Agriculture

[Roac 19]

This idea was originally posted by roykingtree on 16 Feb 2013, I have my own ideas to contribute to it.

 

Agriculture, the lifeblood of the ancient civilization. Agriculture has been an important part of society for over 12,000 years, it created permanent settlements and has lead to the development of modern society.  

 

First of all you may ask yourself, "why would I even need such a concept in a zombie killing post-apocalyptic game?" That's because the zombie killing is only the surface of the true nature of the game. The true nature of the game is to rediscover society. Living in a time of chaos, humanity strives to survive and find hope in the most impossible situations. 

 

My Reasons: 

 

-Farming leads to permanent settlements, it leads to permanent social relationships, it leads to a haven in the midst of an apocalypse. This trend has been shown in history that agriculture has lead to the development of towns, the precursor to modern cities. It gives people something to do with their time and turns the game into a social environment. 

 

-Farming IS realistic. Now, I'm not saying that everyone CAN farm or HAS farmed in the past,  but most people SHOULD be able to farm if they know the basics and have the basic tools, which is taught by most schools (No matter how indirectly in Biology); if ancient people, 12,000 years before our time, can learn to cultivate plants and domesticate animals, then why can't the modern human? I find it very plausible that if someone put the work into it that they could farm.

 

-Farming leads to innovation, ways of improving upon systems. It leads to a small community based government (very basic stuff), it leads to organization of, for example, supplies, foodstuffs, and even diplomacy between settlements.

 

I believe that farming will reduce the KoS mentality. If permanent social environments are created, then communities will know who is a bandit and who is a stranger. It adds consequences to one's actions, it adds a reason to actually cooperate with other human beings for mutual benefit . This goes directly with the permanent user ID system that was suggested by someone.(Sorry, I forgot who suggested it)    

 

Now just how would we go about doing this? I have a few ideas.

 

How:

 

First, one must till the land. This is grueling, backbreaking work, but it's a computer game, and nobody actually WANTS to do that, but still, you must put effort into it, lest the game becomes too easy. So I have a solution: Once you choose a plot of land (Maybe 5x5 meters?) you must return 10 times to perform the till action, and one must have a hoe. The "tilling land" option recharges after one hour. (So, feasibly you can have a plot cleared in 10 hours.)  If it has not been tilled after 2 days of the last tilling, then weeds retake the land and you must start again from step 1.  (ALL TIMES ARE REAL LIFE)

 

SIDE NOTE: I was thinking that for different environments require different amounts of tilling, so one might find that the best land to be in a plain or grassland area.  

 

 

Second, you must plant seeds. Now, what these seeds exactly are can be decided later, but one would to get a bag of seeds, a lootable item that can be found in barns or farmhouses. Then they would have to get a plow or something of the sort to plant the seeds. This is also labor intensive work, but much less labor is required. You would only do it once, and the seeds would be completely planted in three hours.  

 

Third, the plants grow. You must keep the land clear of weeds by clearing the weeds at least once every two days. If the land does not get adequate protection from weeds, then the crops die, and the land must once again be tilled.

 

Fourth, harvest. I image that the growing process would take five days IRL. But, this would come with great reward, to endow those which took the time to do such labor intensive work. One would have to use a scythe (If it is wheat or grain) to harvest the crops.

 

I was thinking along the lines of this: for every plot, you can get the equivalent of 300 (Debatable) meals with one plot of land. Grain would fill one slot in your inventory so you would have to keep coming back and harvesting. (This is a little unrealistic) I was thinking of a GUI which showed how many bags of grain are left in the plot, and the wheat remains in the harvestable state indefinitely. (Or until the amount of bags goes down to zero.)  Afterwards, it returns to the tilled state, ready for another round of planting. 

 

Providing the Necessities:

 

All farming tools should have a chance of spawning in a field, a barn, or in a farmhouse. Seeds should be obtainable from a barn or a farmhouse. 

 

-Water: Crops require a lot of water. I'm not entirely certain how to get an effective system as to get so much water. A possible solution is to plant near a source of water, or the ability to create a well. 

 

 

 

I am very accepting when it comes to suggestions to improve my idea, and I also accept critique. I will answer accordingly and change the ideas depending on the suggestions and critique. (But please don't do, "No this sucks." Or "This idea is so good!" Because this tells me nothing nor does it inform me of why it sucks or why it's so good.) Thank you for your time.  :)   

 

Edit: All times are real life and are subject to debate. 

Edited September 2, 2013 by Roac

[IkaikaKekai 1957]

I like this but it'd be a very monumental task.  As in if Rocket had someone working on it NOW we probably wouldn't see it till a post release (and I mean Full Game, not Alpha) update.  And honestly only a few people would actually partake in it (mostly because it'd just be easier to go find a can of beans in a store or home).  If loot resources were not 'renewable' then there would be much more importance placed on this.  Sadly I can just go down to my local ChernoMart and pick up food or go out hunting, or kill someone in the hopes they have a can of beans on them.  Your system is the only one I would like to see (Real Time) not some 'potatoes grow in 5 days' system, but sadly I fear that would be the only system that would 'work'.  And if this were to be taken into consideration I would like there to be actual seasons to go with it.

 

This could build more 'relationships' on servers.  Probably won't get rid of KOS or the high amount of banditry, but will make it more manageable (I can see farmers paying 'tributes' to large bandit clans in exchange for being left alone)

 

If there was some way we could harvest the fields and gardens that already exist that would be one thing (But still, running a combine (or even by hand) to harvest wheat in the middle of an apocolypse, then milling the wheat into flour, kind of a big deal).

