My thoughts on water

[Arrkhal]

I know this is a popular one, so I'm going to try and keep things reasonably unique and realistically implementable.

For one thing, I think a thirst meter would make the game too micromanage-y and less fun. I'd be perfectly happy with water (and other beverages, hopefully) interacting with the existing hunger, health, and (eventually) sanity meters.

Requiring watering would probably be a good way to make berry farming less OP, but that's been suggested.

Beverages could be unique from food by making them have a variable effect, depending on how hungry/injured/insane you are. I.e., if your hunger meter is very low, you're probably closer to dehydration than starvation, so water has a greater effect (but it shouldn't be possible to survive on water alone, obviously; maybe water increases health more when very hungry, but doesn't help with hunger at all). Booze could decrease your sanity if it's already high, but increase sanity if it's low (and of course would also have a stronger effect on an empty stomach).

It might also be a good idea to make it impossible to consume endless amounts of food; i.e., eating 40 berries on a full stomach in order to restore health (another way of nerfing berry farming, perhaps). But beverages could be drunk on a full stomach (healing potions, anyone?). There's always room for beer!

Both of the above would be an interesting contrast. Beverages would be most useful when your hunger meter is very high or very low, not in the middle.

Finally, you can't forget hygiene as a use for water! Bathing would use up a huge amount of water and require you to build a bathtub, but would restore a modest amount of health and huge amount of sanity. Maybe a washcloth would allow you to wash your hands and face for a quick, small sanity boost at a low water cost. Laundering that Dapper Vest could restore or temporarily increase its sanity-preserving effect.

Random non-water idea: I think it'd be funny to be able to craft a teddy bear to help with your sanity meter. Put it in the weapon/tool slot and cling to Teddy for moral support while running away from monsters!

[mobius187]

I know this is a popular one, so I'm going to try and keep things reasonably unique and realistically implementable.

Well I certainly don't mind re-discussing a popular suggestion, especially when you have new ideas for it.

For one thing, I think a thirst meter would make the game too micromanage-y and less fun. I'd be perfectly happy with water (and other beverages, hopefully) interacting with the existing hunger, health, and (eventually) sanity meters.

Ah, the Thirst meter. You hit the nail on the head. I too came to this somewhat disappointing conclusion as well. While I enjoyed the idea of a Thirst meter and all it represented, the fact remained that we don't want to turn the game into a Sims clone, where you end up managing needs all day long. Although I keep wondering about poop... Sims was the only game to address that concern.

But yes, Thirst can be absorbed into the Hunger meter and we should be allowed to create drinks that simply work to saitiate hunger. Not to mention tea should restore sanity! Nothing is more civilized than a good cup of tea!

Requiring watering would probably be a good way to make berry farming less OP, but that's been suggested.

True, but I like it. Right now manure is the only other option that works, but maybe if a bucket and water-gathering were added it could be used on various aspects of the game, including berry bushes.

Beverages could be unique from food by making them have a variable effect, depending on how hungry/injured/insane you are. I.e., if your hunger meter is very low, you're probably closer to dehydration than starvation, so water has a greater effect (but it shouldn't be possible to survive on water alone, obviously; maybe water increases health more when very hungry, but doesn't help with hunger at all).

What you said, drinking water should restore Health, but only a little Hunger. My assumption is that there will be places where a player could drink their fill of water.

Booze could decrease your sanity if it's already high, but increase sanity if it's low (and of course would also have a stronger effect on an empty stomach).

Sure, why not? No blur effect on the screen if you get drunk?

It might also be a good idea to make it impossible to consume endless amounts of food; i.e., eating 40 berries on a full stomach in order to restore health (another way of nerfing berry farming, perhaps).

Agreed. Then players may choose more carefully what they consume when badly injured instead of eating tons of berries.

But beverages could be drunk on a full stomach (healing potions, anyone?). There's always room for beer!

Science disagrees with you.

And potions!?! No comment.

