Prepared Meals: STEW!

[FlimFlamm 509]

Cooking in DayZ is actually quite fun and rewarding; it feels good to cook something on your own and to reap the benefits.

 

I think, however, that with some basic additions to the complexity of the process a whole lot of interesting things can happen. The gist of my idea is that players should be able to cook multiple ingredients together in order to either improve it's nourishment factor or to provide some extra sort of benefit like replenishing some blood or a new stat mechanic related to morale/comfort that somehow has an affect on character performance. Eating a nice boiled meal of cow steak, and potatoes should be more nourishing than just eating potatoes or steak separately. Eating human flesh could have the opposite effect on morale and manifest unique symptoms. Eating a prepared meal with human flesh could be even worse, basically making you Hannibal Lecter.

 

Players who are very cannibalistic could eventually start getting random shakes (something legend says is associated with cannibalism) and also sometimes break out into maniacal laughter (also legendarily associated with cannibalism). It could even be such that players who are heavy cannibals can do sinister laughter on command, allowing them to terrorize their victims in a very immersive way. This is a bit of a tangent, but I'm not sure what the real benefit of cooked delicious meals should actually be, so I'm putting it out there.

 

Part of surviving day to day is about creating the very best meal for yourself that you possibly can. You spend a lot of time gathering ingredients or hunting, and then finally when you make camp you cook it all up together and make it as nice tasting and as nourishing as possible. Having a meal that tastes nice is incredibly important for morale which has a direct affect on human performance. If you eat a delicious meal, especially in harsh conditions, it can give you a comforting feeling that can keep you going for longer than something cold or unpleasant yet just as nourishing.

 

Just about anything can be made into a STEW. Certain foods however compliment one another in different ways and this has an impact on taste. The cook time of each ingredient is also important, adding things to the stew at the right time is essential to ensure everything is cooked to the desired degree. things that need to cook for longer must be added earlier on, for example. Depending on the combination of foods cooked into a stew, a simple formula could be programmed based on which foods compliment other foods by specific factors (example potatoes compliment chicken and beef very well, but zucchini not so much. Tomatoes compliment beef very well (spaghetti sauce anyone?) but they don't compliment chicken as well). Spices could also be added, which the more I think about the more more it sounds totally awesome. The devs can have  bit of fun here deciding what goes best with what, and the end result is a kind of modular stew system that has a learning curve, along with appropriately rewarding results.

 

In the end I hope for a system where some players can be labeled as bad cooks, and some players labeled as incredible cooks. Some players will throw random things together that don't compliment each-other in terms of taste with spices that make no sense, and they will burn some of the ingredients by adding them at the incorrect times. The very best cooks will cook their stews flawlessly and burn nothing, preserving more nourishment and adding to the quality of the taste. They will also choose the best combinations of ingredients and spices available, ensuring that groups of survivors get the most out of their food supplies; their cooking knowledge and skill will become an asset.

 

Stew is a perfect first step in adding to the cooking system and making it something in-depth, fun, challenging, and rewarding. Mechanically it is a great way for survivors to consolidate their rations and get the most out of their efforts and gives a uniquely relaxing respite from the harshness of the typical DayZ situation. That said, you never know when the cook is going to poison the stew, and even if you trust them, as always DayZ can thrust that glorious feeling of loss upon you.

 

Imagine that you have slaved all afternoon gathering food stuffs and you are just about to finish your masterful rabbit potato and onion stew with seasoning salts. Boy are you hungry and you are going to have enough left over to get you to your rendezvous 10km away. Just as you remove your cooking pot from the hear you hear that familiar loud crack and see a bullet strike the wall in front of you. Suddenly everything goes black and all you can do is listen. You hear them come in and begin rooting through your life. One of them asks "Did they have any food?". "Let me check the pot" one of them replies... And then it hits you... They are going to eat your stew....

Edited May 25, 2015 by FlimFlamm

[S3V3N 1402]

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Edited May 25, 2015 by S3V3N

[S3V3N 1402]

Dayz - the cooking simulation ^^

 

Honestly, this sounds like some modded addon. Actually it would be fun to, y'know learn about different wild vegetables and learn to separate poison mushrooms from safe ones. I have some books on the topic and always thought this stuff is interesting, as we basically walk by lots of roots and eddibles, while taking a stroll in the forest. It's the kinda knowledge that can actually be applied to real life, which is a rare case with videogames.

 

As for Dayz, I think the Devs should concentrate on making the core game work reliably. Everything else comes second.

[Keck 12]

Use the search function

[FlimFlamm 509]

Use the search function

 

Perhaps since you are so good with the search function you could link me to the relevant thread?

 

I did use the search function but all I found was an off handed reference to stew in a thread not dedicated to the concept.

[Mullraugh 1151]

Use the search function

 

Two suggestions of the same thing are always better than one. Threads and posts tend to get lost or forgotten, and some people may have better ideas of the same thing.

 

My opinion.

[gannon46 788]

check a the status reports i read that they plan on expanding the cooking a lot from what i read it will be similar to project zomboid which has a crazy in depth cooking mechanic that i love and the best part is its not needed to survive its optional you can live of garbage food though cooked food is way better for you and provides a lot of benefits hopefully they go that route.

[Keck 12]

Perhaps since you are so good with the search function you could link me to the relevant thread?

 

I did use the search function but all I found was an off handed reference to stew in a thread not dedicated to the concept.

 I'm sorry if I sounded salty with my comment, was not intended. btw, here you go. http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/223496-food-recipes/

 

PS: I probably wouldn't have said anything, if it hadn't happened that I already posted in that thread, since I would not have known about it.

[FlimFlamm 509]

 I'm sorry if I sounded salty with my comment, was not intended. btw, here you go. http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/223496-food-recipes/

 

PS: I probably wouldn't have said anything, if it hadn't happened that I already posted in that thread, since I would not have known about it.

 

Hey man, no hard feelins at all. Sometimes I get uppity with my responses but it's all in good fun :)

 

I do think that this concept merits a proper thread though. Perhaps you could add to my own concept or share your own within the thread?

 

If the thread becomes refined enough then I would throw up a poll to draw dev attention.

[Keck 12]

Well we didn't have anything special in that thread, just some different stew recipes, but to be honest, I like your system with the ingredients complementing to each other way better, however I doubt that the game's engine is capable of handling such a system