Inventory System

The Inventory System package was heavily refactored in the 1.5.x architecture shift.

It now follows a more modular runtime layout and is designed to work well with the Data package and CatalogKey-driven authoring patterns.

What This System Solves

• defining items and item instances
• moving items between inventories/slots
• building UI views (inventory, equipment, tooltips)
• composing item behavior (equip, consume, stat preview, etc.) via features

Key Ideas

• Data-first definitions: item “definitions” are authored as data (good for JSON, remote content, versioning).
• Key-based asset lookup: fields like icons can be stored as keys (e.g. CatalogKey) while still showing rich inspector previews.
• Feature composition: items gain gameplay capabilities by attaching feature modules, instead of relying on deep inheritance trees.

Suggested Mental Model

• Definition: “what this item type is” (static data)
• Instance: “a concrete owned item” (runtime state like stack count, durability, rolled stats)
• Slot: “a location that can hold an item” (inventory slot, equipment slot, hotbar slot)
• Feature: “optional behavior attached to a definition/instance” (equipable, consumable, stat provider, etc.)

Package Layout (Common Areas)

• Runtime/Item/Core: definitions, references, item databases
• Runtime/Item/Features: feature modules (compose behavior)
• Runtime/Item/Slot: slot controllers, visuals, tooltip builders
• Runtime/UI: inventory/equipment UI controllers and views
• Runtime/ItemStats: stat line data and controllers (UI-friendly formatting)
• Runtime/DropTable: weighted drop sources and roll helpers

Integration Points

• Data Package: makes “definitions as data” practical (default vs actual workflows, JSON tools).
• Data Catalogs + CatalogKey: decouple definitions from direct Unity asset references while keeping authoring comfortable.
• RPGStats (optional): when you want item features to drive stat deltas, comparisons, and equipment rules.

What Changed in 1.5.0 (High-Level)

• inventory became more modular (separated responsibilities and assemblies)
• moved toward feature-driven item behavior
• stronger emphasis on key-based references and data-driven definitions

Related Pages

• Data Package
• Data Catalogs
• CatalogKey
• RPG Stats
• Inventory + RPG Stats