Food and effects on physique

[Nomad]

Talking about physique. It could work like this: the characters physique changes depending on what the character do and eat (this will mean having a hunger system) I you eat a lot and healthy food, you gain muscle. This makes you (passiv) stronger. If you eat cakes and lots of sugar, you get fat. If you don't eat much, you get really skinny - and need less food therefore.
Some the sugar (or similar) give a short lived bonus - like a boost of engery. Eating healthy gives a longterm but passiv physical impovement. This makes customzing into "dynamic customizing".
Isn't that cool?

This leaves the question of whether or not the player should choose height and body type.

Start with an average body and only choose height. Or being able to choose both (the character has lived a life before starting adventureing) seems like the best options to me.

 

[tiny lampe]

Talking about physique. It could work like this: the characters physique changes depending on what the character do and eat (this will mean having a hunger system) I you eat a lot and healthy food, you gain muscle. This makes you (passiv) stronger. If you eat cakes and lots of sugar, you get fat. If you don't eat much, you get really skinny - and need less food therefore.
Some the sugar (or similar) give a short lived bonus - like a boost of engery. Eating healthy gives a longterm but passiv physical impovement. This makes customzing into "dynamic customizing".
Isn't that cool?

This leaves the question of whether or not the player should choose height and body type.

Start with an average body and only choose height. Or being able to choose both (the character has lived a life before starting adventureing) seems like the best options to me.

The devs were not fond of the idea of implementing primary needs such as eating, drinking and sleeping. They did say however that they were planning to make your chosen physique evolve during your adventures. I assume that as you become more proficient in skills such as heavy weaponry and armor your character will become more fit. And if at some point you start dwelving into magic and left those physical-oriented skills unattended, then you will start losing some of that fitness.

 

[Rod_Lightning]

With this being said. I'm hoping (if there hasn't been too much though put into this by the devs so far) there will be several backgrounds to choose from like in Mount and Blade: Warband. That might affect your physique and height (that gene pool from your parent's background, starting wealth, quality of clothing and whatnot.

 

[ZaratanCho]

Why choose preset backgrounds and not just make your own background, choose your own physic and story etc ?

 

[Bobob]

Ehh I don't like having to look for food all the time.

 

[Holy.Death]

It's not that kind of a game, where you have to scavenge for supplies in order to sustain yourself. I am not saying I wouldn't enjoy something like that (I do like semi-simulation elements and enjoyed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. as well as NEO Scavenger's concept), but the environment of Exanima is not accommodating for that kind of gameplay and it would somewhat detract people from more important stuff while not being that valuable.

 

[Nomad]

It's not that kind of a game, where you have to scavenge for supplies in order to sustain yourself. I am not saying I wouldn't enjoy something like that (I do like semi-simulation elements and enjoyed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. as well as NEO Scavenger's concept), but the environment of Exanima is not accommodating for that kind of gameplay and it would somewhat detract people from more important stuff while not being that valuable.

I agree that it might become annoying, it was just an idea. But food seem like a easy thing to always have a little of (from my experience playing Stalker.), and it could be a good way to heal. I know they want to be really hardcore realistic, but if you survive a wound it will heal over time. Even a deep stab or fractured bones. No need for a "magical potion". Food and bandages should be considered.

 

[Zotis]

I like their idea to avoid a hunger system because having to take care of basic needs is tedious, but I wouldn't mind if I was able to eat now and then for fun. Like go to a tavern and order some food even if it has no effect besides cosmetic appeal and interaction.

 

[Johnssonhill]

Food having an impact on gameplay is a neat idea. The first thing that comes too my mind is not making it mandatory for survival or having you micro it. I'd think it be cool too have food being the only way too heal permanent damage, but making it really slow too avoid a regen potion effect. Like having to eat a hearty meal before going too bed in order for healing too kick in. So different kinds of food gives different amount of "heal time", a carrot might let you heal for an hour of sleep and a beefie stew might give you eight hours healing you a full lifebar or whatever feels balanced. This would mke you think about when and where too sleep, "can I get a solid eight hours of sleep in this cave or am I likely going too be interrupted?" potentially wasting 3-4 hours of healtime while you find other safe place too bunk down.

