How Can I Stop Item Hoarding In Games?

Comments · 2.2K

• HE

  @HeeminGaminStation · 6 years ago

  “I’m out of MP”<br>“Then use an ether”<br>“But you can’t buy ethers”<br>“IT’S THE FINAL BATTLE”<br>“But I only have 85 of them”

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• RA

  @rainpooper7088 · 6 years ago (edited)

  At first glance, I thought this was an actual self-help video for the players hoarding the items and was like „Yeah, I could use that.“

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• KI

  @KitsukiiPlays · 6 years ago

  Yeah, I can recall the exact moment I&apos;ve become an item hoarder:<br>Young me: I used ALL my potions, but I was finally able to defeat the boss, yay!<br>Boss: now, my final form!<br>Young me: wait, what...?

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• AN

  @AnotherCamilo · 6 years ago

  &quot;No, i need to save all these recovery and power up items when i get to the final boss!!!&quot;<br><br>...The final boss is a QTE.

  199

• FL

  @Fluffkitscripts · 5 years ago

  We’ve got to remember that gamers gravitate towards the most likely chance of success, not the most fun one. If a situation can be solved without using up a finite resource, they’re gonna do that.

  329

• SA

  @Sakurabliss7 · 6 years ago (edited)

  The root of my hoarding problem is without a doubt TMs in Pokemon (prior to gen 5). Look I get they’re supposed to be used, but I’ll never get some of them again and I want a complete set! And I’m not wasting it on a Pokémon who might learn a better move down the line!

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• HE

  @HeeminGaminStation · 6 years ago

  “Hoarding is a pitfall”<br>flashbacks to earlier animal crossing games where I would hoard pitfalls.

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• DA

  @danielevans7439 · 6 years ago (edited)

  Here’s one more: bad item descriptions cause hoarding. There have been a few Final Fantasies where I get one battle item that “deals a lot of damage”. I don’t have extras to test it out, so I save it. But when I use it on the final boss, it does maybe 50 damage.<br><br>If it told me it deals about 50 damage, I could have used it in the very next fight and at least have enjoyed the visual effects. Healing items are even worse, because I’ll use them in an emergency, only to restore a measly number of HP and consequently get wiped out. (I’m looking at you, “lapis,” whatever you are.)

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• EV

  @Evil_Wizard · 5 years ago

  Mother 3 has a great anti hoarding system. Every character has a limited inventory and each item takes up one spot. You also get items consistently enough that you’ll use old items to make space

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• AU

  @AubriGryphon · 6 years ago (edited)

  Here&apos;s a subtle thing that I&apos;ve noticed: suppose you have Potions that heal 50 hp, High Potions for 200, and Mega Potions for 500. Assuming these can be purchased, you&apos;ll typically see that the higher-level items end up more expensive per hp, which makes it feel like a waste to use them if you don&apos;t REALLY REALLY need it. You can use low-level potions to top up after battle, after all.<br>Instead, try flipping that script. If you make more powerful potions MORE money-efficient, you encourage their use! As long as you&apos;re hurt enough to not waste any of the healing, you want to use the most powerful items in AND out of battle, and the lower-level items are relegated to topping-up duty and backup healing. Which is FINE, because if you&apos;re at the point in the game where a normal potion is only worth a tiny fraction of your total hp, you&apos;re not going to bother with them during gameplay anyway and they&apos;re ultimately just &quot;press the button 100 times to heal up after battle&quot; instead of &quot;press the button twice&quot;.<br>Now if only you can convince that potion-seller to part with his strongest potions...

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• TE

  @teslobo · 6 years ago (edited)

  I think some people hoard consumables without even trying just due to how the UI discourages using items. The &quot;item&quot; or &quot;bag&quot; button tends to be as close to the bottom of the list as possible, and then you have to scroll through items to find the right one. Combine the sheer number of button presses with the fact it normally takes your turn in applicable RPGs, and the common-sense response to a stat-debuff or low hp can often be &quot;this isn&apos;t an issue if I hit the enemy hard enough and end the fight.&quot;<br><br>A lot of the items players do use frequently, like the Estus flask or equivalent blood vials, are hotbar&apos;d from the word go. Games like darkest dungeon give your inventory of consumables ample screen space and ease of access which can make you much more inclined to use them. There&apos;s nothing too unique about these consumables, it&apos;s just how they&apos;re contextually presented.

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• GA

  @ganaham9144 · 6 years ago

  Astral Chain had a really nice anti hoarding system by having items in each chapter that disappear from your inventory at the end of the chapter. They&apos;re gonna disappear, so you might as well use them!

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