devtrackers.gg
Many of us in the community want to see Tarkov be more survival and less arcadey shooter. I'm personally on board, but I want to express to the devs why "survival" mechanics need to be implemented carefully.
The biggest thing to avoid are bar-filling mechanics. Many survival games are set up so you just have a bar with a food value, and you simply need to eat every 10 minutes of gametime or something to stay alive.
I think me, and the entire Tarkov community, collectively say: f**k that. If food is just going to be a thing which does nothing but add a pointless menu requirement, we would be better off not having it.
However, food can be implemented in a way which is really cool. Some ideas:
When well-fed, the rate of strength gain should increase. In real life, you don't just work out to gain strength, you also eat a bunch of food.
It should be relatively easy to stay at "normal" levels of food, but strength training levels of food should require some effort to obtain.
When underfed, there should be minor stat punishments like a bit of reduced speed and stamina, not death.
Likewise, dehydration shouldn't kill you, unless you refuse to drink for like 10 raids. Dehydration should make you dizzier and more easily confused. For instance, helmet hits should cause more intense blur and last longer, it should reduce the range of spotting items, maybe sound could be slightly messed with to make it a bit harder to hear without being excessive.
Basically, ignoring food and water should be something which keeps the game playable but keeps you at a disadvantage. Mostly, it shouldn't feel like an absolute chore to maintain, and dipping into low food/water levels should be something you can work around but would prefer to keep up.
noted