Foraging Skill Suggestions

[Svarog]

I have a few ideas on improving the foraging skill and giving it some feel of progression.

1: First off we need more stuff that can be found, more types of berries (as in, replace the generic ones with actual ones) and more types of mushrooms including a bunch of poisonous ones. Also, adding some herbs might be a very good idea.

2: Introduce a submenu that allows selecting what you're looking for like this.
Foraging>
 >Food (Berries, Mushrooms, Bugs, Eggs)
 >Materials (Rocks, Sticks, Logs)
 >Herbs
 >All
As character progresses in the skill more specific options become avaible with better chances of succes.


Possibilities with skill levels:

1-2: Finding materials, berries, mushrooms and bugs where all but the bugs stack into one pile (As it is)

2-3: Find more stuff, ability to identify certain berries and mushrooms (Right Click berry\mushrooms stack > Identify) this would change names of berries to Blue Berry etc. and separate the stacks.

3-4: Ability to search for specific types of foods\materials with a chance of finding more than usual (or fail completely). Identifying is faster as the skill progresses. Ability to identify some poisonous foods and to find herbs.

5-6: All picked up items are auto-identified, except for herbs, ability to recognize all poisonous berries\mushrooms. Ability to look around to see if the zone has anything worthwile or if it was picked clean.

7-10: Searching for specific types of items can yield much more than normal, foraging is faster, herbs become auto-identified. Possibility (small) to find foods in winter.

Books about wild berries\mushrooms and herbalism could be introduced and read to allow for identifying certain items faster\earlier.

Also, make all foraging findings perishable without some form of special preparation.

[Anderson Jaeger]

I think the herbs idea is a great idea if you apply to the first aid skill. Use the herbs to heal more faster or as meds...painkiller/desinfect.

[Svarog]

I think the herbs idea is a great idea if you apply to the first aid skill. Use the herbs to heal more faster or as meds...painkiller/desinfect.

Yea that's the general idea I would have with herbs, less powerful, slower acting if acting at all (sort of like Herbal Meds in This War of Mine) versions of all available meds, Some for desinfection, some acting as painkillers, beta blockers, sleeping pills and anti depressants. It would really add value to group's master of foraging and add medicine to late game.

Also I feel like I need to clarify one thing when it comes to stacks of berries\mushrooms\herbs, without identification it would be just one generic stack called "Berries\Mushrooms\Herbs" it's icon would just be a pile of random berries\mushrooms\herbs and eating them would consume a random one so it would be dangerous without identifying. It would go around the issue of people memorizing which is which on wikia (We may know everything, our character, does not).

[Guest Styxx42]

Great idea's posted above.

 

I LOVE the herbalist but would like to see it a different profession or talent.

What about bugs in addition as something you can find.

What about honey?  

I would suggest  it being a leveled ability that you can safely collect honey at forager level 7.

 

 

I know I would be eating some of those grubs and bugs if I was lost in the woods and was avoiding ZED infested areas.

[hrot]

I already wrote about idea of herbalism (and poisoned food) in my topic(http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/13207-my-list-of-ideas-tunnels-herbalism-moats-and-much-more/) earlier so i like that idea but it should be new skill not first aid.

Also it should require a book or trait to start.

Character shouldn't be able to start herbalism without any knowledge about it.