Rickets & Scurvy

[CitrinePeridot]

Given some of the response over the Cabin Fever & such, this may be a most unpopular subject, but it is based in reality.

Rickets is caused by a vitamin D deficiency . The amount of time we spend outdoors should take care of that, but that would also be another reason it would be vital to get out every once in awhile

Scurvy, however, is caused by a vitamin C deficiency, and I've always been surprised there are not more canned (or otherwise) selections of fruits. I would also like to add that sauerkraut was the choice of sailors to deal with this. Perhaps some cans (?) of this available? Just a thought.

[Mroz4k]

There is an insane amount of Vitamin C source in game already (hello there Rose hip tea), and an endless supply the survivor could tap into if it were possible in the game ("needles" from conifer trees can be boiled into a tea, its taste is a bit bitter, but they have insane amount of Vitamin C in it). Overal, I doubt Vitamin C deficiency would ever be a problem within TLD. Heard once of some story of sailors who were dying on Vitamin C deficiency after being stranded somewhere on an island in Canada for months, but that was because they lacked this particular knowledge. Nowadays, most people who live in wilder areas are familiar with this.

To develop Vitamin D deficiency, you would have to spend days upon days indoors with little access of daylight - way before you would ever get to that stage, the Cabin Fever would kick in and you would be forced outside anyways. And finally, Vitamin D is located in trace amounts in most of the foods you can find in the game - the meat, especially in fish, and cattail stalks should have some as well. Vitamin D deficiency is mostly a modern problem of people who spend their all time indoors, like gamers, eating unhealthy civilized diet.

[CitrinePeridot]

4 hours ago, Mroz4k said:

There is an insane amount of Vitamin C source in game already (hello there Rose hip tea), and an endless supply the survivor could tap into if it were possible in the game ("needles" from conifer trees can be boiled into a tea, its taste is a bit bitter, but they have insane amount of Vitamin C in it). Overal, I doubt Vitamin C deficiency would ever be a problem within TLD. Heard once of some story of sailors who were dying on Vitamin C deficiency after being stranded somewhere on an island in Canada for months, but that was because they lacked this particular knowledge. Nowadays, most people who live in wilder areas are familiar with this.

To develop Vitamin D deficiency, you would have to spend days upon days indoors with little access of daylight - way before you would ever get to that stage, the Cabin Fever would kick in and you would be forced outside anyways. And finally, Vitamin D is located in trace amounts in most of the foods you can find in the game - the meat, especially in fish, and cattail stalks should have some as well. Vitamin D deficiency is mostly a modern problem of people who spend their all time indoors, like gamers, eating unhealthy civilized diet.

Thank you for your insights! Never thought of some of those honestly, and you're right. Also, the condensed milk would be a source of vitamin D. Once I read your post, I started "taking inventory" of what I could think of within the game that would remedy these. Appreciate that.  :-)

[Mroz4k]

4 hours ago, CitrinePeridot said:

Thank you for your insights! Never thought of some of those honestly, and you're right. Also, the condensed milk would be a source of vitamin D. Once I read your post, I started "taking inventory" of what I could think of within the game that would remedy these. Appreciate that.  :-)

I wonder how fast the Vitamin D in food degrades - but than again, the canned goods are preserved pretty well, in vacuum - so chances are the vitamin D in condensed milk would be pretty high.

What comes to mind in similar aspect is a different kind of affliction I think would be cool if it were added into the game - that consists of "eating solely rabbit meat for extended period of time" - "Protein poisoning"
This is a condition one can develop if they live off rabbits and other small critters for a long time. These animals dont have a lot of fat in their meat, it is mostly protein. And in extreme conditions, one needs to eat a decent supply of fat in order to not starve in the end, protein does not have high enough caloric intake to sustain person for a longer period of time. 

I think it would be great if the meat rabbits dropped gave more calories as right now, at least by 100 calories per kilo, but instead it would have a "risk" kind of a effect to develop this sort of affliction, which would work similarly like parasites do in predatorial meat. I imagine if contracted, it would increase hunger and tiredness ratio, prevent rabbit meat from being consumed altogether, and just generally decrease ability to hunt or perform tasks like sprinting or climbing. Would be cured by eating sufficient amount of "big game" meat or processed high caloric food for 5 days straight without starving.

[bighara]

Fishing would solve the fat deficiency. 

[reginaphalange]

The protein poisoning thing bugs me too! Yes, I didn't think about the fat from fish. I bet that would be sufficient.

But a good amount of vitamins can also come from animal organs (esp raw, so I've read). Just don't eat carnivore liver.

As a game mechanic it's fine to just harvest "meat" (as that's what's pictured) but in reality, yeah, you'd harvest the whole damn animal.