basically the problem in Minecraft is that food has become indistinguishable. Apples, cookies, melon slices, bread... There's no real reason to prefer one over another. And I think it's only going to get worse as more foods are introduced. Baked potatos, carrots, etc.
So the suggestion is that the player gets cravings that show up as a status effect when you bring up your inventory. (That's the same place where potion effects are shown.) When you get hungry, there should be a little icon of the food that you want to eat. And if you eat what you're craving, you get a bit more health (edit: or hunger filled, or another small bonus).
The interface can be that simple. If we look under the hood a little bit though, there can be some coded-in algorithms to simulate a balanced diet. The player doesn't need to be too aware of this, but if all you ever eat is bread, you won't get the new buffs from following your cravings.
I also want to acknowledge that a big part of the immersion of Minecraft is being able to pretend to be Stevie, and sort of controlling your cravings as a role-playing element. Since I don't want to take that away from players, my suggestion is that your cravings are semi-random, and also based on what you've eaten in the past. So if you eat a lot of cookies, there's two factors at work: the natural desire for a varied diet, on one hand, and the fact that you obviously like cookies, on the other. Both of these can be taken into account when the game chooses your next craving.
And just in case you're the kind of person who refuses to eat meat (or pick any food that you just don't want to eat), you can fill up on other food for now, and get a new craving the next time you get hungry.
Another design space this opens up is for potions to affect cravings. Imagine fighting a gluttony monster that curses you to only ever want to eat raw potatos. Or gives you a desire for rotten flesh and spider eyes. Or... braaaaaains
I would like to suggest a minor improvement. Let's say that a random craving appears whenever your hunger meter drops below full. That craved food, whatever its normal food value, will restore you to full with a single serving, no matter how hungry you are. The craving will disappear when you eat your fill of anything, regardless, and a new one will appear next time your hunger level dips below 100%.
So think about what this means. You don't need to go on a quest that takes weeks to find melon just because you happen to have a craving for them now. Rather, you have an incentive to keep a well-stocked larder of all types of food so that you can have whatever you want when the desire arrises. It also means that if you get up in the morning down just half a drumstick and you find yourself craving a cookie, you pack a lunch (one cookie) and head down to the mines to work until you're almost starving, eat that one cookie and then keep on working. A balanced diet becomes measurably more efficient.
Maybe instead of completely filling your hunger bar (I can see this abused pretty easily) if you eat your craved food, it could just fill double the food's normal amount.
This would get annoying fast; what if I'm craving a food item I don't have access to?
Well, I was thinking the game would go on exactly the same as it does right now. The status effect would only appear to the left of your inventory screen, and if you ignored it, everything would be exactly the same as it is now. However, if you wanted to follow Stevie's cravings, you could get yourself some small bonuses.
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I think you are going to love my Survival Let's Play series on YouTube! It's called Spaceboot1's Garden. I make pretty things.
I think this would be great if it was there if you wanted to use it (like you said). That way people who dont have access to the food dont have to worry, and they could only use the benefits if they are able to obtain the craved food. Its an interesting idea
It's neat, but I'd only want to see this in a mod that tries to make Minecraft as realistic as possible (there's a challenge to all you coders out there). In reality, cravings are just the body's way of saying, "Yo, I need such and such nutrient."
You fail to take into account that some food items can only be found in rare or semi-rare generated structures.
True, but look at the suggestion more closely. You can still eat other stuff. He's not
saying that if you don't eat your craving food you'll die or get some negative
potion effect. He's just saying that that particular food item might be slightly more
effective for you than normal.
This is a nice approach to a problem I've been thinking about for a long time, that of distinguishing foods beyond the mere hunger/saturation values.
I would like to suggest a minor improvement. Let's say that a random craving appears whenever your hunger meter drops below full. That craved food, whatever its normal food value, will restore you to full with a single serving, no matter how hungry you are. The craving will disappear when you eat your fill of anything, regardless, and a new one will appear next time your hunger level dips below 100%.
So think about what this means. You don't need to go on a quest that takes weeks to find melon just because you happen to have a craving for them now. Rather, you have an incentive to keep a well-stocked larder of all types of food so that you can have whatever you want when the desire arrises. It also means that if you get up in the morning down just half a drumstick and you find yourself craving a cookie, you pack a lunch (one cookie) and head down to the mines to work until you're almost starving, eat that one cookie and then keep on working. A balanced diet becomes measurably more efficient.
