If Everyone Hates Encumbrance in Video Games, Why Is It Still a Thing?

If you've played a lot of open-world fantasy RPGs over the past 20 years, you've almost certainly encountered the encumbrance game mechanic. You know the one, where you're looting a dungeon and you pick up one too many items, and all of a sudden your character feels like they're walking through molasses.

[gangsta_red]

I hate stamina bars...I hate running and then having to stop and wait for your stamina bar to refill before running again. it makes no sense, especially in RPGs with an open world design and wanting to get through a place quickly.

[-Foxtrot]

I suppose it depends on the context

An everyday average joe character, he could run out of breath fast

Someone athletic, a soldier, marine, etc could do it for longer

Super soldiers, characters who are magical and the like…I don’t understand it to be honest.

RPG wise I think it makes sense at the start of the game but then it depends on how your character grows

[isarai]

Encumbrance is annoying, but the overall annoying thing is the refusal to include immediate solutions like scrapping items for parts, sending to a stash, or combining items to increase stats. Many RPGs have done it, i dont get why it isnt a standard.

[TiredGamer]

Encumbrance, as annoying as it is, does add some tension and a strategic element to games that otherwise would be lacking balance in some way. It has its place.

[poppatron]

I 100% agree, it’s meant to be annoying, you need to have limitations you work to overcome, that’s why it’s an rpg.

There’s plenty of games without an encumbrance mechanic out there

[jznrpg]

I don’t mind it so much if it makes sense . It makes you manage things if don’t properly . When it’s done poorly it is annoying

[FPS_D3TH]

You can make an arguement that any level of difficulty is annoying to some degree. Encumberence is usually a gameplay balancer or difficulty adjuster depending on its use. You can make it in some games that you can carry more loot or wield weapons outside your characters skill level, but it’s essentially playing on easy mode or even cheating.

[FPS_D3TH]

TLDR

Git gud lol

[Soy]

Necessary evil, in most cases.

[FPS_D3TH]

I believe so. I’m currently playing STALKER Gamma and if I didn’t have a weight limit, the game would be stupid easy. I’d never drop anything because I could just carry it all

[SatanSki]

Who hates encumbrance? Maybe millennials and the rest of easy way, instant gratification crowd, but definitely not everyone. This obsession with loot seems pathological.

[Smellsforfree]

Just for reference: Millennials include adults in their early 40s.

[shinoff2183]

Depends on where you looking up the definition. But I tend to agree with you. I don't think millennial is the right word he was looking for.

[franwex]

Boomers keep complaining about millennials still?

[SatanSki]

Yeah, sorry, was thinking more about zetas or alphas. Should already know to double check anything learned on internet forums ;-)

[staticall]

Depends on the game and how encumbrance is implemented, there is a fine line, in my opinion.

For example, Kenshi has encumbrance and it limits you, yes. But it never stops you dead in your tracks and it gets better over time. The more encumbered you are, the more your strength and athletics are trained, the more your strength and athletics are trained - the less encumbered you're becoming over time. And because the world is a very harsh place in Kenshi, you have to think in advance - should i equip and carry this very heavy armor that protects me and i'll be very slow in both fighting and walking? Or should i just equip something that has less weight and be faster but less protected? It's up to you. And if you're in a party and one of your characters are overencumbered, he/she will slow down every character in a group causing more chances to be attacked by a pack of bandits. And combining that with grid-based inventory system, you have to constantly weight your options and pick what's best in a current situation - do you take those robotics components that don't weight much but take few slots each or do i take this holy nation paladin armor set that i can use as a disguise later that is heavy and take most of my inventory? Or both and hope for the best? And you can share the loot between your party members, so you can give heavy stuff to characters with high strength and stuff that just takes up space to others.

So i guess, if it makes sense within the game and limits you but not very (or limits you but gets better over time without any special investment) - i'm fine with it.

[P_Bomb]

Encumbrance can (usually) go die in a fire. HFW did loot perfectly w the stash etc. Balance is precious.

[anast]

Especially when publishers charge for storage space.

[Chaos_Order]

"Everyone hates it"

Objectively false.

[MadLad]

I actually like it.
I like any game that has more gameplay features that add depth to the overall experience.

[Dudeson]

Often times we hear people moaning about not being able to make any decisions in their games... Well guess who's deciding what to loot and what not to loot all the time instead of just pressing loot all and not knowing what's useful out of the giant pile of looted garbage.

[jznrpg]

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has no weight limit and I wish it did because it would force me to get rid of all the junk I have in my inventory but I don’t because I’m lazy . If they had encumbrance I would sell the junk right away and have a tidy inventory instead of having to go through 500 items to find the one accessory I am looking for