An inventory is used in many video games including the Resident Evil series.
Leon's Inventory
Starting in the first Resident Evil, the inventory, map, files, and condition (health) of the player character were shown in the pause menu. In most Resident Evil games key items, weapons, ammunition, and healing items are placed in single boxed spaces. Additional items could be placed inside an item box or security box. In Resident Evil 0 and the Outbreak titles items can simply be dropped. In Resident Evil 4 and RE5, items can be discarded completely to make room.
Appearance
In many games, a character is given varying amounts of spaces to carry items. In RE2 and Code: Veronica, an item called the Side Pack is introduced which adds two additional spaces. This comes in handy as both of those games (as well as Zero) had items which took up two spaces such as the Hookshot, Spark Shot, Sub Machine Gun, Rocket Launcher, Gatling Gun, etc.
Certain characters often have an additional space for a personal item. This space is usually always filled and the item inside it cannot be moved or placed in the Item Box. RE3 did not have personal items while Code:Veronica and the Outbreak games did. RE4 and games beyond have seemingly discontinued this trend. REmake added another additonal space strictly for Defense Items such as Daggers, Flash Grenades, and Battery Packs.
In RE0, Billy Coen and Rebecca Chambers are only given six spaces each, allowing for twelve spaces when they are together. In Resident Evil/REmake, Chris Redfield is also only given six spaces while Jill Valentine however, is given eight. Leon S. Kennedy, Ada Wong, and Sherry Birkin are also given eight spaces in RE2. Leon can give himself ten spaces with the side pack. Claire Redfield already has ten, and can have up to twelve. Jill continues to have eight in RE3. All three of the playable U.B.C.S. members have eight spaces too. RE3 did not have weapons that took up two spaces. In Code:Veronica, Claire, again starts off with ten and can increase it to twelve. Chris now has eight and can also wear the side pack. In Battle Game, Steve Burnside and Albert Wesker have eight spaces. In the Outbreak titles, every character is given four spaces with the exception of Yoko Suzuki, who has four more because of her knapsack. Cindy Lennox is also given four additonal spaces because of her Herb Case. However, these spaces can only be used for Herbs and Mixed Herbs.
Resident Evil 4 implemented a new inventory system which was remarkably different from previous games. The player is given an Attache Case which can be upgraded by the Merchant to hold more items. The Attache case works like a grid where items can be freely placed and turned to fit. Key items and treasures are no longer kept in the inventory but are held in a seperate menu. Every item takes up a different amount of spaces on the grid. For example: Leon's Handgun takes up 2X3 spaces and can be turned to make it 3X2. Ammo, grenades, and healing items take up 1X2 spaces. Weapons take up varying amounts of spaces. Eggs take only one space. The Tactical Vest does not take up any spaces.
In The Umbrella Chronicles, the inventory system is changed to suit the fact its a rail shooter. All handguns have infinite ammo and every other weapon has its ammo regenerated after each chapter. Ammo not spent is simply accumulated. Green Herbs are used immediately after they are picked up. First Aid Sprays are held until the player runs out of health and fully revives them afterwards. The inventory system allows for almost a dozen weapons to be held. Key items are not in the game.
Outbreak and Resident Evil 5 both have inventories that function in real time. This becomes trouble in intense situations but RE5's inventory system works somewhat differently. Both Chris and Sheva (as well as the other playable characters in the game) are given nine spaces to hold items. No item takes up more than one space. Eggs and grenades now stack up to five per space. Herbs can still be combined but its limited to only a mix of two. In the Item Management menu items not currently equipped to a players inventory are kept in a would-be "item box" that can be accesed between each chapter or before restarting from a checkpoint. When weapons or items are euipped they are automatically mapped to match the control pad. In this way, the item can be "hot-keyed" without opening the inventory to select and equip it. For example placing a handgun on the top will allow the player to access it on the fly simply by pressing "up" on the control pad. Key items are no longer kept in any kind of inventory and simply appear at the top of the screen when acquired. These are shared between partners regardless of how far awy from each other they were when it was picked up. Treasures can only be viewed in the organize/item mangement screen. In this game, a Melee Vest (which halves every melee damage) and Bulletproof Vest (which halves every firearm-related damage) can be bought but takes up space in the inventory.
The inventory system in The Darkside Chronicles is somewhat different from the previous rail-shooter with elements of RE5's inventory. Weapons acquired in the game are permenantly kept in a central inventory while the players can map three of the available weapons to "hot-key" them. Whenever the player chooses, they can access the central inventory to change weapons. Like in UC, the Handgun is a constant weapon with infinite ammunition, but ammo is not always replenished after chapters are completed and it is shared between players in Co-Op play. Herbs are not used on the spot as they were in UC and can be stacked. Like the weapons the herbs are mapped to a button (in this case the "+" button on the Wii Remote) and can be used whenever the player chooses. The First Aid Sprays are the same as they were in UC; only used after one of the player characters loses all of their health.
In most, if not all, Resident Evil games, ammo only stacks to about 255 rounds per space. In this way, it's possible (mostly through a cheating device) to have a handgun in one space and over two thousand rounds in one sitting. Though this would most likely be pulled off in RE2 or RE3. RE4 and RE5 stack ammo differently depending on the type.
The Knife (combat, butcher, etc.) takes up a space in every game up until RE4, Umbrella Chronicles, RE5, and Darkside Chronicles all have the knife as an additional weapon equipped at all times that doesn't take up space.
