle, I'm well aware of it's existance, I see this as an improvement on that system, and combining it with the wardrobe system, to minimize their downsides.

[Byrth]

OP's idea is interesting, 'specially given the amount of JSE we currently use. However, they could also just stop resetting the entire inventory structure on zone.

Ask yourself why inventory has to load every time you zone. Temporary items sometimes change on zone, but nothing else is altered in any way. We should only really have to load the other bags once when logging in.



There, load-time excuse defeated. Now that it's fixed in a pretty trivial way, lets look at the problem of PS2 RAM. If they're having trouble adding more autotranslate phrases (something like 16 bytes per phrase in memory) then I'm kind of amazed that they scraped together enough free RAM to add Wardrobe to that old toaster.

[Selindrile]

I would be fine with this solution as well, lol, but I somehow felt mine was more realistic? I'm not really sure though, mind you.

[Vold]

OP's idea is interesting, 'specially given the amount of JSE we currently use. However, they could also just stop resetting the entire inventory structure on zone.

Ask yourself why inventory has to load every time you zone. Temporary items sometimes change on zone, but nothing else is altered in any way. We should only really have to load the other bags once when logging in.



There, load-time excuse defeated. Now that it's fixed in a pretty trivial way, lets look at the problem of PS2 RAM. If they're having trouble adding more autotranslate phrases (something like 16 bytes per phrase in memory) then I'm kind of amazed that they scraped together enough free RAM to add Wardrobe to that old toaster.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh163/Botiemaster/Apic671.jpg (http://s256.photobucket.com/user/Botiemaster/media/Apic671.jpg.html)

[Selindrile]

To clarify, imagine it like the following: You have another "Wardrobe", another inventory you can equip directly from, that holds only JSE (And doesn't even have to hold all of it (AF/+1/Reforged/+1, Relic/+1/+2/Reforged/+1, Empy/+1/+2/Reforged(soon)/+1), which as Byrth said, are and will be used very frequently these days.

I am on "Blue Mage", I change job to "Warrior", that wardrobe then effectively automatically stores everything in it, in an "invisible slip" (or, if absolutely necessary, up to 22 of these wardrobe slots could actually be taken up by slips linking to each of the jobs, leaving us 58 JSE spots left for each job, which would still be acceptable) and then removes everything from the job-appropriate storage and places it in this inventory.

It's as someone else said, effectively another porter moogle, but one about 1000000 times more convenient.

[Krashport]

We are all paying Customers that being said; Why not invest some of that money we paid a month to upgrading the Server(s) and RAM.

[Selindrile]

While I wouldn't mind them dumping some more money back into FFXI production value and equipment, I don't think adding server RAM fixes the main problem here. The main problem is that chained to the PS2, there's not enough RAM on the clients to do what they want to do.

But didn't they claim that some sort of inventory revision was in the works to solve our inventory problems permanently? If Case and Wardrobe were their only answer... they clearly do not know how much gear they've added over the past year and continue to add.

Also I have to wonder, if Gallagher, Garridan, Jarafah, Olaky-Yayulaky, and Poudoruchant (the event storage NPCs) can manage to store so much gear without anything AND Caruvinda, Tesch Garanjy, Taulenne, Sinon, Ratonne, Hajawaa, Perevie, Meh Nbolo, Muzeze, Pihra Rhebenslo, Jagaris, Renadile, and Macera (the Armor set storage NPCs) can store tons of gear with only KIs linking to them instead of physical items. Why can't the porter moogle or this system manage something similar?

[Selindrile]

Bump, still hoping this thread gets enough attention to get someone to talk to a Dev about it.

[Rubicant82]

I would like to see a second wardrobe :3

[Selindrile]

Shamless bump.

[Byrth]

Shamless is no good. You need a surgical control.

[Selindrile]

I am clearly too stupid to get that joke, I am also apparently too stupid to spell shameless.

[Afania]

We all love the wardrobe, we really do, and we do understand your worries about server load and zoning-time etc etc, I have a suggestion that may have been suggested before, but, I strongly believe in it, if we have the capability to do such.

Make the wardrobe job-specific, (Or create a second, job-specific wardrobe), this new wardrobe doesn't even need to load if you're not on a particular job, and it shouldn't accept gear that's not job specific, for example:

I'm on Blue Mage, I have a wardrobe that I can only add items to that are equippable by Blue Mage, and Blue Mage only, I can equip directly from it, like our current wardrobe.

