food consumption

[DeLorean88]

Sometimes I wish I could see what people are doing that run out of food. There has to be something, but I can't figure out what. Most of the other things people complain about, I have I think a pretty good idea of why they are having trouble. Food concerns are the one that is a complete mystery to me.

Since the designers must have put food consumption into the game to create a certain challenge, it should not come as a surprise that some people experience food shortages at different points of the game. I had lots of food until end of level 4, but now, after battling all those green slimes and extensive secrets searching (all of these are optional by the way), I am down to only 10 foods or so for the group at the beginning of level 5, so I probably cannot afford strafing all walls looking for secrets and jumping in every pit, like I was doing a lot until now. I can do that anyway, and just keep reloading to save food, but this arguably breaks immersion. Reload after failed portal puzzle attempts?

It seems that extensive exploration is discouraged by that food consumption mechanic, at least for those of us who don't have superhuman memory or intuition I personally would very much welcome lower (or even zero) food cost of move and turn actions in the game?

[Komag]

I think the food consumption goes by time, not moves

[Soorg]

Food consumption is linked to actions not time, let the game some time without doing any action, the food bar doesn't change, rest or walk through the dungeon or fight and your food bar decrease.

The problem is rather complex, food consumption is always on the edge. The LoG design links it to all actions (it's rude but that makes sense), not to time (smart choice), and to healing and mana regeneration. And the penalty for lacking of food is to manage rest through a crystal in a fixed place, a crystal also used for resurrecting members of the party.

At level 6 the setup change and food become just another resource to manage, there's no more risk of lacking of food.

For me it's quite clear that some players not using any guide will have starvation problems during level 4/5:

• If you search secrets (and you must) it can involve a lot of errand and then quite more food used.
• If you are stuck on some puzzles and don't hurry read guides to see the solution, this can involve a lot of searching and errand so more food consumption. And some people are very persistent and don't give up easily so could search a lot where's there's nothing to find. Those players type will use a lot more food.
• If you don't use the automap, even if time isn't linked to food, this can involve many more steps to draw well the map and many more steps the few time you get lost, so much more food consumed.
• And the last but not the least, I have played Dungeon Master and I know very well that fights are a movement game, it requires a lot of steps and dodging and maneuvering. But first levels of LoG push players into multiple face to face static fights to take profit of ability to face only one monster and use door closing to control the fight duration. But that bad fighting will involve much more hurt, so much more rest, so much more food, and much more crystal exploit.

Myself I deliberately choose during level 4/5 to put the party in starvation, save food for future when I could and have a crystal to manage it, use poor but safer fight tactics by fighting at door entrance in static position, close door, exploit the crystal, come back and save food and add security in managing the fight.

It's quite clear that the whole system generate many players not using much rest and food so they have plenty of food because they choose exploit the crystal. I'd say this is the dark point of the LoG food/healing/starvation system, but I'm not sure something better can be setup there will be always positive and negative points.

Here some possibilities:

• Add spell creating food and/or large healing/mana restore resources: For me it's a bad solution making fake the food system, better remove the food system than making it fake.
• Reduce or change the penalty is an option, for example allow some magical rest even when starved but no regeneration of mana and life: That wouldn't work in LoG because regeneration is too low and most players won't even notice the penalty.
• Another example of penalty change would be to weaker somehow the characters starved: Im' not sure it would work in a game like LoG because the difficulty is pushed to high level and many players will make starvation the cause of fights problems even if not right. So waiting when more food will come and endure will because hard to bear.
• Add a safe food resource at level 1 or 2, something similar to level 6: It would setup the whole game as it as since level 6, it's clearly more interesting to keep a difference between level 1-5 and 6-13 as the game attempt it.
• Change the causes of food consumption: It's not a true solution because it implies keep a significant penalty and a balance. The point isn't to provide an overload of food. In a way at price of some inventory management, the game already provide an overload of food since level 6.

In no way I have THE answer, I'd say the current setup of LoG is better than many games that tried implement a food system. But also it clearly generate significant annoyance in the gameplay and for few players.

I think that the design element I don't like is more the crystal system regenerating life and mana. It's a very good point for managing party members resurrection, but it's a too tempting exploit for replacing rest and use more food. But it's the global game design which is impacted, not only food consumption.

EDIT:
In fact the problem of food consumption is that food and rest system is broken by crystals. When someone try help for some difficult part he mentions using crystal not rest more and manage food. In fact food is just to be sure to have the regeneration, and crystal replace rest almost entirely. But how the game is designed, possibly get huge damages and many death in party, it's not easy to substitute crystals by something else.