Minecraft Inventory Evaluation

Minecraft Inventory Evaluation

Minecraft uses a utility belt inventory which means that the game world continues to run whilst your inventory is open.


The controls can be changed in minecraft, meaning that the inventory can be opened up using the settings that the player finds most comfortable, but when the player first spawns in a new world the control button for the inventory is set to 'E'. Once the player has access to his/her inventory, they can search though their items by using the mouse cursor. To use items the player must click and drag to select an item to a hotbar sectioned off from their inventory. They can store up to nine items in this hotbar and can switch to different items by rolling the mouse wheel or pressing a number on the key board that the item coresponds with, for example if I wanted to select the torches (the items on the far right of the hotbar) I would press 8. The user can also craft minor items in the crafting grid on the right from their avatar, such as torches, crafting tables, wooden planks etc. If the player has a piece of armor in their inventory, they have the ability to equip that piece by dragging it to the correct slot next to their avatar. (e.g if you have a helmet you drag it to the top square).

The player only has thirty six slots in their inventory (including the hotbar). However if the player fills all the slots they do not become overencumbered but crafting and mining becomes obsolete. The player can stack items however, most items stack up to sixty four, however snowball buckets and enderpearls can only stack up to sixteen, also tools, clocks and compasses cannot be stacked. The player can split a stack in half by right clicking an item and you can organize your craft items by holding 'left shift' and right clicking. A handy feature includes the ability to auto store items whilst you have a chest open, this is done by holding 'left shift' and left clicking an item in your inventory, the item will automatically be sent to a slot that is free in your chest, and vise versa if you want to automatically assign an item from your chest into a empty slot in your inventory.

I think that the inventory can be frustrating sometimes.Especially if I am being chased by a creeper and I don't have anything to defend myself with in my hotbar. But I can understand why the developers made it this way, it helps the player improve in preparing themselves. You can't blame the developers because it's your fault you got killed.