Suggestion: Pickled meal should last longer and in room temperature

[maloki]

First time poster, fairly new to the game (160 hrs in 2-3 weeks), but thought I'd start suggesting things since the game is still in development (and I always like to contribute), so my first suggestion and feedback is going to be based on food!

Pickles are supposedly preserved to last longer, and this is currently not the case in the game, or at least seemingly isn't. Like, a jar of pickles in real life can be stored in room temperature for months, even years before opening and eating. Then again, a cycle may represent a year, rather than a day. Aaanyways.

According to this wiki article (Gamepedia Wiki), it does spoil a bit slower, but needs further testing: 

Quote

Pickled Meal spoils approximately 75% slower than other food items, however, this needs further testing

So utilizing how pickles would work in real life, how could we apply it in game and improve the use of Pickles? 

Let's posit that a piece of pickle meal that is at Full Calorie Count is equal to an unopened jar of pickles in real life, it could be used in the game to long-store food when you have a surplus of meal lice, since the Pickle Meal doesn't actually GAIN any calories from being cooked, it would just become a way for us to the surplus to have food similar to the Nutrient Bars we get in the beginning in the game.

So, what happens when a jar of Pickles is opened? Generally they could degrade at same rate as everything else, and as soon as a dupe eats from it, we know others can also eat of the same item to finish it off. 
Would this be Over Powered? Possibly, but since the item doesn't gain any calories, compared to lice loaf, it doesn't have to be too OP. Or we could off-set the possible OP-ness by having it degrade faster once opened?

Other thoughts about the utility of this way of treating pickled meal: It could also be a way to provide "off-site" work food for dupes, that doesn't require a refrigerator on that site, and maybe even make the ration box useful again after early game? 
It does feel like if you end up in a situation like this, you would try to figure out a way to make food that can be stored for a long time, in case of boon in harvest, and not be reliant on day to day harvests.

 

[BlueLance]

56 minutes ago, maloki said:

First time poster, fairly new to the game (160 hrs in 2-3 weeks), but thought I'd start suggesting things since the game is still in development (and I always like to contribute), so my first suggestion and feedback is going to be based on food!

Pickles are supposedly preserved to last longer, and this is currently not the case in the game, or at least seemingly isn't. Like, a jar of pickles in real life can be stored in room temperature for months, even years before opening and eating. Then again, a cycle may represent a year, rather than a day. Aaanyways.

According to this wiki article (Gamepedia Wiki), it does spoil a bit slower, but needs further testing: 

So utilizing how pickles would work in real life, how could we apply it in game and improve the use of Pickles? 

Let's posit that a piece of pickle meal that is at Full Calorie Count is equal to an unopened jar of pickles in real life, it could be used in the game to long-store food when you have a surplus of meal lice, since the Pickle Meal doesn't actually GAIN any calories from being cooked, it would just become a way for us to the surplus to have food similar to the Nutrient Bars we get in the beginning in the game.

So, what happens when a jar of Pickles is opened? Generally they could degrade at same rate as everything else, and as soon as a dupe eats from it, we know others can also eat of the same item to finish it off. 
Would this be Over Powered? Possibly, but since the item doesn't gain any calories, compared to lice loaf, it doesn't have to be too OP. Or we could off-set the possible OP-ness by having it degrade faster once opened?

Other thoughts about the utility of this way of treating pickled meal: It could also be a way to provide "off-site" work food for dupes, that doesn't require a refrigerator on that site, and maybe even make the ration box useful again after early game? 
It does feel like if you end up in a situation like this, you would try to figure out a way to make food that can be stored for a long time, in case of boon in harvest, and not be reliant on day to day harvests.

 

I think that pickled food should act more like berry sludge in that it doesnt rot etc, but it should also have a lower food quality as it is made from early game materials.

[maloki]

Yeah, that works too. I just wanted to give a balanced suggestion. 

[Evaris]

10 hours ago, BlueLance said:

I think that pickled food should act more like berry sludge in that it doesnt rot etc, but it should also have a lower food quality as it is made from early game materials.

Well, I mean, it basically is, since it's the lowest grade as possible (-1)  And unlike berry sludge, it doesn't gain calories from cooking versus the base materials, so yeah, I would agree that it should act like berry sludge and not rot, while keeping it's other qualities it already has.  

[Lazy-Anemic]

15 hours ago, maloki said:

Like, a jar of pickles in real life can be stored in room temperature for months, even years before opening and eating. Then again, a cycle may represent a year, rather than a day.

Electric grills are bad at pickling. Hopefully they take a note from the DS Pickles mod and add a pickling jar that makes food not spoil at the cost of time or tasting rancid.

[maloki]

On 7/5/2018 at 4:53 AM, Lazy-Anemic said:

Electric grills are bad at pickling. Hopefully they take a note from the DS Pickles mod and add a pickling jar that makes food not spoil at the cost of time or tasting rancid.

Ohh.... We can make Ceramic, and that could work for pickling jars, or glass and plastic, I guess. *gets ideas*

[he77789]

Ration boxes are useful even in late game because chorline rooms or CO2 rooms.

[Alfons100]

Just make them last forever but they occupy extra space considering the Calories they yield.