Storage Management 2.0: Now Live!

With the recent bumper game update, we implemented a feature request from our Community: an improved storage management system. Let’s have a closer look at it!

In August we shared a preview of the (then) forthcoming storage management with you. Now it’s part of the game.

Click the pictures for full-size view

New in CORETECHS: Storage Management

The new feature is located in your CORETECHS and consists of 3 parts: Item Management, Items in Transit, and Locker Management.

Main screen of the CORETECHS - Storage Management, with 3 picture cards for entering the according feature page: Item Management, Items in Transit, and Locker Management.

Item Management

If you want to have a closer look at all the items you’ve put into storage, on any station across the entire game world, Item Management is the service you need!

The standard view lists all items in storage. Everything your carry with you (personal inventory) is therefore excluded. The total number of all items in all your storages is displayed on the upper right side, counting single items, but also the proper number of stacked goods.

Basic sorting ensures that similar items are always shown in a group to provide a better understanding about how many similar weapons or rations you possess.

UI of the Item Management with the set of filters on the left side. No filter is activated and an arrow highlights the item counter of 1783. Most of the screen is taken by 30 item slots, filled with all kinds of short and long range weapons. Below each storage slot field is the item name, the frame color indicates the rarity.

Using Filters

Affluent characters, collectors and traders accumulate many items over time. Some of our Citizens already store a quite impressive number of goods, gear and consumables. This is where the filter function comes in handy!

So far, there are 4 filter categories to select items per (1) item type, (2) rarity, (3) tier, (4) location. You can even combine various filters at the same time.

In the example below, we only want to see weapons which are uncommon. A display showing 1,788 items previously now presents only 38 items. All active filters are exposed above the resulting storage view.

Again the Item Management UI, this time several filters are active which is highlighted by arrows. As a result, the item counter is lower now, showing only 38 items.

New Item Detail Screen

The item management is not only beneficial for getting a better overview of what you have in stock throughout the universe. You also have access to core item details. Simply click on a thumbnail in the item management screen to open the detail pop-up.

UI of the new item detail screen with a rare Light Scale Mail of tier 1, further content is the picture, the short description, it's mass in kg, item type "armor", the storage location (Tau Station), its value (354 credits), and defense values.

Sending Items

The detail screens contain an important feature: a send button! This little fellow allows you to send items between your various storages. Thus, you do not have to travel to a station in order to pick-up something you need somewhere else.

Some Citizens love having dedicated storage for particular item types, like making Nouveau Limoges in Sol system your dedicated place for armor, or having all stim packs on Cirque Centauri in the Alpha Centauri system.

As the new feature is part of your CORETECHS, some smart Citizens already figured out that resting in a safe place like the hotel room is a good choice for doing relaxed, proper item management.

A detail screen of an item with the SEND button at the top.

Hitting the send button opens a small pop-up for selecting the destination station. Check the estimated price and duration before confirming and starting the transfer.

Small UI of the "send" pop-up, showing the item name, rarity and tier, and mass. You can select the destination via pull down menu, in this case Kobenhavn is selected. The estimated costs and estimated duration are displayed below.

Keep in mind that sufficient storage space is needed, otherwise a warning message will inform you of the issue. Handling of items you do not have enough space for yet is possible, but an extra fee has to be paid.

Example for the warning message of insufficient storage space when sending items. In the send item UI a warning box is shown: Attention, Citizen! Logs indicate your locker on Paris Spatiale might not have sufficient space. Temporary excess slots are charged at 10.00 credits per slots on delivery, and are non-refundable.

Items in Transit

The second part of the Storage Management is the information panel about all Items in Transit. If no goods are currently being transported through space for you, an empty box for “no items in transit” is shown instead.

Let’s assume you’re juggling stuff right now. In this case a screen sorted by destination stations lists everything in transit. Again, various filter options are available, similar to what you know from Item Management already.

The basic sorting order of the table is first by star (distance from Sol system where you start your adventure), then station name, and delivery time.

UI of Items in Transit page. Some filter categories are collapsed, but non is selected. The main part of the screen is a table, showing 2 destination stations right now. We're sending 1 item to these 2 stations right now and the table shows an item thumbnail, its name, where it was sent from and the arrival time.

Locker Management

Finally, the third feature of our presentation is Locker Management. You already read about the potential problem of not having enough space for sending items from one station to another. This UI is a comfy place to resolve such issues!

The overview shows all stations, grouped by system, informing you about storage ownership and its current usage, with the options to either open a new locker or extend it.

Again, multiple filter options help to condense the information. The 3 filter groups are ownership, size and location (grouped by system).

Full screen page of the Locker Management page. Filter option on the left while the main part is a table, sorted by system, listing all stations per system. The summary reelects if you have any and if so which size of storage you own, how many slots are used in format like 10/50. Optional buttons per station offer to buy (start) or extend the local locker.

The buttons to start or extend storage space open a pop-up where you can acquire what you need.

UI of the pop-up when extending storage space. In this case small storage is taken, with 0% being used. 2 further acquisition options are available, here on Kobenhavn, ,medium storage with 150 slot for 190 credits, and large storage with 500 slots for 474 credits.

Side Note: the credits needed for the acquisition of storage space, will always be taken from your (safe) bank account.

Snippet of a bank credit log that shows various entries about "bought storage"

We hope you all like the new features. The Tau Station team wishes you many happy segments of item juggling!