Why So Many Key Item Slots?

[Draxxion]

We keep talking about it in many threads about space on servers and how there is a lack of inventory space. How we have so little for our retainers and ourselves. But, the one thing I have noticed which I am surprised no one else has mentioned is that there are 3 full grids of space in our inventories dedicated to just Key Items. It also rarely if ever gets used and when it does you are probably just talking about a fraction of the first grid only being used. So, why is there so much space dedicated to something that rarely gets used? Is it just to be consistent with the number of inventory slots? Why is there even dedicate space to just Key Items anyways?

It to me just seems to be wasted space and can be freed up for else where that could give us players more space for our own inventories. I kind of consider this a pink elephant in the room that no one has really mentioned and sorry if someone has as I haven't seen it.

[Fynlar]

Because it's probably theoretically possible to hold that many KIs at once if you have the max capacity of active quests. It's the same sort of reason there is enough armoury chest space for every job's soul crystal + 3 specialist DoH soul crystals, even if a player has no intention of actually obtaining them all.

I doubt it's considered something they could potentially "cut back" on in favor of regular inventory space.

[Xieveral]

Why not just open up those extra grids and have key items and regular items share the same storage? It's not a perfect solution but at least that extra storage space won't go to waste.

Because it's probably theoretically possible to hold that many KIs at once if you have the max capacity of active quests. It's the same sort of reason there is enough armoury chest space for every job's soul crystal + 3 specialist DoH soul crystals, even if a player has no intention of actually obtaining them all.

The devs still plan to introduce new classes in the future. Why would they do this if they weren't capable of expanding soul crystal storage? They're clearly able to add more storage space since we got some to accommodate for the new jobs and DoH, they're just stingy about it unless it's in the form of a cash shop feature.

[Lambdafish]

Why not just open up those extra grids and have key items and regular items share the same storage?

No thanks, I'm bad enough at inventory management without having to throw away something for an item used in a quest, the space is there because the item serves no purpose and would clog up inventory more than it currently is. I'd rather more items were considered key items tbh (zodiac items come to mind)

[TessaJalloh]

For key items.

/thread.

[Xieveral]

No thanks, I'm bad enough at inventory management without having to throw away something for an item used in a quest, the space is there because the item serves no purpose and would clog up inventory more than it currently is. I'd rather more items were considered key items tbh (zodiac items come to mind)

Okay? The community continue to suffer insufficient inventory space because other people are unorganized/have hoarding issues? It's on the individual to keep track of inventory. Additional space benefits everyone, hoarders can hoard more.

Key items disappear when the objective requiring them is complete, and ideally there would be a confirmation window and abandonment of the quest if you attempt to toss it. If you still manage to screw up with those kind of preventative measures, I don't know what to say.

[Enkidoh]

The devs still plan to introduce new classes in the future. Why would they do this if they weren't capable of expanding soul crystal storage? They're clearly able to add more storage space since we got some to accommodate for the new jobs and DoH, they're just stingy about it unless it's in the form of a cash shop feature.

Okay, I think you're being rather paranoid - SE have stated in the past that the inventory limitations are because of technical reasons and have nothing to do with the Mogstation, and everything to how the game has been coded (the Mogstation actually came much later, long after the game's launch). The database for your inventory and armoury chest is actually being constantly rewritten every ten seconds or so on the server, and thus because of this, if they made it too big, the database rewriting would end up taking excessive amounts of time and potentially cause server stability problems (this is actually proven by the annoying 'move' errors that occur if you try moving items around your inventory or between your armoury chest and inventory too quickly.).

This isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened with an online FF game either - in FFXI they had to restrict sales on the Auction House to just seven items at a time because anything more destabilized the servers. The fact is, all that calculating behind the scenes on the server is causing the inventory limitations - there is no magic wand solution, and it isn't a money-making thing either. SE are aware it's a problem for players though, and despite how it may seem, they will try and find some solution if and when they are able.

[Catwho]

Key items haven't been utilized in XIV to nearly the extent they were in XI. By the time I quit, I had well over a hundred key items. They were just items in a list that had been broken down into categories and not really objectives, but they controlled everything from access to secret doors to the bonus buffs you could choose from in Abyssea.

[Yasminou]

But, the one thing I have noticed which I am surprised no one else has mentioned is that there are 3 full grids of space in our inventories dedicated to just Key Items.

Are there really that much space for KI? What I mean is that if your inventory is set to display one grid at a time (like on PS3 or at the beginning of ARR release) instead of four, then only one grid of KI is displayed. So, can we really fill those second or third grid or are they dummy grids?
It's a legit question, I never owed more than 25 KI...

[Theonekitten]

Okay, I think you're being rather paranoid - SE have stated in the past that the inventory limitations are because of technical reasons and have nothing to do with the Mogstation, and everything to how the game has been coded. The database for your inventory and armoury chest is actually being constantly rewritten every ten seconds or so on the server, and thus because of this, if they made it too big, the database rewriting would end up taking excessive amounts of time and potentially cause server stability problems (this is actually proven by the annoying 'move' errors that occur if you try moving items around your inventory or between your armoury chest and inventory too quickly.).

Perfect reason why some of this should be client side. If they were, then there wouldn't be this inventory space issue. Everything doesn't have to be server side.