Chef Archive
Thread: Why is food and drink not REQUIRED?
This is my first MMORPG, so I don't know what the standard is regarding this, bet here it goes anyway...
I don't see why food and drink can't be something that is required. I'm not talking three square meals a day or anything, but just make it so that when our food and or drink bar get to zero, there isa negative effect.
Maybe it'sa problem with perception. Instead of it being presented as, "food gives you buffs", present it as "not eating food makes you lose health." or something...
To me, this would be 1.) Obviously more realistic, and 2.)Give a much neededusefullness to the chef.
Yet I don't see chefs asking for something like this. There must be a reason. Anyone care to fill me in?
I'm not a chef, so I'm a customer.
I wouldn't mind ifit was required (I'm a ranger, don't need a chef anyway), bur for most parts, I just think it would be a pain in the ass... sorry to say... it would be cool to have, but to serious... pain in the ass...
yea.. everyone would starve to death..
it woudl be nice if food buffed a very small amount for a few days tho.
a couple of thoughts...
For one thing, it would take some of the fun out of it for me. I would rather people want to buy my food than be required to get it.
Secondly I think it would just add to the down time there already is, besides the fact that there is little enough room in your backpacks anyway without being FORCED to carry a lot of food.
Third...We would be the only profession where our services are required where we could actually charge. With Entertainers and Medics, they don't have anything to sell. They work on tips. Chefs sell their food, and if it was required that would give chefs a LOT of power over other players.
Well like I said, I'm not suggesting that you should be required to sit down and eat three square meals. I don't think it would affect the game play that much. I mean, it's really not that hard to keep your food and drink levels above the zero level, it's just that there's no reason to.
It also doesn't have to be anything severe like death. Just a simple message that pops up that says, "You are hungry/thirsty, your health (action, mind, whatever...) is reduced by 25% until you find something to eat" would go a long way in my opinion.
ReblSoldier wrote:
no because they would justify out weak and useless buff by saying your required to eat them and nothing would really seperate a master chef from a novice artisan and people would just be buying the cheapest blob of candy so they can eat thus not buying anyuseful buffs.
Why could a master chef not make something that is more "filling?" If I only had to eat a master chef item once every week, as opposed to a novice chef item once an hour, I'd probably rather take the former. 
And I'm not saying get rid of buffs entirely either. A combination of both buffs for eating, and penalties for starving yourself would be best IMO.
As "blah" as the game is to me now, EverQuest had a really good food system, I think.
Yes food was required, but the negative effect was negligible (except for the messages telling you you were hungry and thirsty). You could have anything from your basic "bread and water" for a few pennies, or go all out on some *really* good stat food.
The good stuff meant something, and it didn't at all take away from Brewers or Bakers that it was required. The cheapsters (who don't buy food now) spent their pennies, and those who wanted the goods (the ones who do buy food now) bought the good stuff.
The only real difference is that a lack of requirement means we'll get even less attention. Using the same or similar set up to what EQ has would in no way give us "power over other players" because the detriment just isn't significant.
I think the EQ food system rocked, and wouldn't be that hard to put into action. If you don't eat/drink you will lack strengh and stamina, ect. Only problem is food in EQ lasted ALOT longer, but that could be changed in SWG as well as making food more stackable. I don't think it would be that hard...
I hope that not eating food regularly will be have a negetive effect on your play. Not to the point of immobilization, but enought that you would see the differince. Don't powerups ware out, armour get damaged, weapons become less effective stimpacks are used up all things that make users need to purchase replacements. Why cannot it be that if you donot eat for, oh lets say for argument three game days, you start to see some decreast in you stats. Not to the point of immobilisation but maybe to perhaps 33% loss of stats and a hit of maybe 10% on your abilities, ie success of a hit. I know that ppl now are thinking well thats unfair your forcing me to do something, well then making powerups ware out and armour become damages is also "forcing" you to do something.
If eating, wearing clothing (which should give some buffs someway) and entertaining have nothing to offer to the masses, then they have nothing to attribute to the game except in non tangibles and therefore everyone who wishes to become those professions to use strickly as a role playing device should get all the recipies without haveing to grind away at making bread andnotuse any points to get the profession. For you that are saying " Well I had to grind to get master armour" Yah but you can sell your stuffand they havepowers that make the Character better, while theaffore mentioined professions offerings have little or none.
As for the Scout that forages for his food, raw foraged food should only have the benifits of 1/3 of regular food or maybe scouts at a certain survival level get recipies to make foraged food better. Fried Grubs anyone?
Although the devs have tried to make it very hard to make a solo player and make it that everyone must rely on other, it is still possible to some extent. This game is still mainly a solo shoot em up game.
Well here is hoping something is done with Chef and Tailor to make them a little more appealing to play although the game is certainly incredable.