One of the main goals of Farmer's Delight is to give players a reason to farm a little bit of everything. Food is at the heart of this goal, so it would probably be a bit boring if every food and meal did nothing beyond filling hunger.

It would be interesting if different kinds of foods were capable of providing gentle benefits to players, so that they are rewarded for working towards them, and to make them consider food variety when going out to do something in-game.

In other words, "variety by gameplay".

Here's the current plan, open to feedback and suggestions:

• Soups and Stews: Warm foods associated with comfort and healing, despite not being the most fulfilling. Such meals could play off that idea, being curatives or immunizers:
  • Comfort: potion effect that renders the user immune to Slowness (represents cold) and Weakness, and maybe other effects;
  • When eaten, they would clear off certain negative effects from the player. Balanced by being eaten rarely, due to high nourishment compared to single foods.
• Plated Meals: These tend to be considerably more expensive to cook, and usually the highest in hunger/saturation. A hearty plate of food would ideally keep players well fed for much longer than your lone steak or golden carrot!
  • Nourished: potion effect that renders players immune to becoming exhausted from common actions, such as running, jumping and attacking. Effect halts if player can heal damage using saturation, so as to balance healing out.
• Portable/Handheld Foods: Not every food needs a plate! Some are compact enough that you can still stack them to 64 and carry along. These foods would not do much beyond simple hunger/saturation, but they could perhaps grant short bursts of common potion effects. They would be good companions to the Nourished effect when in battle!
  • Proteic foods granting Strength II for a short while (15s), to fight back after being hurt by mobs;
  • Cold or refreshing foods granting Fire Resistance for a short while (15s), to quickly recover from heat in a pinch;
  • Pastries and Sweets, despite not being exactly healthy, could grant a burst of energy to players, for Speed and Jump Boost.
  • Certain food flavors/ingredients could imbue traits on foods based on them.

As an addendum to this concept: the goal here is not to invalidate Potions. By the contrary, I want Potions to remain the superior, later-game effect provider, being more practical and controllable routes to status effects. Foods would merely grant limited, but hopefully useful assists to players on their daily routine:

• Foods can usually only be eaten if hungry (save some exceptions), limiting the rate of benefits one can rake from them per hour;
• Most foods would be limited to the "common" range of effects, the kind you'd expect from a natural body process (speed, strength etc);
• Potions can be extended and amplified, and go beyond average logic, such as Water Breathing and Invisibility.

I am considering extending some ideas to the potion system, but nothing confirmed on the short term.

Most of this has been completed on some form, and I feel any rebalances will happen more organically.