Vitamin deficiency

[Suomiboi]

I've been thinking about this for a while and I've been devided about it myself for quite some time, but I do think this requires a thought.

 

Basically we now have a hunger and thirst, but no way of stopping people from eating chips for the rest of the apocalypse, even though everyone knows that you can't do that. I remember RJ saying something about increasing boredom if you eat the same ingredient a long time in a row, but I don't think it really solves it fully.

 

What I'm suggesting is that there'd be added a single item, either named nutritions or vitamins, that'd simulate all of the main nutrients and vitamins that a body needs. For simplicitys sake I'd keep it at a single thing rather than devide it to different vitamins, nutrients, proteins etc.

 

When you get deprived the symptoms are quite easy to simulate with mechanics of which many are already in and some could be added with not that much of an effort. Here are some of the the main symptoms of vitamin, iron and other general nutrient deficiency and there represantation in game:

• Fatigue (already implemented)
• Shortness of breath (fatigue simulates this well enough)
• Dizziness (when fainting from loss of sleep comes, this feature could go along nicely)
• Pale or yellowish skin (not necessary but could help you realize what's going on if there wasn't a separate moodle)
• Irregular heartbeats (fatigue and dizziness represents this quite well and we already have the heartbeat sounds)
• Weight loss (loss of strenght and faster fatigue already implemented and eating non nutritious foods wouldn't reduce hunger anymore)
• Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet (not needed to simulate)
• Muscle weakness (implemented, strength)
• Personality changes (there are traits for this and it's planned)
• Unsteady movements (not necessary or could take more time in all actions)
• Mental confusion or forgetfulness (probably the hardest to implement, but could go with personality changes)
• Lower immunity against disease (could quite easily be implemented as a grown chance to get sick, similar to rain. And no let's not go to "rain doesn't get you sick" There are topics about that.)
• Insomnia (if sleeping gets overhauled at some point this could be added. It can be added without it too, but it would work as a buff rather than a debuff and it'd sort of defeat its purpose)
• Hypersomnia (easy to implement, just get tired faster)

Now that list seems quite dreadful, but these symptoms would be easily avoided without micromanagement if you just eat good food and/or vitamins, which are already in. The symptoms take about a month to kick in so you'll have plenty of time to counter them.

 

The ingame representation could either be left to the player to figure out, be a separate moodle or simulated with the yellowish character skin. (Could you maybe just get away with adding a yellow filter on the textures?)

 

If we'd go a step further, you could use the system that RJ talked about to reduce the amount of vitamin buff you get from a single food item if you only eat that ie. simulating rabbit starvation and the likes.

 

TL;DR: If you don't eat good food or vitamins for a month or so, you start to get weaker and ultimately pass out and maybe even starve to death if you go for long enough.

 

Here's the RJ's post I'm referring to.

[EnigmaGrey]

I really do want to see a mildly complex system for nutrition, as well.

[jeffstaples1982]

In my opinion Id rather keep this a zombie game then a health simulator, I dont want to deal with zombie migration and barricading my fort while counting calories and making sure Im getting enough iron in my diet lol

[King jjwpenguin]

I agree with Jeff. I wouldn't mind seeing there be positives if you have all of the right nutrition but after you go through a whole town and the power goes out. Vitamins wont cut it and most food will go bad. It then becomes a fight for survival not even counting the zombies. You will have to go through a horde just to get some pills that would last you a week at most!

[Suomiboi]

In my opinion Id rather keep this a zombie game then a health simulator, I dont want to deal with zombie migration and barricading my fort while counting calories and making sure Im getting enough iron in my diet lol

I never did however suggest needing to count calories or making sure you have enough iron... Please don't skew my words.

 

What I suggested is that there'd be a single figure, simulating nutritions and vitamins, not calories. Calories are already in game and you don't have to count them, just as you wouldn't have to count vitamins. And I agree that a full nutrition system would be too micromanagement for vanilla, I say that in my post, but I'd love it as a mod.

 

This would just be once a month thing to keep notice of, and stop you from eating chips for the rest of your life. You don't have to take care of anything more than that you eat somewhere close to properly. This would be anything from tomatoes to apples to beef. Anything fresh or otherwise nutritious. Personally I think it's an essential part of survival to know to eat something more than chips, chocolate and TV dinners...

 

I agree with Jeff. I wouldn't mind seeing there be positives if you have all of the right nutrition but after you go through a whole town and the power goes out. Vitamins wont cut it and most food will go bad. It then becomes a fight for survival not even counting the zombies. You will have to go through a horde just to get some pills that would last you a week at most!

 

I'm also not suggesting that you have to take a vitamin pill every day, I'm not really sure where you got that, but if you eat only shit take 1-3 pills and you'll go on without anything for the next month. It's also nothing that you couldn't counter easily. Just find a good day's meal and you'll be set again. I think in a regular playthrough If you survive for 3 months for example it'd be quite hard to get this. There's so much perishables that'll last up to a month that you'll be fine for the first 2. And by then you should've found at least a single vitamin bottle anyway, and there's 10 pills each...

 

And also I do think this game needs to be a fight for survival, even without the zombies.

[Bennytheowl]

I'm pretty sure malnutrition is already in the "Yes" section of the common suggestions thread.

[Dragonbahn]

This maybe fits in the health overhaul of build 30!

[King jjwpenguin]

I am just saying i don't want it to be the main focus of the game or a top priority.

[Suomiboi]

I am just saying i don't want it to be the main focus of the game or a top priority.

Yes, I fully agree.