Would you like to see a hunger and thirst mechanic added to the game?
Rhinjavar
Member Posts: 23
Good ev'n, gentlebeings! I pose to thee a question of the utmost roleplaying importance: when did CHARNAME last enjoy a hearty meal? This game is one of unparalleled immersion with plenty of wonderful roleplaying elements. However, one thing that always irked me was the severe food shortage afflicting the Sword Coast. I mean, you could wander into a tavern and have a drink -- but what about food? There was nothing on the menu! No bread, cheese, mutton -- nothing! Worse yet, I never knew if CHARNAME was chomping at the gills for some grub, or if he was already stuffed full of roast kobold! It was all left up to my imagination, which is great for roleplaying purposes, but I think the idea would do well as an actual part of the game.
With that in mind, I always thought it would be fun to include a hunger and thirst mechanic that impacts your abilities if not kept under control. As it already stands, you are penalized for not sleeping on a regular basis, and if you drink too much then you'll find yourself a wee bit tipsy. What then are the possibilities of taking it a step further by adding the necessity for food -- little travel rations you can put into your inventory, or proper meals that you can eat while resting at a tavern -- along with a simple, but appropriate hunger effect? If you don't eat, perhaps your total weight allowance drops to reflect fatigue, or your CON score might receive a -1 to show your low energy. Eating would of course neutralize these temporary penalties. The same would apply for drinking, which could be accomplished by carrying a waterskin. I realize that, for story purposes, the game assumes you spend time eating and drinking whenever you rest. However, I think it would be a nice touch to have such a feature separate, much like when playing tabletop "Dungeons and Dragons". It would certainly make you more wary of wandering away from town while ill-equipped!
What say you, friends?
With that in mind, I always thought it would be fun to include a hunger and thirst mechanic that impacts your abilities if not kept under control. As it already stands, you are penalized for not sleeping on a regular basis, and if you drink too much then you'll find yourself a wee bit tipsy. What then are the possibilities of taking it a step further by adding the necessity for food -- little travel rations you can put into your inventory, or proper meals that you can eat while resting at a tavern -- along with a simple, but appropriate hunger effect? If you don't eat, perhaps your total weight allowance drops to reflect fatigue, or your CON score might receive a -1 to show your low energy. Eating would of course neutralize these temporary penalties. The same would apply for drinking, which could be accomplished by carrying a waterskin. I realize that, for story purposes, the game assumes you spend time eating and drinking whenever you rest. However, I think it would be a nice touch to have such a feature separate, much like when playing tabletop "Dungeons and Dragons". It would certainly make you more wary of wandering away from town while ill-equipped!
What say you, friends?
- Would you like to see a hunger and thirst mechanic added to the game?243 votes
- Yea!19.75%
- Nay!60.91%
- Dost thou mock me? Away with you, beggar!19.34%
Post edited by JuliusBorisov on
2
Comments
So you could set it so that resting consumes one "Ration" item per party member, and that resets the Fatigue timer--and if you don't have any Rations, it doesn't reset; so if you're fatigued and you have no food, you stay fatigued.
But inventory management is already cumbersome as it is. I wouldn't want to add food to that.
Just doesn't suit the invetory sizes in bg1.
"Remember that game characters doesn't have to eat, but you DO. We do not want to lose our dedicated players".
I bet giant spider legs are yummy too!
i want to be entertained while playing the game, not do the entertaining for sprites
You could thereafter add some benefits when you feel stuffed. That could have some influence into tactical matters as well, and as Rhinajvar refers to, that it well bring us closer, to the original D&D game.
But only if it's optional.
I like the idea of being deep into a dungeon and not only worrying about running out of spells but also food and water. I can also imagine people not wanting to babysit their characters calory intake though, so optional is a good idea.
Also; I've enjoyed games where this was implemented, Fallout: New Vegas' Hardcore mode and Realms of Arcania come to mind, but those games have places where you're often stranded in the middle of nowhere. Realms of Arcania has you trekking through wilderness for days and supplies Foraging skills and Hunting Skills for your characters to gain food. New Vegas lets you cook what you kill and find food in old bombed supermarkets (200 years after nuclear war, I didn't say it made sense).
Baldur's Gate is small scaled; you're never more than a day's travel from a town. Also, there are half a dozen D&D spells that summon food, making the entire requirement obsolete and simply annoying (since anything that requires a simple click to remove isn't exactly an added challenge).
I like the mechanic, it adds realism. But Baldur's Gate is probably not the game for it.
Icewind Dale...probably better.
For real though, I like the idea of it in IWD, as Drugar suggested.