 

I would use the Fukuoka Method in real life if shit went to pot (and if I actually survived long enough to do it).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masanobu_Fukuoka

[DemonGroover 8836]

The problem i have with farming is that i just don't think in the situation we find ourselves (washed up on a beach in a zombie apocalypse) you would find the time. 

 

Life in DayZ is quite short (unless you hide in the bush for 72 days) so rather than farming i would prefer harvesting berries, apples, pumpkin patches or hunting animals instead of trying to till a field, plant seeds, water the crops and harvest the crops. 

 

I mean how long would it take crops to grow?

 

But then again i am a city boy and don't like to get my hands dirty.

[IkaikaKekai 1957]

The problem i have with farming is that i just don't think in the situation we find ourselves (washed up on a beach in a zombie apocalypse) you would find the time. 

 

Life in DayZ is quite short (unless you hide in the bush for 72 days) so rather than farming i would prefer harvesting berries, apples, pumpkin patches or hunting animals instead of trying to till a field, plant seeds, water the crops and harvest the crops. 

 

I mean how long would it take crops to grow?

 

But then again i am a city boy and don't like to get my hands dirty.

Having never seriously worked on a farm either it wouldn't be that time consuming, and honestly not for everyone (it would only take a few dedicated people to supply an entire server).  And it's not like you're going to be sitting in your field, waiting for the crops to grow, you do the work, then go off and do other things.  Till the field and plant, go out and gather supplies.  Come back the next day and do a bit of weeding/watering, go to NWAF and PVP.  Respawn the next day, gear up enough, check the farm, go out get more gear.  It'd be an objective to do, that's not too time consuming.

[DemonGroover 8836]

Tell you what.

 

You farm and i'll buy some of your crops with tins of beans.

 

Or bandit ears...your choice.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

I understand the thinking behind it, but (I can only go by my own experience) spontanious play sessions don't lend themselves well to regular maintenance.

 

With the size of plot scaled down and timescale sped up, I could see it being a useful, if rarely attempted, feature.

Really, we do need something in the "big project" range, for later down the line. I just think 1:1 crofting is probably a bit too much.

Most folks don't go into DayZ with the forethought required for a job like that.

 

Not to mention, your fields WILL be trolled when you're offline. Without a doubt. Methods of protection (that I can imagine ATM) would be against the DayZ ethos.

[IkaikaKekai 1957]

Tell you what.

 

You farm and i'll buy some of your crops with tins of beans.

 

Or bandit ears...your choice.

Bandit Ears (left ears only please).  And that's what he's talking about community building.  Not everyone's gonna farm, the few that do will have something to trade.

Not to mention, your fields WILL be trolled when you're offline. Without a doubt. Methods of protection (that I can imagine ATM) would be against the DayZ ethos.

Traps.  Pungi sticks, small(ish) fish hooks hung from trees at around eye/cheek height, Poorman's Claymores (shotgun shell in a mousetrap), and bear traps just to name a TINY amount.  Lots of things really.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but no amount of sharp sticks and fish-hooks is going to stop the kiddies from pulling donuts over your crops in a pickup, or blowing them to bits for "lulz".

ESPECIALLY if they grow in real-time.

 

Drawn-out effort and hard work is serious troll bait.

 

Never underestimate the lengths some folks will go to, just to piss off a stranger on the internet.

 

EDIT:

I realise it sounds like I'm just being negative. Sorry.

I do really like the idea. There are just some player-related issues to take into consideration.

Edited September 2, 2013 by Chabowski

[joe_mcentire 2074]

just add harvestable crops/vegies/fruits of all sorts

my all-time favorites:

poppy fields, sunflower-fields, apple trees, cherry trees, potatoes..etc..

[enforcer1975 1111]

-Farming IS realistic.  

 

Farming is realistic...but i don't think normal people will operate a big farm unless they are farmers, maybe something smaller the size of a garden. A lot of people living in a rural area like Chernarus would have one to grow a small amount of vegetables if they owned a house with garden.

[AP_Norris 1018]

Tell you what.

 

You farm and i'll buy some of your crops with tins of beans.

 

Or bandit ears...your choice.

KFBE Kentucky Fried Bandit Ears

[RedTailedLizerd 12]

Here is ageiculture as a commercial drug.

Agriculture should not be taken during time where you do not wish to create permanant settlement because no-one cares to or in situations where it would take to much time and effort to be useful.

Agriculture took 48 days to progam, so please use it!

Agriculture may (and did) lead to...

• civilization

• settlement

• slavery

• racism

• rewinding of evolution

• faster advances in technology

and... may cause every other kind of way to better yourself from others

- Just a wuick bit of history -

[Element47 2481]

i'd be alreaddy happy if i could harvest all those shrooms i see north of the elektro power plant.. duuuude, those shrooms...

[Frytek 130]

Yeah, harvesting wood fruits and mushrooms would be cool. Even more cool, if there were also poisonous ones, so you would have to learn, which one you can eat.

Now excuse me, but I have to dig potatoes growing at my camp and bake some bread aswell.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Frytek

[Cormyr 39]

I could totally get behind some basic farming (growing some stuffs in a raised bed and/or keeping maybe some goats in a pen), or harvesting stuffs found in the world which would then need to be cooked (except for stuff like berries).

 

Not sure if it will be in the stand alone version, but people can build basic houses etc..  why not be able to say, grow some potatoes in a barrel?

 

Also, it would be awesome to find, harvest and use medicinal herbs by maybe making teas from them etc..

[Chaingunfighter 917]

Tell you what.

 

You farm and i'll buy some of your crops with tins of beans.

 

Or bandit ears...your choice.

 

Or Hero's Fingers.

 

(Assuming the Fallout reference)