Inventory
Learning paths through this topic
Give offerings back when an altar puzzle is filled in wrongly
The player places objects on an altar and the wrong set must not eat them, trap them, or let them place a second copy for free. This entry decides when the altar checks, what comes back, and where things go when the bag has filled up in the meantime.
Swap goods between two towns only if both can pay and both have room
A trade offer between two players can fail in four ways: one is short of goods, the other has a full storehouse, both at once, or the trade quietly changes only one side. This entry checks both sides first, completes the swap in one piece, and lists every reason when it says no.
Hold a bidder's money while they lead an auction and give it back when outbid
In an auction the money must be set aside the moment a bid is placed, or a player can bid with gold they spend elsewhere. It returns when someone tops the bid. A leader who raises their own bid should pay only the difference, and each bid must beat the last by a fair step.
Let automatic buying leave enough behind to feed the town
A helper that buys or builds whenever it can afford to will happily spend the last grain and starve the town on the next turn. This entry keeps back what the next few turns will cost beyond the income, and counts how many units the rest can really pay for.
Charge a building cost in full or not at all, and list what is missing
A building needs wood, stone and iron. If the player lacks only the iron, the wood and stone must not be gone either. This entry makes the payment all-or-nothing and tells the player every shortage at once, so the red numbers on the build button are complete.
Let a builder use only the goods that its roads can actually reach
In a town with many storehouses, a building site should not be able to use planks from a barn on the far side of a river that no road crosses. This entry finds which storehouses connect to the site, takes the goods from the nearest first, and reports what is missing otherwise.
Work out how many buildings the player can buy when each costs more
A buy-as-many-as-possible button is simple when every house costs the same, and wrong the moment each new house costs a little more than the one before. This entry finds the largest number the player can afford in every resource at once, and what that purchase will cost in total.
Make what the player carries add to how much noise they make
In a game where something is listening, a pocket of coins should rattle when you run and be silent when you stand still. This entry turns the bag into a single loudness number that monsters can react to, with a sensible way for many small things to add up and a padded bag to help.
Plan how many trips a carrier needs between small resource spots
A worker with a sack that holds ten walks past four small piles holding four, three, eight and two. Dividing the total by ten gives the wrong number of trips, because the worker may not pick up half a pile later or skip one. This entry follows the walk and counts each trip.
Show choices that need an item as open, grey or hidden, and never end up with none
A dialogue option that needs a key should appear in a way that suits the story: shown but greyed, or not shown at all. Either way the player must always have at least one real option left. This entry builds the list for the screen and guards against an empty menu.
Let two clues the player holds produce a conclusion once, without crafting anything
In a mystery, owning the torn ticket and the receipt should lead to a thought, not to a new object. This entry watches what the player holds, adds the conclusion to the notebook when the clues fit, lets one conclusion lead to the next, and never repeats itself.
Tell the player how close a wrong lock code is, and jam the lock after too many tries
A code lock that only says wrong makes players guess for ever or look up the answer. One that tells them how close they are makes it a small puzzle, but repeated digits are easy to count wrongly. This entry gets the hints right and adds a jam so guessing has a price.