by bumfrog » Sat Apr 23, 2022 10:47 pm Simply use a bucket on an appropriate Hearthling to receive fresh Human Milk, which can be used in all relevant dairy production including butter, batter, and a new set of cheeses! Of the existing milk types, Sheepsmilk tends to serve CHA/DEX, Goatsmilk DEX/WIL, and Cowsmilk CON/STR. I propose a stat spread of INT/PSY from Human Milk, perhaps with lower comparable quantity of FEPS since those Attributes are a bit harder to come by and to further maintain the viability of other milks and of livestock taming by extension. The various cheese types I leave up to the imaginations of our dear developers.
Milk quality from a fresh character would begin at 10, and quantity would start very low (so as not to completely make other milks irrelevant). Both could be increased, with diminishing returns similar to HP, via the CON stat. A lactating character could also have increased Hunger depletion when producing milk, to incentivize consistent harvesting. Perhaps a new wound related to back pain could also be implemented!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
- Would this not give an overwhelming advantage to one option in the heretofore-cosmetic gender selection at character creation?
I agree! And to compensate for that inequity, I propose a complementary addition: Male Hearthlings should have marginally superior combat abilities: slightly increased effective STR/AGI/UA/MA in combat, decreased stamina loss, and perhaps slightly faster run speed. This, alongside the proposed milking mechanics, would increase realism and allow character specialization (between housebound farmers/crafters and roving hunters/fighters) as soon as you create a character. - Extant lactating livestock require gestation and birth of offspring before they can bear milk. Are you suggesting the same of humans?
Not necessarily! I imagine this would be a complex ask, as the gestation of human offspring might require human intimacy gameplay, and decisions on what should happen if offspring come to term in an offline character, as well as if offspring should be some kind of NPC or as a way of generating new (and perhaps, high statted?) player characters, as is the case in the Haven-inspired survival game "One Hour One Life". For the time being, only human milk need be implemented, while player pregnancy and birth can remain "In the Pipe". - Livestock are also forced to stop moving while they are milked against their will. Would the same apply to milkable player characters?
Yes, I don't see why not. In fact, this could further tie in to the aforementioned specialization of the character genders. - Would a player be able to milk themselves?
Of course! - Would this not encourage the creation of alts?
Perhaps it would, though it might only be a drop in the bucket (so to speak, haha) considering the massive number of gameplay systems that already encourage alt-ing (Beestings, Quicksilver crafting, even stat specialization itself). Though I am not opposed to the idea of high-CON milking alts, one possible corrective to this would be to have lactating Hearthlings lose Energy more quickly, even while they are offline. Therefore they would still have to be adequately fed like any other livestock, the hassle of which might encourage players to just raise CON on their main farmer/cook/crafter and get milk from them. - Jiggle Physics?
Yes! And I believe visually-displayed milk gland size could be proportional to milk quantity.
Feel free to provide feedback, or ask questions I may have missed in the replies below.
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