Dietary Attrition - A solution to encourage dietary diversity.


Recommended Posts

Today I made a new world with one simple goal: Build a super berry base. I was fortunate enough to find a spot near rabbits with a short walk to the local Beefalo herd. Within 10 days I had 40 berry bushes and 3-7 berries sprouting each day. I built my berry patch along a cliff, and this seems to stymie the gobblers.

Synopsis: Wilson would live very comfortably for the rest of his days so long as he didn't get tired of berries.

Then it hit me: What if one day, Wilson turned to me and said, "Bro, I am so tired of berries. My poop smells like fruit."

The Problem: The ability to mass-produce a single food resource without any diminishing returns rewards passive play.

The Solution: Dietary Attrition. With my solution, characters would eventually tire of eating the exact same things over and over again. If in at least X days, Y of a given resource are consumed, Z days of attrition for that food are earned. Foods with attrition restore less hunger and health. Higher tier foods (those with the more complex recipes) are more resistant to attrition, while lower-tier foods (i.e., uncooked carrots & berries) are more susceptible to attrition.

Adding More Depth: The effects of attrition are increased depending on how many days of attrition are left for a given food. Basic foods contribute slightly to the attrition of more complex recipes that use them. At the maximum threshold of attrition, a given food loses all of its dietary value. Eating that food causes Wilson to exclaim, "I think I'm going to puke!" and then vomit, undoing the effects of foods eaten within the last M hours. Foods also grant bonuses to health and hunger for the first N items consumed after waiting an especially long period between consumptions of that food, and when first discovered.

Attrition Resistance: To balance complexity with availability, lower-tier foods penalize high-frequency consumption, while higher-tier foods penalize bulk consumption.

Effects on Current Gameplay: Players will be penalized for relying solely on the food resources provided by a single biome or small area. In order to progress in the game, players will need to spend more time exploring the world in order to incorporate new food sources into their diet. This game is called "Don't Starve", after all, and not "Fight Lots of Hell Hounds".

Effects on Future Gameplay: If Winter is being added, we'll almost certainly see other seasons, if not non-traditional seasons. For instance, Beefalo Mating Season may be the first K days after winter.

Seasons will force players to adapt their production lines. When a new season is near, players will have to stockpile food in such a way as to minimize the attrition from food they've already eaten. Players will need to adapt to new production lines available only during the next season, and adapt to their established production lines going 'out of season'.

Example: During Beefalo Mating Season, players can't rely on manure in their supply chains, as it will be much more dangerous to acquire. Instead, meat sources will be more important. With the promise of new Beefalo in the herd, players should consider adding Beefalo to their diet.

That's all I got for the moment. Let me know what you think. I'd very much appreciate any feedback that can be offered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This idea is a genius way to defeat infinite farming of the same resource. I support this. Also, it'll be funny to see the characters puke...somewhat sadistic, but it doesn't make sense that eating a ton of honey wouldn't make you eventually puke, but instead keep restoring huge amounts of health.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the idea, but I think it might be getting a little too complex. I mean, it's not just about ideas, it's also how easy/hard it'd be for them to actually implement them. Just giving each food certain "diminishing returns" depending on its complexity to get would be enough. And I'd say the most complex ones could do without any penalties at all. After all, you're already putting effort in getting those.

Also:

This game is called "Don't Starve", after all, and not "Fight Lots of Hell Hounds".

It's not called "Cooking with Wilson" either :p From simply not starving to death to having a wide assortment of food to choose from, there's a big difference. I'm just joking though, don't take it seriously xP
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Solution: Dietary Attrition. With my solution, characters would eventually tire of eating the exact same things over and over again. If in at least X days, Y of a given resource are consumed, Z days of attrition for that food are earned. Foods with attrition restore less hunger and health. Higher tier foods (those with the more complex recipes) are more resistant to attrition, while lower-tier foods (i.e., uncooked carrots & berries) are more susceptible to attrition.

He's trying to change farming the same thing! BURN HIM!

It's not called "Cooking with Wilson" either :p From simply not starving to death to having a wide assortment of food to choose from, there's a big difference. I'm just joking though, don't take it seriously xP

Nor is it called Wolfgang Grylls, either. "The sun's going down, better drink my own piss." :glee:

Edited by Toaster Fu
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the idea, but I think it might be getting a little too complex.

EXACTLY. This happens with a lot of games when fans get the option to help with making the game, which is great, but players tend to want to break way from the game's origin. Which is AWFUL!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share