Players are unhappy as Book of Travels shifts inventory management to a volume system

In the compact multiplayer online game known as Book of Travels, players will inevitably end up packing their bags full of items. Thanks to a strategic inventory redesign carried out a month ago, managing these items has ideally become a bit easier.

Might and Delight, the creators of the game, explain that “The new inventory system revolves around volume, with limited volume capacity in inventories. This results in an updated gameplay in which backpacks and pockets play a bigger role and trading items involves more strategy.”

Under this new volume-based system, item volumes vary and players must account for this. Inventory upgrades increase volume capacity rather than adding extra item slots, reagents now become inventory items that can be placed anywhere and certain inventory-specific traits have been altered. There’s also an overflow inventory for temporary storage of items that don’t fit in a backpack which players have to manage before closing the backpack view.

From the player feedback so far, it appears the volume system isn’t well received, with concerns raised about it inhibiting item gathering and potential loss of hoarded items. It has also caused some backlash on steam and sparked ongoing discussions about changes in volume on Discord.

Other updates to the game include the addition of a letter opener item, storyline expansion for the postmaster quest line, new events for Secret Society of Herbalists quest, bug fixes and a 30-day extension for excess inventory management.

No official date for BOT‘s exit from early access has been set, despite it being under development for nearly three years now. As readers may remember, the original forecast for the game’s early access phase, referred to as its Chapter Zero build, was two years. However, development has faced setbacks including the laying off of staff and temporary halt in content development to resolve issues. Subsequently, the studio brought the team back and just recently revamped its combat system.