[dev1242] Revamping Food and Medicine

* The following changes are scheduled for the 1.21 patch release.
* Features are under development and subject to change or postponement.

• Patch 1.21 will include a revamping of food and medicine.

  In this overhaul, the role of food and medicine will be clarified and new items added. Reassessment of food and medicine effects corresponding to battle, which has been ongoing since patch 1.18, and balancing between ingredient acquisition levels and synthesis levels will be carried out as well.

  • Differentiating food and medicine

    Food and medicine items that buff the character by enhancing physical stats, such as attack power and strength, will be differentiated as follows:
    
    <table width="560" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" class="ta01"><tr valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td width="20%" bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01"></td><td width="40%" bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Enhancing Food Items</td><td width="40%" bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Enhancing Medicine Items</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Basic Concept</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" class="th01" align="left">Easy-to-use items with weak, but long-lasting, effects.</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" class="th01" align="left">Items that confer strong effects that are felt immediately but last only a short time. To be used in crucial situations.</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Effect</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" class="th01">Weak</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" class="th01">Strong</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Duration</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" class="th01">Long</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" class="th01">Short</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Reuse Delay</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" class="th01">Very short</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" class="th01">Long<br>A single reuse delay applies to all medicines</td></tr></table>Food and medicine items with enhancing effects can be used in conjunction with each other. For example, if a character is under the enhancing effects of a food item, takes a medicine item that also confers enhancing effects, and then immediately launches a triple combo, the character can deliver very heavy damage to the foe.
    
    ・Comparison of enhancing items
    
    <table width="560" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" class="ta01"><tr valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td width="50%" bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01" colspan="2">Food</td><td width="50%" bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01" colspan="2">Medicine</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Item Name</td><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Effect</td><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Item Name</td><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Effect</td></tr><tr td width="15%" valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Marmot steak</td><td td width="35%" bgcolor="#f6efe5" class="th01" align="left">Physical attack +13% (maximum 15)<br>Strength +7%<br>(maximum 3)<br>EXP bonus +3%</td><td td width="15%" bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Potion of Strength</td><td td width="35%" bgcolor="#f6efe5" class="th01" align="left">Strength +22%<br>(maximum 20)<br>Physical attack +26%<br>(maximum 45)
    </td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Jerked beef</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" class="th01" align="left">Physical attack +7%<br>(maximum 51)<br>Piety +3%<br>(maximum 7)<br>EXP bonus +3%</td><td bgcolor="#f5cca2" class="th01">Mega-potion of Strength</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" class="th01" align="left">Strength +14%<br>(maximum 40)<br>Physical attack +18%<br>(maximum 125)</td></tr></table>* Item effects are still under development and are subject to change.

  • Revamping food

    Food item specs will be adjusted as follows:

    • Food items will boost parameters not by fixed values, but by percentages. However, enhancements will be capped at a maximum value. (Also, some items will continue to provide a fixed-value boost.)

      (Example)
      A player character has a physical attack of 400. The character eats a food item that provides a +10% boost, and his physical attack increases to 440.

      Food items for lower level characters provide bigger percentage boosts but are capped at a lower maximum. Food items for higher level characters have low percentage boosts but higher caps. Percentage boost, fixed cap, and duration are enhanced in HQ food items.
      
      
    • All food items provide experience point bonuses.
      
    • Neither elemental nor physical attributes have any impact on the effect bonuses provided by food.
      
    • The effect of eating ingredient items (such as raw meat and fish, fruits, and other unprocessed foods) will be changed. Eating such items will only grant an experience point bonus.
      
    • Using Item Help will display the actual effects of the item (enhanced parameters, duration, reuse delay, and so on).
      
    • In order to better match the synthesis level, ingredient acquisition level, and the character level where the effects are greatest, each category of food items will be equally redistributed within each level range.
      
    • Food recipes will be changed as follows:
      • Synthesis of low-level items will produce a large number of finished items. As the level increases, the number of items will decrease.
      • The synthesis level will be adjusted to better match ingredient acquisition levels and the character level at which effects are optimal.
        
      • Some recipes will be changed.
        Where there are multiple recipes in the same category and level range, they will be differentiated as follows, and ingredients will be trimmed from some recipes.
        • Food items that require many ingredients but have powerful effects.
        • Food items that require few ingredients but have weaker effects.
      • New items and recipes will be added.
        New items and related recipes will be added to categories that have very few items, such as mushroom and egg dishes.
    • Graphics will be added when using food items.

  • Revamping medicine

    Medicine items will be changed as follows:

    • Medicine items will boost parameters not by fixed values, but by percentages. However, the enhancements will be capped at a maximum value.
      
    • High-end recovery items, with large recovery effects, will be added.
      
    • Recovery items will no longer be usable on other characters.
      
    • The reuse delay spec will be changed. All medicine items will be subject to the same reuse delay counter, with more powerful medicines imposing longer delays. When a player tries to use medicine while a delay is still in effect, an error message will be displayed together with the time remaining in the delay.
      
    • Medicine recipes will be changed as follows:
      • Synthesis of low-level items will produce a large number of finished items. As the level increases, the number of items will decrease.
        
      • The synthesis level will be adjusted to better match ingredient acquisition levels and the character level at which effects are optimal. Synthesis levels for ailment recovery items will be adjusted to match the levels of monsters that have the abilitiy to inflict those ailments.
        
      • Intermediate materials will be removed, and only basic ingredient items will be needed to synthesize finished products.
        
      • New items and recipes will be added.
        New strengthening items and related recipes will be added that boost physical attributes and attack strength for short periods of time. As with recovery items, these new items will grant percentage boosts with fixed caps.
        

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