Hunger and Thirst Meters

[The Wanderer]

A very real concern about living in the wild is being able to keep yourself fed and quenched. It's easy to overexert yourself and wind up desperate for food and water, and if you lived in a world as weird and dangerous as Hyrule, you'd have to worry about being killed by some fantasy creature as well.

Should Zelda games implement some sort of food and hunger meters to highlight this danger? This is a subject that may not have any easy solutions, so I encourage you to think it through a bit. I wouldn't mind a Zelda game with these inclusions, but I would almost necessitate a huge, open world with realistic geography that promotes and rewards exploration. After all, if you're going to throw in realistic limits, you should add realistic rewards as well.

The meters could take inspiration from Metal Gear Solid 3. In that game, you didn't automatically die if you went hungry, but the going became a lot harder, as you couldn't aim accurately or hide as effectively, two things which were vital to success. When Link gets hungry or thirsty, he probably shouldn't die or lose health, as this becomes too much of an impediment to casual play. Rather, he would just get worse at what he does. His aim with the bow would be shaky, his sword strikes would lose their power, and if stamina's a concern, that meter would grow smaller as well. To prevent this from happening, you can buy food and drinks at various settlements as well as hunt in the wild (though the latter may be a bit much for some people). Numerous springs and rivers would be in the huge overworld, encouraging you to explore and fill out the map Xenoblade Chronicles style. And if all this is too much to keep up with in the main game, it may be smarter to delegate these meters to a sub-game that doesn't influence the rest.

It's a deeper subject than it may sound. What do you think about it?

 

[Spirit]

I dunno, Zelda for me has always been a pretty simple affair that i just like to pick up play and get through, i remember in games like Starfox Adventures where it was really annoying to constantly have to feed Prince Tricky, and in Monster Hunter when the stamina run low over time and you have to constantly take a break to cook some meat or nom on something that you find lying around..

The stamina meter was enough in SS where it would run out constantly and this lead to me not using it an awful lot because it just felt a tad bit useless for what you could get out of it, there really isn't anywhere you can jump off o summon your loftwing if you run all the way from a save point and this bugged me.

If there was going to be more meters to keep Link in check then that Link which uses these meters is going to really need to be capable of some Altair/etc style athleticism to convince me not to let him go hungry

 

[octorok74]

No. I didn't like this in Hardcore mode for Fallout NV and I wouldn't like to see it in Zelda. I just think it would make it harder for the players to connect more with Link. I mean, having to eat and drink to keep Link from performing poorly at the least and dying at the most. I just don't like the idea is all.

 

[DarkestLink]

Sounds annoying and pointless, sorta like the shield meter.

 

[The Wanderer]

If there was going to be more meters to keep Link in check then that Link which uses these meters is going to really need to be capable of some Altair/etc style athleticism to convince me not to let him go hungry

I'm kind of hoping Link keeps and builds on his athleticism from Skyward Sword, as it made traversing the world so much easier and more fun. So if I had my way, we would be seeing Altair ibn-Link'ahad in the future. It doesn't necessarily have to be Prince of Persia, but climbing rough terrain is part of exploring the world too, right? I'd actually modify the stamina meter so you can run indefinitely but suffer penalties to your stats when you become exhausted. More freedom to do what you want, but still strategy (more so, I'd think) so you don't wind up completely exhausted in the midst of a bunch of enemies.

 

[LalaCoyoteGamer]

While it might be more realistic, I think it would be an unnecessary complication. Games can be too heavily packed with features, and it sounds like something that would just kind of get in the way. IMO, the Zelda games really weren't meant to be uber-realistic, so adding something for the sake of realism that doesn't really have much point in overall gameplay isn't really necessary.

 

[Ventus]

I didn't much like the Stamina gauge in Skyward Sword, so I'm gonna have to turn hunger and thirst down to an absolute no. I think what i have in mind is something like the Drop System in Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, wherein all you're doing is having just three food/drink items onhand to bump the meter back up to around half so you don't have to worry too much about it.

In short, the two meters would be nothing more than an annoyance, played to make players have a false worry thanks to food/drink items somehow being plenty.

 

[ihateghirahim]

I thought the stamina meter could get annoying at times, but it was well integrated with gameplay. This proposed idea would be a pain. You'd just be trying to complete the final boss fight when suddenly Link collapses out of the blue from dehydration. It's just another thing to distract you from having fun. If you don't believe me, the you should play Metal gear Solid 3. Have fun spending endless putting complex bandages on every scrape and being forced to constantly look for food. It's a real pain.

 

[HatredHazard]

No.... next thing we'll have is the "poop" meter, it would be so awkward having to "go" in the middle of an epic boss fight...

 

[KawiNinjaZX]

They added this in gta San Andrea and it was tedious, it would be a bad idea.

 

[1upmuffin]

I would be really annoyed if I was playing through a big dungeon and Link faints from dehydration.

 

[Zelink]

No.... next thing we'll have is the "poop" meter, it would be so awkward having to "go" in the middle of an epic boss fight...

I'm so down for a poop meter, you have no idea.

 

[Keeseman]

Seems a bit ridiculous for something like Zelda. The Stamina meter is okay in SS, and I'm not minding it too much, as it adds more challenge to a game series that is gradually becoming less difficult. But hunger and thirst is a bit too much.

I would understand if eating something gave you a timed bonus, like x1.5 damage for a day or something, but even that is a bit much...

I'd say just stick where it is now, with food not being a necessity, and potions/drinks providing a bonus. I wouldn't mind this in other games, but I would find it too ridiculous in Zelda.

 

[JuicieJ]

Eh, seems a bit unnecessary in a game series that's trying to branch out to all audiences. The Stamina Gauge was a great addition and helped advance the series forward a bit (and should definitely see even more involvement in the future), but hunger and thirst meters are more for some kind of really "out there" RPG, or something.

 

[The Wanderer]

Eh, seems a bit unnecessary in a game series that's trying to branch out to all audiences. The Stamina Gauge was a great addition and helped advance the series forward a bit (and should definitely see even more involvement in the future), but hunger and thirst meters are more for some kind of really "out there" RPG, or something.

You drive a valid point, JuicieJ. Zelda's known for being kind of an everyman's game, and forcing all players to keep up with hunger and thirst is naturally going to be a little much for some. An interesting game mechanic, but perhaps overbearing.

It may be better if this is all relegated to a sub-game, like the one I mentioned in the "Teleportation - Yay or Nay?" thread. Something where you're not allowed to teleport and you must keep up with increasingly difficult odds, which could include growing hunger and thirst. This would be a tactical mode placed outside the main game, so casual players wouldn't find themselves burdened with giving Link food and water.