RPG Inventory system and Equip Item System

Question

1.00/5 (1 vote)

See more:

Hey guys, I've been working on a RPG game in VB 2010 and I've gotten to the point where I am adding items and giving them properties but I'm a bit confused and stuck. I currently have a form with 28 picture boxes and 28 'inventory settings & amounts' (inv1, inv2, etc) and on loading the inventory form the pictures are updated accordingly to the setting and a number below it to show the amount you currently have of the item. Then I want to be able to click the items and it "equips" it which will then show up on a different form called the 'Character Screen'.

Here is some of my current coding for it:

Inventory updating on load

If My.Settings.inv4 = "fvisage" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.fVisage
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.fvisage
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "draBody" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.draBody
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.drabody
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "dralegs" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.draLegs
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.dralegs
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "draboots" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.draBoots
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.draboots
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "drahelm" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.draHelm
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.drahelm
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "clothbody" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.clothBody
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.clothbody
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "clothlegs" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.clothLegs
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.clothlegs
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "clothboots" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.clothBoots
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.clothboots
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "clothhat" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.clothHelm
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.clothhat
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "plaBody" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.plaBody
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.plabody
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "plalegs" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.plaLegs
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.plalegs
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "plaboots" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.plaBoots
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.plaboots
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "plahelm" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.plaHelm
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.plahelm
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "maiBody" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.maiBody
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.maibody
ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "mailegs" Then
    inv4.Image = My.Resources.maiLegs
    inve4.Text = My.Settings.mailegs
...
...
...
...

Gaining item loot from a fight and it being stored in the first open inventory slot

If My.Settings.inv2 = "" Or My.Settings.inv2 = "fvisage" Then
                                   My.Settings.inv2 = "fvisage"
                                   My.Settings.fvisage = My.Settings.fvisage + 1
                                   MsgBox("You gained: " + fgold.ToString + " gold" & vbNewLine & "You gained: " + fExp.ToString + " experience." & vbNewLine & "You gained: " + fExp.ToString + " experience." & vbNewLine & "You've also found a Flaming Visage!", vbOKOnly, "Loot")

                               ElseIf My.Settings.inv3 = "" Or My.Settings.inv3 = "fvisage" Then
                                   My.Settings.inv3 = "fvisage"
                                   My.Settings.fvisage = My.Settings.fvisage + 1
                                   MsgBox("You gained: " + fgold.ToString + " gold" & vbNewLine & "You gained: " + fExp.ToString + " experience." & vbNewLine & "You've also found a Flaming Visage!", vbOKOnly, "Loot")

                               ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = "" Or My.Settings.inv4 = "fvisage" Then
                                   My.Settings.inv4 = "fvisage"
                                   My.Settings.fvisage = My.Settings.fvisage + 1
                                   MsgBox("You gained: " + fgold.ToString + " gold" & vbNewLine & "You gained: " + fExp.ToString + " experience." & vbNewLine & "You've also found a Flaming Visage!", vbOKOnly, "Loot")

                               ElseIf My.Settings.inv5 = "" Or My.Settings.inv5 = "fvisage" Then
                                   My.Settings.inv5 = "fvisage"
                                   My.Settings.fvisage = My.Settings.fvisage + 1
                                   MsgBox("You gained: " + fgold.ToString + " gold" & vbNewLine & "You gained: " + fExp.ToString + " experience." & vbNewLine & "You've also found a Flaming Visage!", vbOKOnly, "Loot")

                               ...
                               ...
                               ...
                               ...

This is my "equip" method that occurs when clicking one of the picture boxes
it is in a switch case that switches to, in this perticular case, what is stored in my.settings.inv2

