We're jumping in pretty deep but as this is something I am currently working on I felt now would be a good time to share my progress.
Inventory and looting systems vary widely in this genre and I wanted to make sure i picked something that would be fit for purpose from the ground up instead of adopting something "just cus" or even worse, because a bough asset did it that way.
We have the basic unit inventory slots that all combatants will have. Those are a head armour slot, a chest armour slot, a legs armour slot, a primary weapon, a secondary weapon and a variable amount of utility items (more on that coming soon!) that will be determined by various perks and equipment bonuses. All pretty standard stuff.
We then have our "inventory". This is the units none essential carry items. A core part of this game is bringing back vital supplies to camp to making sure your squad can carry their looted good is important. We also want to ensure we don't give them too much carry space otherwise the mechanic will become too lenient. I settled on 6 slots and 2 item per slot, no matter the size.
You may be saying, but a crate of food supplied weighs way more than a key! And you would be right! That's why I also added weight to the mix. When a units maximum weight capacity is exceeded they become over encumbered. Over by a gram? the effects are noticeable but manageable. over by 20 kilos? Your unit is going to be moving slowly.
The next question is about lootable containers. Naturally I wanted to out "chests" out in the world but I also wanted to reward players for taking down enemies. With that i created dropped loot and in order to help inventory management to move smoothly I created a transfer inventory system so units that are close by can share items freely.
Of course weapon visuals and animations update with the swapping of weapons to go along side this inventory management system.
As the system continues to evolve, we will see much more exciting developments. For now its just... Focus on the fundamentals!