bones Bones and utilities: tools, soups, ashes, etc

[Doctor Antiquarium]

Suggestion for Implementing the Use of Bones in Vintage Story

I propose new utilities for bones to create a variety of useful items beyond bonemeal. This functionality would not only enrich the gameplay experience but also add an extra layer of realism and depth to the survival and crafting simulation that characterizes Vintage Story.

Details of the Suggestion:

Uses of Bones:

Bone Tools:

Bones can be carved to create basic tool parts such as needles, hooks, knife blades, spearheads, and arrowheads. These tools will have limited durability but will be useful in the early stages of the game or in emergency situations. While these tools are made through scraping, they could initially be carved like flint when firstly implemented.

Bone Broth:

By cooking bones in water for a prolonged period, players will be able to create bone broth, which can be used in various recipes along with meat, vegetables, and grains.

Animal Glue:

Players can cook a larger number of bones in water for more time to create animal glue. This glue will be a useful resource for repairing wooden, fur, clay and stone items, as well as for crafting certain advanced items.

Bone Meal (implemented):

Grinding bones will produce bonemeal. This can be used as fertilizer in agriculture (phosphor source), but could be used also as an additive to produce animal feed pellets (if animal feed pellets are added to the game).

Bone Ash:

By burning bones in a campfire or a furnace, players will obtain bone ash, which can be used as fertilizer in agriculture (phosphor source), as a construction material (an alternative to lime for making mortar), or as a lower-quality substitute for borax in certain alloys.

Decoration:

Animal and human skulls can be used like decorative elements.

 

Balance and Adjustments:

These new utilities would add an extra level of detail and realism to the game. It will enhance exploration and hunting, as bones will become a valuable resource with multiple uses. It will increase crafting and survival options, providing new strategies and methods for facing the game's challenges.

It is important to balance the durability of bone tools and the quantity of resources obtained from bones to avoid them becoming too powerful or scarce. The creation of animal glue and bone ash should require a reasonable cooking time to ensure they cannot be obtained in large quantities easily.

I hope this suggestion will be considered for future updates of Vintage Story, and I am confident it will enrich the gaming experience for all players.

Thank you for your attention!

Edited June 29 by Doctor Antiquarium
correction

[StCatharines]

I absolutely agree.

In fact, I use three mods specifically to allow for greater use of bones. Lichen Continued, Expanded Foods, and Tailor's Delight.

In the base game, you can use bone meal for a P source in farming. I always do, in addition to now using it for making terra preta.

[PickleinThahouse]

i agree mostly because of bone broth. making soups and stocks out of bone sounds pretty sweet. although might want to tweak bony soil in that case. that sounds kinda nasty lol

[Maelstrom]

Come now!  soup made from bones in bony soil would have a rich earthy nuance to it that would pair well with certain wines, like a pinot noir.  

[Doctor Antiquarium]

On 6/30/2024 at 3:23 PM, PickleinThahouse said:

i agree mostly because of bone broth. making soups and stocks out of bone sounds pretty sweet. although might want to tweak bony soil in that case. that sounds kinda nasty lol

I understand. In that case it may be necessary to differentiate fresh bones from old or clean bones.
Ancient bones could also be implemented.

Another thing that could fit is that the bones rot. Let me explain better: fresh bones, which contain marrow, would last several days fresh before turning into clean bones (without marrow), with a certain probability of turning into rot. Or maybe they all turn into rot without exception.

Then the properties and utilities look like this:

- Fresh bones: perishable, a group of bones can be manipulated with a knife to extract the marrow (one unit) and obtain clean bones at a time.
Once they expire, they can be transformed into clean bones, or rot.
They can be used to make bone broth, bone glue, bone meal, bone ash, and bone tool heads.

- Marrow: useful for making bone broth and bone glue. It can be cooked and eaten directly.

- Clean bones (or, simply, bones): imperishable. Only useful for making bone meal, bone ash, and bone tool heads.

- Ancient bones: everlasting, found in mud with bones, sand, rocks and the like. They are mineralized (fossils) and cannot be used to make any of the above, beyond perhaps some block or decorative use.
However, some could be made from pyrite, chalcopyrite and similar minerals, so nuggets can be extracted from them by crushing them.

Edited July 4 by Doctor Antiquarium