To all the people that say "I no haz middle mouse button. I say no.", you would be able to change the button or key you would use. I have five buttons on my mouse, but my middle scroll button is a caffeine drinking druggie (it scrolls faster than the speed of light and lacks any form of click functionality, meant for web browsing and not games). For every game that has the option, I simply change the control key to something else.
If you don't have five buttons on your mouse, don't worry. You can map it to a keyboard key as well as a mouse button. He already has this implemented, so it would only be a minute or two of coding to implement the mapping of it.
Anyway, I dislike the idea, as this adds a minor difficulty to the game. You actually have to keep track of inventory, tools, and supply. Anyway, if it automatically switches your item/supply out, you may not notice you're out of tools until it's too late. It's a nuisance to switch manually, but I hate automation in games. I like doing everything about my own character manually, though do let the computer take full care of "partners" in RPGs that contain them. That only adds a second degree of management that I personally dislike.
I like the idea behind this, but it seems a bit unrefined. Perhaps if the quick-select scrolling you proposed were to be limited to the filled slots in the inventory immediately above the hotbar? That is to say, you would have to stack your swords vertically above your standard sword slot. When the equipped one broke, you could scroll, or hold a key and scroll (the exact combination currently unimportant), which would cycle through the available items.
I'll try my hand at a visual demonstration...
... :Flint and Steel: ...
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In the first bar, your selections would be limited to cobble, and you could access the stacks above it. In the second bar, your selections could be F&S, either 'shroom, gold, or bacon, and you could cycle freely between the 5.
user-assignable key or mouse button (default pg up/pg down?) to switch which row of inventory is being displayed in the quick-bar. the player's active item would also change to reflect the new contents of the quick-bar. simple, but allows access to the entire inventory.
If you don't have five buttons on your mouse, don't worry. You can map it to a keyboard key as well as a mouse button. He already has this implemented, so it would only be a minute or two of coding to implement the mapping of it.
Anyway, I dislike the idea, as this adds a minor difficulty to the game. You actually have to keep track of inventory, tools, and supply. Anyway, if it automatically switches your item/supply out, you may not notice you're out of tools until it's too late. It's a nuisance to switch manually, but I hate automation in games. I like doing everything about my own character manually, though do let the computer take full care of "partners" in RPGs that contain them. That only adds a second degree of management that I personally dislike.
I'll try my hand at a visual demonstration...
... :Flint and Steel: ...
... ...
... ...
... ...
... ...
In the first bar, your selections would be limited to cobble, and you could access the stacks above it. In the second bar, your selections could be F&S, either 'shroom, gold, or bacon, and you could cycle freely between the 5.
Impressions?
Yup.