 

[Zotis]

Well, realistically getting stabbed by a sword would probably take months to heal if it healed at all, and it still probably wouldn't fully heal. In WWII a Japanese soldier stabbed himself in the leg to get out of the war. It got infected, he had to get his leg amputated, and he died from the amputation because they couldn't afford to give him anesthetics.

I don't think a carrot would cut it for any amount of healing for the type of injuries you get in Exanima. A single nights sleep would give you like a single pixel wide sliver of health if any. Really to recover from a wound that takes one sixth of your health bar, you'd be bed ridden for a month and then have a limp for the rest of the game.

 

[Johnssonhill]

Well, sure! I'm not arguing about that, just thinking out of a gameplay perspective. I can't imagine the game being a 100% realistic. But you do have a point that it might be the way too go, if we are talking about Exanima. I should have clarified that I actually was thinking about Sui Generis. There it might even be a side effect of the protagonists special condition.

 

[Zotis]

I'm not advocating 100% realism, but have you noticed that realism is a considerable factor for this game?

In real life battle injuries usually mean weeks in the hospital and can result in being permanently crippled, trauma, ongoing pain, and things like that. So I think what the developers have been emphasising in the mechanics are permanent wounds. If you want to get into a fight you have to consider the long-term consequences. It basically encourages you to try methods besides fighting every enemy you encounter. Like sneaking past them, running away, or trapping them in a room.

But even in terms of the magic its low fantasy and they have their own "vision." I think they mentioned something along the lines of staying away from healing.

 

[Johnssonhill]

Fair enough. I won't argue with you. Simply throwing out ideas and thoughts.

 

[Nomad]

What I meant with the stab wound. If you survive it, its not gonna give you permantly "half-health", but maybe a scar or a weakend limb. Like many have hurt their knee and it works just find, but it can fail and gets easier overloaded.
But it's pointless to discuss that.
And potions; I don't want to see potion spamming. But since the game is so combat heavy (because it's effectivlly half the fun) I would prefer a way of healing like resting. A potion is ,IMO, the worst method.

I like the idea of having food with temporary buffs or light healing. No one said it has to be full health potions. The reason is: a hard game with tough combat needs to stay fair. It's very easier just to make a game insane hard and punishing, but balance and fairness makes it fun.

 

[Zotis]

The game isn't really that combat heavy. People just assume they have to fight every enemy they come across.

Anyway, the point is it's supposed to be hard, so what's the point of asking it to be easier?

 

[Nomad]

The point is not to make it easier like I said! And you can't do anything besides fighting and playing with doors. But I hardly thinks that counts as a gameplay mechanic.

 

[Zotis]

Alright, I'll stop arguing now.

 

[Elaxter]

Exanima is combat heavy. That's the whole premise, the whole reason why it was made. Sui Generis is completely different. Combat isn't the primary way to end an engagement.

As for the food bit: a hunger bar will become tedious and it wont fit. On the flip side, it could become too easy to get food. For example Fallout New Vegas' hardcore mode. Food is a common thing in the game.

Food that affects physique could be interesting, like in Fable, but why would I want to eat sweets and cakes if it makes me fat? There would have to be a mood system or something to make me want to eat sweets. In real life, if I eat sweets I feel happier than when I consume boring foods like bread or meat. It would just muddy the water of the game. In other words: adding depth where none is needed.

Perhaps a simple system should be implemented for depth, though. Like a "well fed" effect that is added when you eat good food, giving your character more strength or taking less damage to stamina. There should also be alcohol too. I want to step in a tavern, get hammered, and fight someone.

 

[Nomad]

but why would I want to eat sweets and cakes if it makes me fat?

If you read the orginal message I say why - to give temporary buffs.
The system will have to be simple. Or should be the primary way of healing. Im not fond of magical potions. Or magic at all for that matter, but that is something else.

And also this :Good meat isn't boring food. In fact it's much better than cakes or sweets!

 

[Elaxter]

That's basically what I said: they would have to give you a buff. And no. Food shouldn't heal you. Potions, salves, drugs, and what not should be the main healing objects. The current system in Exanima is a jar of blue goop with a charming odor. I assume it's like a salve, since there's a lot of it in the jar. It doesn't heal you right away. Healing objects should be rare and expensive, with temporary or weak healing (like bandages) being common. These shouldn't be cheesable, so you could only put a few bandages on you at a time until you remove them.

I think bandages might be the way to go for very cheap healing. They would work like the blue goop, except they would be even slower, to simulate healing.