Balanced Diet
Full is not the same as fed right; a one-note diet slowly wears you down.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- Design focus
- Planning · Economy
No.119Green Hell01The core loop
Action → feedback → next choice- 01Check nutrient levels
- 02Seek the missing type
- 03Eat a mix
- 04Watch the body respond
↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.
Walk through one round
A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.
- T1
Turn 1 · The situation
Carbs 80%, protein 15%, fat 40%, pack full of fruit.
- T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
Stop picking fruit and spend an hour fishing.
- T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
Two fish raise protein to 55%; thirst drops 10% meanwhile.
- T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
Fat is slipping too; look for nuts or game next.
How it plays
Food splits into several nutrient types that decay separately. A long-term shortfall penalizes stamina, healing or weight. Easy food usually covers one type, pushing players toward harder-to-get categories.
What the player weighs
- Eat what is handy or risk a trip for the scarce nutrient
- Eat the rich food now or save it for a worse shortfall
02Start small
Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.
03One mechanic, different implementations
Green Hell
Nutrition splits into carbs, fats, proteins and hydration, with fruit, nuts and meat filling different ones.
Project Zomboid
Beyond hunger it tracks calories and weight; long-term under- or over-eating shifts weight and in turn affects fitness-related traits.
The difference worth noticing
Green Hell shows nutrients as visible meters; Project Zomboid expresses long-term diet through slowly shifting body weight.
Case notes are Yoroll editorial summaries; rules may change between versions.
04What could you combine?
Let players pack meals as expedition loadouts: balanced combos grant broader buffs, lopsided ones only a short single bonus.
Prototype this combo in Yoroll→Follow the next idea
Preserving by Processing
Fresh food rots; a little processing makes it last through the lean days.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Acquire perishable food
- 02Watch freshness drop
- 03Process or store it well
- 04Eat when needed
Ingredient Substitution
The recipe wants ‘some meat’, not one specific cut, so you cook with what's on hand.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Check category requirements
- 02Count what's on hand
- 03Pick the cheapest substitute
- 04Get the dish and its variance
Stop the Bleeding
A wound is bleeding out the clock; use whatever is at hand.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Take a bleeding wound
- 02Break from danger
- 03Bandage with cloth
- 04Change or treat later