Room Inventory

In 2023, there were two problems plaguing the Econ team at Rec Room.

1. The flow to use user-created “In Room Consumables” was too long. It took up to five taps through an obscure menu path to activate this key element of the UGC economy.

2. Game design was beginning to be limited by the inability to add bespoke controls inside of player created Rooms.

As it turned out, there was a single solution to both. The Room Inventory system not only allowed players to increase the value and utility of Room Consumables by simplifying their activation to a single button press— it also unlocked the ability to add Room-specific functions in a format that inherently worked across every supported platform.

For the Room Inventory and Quick Slot systems, I handled both the system and interface design.

Room Inventory Main Screen

The core of the Room Inventory system are Items. Items have names, icons, and amounts. They can also be connected to functions, and those functions can even be set up to add or deduct Item amounts. The result is a powerful system that allows almost any kind of object to be modeled by creators:

• Items with no function can operate like currencies or keys- checked and deducted by systems inside the room.

• Deduct the total amount of an Item by 1 when it’s used, and you have a Consumable.

• Don’t deduct the amount, and you now have a permanent ability.

Quick slots

Alongside the Room Inventory were Quick Slots. Inventory Items can be equipped to Quick Slots, which can then be tapped by players directly from the HUD (or, in VR, from an under-the-wrist menu) to activate the Item’s function.

Creators have used this system to ingenious ends. Because the content of the Quick Slot buttons can be controlled by player code, Quick Slots functionality can be set as a creator needs. From equipping weapons to casting fireballs, sending emotes to simple logic puzzles, creators have used Room Inventory and Quick Slots to incredible ends.

Room Offers

The Offer system was designed by a teammate; I still handled the interface design.

The last component of this system was Room Offers, which allow creators to sell Room Items in custom bundles. Offers also could be controlled by creator code, allowing for special behaviors, like one-time-only purchases or Offers that only appeared after players hit certain requirements.