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True, but look at the suggestion more closely. You can still eat other stuff. He's not
saying that if you don't eat your craving food you'll die or get some negative
potion effect. He's just saying that that particular food item might be slightly more
effective for you than normal.
I have to agree with this. If all food acts normally, and craved food does bonus stuff, and there isn't a negative repercussion for not getting the craved food, all this does is make the game easier if you have the food you crave, and does nothing otherwise. Not to mention the fact that there is already a hidden value called Saturation that is different for different foods, thus making some more useful in different situations. For example, you could go on a cookie eating binge because you get 8 at a time but the Saturation for them is super low so you will be hungry again much faster than if you ate cooked beef.
Want some advice on how to thrive in the Suggestions section? Check this handy list of guidelines and tips for posting your ideas and responding to the ideas of others!
I have to agree with this. If all food acts normally, and craved food does bonus stuff, and there isn't a negative repercussion for not getting the craved food, all this does is make the game easier if you have the food you crave, and does nothing otherwise.
It makes the game ever so slightly easier. The same way access to potions and enchanting make the game "easier". Getting access to all foods becomes another challenge, and if you do that, you will be rewarded for it. That seems like a win-win to me.
Not to mention the fact that there is already a hidden value called Saturation that is different for different foods, thus making some more useful in different situations. For example, you could go on a cookie eating binge because you get 8 at a time but the Saturation for them is super low so you will be hungry again much faster than if you ate cooked beef.
Saturation works horribly. And worst of all, saturation doesn't encourage variety. With saturation, there is never any reason to eat cookies. The only reason players eat cookies now is for RP, because cookies are fun. Which is fine, but wouldn't it be great if there was a nice mechanical reason to eat cookies?
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I think you are going to love my Survival Let's Play series on YouTube! It's called Spaceboot1's Garden. I make pretty things.
Maybe you shoud think of a different title instead of "cravings". Maybe Preffered fod? Taste? IDK.
Anyway, this would make the game slightly easier in a way, but it would make it worth going out and
mabe finding rarer foods, hence exploration.
Also, it would make server economies more interesting. You could make a greater proffit by adapting
your food production to fit the majority of the cravings of the people who live in your town, whereas
curretly you just grow some wheat, sell it and scrpe out a tiny living.
Also to all the people making pegnancy references, pretty much everyone has a favorite
food, pregnant or otherwise.
Cravings are only for crack heads, pregnant women, and vampires.
This would NOT fit into minecraft!
No offence but what your saying sounds like your making a rule for the viking challenge, and you could be any if not all at the same time in minecraft and it won't be any less minecraft.
Cravings are only for crack heads, pregnant women, and vampires.
Alright, Mr. "Cravings Are Only For", I guess you don't need to eat all those other foods. Go ahead, just eat potatoes in real life. It is cheaper, and as you say, cravings are only for crackheads, pregnant women, and vampires.
So the suggestion is that the player gets cravings that show up as a status effect when you bring up your inventory. (That's the same place where potion effects are shown.) When you get hungry, there should be a little icon of the food that you want to eat. And if you eat what you're craving, you get a bit more health (edit: or hunger filled, or another small bonus).
The interface can be that simple. If we look under the hood a little bit though, there can be some coded-in algorithms to simulate a balanced diet. The player doesn't need to be too aware of this, but if all you ever eat is bread, you won't get the new buffs from following your cravings.
I also want to acknowledge that a big part of the immersion of Minecraft is being able to pretend to be Stevie, and sort of controlling your cravings as a role-playing element. Since I don't want to take that away from players, my suggestion is that your cravings are semi-random, and also based on what you've eaten in the past. So if you eat a lot of cookies, there's two factors at work: the natural desire for a varied diet, on one hand, and the fact that you obviously like cookies, on the other. Both of these can be taken into account when the game chooses your next craving.
And just in case you're the kind of person who refuses to eat meat (or pick any food that you just don't want to eat), you can fill up on other food for now, and get a new craving the next time you get hungry.
