Independend or default items

[BurningOrca]

I am unsure whether I should use the default items or go with independ items.
In my first version I went with default items.
They are way easier to handle and thus developing the game takes less time, because almost no thought has to be put into item handling.
On the other side independend items offer so much depth at the cost of more developing time. You can build even more around them then Yanfly has ever thought about. Yanfly has even excluded them from some of their use cases, like e.g. crafting.

And while there is a plugin that uses them in crafting processes:

YR Plugins

Well...I like to dabble with programming. As in, I am making a computer science course in university, and programming is my favorite part. So, while I thank everyone I used their plugins\scripts, I sometimes try to make my own plugins when I can't find one that fits my tastes. And...

forums.rpgmakerweb.com

They are just there. They don't offer anything normal items don't offer aswell.
I played a lot of Atelier games lately and there it matters which material you pick. All have traits which can be taken over to the crafted item depending on it's type. All have a quality that determines the quality of the crafted item and the better the quality the better the effect.

Maybe this series or especially crafting is a bad example, but I have one more example where Yanfly excluded the functionality: Shops.
Shops offering independ items are able to offer the same item with different prices, effects, stats, traits, etc. without the need to
create the item multiple times in the database, taking up slots. They can have better versions of the items which they normally sell as a limited offer. Also they naturally need to have limited stock. On the other hand you can easily manipulate and reset them until they offer the best version of the item for you to buy.
You can also make items have a level, that can be grinded like in the Disgaea Series.
I only came up with ideas from series I've played, but I believe the amount of creativity that can be put into independend items is sheer endless.
I am currently still thinking to go with default items, but if I use independend ones I probably will write something myself and not use Yanfly.

What would you prefer, default or independend items?
What kind of items do you use in your games?

P.S.: I hope this is the correct forum to post this

 

[ShadowDragon]

Im not in need of independend items in this game.
but for a big adventure and level, independend item/armor/weapon can be nice.
which reminds me of Diablo which has the same shield, but 3 different stats, and when you level the map
and returned, it has different stats (also level based) so you can buy a lvl 22 shield when your lv 18
and wear it once you reach it or wait till a better armor is given.

But if I should choose between default or independend, I choose Independend because more possibilities.

 

[Milennin]

Due to the clunky nature of the menus of RPG Maker, I prefer to keep menu time to a minimum, so static equipment work better for me. In a game like Diablo, it's easy to open the inventory at any time, compare stats and effects at a quick glance and put on new items, because the interface is built around the feature and making it as little of a hassle as possible.
For an RPG Maker game that requires a lot of equipment checking, I'd like to see the game to overhaul the default menus to make things more convenient.

 

[Cezar_cr]

Due to the clunky nature of the menus of RPG Maker, I prefer to keep menu time to a minimum, so static equipment work better for me. In a game like Diablo, it's easy to open the inventory at any time, compare stats and effects at a quick glance and put on new items, because the interface is built around the feature and making it as little of a hassle as possible.
For an RPG Maker game that requires a lot of equipment checking, I'd like to see the game to overhaul the default menus to make things more convenient.

I agree the menu is painful, even worse when you play mobile versions.
On the other hand, default items keep the world "static". This isn't a problem, though. As far as I can recall from playing SNES rpgs, most of them had default items. So when I heard about independent items it struck me as something great. Sth that turns the gameworld a bit more real.

About grinding and exploiting the shops... well, making strong items only possible through crafting and quests is how I manage. I only offer standard equipment through shops. Also for crafting, items being difficult to make to perfection, relying on a skill (like Skyrim) would be a way to avoid exploitation by the player?

 

[Aesica]

Personally, I prefer static items, but I'm biased. Perhaps my time in MMOs has taught me to utterly despite inventory management and bloat, and that's all "[Uncommon Flaming Master Spear +5 of the Monkey]" is going to be. Maybe it's an upgrade, but in a world full of dynamically-generated items like that, more often that not it's going to be crap that I then have to sell, discard, or just hold onto until my inventory gets full. That's another thing, with items like that (which probably aren't going to stack neatly) you have to limit the player's inventory. Huge no thanks there.

I want my players to spend time playing the game, experiencing the story and battles, not spending hours flipping through menus to craft, socket, upgrade, enchant, etc their gear, or to compare stats and sell off the chaff cluttering up their bags from the last dungeon.

 

[CraneSoft]

I also prefer static items, as I would want to spend minimal time in menus and not having to rely on RNG to drop "items of varying quality" and THEN having to repeatedly micromanage 100 copies of the same stuff (even when disregarding item inventory limits, if any at all), not only it is an extremely tedious and time-consuming process, it also does not really add anything to gameplay most of the time. Personally I allow my (static) equipment to be upgraded (manually) as they are all one-of-a-kind, but only for a limited amount of times and the stats will remain static regardless.

Now for games where you spend more than half of your playtime crafting like the Atelier games, it is understandable as the whole game revolves around crafting (independent) gear and customization to progress, but for any other type of single-player RPG, it only adds an extra layer of management work on top of the regular grinding that can only hinder the player from experiencing the rest of the game.

 

[TheoAllen]

As a player, I'm fine either way, I can adapt both static and dynamic item. There is no real preference. The only preference I would choose is if it does not fit with the game theme or overall mechanic. If the game revolves around crafting and discovery (plus a randomly generated world), I would expect randomly "generated" items. If it is just a generic linear JRPG, no, and I would probably prefer the static item.

As a developer, I prefer static items. It is easier to balance. I grew up playing a game that barely has an item, equipment, and all you do is just actually play the game. Namely, an action game, strategy games, and some platformers. Things like RPG were new for me and I sort of discovered the genre late.

For RPG Maker, I prefer a static item. Turn-based battle (and menu-based battle) can have a benefit for static items. It is less to think which is more efficient and it's more straightforward without extra management.

 

[BurningOrca]

Thank you all for feedback. I guess I'll stick to static items.
They are really easier to handle and require less development time.
I also don't know what I should do with all the options independent items (thank you for correcting my spelling mistake) could offer.