Finally, you can't forget hygiene as a use for water! Bathing would use up a huge amount of water and require you to build a bathtub, but would restore a modest amount of health and huge amount of sanity. Maybe a washcloth would allow you to wash your hands and face for a quick, small sanity boost at a low water cost. Laundering that Dapper Vest could restore or temporarily increase its sanity-preserving effect.

Not really sure about this...

Random non-water idea: I think it'd be funny to be able to craft a teddy bear to help with your sanity meter. Put it in the weapon/tool slot and cling to Teddy for moral support while running away from monsters!

That's what the Lying Robot is for... he keeps you reassured with his sweet, sweet lies.

[Arrkhal]

True, but I like it. Right now manure is the only other option that works, but maybe if a bucket and water-gathering were added it could be used on various aspects of the game, including berry bushes.

It could even require both, at least for very large, long-term farming operations. I'd say that even nerfs that rely on making farming less fun and more grindy are justifiable, to a certain degree. Real farming isn't that much fun, at least not to most people.

As long as other food-gathering options are accessible (not necessarily "easy" of course) enough that no one feels obligated to farm, it might work. You get the option of labor-intensive and boring berry farm maintenance, or more entertaining but riskier ways of getting food.

Sure, why not? No blur effect on the screen if you get drunk?

I dunno, pretty much every game ever does that. It would be a lot funnier to get to watch your character's drunken antics, but that would require a ton of new art, so that's not very likely to happen.

Science disagrees with you.

Doesn't have to be 100% scientific, mainly just as a gameplay mechanic with a very very loose basis in reality.

And potions!?! No comment.

Well, something that fits the theme of the game better, of course, like a vitamin tonic or something. I guess honey already fits the "restores a good bit of health and barely fills the stomach at all" criteria though.

Not really sure about this...

Aw. Hygiene is underrated. It does sort of fit with the theme of being more dapper/attractive helping your sanity, though. Hm, maybe perfume/cologne made from alcohol and flower petals?

That's what the Lying Robot is for... he keeps you reassured with his sweet, sweet lies.

But he's cold and metal and not very snuggly at all.

[Arcadias]

But he's cold and metal and not very snuggly at all.

Doesn't mean he can't have love too!

[corence]

Blur effects for drunkenness are... not great. View distortions are gleeful and rather great.

Yoshi's island has the best drunkenness thus far in videogame history.

Nethack's hallucination can also be fun... imagine going into a field of jackalopes and instead of jackalopes, you see two beefalo and a tallbird hanging around the holes.

But the real win would be all the new comments that the player characters would make while drunk.

[Palpetinus]

Water. We need water. Now. Or as Soon as possible.

I wanna make soup. All sorts of soup, rabbit, bird, berry (how would that taste...), frog, eggplant and many more soups.

[Ickorus]

Blur effects for drunkenness are... not great. View distortions are gleeful and rather great.

Yoshi's island has the best drunkenness thus far in videogame history.

Nethack's hallucination can also be fun... imagine going into a field of jackalopes and instead of jackalopes, you see two beefalo and a tallbird hanging around the holes.

But the real win would be all the new comments that the player characters would make while drunk.

I think Guild Wars wins drunken screen effects for me:

OT: I think a good way of implementing water would be to have eating have less of an affect on your hunger if you don't drink so for instance if you eat 20 of X food by the time you reach 20 it's only fills you up half as much as it normally would but if you drink some water it becomes just as effective as normal again, this means you need water to survive* but it doesn't require micro-management like a water meter would and doesn't cause any major imbalances by not directly affecting your hunger meter.

Just a thought.

* Well, you could survive without it but it'd be a heck of a lot harder, let's say efficacy decreases by a maximum of 75% so players could theoretically play the game hardmode by never drinking; could even make it an achievement.

Edited December 12, 2012 by Ickorus

[Lukas]

Need to have to water your crops.

Like, every half-day, they get dry.

That'll make farming harder.