Case clothbody
                If My.Settings.clothbody - 1 = 0 Then
                    If My.Settings.body = "" Then
                        inv2.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                        My.Settings.inv2 = ""
                        inve2.Text = "-"
                        chrScreen.body.Image = My.Resources.clothBody
                        My.Settings.armor = My.Settings.armor + 30
                        My.Settings.body = "clothbody"
                        My.Settings.clothbody = My.Settings.clothbody - 1
                    ElseIf My.Settings.body = "clothbody" Then
                    Else
                        Dim x As String
                        Dim mre As String
                        x = My.Settings.body
                        mre = "my.resources." & x
                        My.Settings.body = "clothbody"
                        If My.Settings.inv2 = x Then
                            inv2.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve2.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv3 = x Then
                            inv3.Image.Tag = mre
                            inv3.Image = inv3.Image.Tag
                            inve3.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv4 = x Then
                            inv4.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve4.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv5 = x Then
                            inv5.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve5.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv6 = x Then
                            inv6.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve6.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv7 = x Then
                            inv7.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve7.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv8 = x Then
                            inv8.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve8.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv9 = x Then
                            inv9.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve9.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv10 = x Then
                            inv10.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve10.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv11 = x Then
                            inv11.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve11.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv12 = "" Then
                            inv12.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve12.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv13 = x Then
                            inv13.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve13.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv14 = x Then
                            inv14.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve14.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv15 = x Then
                            inv15.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve15.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv16 = x Then
                            inv16.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve16.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv17 = x Then
                            inv17.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve17.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv18 = x Then
                            inv18.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve18.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv19 = x Then
                            inv19.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve19.Text = "-"
                        ElseIf My.Settings.inv20 = x Then
                            inv20.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                            inve20.Text = "-"
                        End If
                        End If
                ElseIf My.Settings.clothbody = 0 Then
                        inv2.Image = My.Resources.nothng
                        My.Settings.inv2 = ""
                        inve2.Text = "-"
                Else
                        chrScreen.body.Image = My.Resources.clothBody
                        My.Settings.armor = My.Settings.armor + 30
                        My.Settings.clothbody = My.Settings.clothbody - 1
                        inve2.Text = My.Settings.clothbody
                        My.Settings.body = "clothbody"

                End If

The whole 'Elseif my.settings.inv2 = x then' thing was suppossed to be for in cases where you already have a item equipped in that slot but that seems to not work and I can't seem to grab the 'item' from the character screen and bring it back to the inventory screen without causing a problem.

Now, I know my code is very inefficient and long and probably overall unnecessary but I'm stuck and confused and have no idea what I should be doing. I tried creating a new class and making a function, that I'd be able to call on in a different form, to find the next available slot starting with inv2 (inv1 always has gold in it no matter what, even if you have 0 gold) but that didn't work cause I again didn't even know where to start.

I need to know the most efficient way of creating a inventory system and being able to equip and unequipped items, most efficient way of finding empty inventory slot and putting an item into it.

Thank you in advance and I hope you all have a great day. :)

Posted 14-Aug-12 7:58am

Magnite7

Add a Solution

1 solution

Add a Solution

Add your solution here

Treat my content as plain text, not as HTML

Preview 0

…

Existing Members

Sign in to your account

...or Join us

Download, Vote, Comment, Publish.

Your Email
Password
Forgot your password?

Your Email
This email is in use. Do you need your password?
Optional Password

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Please subscribe me to the CodeProject newsletters

When answering a question please:

Read the question carefully.
Understand that English isn't everyone's first language so be lenient of bad spelling and grammar.
If a question is poorly phrased then either ask for clarification, ignore it, or edit the question and fix the problem. Insults are not welcome.
Don't tell someone to read the manual. Chances are they have and don't get it. Provide an answer or move on to the next question.

Let's work to help developers, not make them feel stupid.

This content, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Answer 1 · 2012-08-14T08:32:00

Solution 1

Your problem is a long if-then-else block, instead of having some indexed container of data. A change to switch statement won't really help. I explain one of the right approaches in a very universal form in my article "Dynamic Method Dispatcher, No more long switch statements!". Please see:
Dynamic Method Dispatcher[^].

—SA

Posted 14-Aug-12 8:32am

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

Comments

Kenneth Haugland 14-Aug-12 14:37pm

:laugh: Shamless self promotion, but still a 5! :)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 14-Aug-12 15:12pm

It is not shameless. This article is already helped some inquirers, can help this one. This is the whole purpose of publishing articles. Thank you for voting.
--SA

Kenneth Haugland 14-Aug-12 15:19pm

I know, was kidding, sorry. Im not nearly as funny as I think :)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 14-Aug-12 15:29pm

No problem at all... :-)