[Updated] CLARIFICATION: How Intestinal Parasites (Trichinosis) Works (as of v.326+)


Patrick Carlson

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On 7/16/2016 at 5:04 PM, continuity said:

I like the worms mechanic in all aspects except one, i'm pretty sure you don't treat worms with antibiotics.  There should be a separate anti parasite medication, and possibly herbal treatment.

You dont contract parasites from properly cooked meat to begin with.

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18 minutes ago, Dirmagnos said:

You dont contract parasites from properly cooked meat to begin with.

Its a gameplay mechanic, not a simulation of real life .  If it makes you feel better you could think of it as risk involved with handling the infected raw meat + lack of hygiene options.

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On 2016-07-16 at 10:04 AM, continuity said:

I like the worms mechanic in all aspects except one, i'm pretty sure you don't treat worms with antibiotics.  There should be a separate anti parasite medication, and possibly herbal treatment.

If I remember right from an earlier discussion with @hauteecolerider that there are a few antibiotics that also have anti-parasitic properties.

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14 hours ago, continuity said:

Its a gameplay mechanic, not a simulation of real life .  If it makes you feel better you could think of it as risk involved with handling the infected raw meat + lack of hygiene options.

Again with this argument, and i prefer to wash my hands be4 handling any food. Its not really that hard.

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  • 1 month later...
On 7/18/2016 at 6:47 PM, Dirmagnos said:

Again with this argument, and i prefer to wash my hands be4 handling any food. Its not really that hard.

 The problem is that it remains a valid argument. It is indeed a game and the parameters are set out in the form of hard and fast rules; there are far fewer options than in RL and as a result the rules must be adhered to regardless of the RL minutiae. I have long held the same argument because it's the only one that can be upheld rationally and consistently. Issues perceived within the game must be measured by and within the game, not RL. Ideas are implemented in a broad manner and subsequently mitigated in the same broad strokes. Thus, antibiotics are a panacea that cure all microbial ills, pain killers work instantly and completely cure a sprain, wolf bites have no long-term healing time, bleeding is stopped instantly by the application of a bandage, on and on.

 What cures parasitic infection or how one might contract it in RL are largely irrelevant to this discussion. The birch bark cure is a well-founded idea; yes it works in RL but more importantly because it fits into the game world seamlessly. The game emulates aspects of reality but takes a quantum leap of faith in countless ways, most of which with we are fine until that is it has a negative effect which we feel is disproportionate. It's not wrong to feel this way or to have issue with something in the game, but arguments of substantiation or those for solutions must remain within the context of the game and make enough sense to simply be plausible.

 The "its a game" argument is unfortunate in that is often put forward but also has the frustrating virtue of being valid and true. Show me a game where nonsense and fantasy aren't at every turn; games are where otherwise absolute madness is accepted in the agreed suspension of belief. When things work within the framework of the game, they become plausible and practically invisible to the player but when held up to RL, things become quite ridiculous. We cherry-pick our arguments, taking examples of ideas we don't like and founding arguments against them based on RL yet ignore the myriad nonsensical ideas that we like yet have the same surreal foundation for existing. If we argue against parasites from RL then we are also obliged to argue against pain killers being so effective and should hobble about for days. Wolf bites will need daily treatment, changing bandages and re-application of antiseptic accompanied by a long-term condition hit until recovered. Bear mauling will kill you 99% of the time. Lacking vitamins in your diet, never bathing, never defecating or micturating...reality would quickly make this game - any game - no fun at all.

 Imagine crawling back to your shelter frozen, hungry, low condition from a wolf fight, wrist sprained and then having to get out your crafted shovel and spend 2 hours digging out the entrance due to it being covered with packed snow from the blizzard. Reality sucks and we should be careful what we wish for. :)

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 4/22/2016 at 0:14 AM, hauteecolerider said:

So in reality, I would suspect we are actually at equal or greater risk of parasite infection from eating deer meat or rabbit meat than wolf or bear. But for the purposes of balancing the resources of the game, the devs' solution is fine.

Trichinosis which is in the title, however, is commonly found in carnivores but almost (?) never in herbivores. And thorough cooking kills it.

I am also fine with the dev's solution, there needs to be a reason to hunt deer and rabbits instead of wolves and bears =)

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  • 6 months later...
On 4/21/2016 at 2:36 PM, hauteecolerider said:

I vote for birch bark tea!

That would totally add to the balance of the resources. I think having resources with multiple uses will force us to make choices regarding the best way to use them. Like using recycled wood to make snares versus burning them for fuel. Or using gut to repair clothing versus making fishing line. Having a second use for birch bark (especially when you have so many other choices for tinder) would really make it more useful for me.

I can attest that I've picked up a piece of birch bark only once in who knows how many playthroughs. Once I saw what it could be used for, I said "nyeh" as I chucked it and I never wasted inventory space on it again.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎2018‎-‎03‎-‎05 at 2:25 PM, Celeblith said:

I can attest that I've picked up a piece of birch bark only once in who knows how many playthroughs. Once I saw what it could be used for, I said "nyeh" as I chucked it and I never wasted inventory space on it again.

I for one am still hoping for birch bark tea ;) 

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  • 2 months later...
  • 7 months later...

Wow , I am usually against reading like guides that actually spoil the whole thing but here at least you learn just something anyway you should know to immerse even more as you live there so you could know these things or even just don't read this and just let it happen. Anyway... I really think this is a great way to create emergent gameplay! I love emergency in games... and everywhere in life. It makes us creators.

WELL DONE!

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  • 3 months later...
On 3/22/2018 at 7:58 PM, Jolan said:

Even if it didn't do anything other than warm and 100 calories - I would be all for it.

One HUNDRED of calories! Gosh! This would be a game changer on interloper! :PI would say 20 calories and warming effect for 5 birch barks is more than enough to make them very useful.

Edited by Wormer
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On 5/5/2019 at 5:22 AM, Wormer said:

One HUNDRED of calories! Gosh! This would be a game changer on interloper! :PI would say 20 calories and warming effect for 5 birch barks is more than enough to make them very useful.

well 2 reishi are 100 calories and warming, and the other hot drinks are all 100.  so it would be par 

:) 

Edited by Jolan
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  • 4 years later...

It must be a random roll at the 24 hour mark.  I ate a piece of wolf meat at hunters cabin, went outside and did my thing all day and hung out in the cave nearby near the end of the day.  at the 24 hour mark, I got IP, with only a 1% chance.  I immediately quit the game on console and reloaded to see if I would get it since I did not go inside or create an "autosave" .  Well, the first reload, I did not get IP and promptly saved my game by sleeping in the cave.  I count myself lucky.  IP is just ridiculous in interloper and can ruin a good run with its insane duration of effects.  10 days maybe, but 20??  

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20 hours ago, yemtig said:

It must be a random roll at the 24 hour mark.  I ate a piece of wolf meat at hunters cabin, went outside and did my thing all day and hung out in the cave nearby near the end of the day.  at the 24 hour mark, I got IP, with only a 1% chance.  I immediately quit the game on console and reloaded to see if I would get it since I did not go inside or create an "autosave" .  Well, the first reload, I did not get IP and promptly saved my game by sleeping in the cave.  I count myself lucky.  IP is just ridiculous in interloper and can ruin a good run with its insane duration of effects.  10 days maybe, but 20??  

Welcome to the forums!  Sounds like you just got REALLY unlucky with the 1%.  Just goes to show, you are taking a risk by eating that meat.

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