Backpack priority useage.

[bk3000]

I find it annoying often that I am looting something - or transferring something between my characters - I prefer to transfer with a right click onto the item(unless it is a large stack). It seems obvious that I tend to want a character wearing a backpack to do the looting, right? But when you right click, the destination priority is odd.

Currently it is -
1. Equipment slot - that I agree with. Sending over an armor piece to someone who doesn't have it seems alright to me. Can be annoying with slender weapons though wanting to fit into occupied weapons slots, but that's a slightly different issue.
2. The character's inventory area.
3. Backpack - ONLY when the character's inventory area cannot hold the item.

I think it should be
1. Equipment slot.
2. Backpack.
3. Character inventory area.

This has annoying me over and over for a long time. Why would I possibly prefer things to go into the regular inventory area when I have a backpack? The single scenario I can think of is first aid kits/splints - because you can't currently use them from backpacks - another separate issue. There is NO OTHER scenario where one would not prefer things to default to a backpack.

Also note this isn't limited to right-click scenarios. AI actions do this all the time per the current destination priority. When they pick up building supplies, they put them in their inventory area(and don't seem to grab enough). The backpack could hold more AND provide weight reduction so they can move the materials faster and make less trips. They could put things they are producing in the backpack first (currently they don't unless it can't fit otherwise). When people grab food, they stick it in their regular inventory. If they stuck it in a backpack instead, then that would be less hassle the moment I wanted to send a squad out for a bit (as they can share food from a backpack when not near a food container).

[Col_Jessep]

Agreed. By default I always want items to go into the backpack before inventory. The only items I try to keep in the character inventory are medical supplies and, rarely, specific food items.

If you could switch it it would be great! =3

[GameProfessor]

I've got to agree too. It's one of the few things that feels blatantly unintuitive when managing the inventories. If not for everything, trade goods and materials should be sent to backpacks as a priority.

[Sol Lignum]

As i'm thinking of ot, it appeares rather logical to me. Now, i'm speculating, but this kind of makes sense.

It is possible that the game logic is built that way to reduce the amount of unnecessary calculations. See, since backpacks are detachable, and might not always be presented, the only thing that characters are always guaranteed to have would be their equipment slots and inventory. They might be occupied, but they're always there, no matter what.

That way the game doesn't have to struggle, checking for a backpack that might not even be there.

[bk3000]

As i'm thinking of ot, it appeares rather logical to me. Now, i'm speculating, but this kind of makes sense.

It is possible that the game logic is built that way to reduce the amount of unnecessary calculations. See, since backpacks are detachable, and might not always be presented, the only thing that characters are always guaranteed to have would be their equipment slots and inventory. They might be occupied, but they're always there, no matter what.

That way the game doesn't have to struggle, checking for a backpack that might not even be there.

I do some programming myself and I don't think it would amount to much. I don't think it would have hardly any performance impact. Much the same code but checked in a different order.

[Sol Lignum]

(...) I don't think it would amount to much. (...)

Agree, it might not be the heaviest of loads, but it's still an input with potentially inefficient output.