When I change jobs to Warrior, my "Blue Mage wardrobe" completely dissapears and doesn't load, isn't visible anywhere on my character (thus, not creating 22 more inventories worth of server load every zone, only one specific to my job, exactly like wardrobe is now.) There would only be one wardrobe-per-job-per-player.

To prevent items getting "lost", these wardrobes should only accept job-specific-equipment, so that you can't go, "Oh where did I put my Thaumas body?" But, you don't care about your Blue Mage AF's location when you're on Warrior, so it's fine to be completely unfindable, for example.

I don't get it, how'd wardrobe being job specific reduce the load time??? I thought the load time is long because we have 160 inventory spaces, so it doesn't matter if you're loading BLU wardrobe or WAR wardrobe, it's always 160 inventory spaces, thus the time is the same.

Another issue is that, the point of wardrobe is to give players more inventory, if it's job specific only, then you get less inventory than 160.

For example, currently I use over 150 gears on COR, but out of all those gears, only AF sets x3, JSE cap and 1 gun is "job specific". So that's only 17 equipment being job specific.

If the wardrobe can only store job specific gears, I'd have to leave 50 gears in MH.

I don't see how this system would reduce the load time at all, without sacrificing the amount of gears I can carry.

[Selindrile]

I'll try to further explain it then, though I think most people get it by now.


I don't get it, how'd wardrobe being job specific reduce the load time??? I thought the load time is long because we have 160 inventory spaces, so it doesn't matter if you're loading BLU wardrobe or WAR wardrobe, it's always 160 inventory spaces, thus the time is the same.

It wouldn't, it's preventative, the reason for the other job inventories not loading it is to prevent this system itself from further increasing load times.


Another issue is that, the point of wardrobe is to give players more inventory, if it's job specific only, then you get less inventory than 160.

The point of this proposed system isn't REALLY to give players more inventory, most of this gear is storable, this is to increase the speed at which job changes happen, streamline the Moogle Storage system and make it far more convenient, and it will have the added effect of simulating more inventory, but as said, most of this gear is already storable, it doesn't give us more total inventory across the board, it just lets us "store" things and "retrieve" them more efficiently and convieniently.


For example, currently I use over 150 gears on COR, but out of all those gears, only AF sets x3, JSE cap and 1 gun is "job specific". So that's only 17 equipment being job specific.

AF/+1/AF Reforge/Reforge+1/Weapon
Relic/+1/+2(Augmented Only)/Reforge/Reforge +1/Back&Waist
Empy/+1/+2/Reforge/Reforge+1/Accessories
New JSE Capes, Oboro Weapons

Yes, that's only about 20 slots, there are more JSE than that, which they could add at their leisure, but tbh that's plenty enough to put a large dent in most of my job's requirements, and leaves plenty of room to grow.




If the wardrobe can only store job specific gears, I'd have to leave 50 gears in MH.

I don't see how this system would reduce the load time at all, without sacrificing the amount of gears I can carry.



This system would not reduce load times, it would increase them, but if implemented in this way, it would only increase them a small amount.

Why would this system make you leave other items in your mog house? This system is meant to supplement your inventory/wardrobe, obviously there are very few JSE rings/necks/earrings etc, I have no idea where you got the idea that this was supposed to handle every peice of equipment you put on.

This is simply a very convenient way of managing the equipment on a daily basis, simulating more space without having to spend hours on end at the porter moogle as many of us do currently.

[Afania]

I'll try to further explain it then, though I think most people get it by now.



It wouldn't, it's preventative, the reason for the other job inventories not loading it is to prevent this system itself from further increasing load times.



The point of this proposed system isn't REALLY to give players more inventory, most of this gear is storable, this is to increase the speed at which job changes happen, streamline the Moogle Storage system and make it far more convenient, and it will have the added effect of simulating more inventory, but as said, most of this gear is already storable, it doesn't give us more total inventory across the board, it just lets us "store" things and "retrieve" them more efficiently and convieniently.



