Forageable Areas:
These areas are visually represented by a non-interactable model of wild plants spanning several meters in diameter. "Nodes" placed on this asset spawn interactable plants that can be harvested. These foraging areas are placed in certain locations which receive optimal angle of light, type of soil, proximity to water, etc. They cannot be removed by players. They could impede a player's movement (like real brush).
Quality of harvestable plants could first be determined by quality inherent to the area or randomly upon spawning plants at a node.
Harvestable Nodes:
Nodes are located on forage areas. Harvest nodes spawn a model of a full plant that is interactable and can be harvested. The spawned plants cannot be picked up and put into inventory like traditional items.
As a method of reducing objects in the scene, the plant could be spawned with a value indicating the maximum number of times it can be harvested before disappearing. Each time there is a successful harvest attempt, the number decreases by one. When the value reaches 0, the plant disappears.
For players to enjoy searching for plants they have picked many times, a randomized timer could determine when plants respawn. Alternatively, nodes could randomly spawn plants, and a forage area could have a maximum number of spawned plants at a given time.
Determining Quality:
When plants are spawned, they are automatically given a numerical quality. An expert should be able to see this upon inspection.
(Does quality represent potency? Durability? Both?)
Upon harvesting a plant, a player's skill can decrease the quality of plant parts. Difficulty of harvesting a particular plant increases the chance of decreasing quality when a player harvests. An expert will not decrease the quality of plant parts when harvesting.
This means there are two chances for quality to decrease.
Harvesting:
Players want harvesting to be more involved than going to the same placed item every time, but they don't want it to be so involved that it becomes a mini-game.
The player should be able to visually recognize a forageable area. The player could move around the area to find a plant. The player will need to be near to or selecting the desired plant. A command/button could begin a timed harvesting process. (Realistically, it takes time to forage without damaging the plant or yourself and to acquire enough materials.)
The harvesting action takes longer at lower levels. This represents the process of real foraging, which can be tedious, and the goal should be to acquire a quantity, not a single piece of a plant.
Harvesting yields a higher quantity of plant parts at a higher level. Lower yield at lower levels represents being unable to find parts or accidentally destroying them in the process of acquiring them.
Using the incorrect tool will yield very poor quality plant parts or make attempts unsuccessful.
Identification:
Players can inspect to identify a plant or plant part. Attributes are shown to the player based on their skill.
Attributes for plants: name, quality, uses (food, medicinal, poison, etc.)
Attributes for plant parts: name, quality, uses, effects (if consumed)
New containers:
Sacks are not quite large enough for harvesting nor realistic for carrying foraged materials. Plant parts could automatically be placed into these containers.
Foraging bag - An over-the-shoulder bag which hangs near the hip (closer to the back for animation purposes). It should be worn in a slot.
Basket - It's a woven basket. It should be carried.
(This is an organized summary of ideas discussed in Discord.)
