# I built a Zelda inspired inventory into my dwarven pixelart game | cave devlog #11 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkd5SYT10UQ Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/Rkd5SYT10UQ Generated: 2025-11-12T00:32:31.868+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The developer successfully overhauled the inventory system for their Godot RPG, moving from a single inventory slot for equipment to dedicated slots per equipment type and implementing dynamic smelting/crafting prompts based on selected items, which was inspired by the inventory designs of games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. **Key Points:** - The developer replaced the original inventory system, which had limited space and treated equipment and items similarly, with a new system featuring dedicated slots for equipment categories (e.g., pickaxes, hammers) (0:05, 5:52). - The new inventory allows players to quickly swap between tools like pickaxes using dedicated slots, which was inspired by the quick-swap functionality in games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild (3:41, 6:09). - Smelting ore in the furnace now dynamically prompts the player based on the selected ore in the inventory tab, eliminating the need to manually select the ore first (8:48). - The crafting/smelting interaction prompt dynamically changes based on the selected item in the action belt, showing "Smelt 8x ore into a bar" for ore and "Insert into a foundry to smelt pickaxe blanks" for molds (5:50, 8:40). - The developer implemented item categorization (Food, Potions, Weapons, Armour, etc.) inspired by Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's UI structure (2:11, 2:24). - The new system uses signals (e.g., on_item_added, on_item_changed) in the code to ensure the UI updates automatically when inventory changes occur (5:31). ![Screenshot at 0:05: The initial pixel art title screen for the game 'CAVE' is displayed, setting the visual style before the developer transitions to showing the code and implementation of the new inventory system.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-00-05.png) **Context:** The video documents the development process, specifically the overhaul of the inventory and item interaction systems, for a dwarven-themed pixel art RPG built in the Godot engine. The developer, Miguel, details the design decisions, drawing heavy inspiration from complex RPG inventory management systems found in titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 to create a more robust and intuitive user experience for the player. ## Detailed Analysis The developer, Miguel, documents the creation of a new inventory system for his pixel art RPG, aiming to fix issues with the previous, overly simplistic design that lacked clear separation between equipment and regular items, leading to wasted inventory space (0:10, 5:58). Key design inspirations were Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2) for its detailed item categorization tabs and Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW) for its smooth, responsive UI and quick-swap mechanics (2:11, 3:05). The new system introduces dedicated slots for equipment types (like pickaxes and hammers) in the action bar, allowing for single-click swapping between tools of the same category (6:09). Furthermore, crafting interactions are streamlined: when approaching a furnace, the game checks the currently selected item on the action belt and prompts the correct interaction (smelt ore or place mold) dynamically, rather than requiring the player to manually select the item first (7:38). The underlying code utilizes Godot signals (like on_item_changed) to ensure the UI updates robustly whenever inventory data changes, and the developer implemented visual cues, such as greying out unsmeltable items in the crafting menu, to guide the player (8:58). The developer concludes that the new system is far less complicated than KCD2's but retains key usability features, making him ready to move on to implementing advanced quest systems. ### Initial Inventory Problems - Inventory space was limited and poorly utilized, forcing players to constantly manage space (0:10) - Equipment needed dedicated slots separate from general items (5:53) - Smelting required manually selecting the correct ore, leading to frustration when the inventory was full (7:24) ### Inspiration and Design Goals - Drawing inspiration from KCD2 for detailed tabbed inventory organization (2:11) - Drawing inspiration from BotW for fast, responsive UI and quick-swapping tools (3:41) ### New Inventory Structure - Implemented dedicated slots for equipment types (pickaxes, hammers) in the action bar for quick selection (6:09) - Introduced item categorization tabs (Food, Potions, Materials) similar to KCD2 (2:23) ### Dynamic Interaction Logic - Smelting/crafting prompts dynamically change based on the currently selected item in the action belt (7:38) - When interacting with the furnace, the game automatically assumes the player wants to smelt the currently equipped ore or place the currently equipped mold (8:44) ### Implementation Details - Rewrote the core inventory system using signals (e.g., on_item_changed) to ensure UI synchronization (5:31) - Added visual feedback by greying out items that cannot be processed (8:58) - New UI is cleaner and less cluttered than previous iterations (3:11) ![Screenshot at 0:03: The title screen for the pixel art game 'CAVE', featuring lava flows framing the title.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-00-03.png) ![Screenshot at 0:10: A close-up of the developer's monitor showing the initial, flawed inventory system with a basic item bar.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-00-10.png) ![Screenshot at 2:00: A shot of the forging process within the game, showing the player hammering a glowing workpiece on an anvil.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-02-00.png) ![Screenshot at 2:11: The KCD2 inventory screen is shown, highlighting the tabbed structure that inspired the new design \(Stats, Skills, Combat, Crafting, etc.\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-02-11.png) ![Screenshot at 3:04: The BotW inventory screen displays the material selection, emphasizing the clean UI and item categorization \(Food, Armor, etc.\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-03-04.png) ![Screenshot at 4:36: The developer sketches a rough concept for the new inventory UI on a whiteboard, showing item slots and action buttons.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-04-36.png) ![Screenshot at 6:23: A close-up comparison of dedicated slots for different tool types \(pickaxe vs. hammer\) in the new action belt design.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-06-23.png) ![Screenshot at 8:09: A screenshot of the new smelting inventory interface, showing item stacks and the 'Smelt' button prompt, demonstrating an improvement over the old system.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-08-09.png) ![Screenshot at 9:35: The new, visually enhanced title screen for 'CAVE' featuring glowing, ethereal effects.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-09-35.png) ![Screenshot at 10:54: A dark, atmospheric screen displays the lore text about the dwarven halls, using glowing, stylized fonts.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Rkd5SYT10UQ/00-10-54.png)