AF/+1/AF Reforge/Reforge+1/Weapon
Relic/+1/+2(Augmented Only)/Reforge/Reforge +1/Back&Waist
Empy/+1/+2/Reforge/Reforge+1/Accessories
New JSE Capes, Oboro Weapons

Yes, that's only about 20 slots, there are more JSE than that, which they could add at their leisure, but tbh that's plenty enough to put a large dent in most of my job's requirements, and leaves plenty of room to grow.





This system would not reduce load times, it would increase them, but if implemented in this way, it would only increase them a small amount.

Why would this system make you leave other items in your mog house? This system is meant to supplement your inventory/wardrobe, obviously there are very few JSE rings/necks/earrings etc, I have no idea where you got the idea that this was supposed to handle every peice of equipment you put on.

This is simply a very convenient way of managing the equipment on a daily basis, simulating more space without having to spend hours on end at the porter moogle as many of us do currently.

So, you mean you still get 160 spaces, but JSE related gears are automatically stored in another system?

[Demonjustin]

The server would have all of the same inventories as it currently does. This means Normal, Safe, Storage, Locker, Sack, Satchel, Case, and Wardrobe. On top of this it would add 22 additional inventories to hold JSE gear, one for each specific job. The advantage to this is that these inventories wouldn't be loaded up on every change of area, only the one pertaining to the job you're currently on. If you're currently on WAR then your WAR JSE Inventory is loaded, but the RDM, COR, NIN, and so on are all ignored as you're not on that job.

[Selindrile]

Yes, and thank you Demon for explaining it succinctly. The advantage to something like this is that it would be a massive time saver for job changing and gearing up if you play many jobs, and it would simulate having more space, because all of this stuff you keep on you for "quick changes" currently would be stored, and you wouldn't have to spend 5~10 minutes at your porter moogle storing and retrieving gear each job change.

[Afania]

The server would have all of the same inventories as it currently does. This means Normal, Safe, Storage, Locker, Sack, Satchel, Case, and Wardrobe. On top of this it would add 22 additional inventories to hold JSE gear, one for each specific job. The advantage to this is that these inventories wouldn't be loaded up on every change of area, only the one pertaining to the job you're currently on. If you're currently on WAR then your WAR JSE Inventory is loaded, but the RDM, COR, NIN, and so on are all ignored as you're not on that job.

Sounds like it's more loading time than current system if it's more spaces >.>

[Selindrile]

Sounds like it's more loading time than current system if it's more spaces >.>

Is your native language not English? You have really bad reading comprehension skills.

[Afania]

Is your native language not English? You have really bad reading comprehension skills.

Ok maybe I should clarify the above question.....I get what he's saying:

Your loading time is bad because you have 160 spaces, say I'm on WAR, so it looks like this:

WARItem WARItem
WARItem WARItem
WARItem WARItem
WARItem WARItem
....x80 x80

All of the above items are WAR items. Without your inventory system, my inv looks like above with RDM JSE storing in MH. With the inv system, my inv still looks like above. I don't think the inv in your MH affects the load time.

[Selindrile]

Your mog house/locker/storage do increase loading times, they've said that it does, that's the reason they're reluctant to add more spaces even there, it still reloads each time you zone.

However, items in storage slips/KI storage slips don't cost extra loading time, which is why this system is effectively 22 extra inventories, only 1 of which will cost of us extra loading time.

[Afania]

Your mog house/locker/storage do increase loading times, they've said that it does, that's the reason they're reluctant to add more spaces even there, it still reloads each time you zone.

However, items in storage slips/KI storage slips don't cost extra loading time, which is why this system is effectively 22 extra inventories, only 1 of which will cost of us extra loading time.


I started playing since there are only 1 extra storage, as I put furniture in my MH, got WG access, bought token, I got more extra space. I didn't notice a huge load time increase until recent mog wardrobe addition.

Even if other house/locker/storage increases the load time, it's certainly not as bad as mog wardrobe.

Technology wise, I'm not sure if making a storage slips system like that is possible. But only SE can answer that question.

[Selindrile]

AFAIK It's not the number of items loaded in an inventory that increases loading time, regardless of whether it is accessible or not, only that there is an extra inventory itself matters.

And I cannot imagine that a system like this isn't possible even with our engine, considering KI storage and Moogle Storage exists, the only question is, would it be too much work to implement for them to consider doing.

[Selindrile]

Shameless bump.