Player Hoarding

1. The Universal Problem

Every player has finished a game with a thousand heal potions, an unused Scroll of Doom saved for "just the right moment," or a heal-entire-party spell that never got cast because the situation was never desperate enough. Everybody hoards. Tim admits he hoards in every game he's ever played. Some people even wish they didn't hoard but can't stop — it's compulsive.

The question isn't how to stop hoarding. It's how to use game design to encourage players not to feel the need.

2. Item Hoarding Solutions

2.1. Weapon Degradation

Breath of the Wild solved item hoarding by making weapons decay with use and eventually break. This forced players to cycle through weapons constantly — you were glad to find new ones because your current ones were wearing out. There was no precious sword to save forever.

2.2. Encumbrance

Most of Tim's games use encumbrance, and there's a good reason: it forces players to make choices about what to keep. Without it, the problem just shifts — players accumulate massive inventories and then complain they can't find anything. Adding inventory tabs helps but inevitably one tab fills up and they're back to complaining. Encumbrance, unpopular as it is, genuinely helps.

2.3. Rechargeable Charges Instead of Consumables

Instead of stockpiling heal potions, give the player a magic flask with five charges that refills at fountains placed at regular intervals. Players stop hoarding because they know they can always refill. The designer controls pacing by placing fountains strategically — available between encounters, but not mid-boss-fight (gates or arenas can prevent leaving).

This also makes encounter design easier: the designer knows exactly how many charges the player can have, rather than guessing whether they've stockpiled 3 or 300 potions.

2.4. Rest-Based Refills as Resource Sinks

The flask could also refill when the player sleeps — but sleeping costs time and money (renting a room, using camping supplies). This creates a natural tension: "I still have a couple charges left, I'll keep going rather than spend the time and gold to rest." The player uses their resources because the alternative has its own cost.

2.5. Junk Bags and Auto-Sell

Found items can go into a special junk bag that doesn't count against encumbrance and auto-sells when you reach town. Junk items become effectively "found money" — no inventory management needed.

2.6. The Stash (Pillars of Eternity)

In Pillars, the stash let players throw items in without worrying about them. You could only pull out the last thing you put in, so it wasn't a usable inventory — just a safety net. When you reached town, you could review and sell. This satisfied the "leave nothing behind" instinct without cluttering active gameplay.

3. Skill and Ability Hoarding Solutions

3.1. Build-Up Mechanics

Design free, low-cost abilities that build toward powerful finishers. Example: monks in Pillars take damage, accumulate wounds, then spend those wounds to power big attacks. The player wants to use the big ability as soon as it's ready so they can start building the next one. No hoarding — using it is the optimal play.

3.2. Mana With Renewable Potions

Spells cost mana instead of being individually limited. Mana potions work like the heal flask — limited charges, refillable. Players don't feel they must conserve every spell because mana can be renewed (to a capped limit the designer can plan around).

3.3. Tiered Refresh Rates (Pillars of Eternity)

Tim particularly liked Pillars' refresh system with three tiers:

• Per-encounter abilities — cool down and recharge during combat. Players use these freely, often finishing off the last enemy with a big spell because "why not, it'll be back."
• Per-rest abilities — refresh when you sleep. Since sleeping costs time and money, you're encouraged to use them before resting anyway.
• Per-combat cooldowns — use, wait, use again within the same fight.

This layered system gave designers predictability while giving players freedom.

4. The Core Design Philosophy

Tim's central message — and what he calls "the moral of this entire talk" — is a mindset shift:

Don't design against behaviors. Design for the behaviors you want.

Many designers instinctively try to thwart players: "They're hoarding — how do I stop them?" But that adversarial approach shows in the game and feels punishing. Instead, ask: "Why aren't they using these things? How can I make using them feel good and safe?"

If you want players to use abilities, give them a reason it's in their best interest. Make the mechanics naturally reward usage:

• Renewable resources remove the fear of permanent loss
• Build-up systems make spending abilities the path to getting them back
• Time and money costs on resting encourage using what you have before resetting
• Capped charges let designers balance encounters around known limits

Tim draws a parallel to designing for evil players: you let them be evil, but the game world reacts naturally. You don't block the choice — you make consequences clear so the player plays informed.

4.1. The Win-Win

When done right, players use their items and abilities, feel good about it, know they'll get to use them again, and don't feel railroaded. The designer gets predictable resource usage for encounter balancing. Everyone wins.

As Tim notes with a smile: some people just love filling their Skyrim homes with cheese wheels, and that's fine too — more power to them.

5. References

• Tim Cain. YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESVby0UG-Ao