Plants,vegetables,different food

[SnoperMZ]

In the Alpha version after few days in the wildernes of Northern Canada there is no food , you can just collect meat from dead deers or killing wolfs and deers. In real life survival you have got plenty of green stuff on the ground that you can eat but as you are in Northern Canada and everywhere is snow it would be great to add some seeds like beans , wheat , etc. that you can breed in the house inside in containers or something similar. Growing food outside is also possible if you build something like a greenhouse. I think harvesting crops in your house or around your house/shelter is much securely than hunting outside far from your home/shelter and Its unthinkable to eat just meat everyday. Think about my idea

[gwishades]

well i can agree that eating meat only could lead to some health problems, loss of nutrients in particular, but not going to be able to grow anything in these freezing temperatures. even with a green house im not sure if this would be possible.

[elloco999]

It's true that eating only meat would not sustain your body in the long run. I was going to describe what you need for a healthy diet, but figured that must have been done before:

The key to a healthy balanced diet is:

eating the right amount of food for how active you are

eating a range of foods – this is what balanced means

The range of foods in your diet should include:

plenty of fruit and vegetables

plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods (choosing wholegrain varieties when possible)

some milk and dairy foods (choosing lower-fat varieties when possible)

some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein

just a small amount of foods high in fat and sugar

For more info see http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1127.aspx?CategoryID=51&SubCategoryID=166 or just google "healthy diet"

So it would be nice if there was more to eat than just meat (and fish, when fishing is implemented), like at least some greens (pine cone, pine needles) and nuts. As we will be able to trap, there will be small animals like rabbits and squirrels we should also be able to find their food sources. We could have a "Forage for food" option in the survival menu, much like the "Forage for wood" option we already have.

[TarjaS]

As we will be able to trap, there will be small animals like rabbits and squirrels we should also be able to find their food sources. We could have a "Forage for food" option in the survival menu, much like the "Forage for wood" option we already have.

Unfortunately, the food sources of rabbits and squirrels are mostly of no use for humans, but "Forage for food" would be a nice option. The first things that come to mind are fir needles or Labrador Tea to put in hot water for making tea and Common Juniper berries in small quantities (large quantities can be toxic). Those would provide some vitamins.

[Trandor]

Sure, fruit are part of a balanced diet. But who cares about that when you're trying to survive in the northern wilderness? Eskimos had a diet that is based mostly on meat, as far as I know. None of them died from an unbalanced diet...

So: would it be nice to have some fruit and vegetables? Sure. Would it be logical to find them out there? Probably not. Greenhouse? Definetely not.

I wouldn't mind finding potatoes or dried fruit in houses though.

[TarjaS]

Eskimos had a diet that is based mostly on meat, as far as I know. None of them died from an unbalanced diet...

The difference with Eskimos and this situation is that they eat seals, which have a lot of fat, unlike wildlife that runs around a lot. I'm not sure how long it takes for rabbit starvation to start affecting you, but it's a fact that you need more than just meat.

[Trandor]

Sure, and I don't disagree, but the sources of fruit and vegetables should be found outside, like the juniper berries you suggested or finding potatoes in a cellar, or pine needle tea.

If I was up there in the frozen north and about to starve, I would go out and hunt, or eat whatever else I can find. My first thought would not be "hey, I've got these seeds, I'ma go build myself a greenhouse". Just seems silly.

I for one would not enjoy having a greenhouse next to my place where I can grow vegetables in -35°C. If they introduced different seasons to the game it would be a different thing altogether.

[elloco999]

Well, Eskimos do eat primarily meat, but like @Tarjas said, it contains a lot of (monounsaturated) fats.

This high fat content provides valuable energy and prevents protein poisoning

And they also gather available plants (though probably not in the winter). And don't forget, they are used to eating this, unlike us. Their bodies have even adapted to their diet with larger livers to process the larger amounts of meat.

A lot of info on the Inuit (Eskimo) diet can be found here.

Of course, when you find yourself in a survival situation, you're not going to think "hey, lets build a greenhouse". For starters it takes way to long before you get a return on that investment, even if it were plausible in that environment. But if you have been eating only venison for a couple of days you may start to feel the need to eat something different for a change... Not to mention that rabbit starvation (protein poisoning) is going to be a serious problem after some time. I'm pretty sure that living 100 days on meat alone is not healthy for most of us.

So yeah, I would like to see some other types of food, but they should be from believable sources.

[Beanie]

Yes, a greenhouse would require heating, which is next to impossible in the current game set up. Also, if you missed stoking the fire that kept the greenhouse warm for even one night, your plants would die.

I am, however, all for some kind of foraging mechanic for roots/berries etc. A bit of variety never goes amiss!

I am surprised to not have found typical bulk foodstuffs in the game such as huge sacks of rice. I can understand why such things wouldn't be in places like the camp office or lookout tower, but if I was a trapper, I'd like to think my cabin was stocked a little better than the one in game!

[SnoperMZ]

Ok , forget the greenhouse and the seeds , make some secret rooms with plenty of food that you can unlock during the game collecting random materials etc. Adding some shrubs with food and Juniper berries that can survive cold weather will be good.

[Trandor]

I would not add too many secret rooms. Maybe better add some rooms that are only accessible with certain items. i.e Prybar or a locked room that you need a key for which you can only loot off a corpse out in the wild. And honestly, most "secret rooms" would not have plenty of food. Because if you DO have a secret room, I for one would not hide my chocolate stash in there.

[elloco999]

Please no secret rooms... How many cabins would have secret rooms? Locked rooms makes way more sense, needing a key or prybar to get in. Maybe a room has such a sturdy lock it can't be forced open with a prybar and you need to find the key first. But honestly, I don't think the game needs more food that you can find lying around, as getting enough food is one of the challenges of the game. Finding rooms with lots of food would make that aspect of the game too easy. I'd much rather see some form of foraging, as it fits better within the game. Like foraging for wood (outside), you need to combat the cold, hunger, thirst and fatigue so you really have to invest in getting your food. Not just happen to find a stash in some room.