Another design space this opens up is for potions to affect cravings. Imagine fighting a gluttony monster that curses you to only ever want to eat raw potatos. Or gives you a desire for rotten flesh and spider eyes. Or... braaaaaains
And because I liked this:
Countered by this:
Want to play Minecraft SSP like Spaceboot1? Try my modpack, all mods made by me, Spaceboot1!
Then go try to get some. Jeeze, everyone whines about how easy Minecraft is...
Well, I was thinking the game would go on exactly the same as it does right now. The status effect would only appear to the left of your inventory screen, and if you ignored it, everything would be exactly the same as it is now. However, if you wanted to follow Stevie's cravings, you could get yourself some small bonuses.
Want to play Minecraft SSP like Spaceboot1? Try my modpack, all mods made by me, Spaceboot1!
You fail to take into account that some food items can only be found in rare or semi-rare generated structures.
I actually like this idea!
http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-discussion/suggestions/2221090-incense-what-it-does-how-to-make-it-and-why-it
I am ninja'd far too often.
You'd still be able to "live". You just wouldn't be getting the most possible benefit out of the food you ate. Hmm, kind of like real life, in a way.
Another idea might be to have a trump food. Maybe a golden apple satisfies all cravings.
Want to play Minecraft SSP like Spaceboot1? Try my modpack, all mods made by me, Spaceboot1!
True, but look at the suggestion more closely. You can still eat other stuff. He's not
saying that if you don't eat your craving food you'll die or get some negative
potion effect. He's just saying that that particular food item might be slightly more
effective for you than normal.
It's not FORCING you to eat a specific food.
I would like to suggest a minor improvement. Let's say that a random craving appears whenever your hunger meter drops below full. That craved food, whatever its normal food value, will restore you to full with a single serving, no matter how hungry you are. The craving will disappear when you eat your fill of anything, regardless, and a new one will appear next time your hunger level dips below 100%.
So think about what this means. You don't need to go on a quest that takes weeks to find melon just because you happen to have a craving for them now. Rather, you have an incentive to keep a well-stocked larder of all types of food so that you can have whatever you want when the desire arrises. It also means that if you get up in the morning down just half a drumstick and you find yourself craving a cookie, you pack a lunch (one cookie) and head down to the mines to work until you're almost starving, eat that one cookie and then keep on working. A balanced diet becomes measurably more efficient.
This would NOT fit into minecraft!
I have to agree with this. If all food acts normally, and craved food does bonus stuff, and there isn't a negative repercussion for not getting the craved food, all this does is make the game easier if you have the food you crave, and does nothing otherwise. Not to mention the fact that there is already a hidden value called Saturation that is different for different foods, thus making some more useful in different situations. For example, you could go on a cookie eating binge because you get 8 at a time but the Saturation for them is super low so you will be hungry again much faster than if you ate cooked beef.
Want some advice on how to thrive in the Suggestions section? Check this handy list of guidelines and tips for posting your ideas and responding to the ideas of others!
http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-discussion/suggestions/2775557-guidelines-for-the-suggestions-forum
It makes the game ever so slightly easier. The same way access to potions and enchanting make the game "easier". Getting access to all foods becomes another challenge, and if you do that, you will be rewarded for it. That seems like a win-win to me.
Saturation works horribly. And worst of all, saturation doesn't encourage variety. With saturation, there is never any reason to eat cookies. The only reason players eat cookies now is for RP, because cookies are fun. Which is fine, but wouldn't it be great if there was a nice mechanical reason to eat cookies?
Want to play Minecraft SSP like Spaceboot1? Try my modpack, all mods made by me, Spaceboot1!
Anyway, this would make the game slightly easier in a way, but it would make it worth going out and
mabe finding rarer foods, hence exploration.
Also, it would make server economies more interesting. You could make a greater proffit by adapting
your food production to fit the majority of the cravings of the people who live in your town, whereas
curretly you just grow some wheat, sell it and scrpe out a tiny living.
Also to all the people making pegnancy references, pretty much everyone has a favorite
food, pregnant or otherwise.
No offence but what your saying sounds like your making a rule for the viking challenge, and you could be any if not all at the same time in minecraft and it won't be any less minecraft.
The only thing in your post that made sense.