Villagers food and drink consumption adjustments.

[latent thunder]

In my opinion current food and drink needs system doesnt encourage the player to diverse food sources production but rather to focus on single most efficient one. Like why would I go all the way to make cheese and wine if flatbread is the most efficient villager feed and waterskins are most efficient for drinking needs.

I would like villagers to either require more diverse diet or at least get benefits from player providing it.

Maybe villagers should get special provisions. Like 3 or 4 versions of meals contains meat, fish veggies etc.
Like basic meal would be just meat/fish or just veggies, more advanced would be a combo of meat/fish and veggies then else would get a combo of meat/fish, veggies and bread and most advanced would include fruit or sweets.

Same for drinks. Water as basic juice and alcohol as fancy ones providing benefits. We would still keep all the recipes we have for trade and for player.

[heavy star]

@latent thunder villagers wanting food variety was already suggested. You should 👍 this thread https://discord.com/channels/1069629094871978074/1260711818696065064

I understand there's more to this suggestion than this, so I won't lock it. Though, I'd like you to explain what you're suggesting more and also remove the food variety part as it was already suggested.

[latent thunder]

I think I'm misunderstood. I dont want more variety but more use of current variety. We have already quite rich choice of foods but we lack any real drive to actually use this variety. Game is currently more into "choose the most efficient item" rather then provide variety to Your people.

[heavy star]

the suggestion I linked talks about villagers wanting more diverse food (like not being served only potage or roasted meat.... and having to get more choices)

[latent thunder]

The difference between that suggestion and mine is that i don want to get a buff just cause items are available. I want them to be actually all needed (maybe required) and used by villagers rather then current system where they go by the list. It would either require to create new complex recipes for food or split by type of food like vegetables, meats, grains etc. Instead of current food and drink

[heavy star]

oh ok, now I have a better understanding. Thank you

[stable gale]

I would very much welcome a change like this.
I'm sort of roleplaying it similar to your description already. Villagers needs are too easy to please and too superficial imho.

[undone peak]

I think it's important that I can build a fishing village, a hunting village or an agricultural village without any disadvantages. At the same time, I can also build a village where everything is produced, and that's how it is in my oldest village (without any benefits). I think this is one of the most important aspects of MD, that many different ways of playing are possible, and no change should alter that.

[solemn hawk]

Hm, not sure yet if I support this, but if it was just different food groups needed, like protein rich, carbs, fatty etc. all different types of villages you mentioned could accomplish this with different foods (might need some new foods like legumes.).

Could become quite complicated, though.

[latent thunder]

I also played like that from time ti time. Usually focused village requires trade. Like when I focus on agriculture I buy tools etc. So in this case whatever You lack You might buy. Might be a bit annoying since trade is very simplistic in the game and forces player to do it.

[fast fiber]

Alternativly we can have it be a part of mood so it may not be required but is very helpful. Have them after eating a food get a priority shift to eat the next lower priority tier of food and after 5 swaps it rests. If it cannot find food a lower priority it drops mood by 5% and resets to start. Have this be 25% of total mood

[scarlet talon]

Great suggestion, @latent thunder.
I also believe that the current food and drink system does not encourage players to diversify food production as it does not bring any real advantages to your villagers either way.
Overhauling the system so certain dietary requirements are met seems interesting. Alternatively, a diversified diet could boost mood and perhaps increase/decrease (in case of alcohol consumption) villagers' production speed.

[fast fiber]

I like the alcohol addition for worker speed

mabye a quality modifer on foods/drinks on how they affect mood?

[scarlet talon]

Perhaps in the case of alcohol it should boost mood, but reduce production speed slightly?

[fast fiber]

make more logical sense but I think that they drink at the end of day instead of during work so we can prevent the debuff otherwise people might want to avoid alcohol since the goal is for better work speed

mabye make Juices give the same buff and alcohol gives the debuff?

[gaunt vapor]

This would be neat. I think a lot of things could benefit from this.

I also thumbed up the other suggestion too as I think they could connect

[rancid pond]

I would love to see more varied food requirements, particularly for NPCs. You can't eat only rabbit, deer and moose meat without dying (see "Rabbit starvation"). You can't only eat fish. I'd love to see the game expect a varied diet for your player and the NPCs.