When I was playing the game I couldn't stop feeling that a hunger mechanic was cut but that they left the hunting and foraging in. I can think of no other reason for putting two plants in the middle of a cavern with no further vegetation what so ever.

Now though this would have added an extra layer of realism to the survival of Lara, I think it would have distracted too much from the action of the game. In a game where the island was the 'enemy' and you only had to worry about the surroundings and dangerous creatures I think a hunger mechanic would have worked quite well.

What do you think?

Maybe. But I personally would have hated having to manage that sort of meter. It would be like managing your sickness in Far Cry 2. It would just lead to busy work.

I dunno it wasn't too much of a pain in Metal Gear solid 3. So why not.

I thought that too when I saw a bunch of fruit bushes lying about but in my opinion a hunger mechanic would probably only become problematic and cumbersome.

I seem to recall them saying as much. The hunting the deer for food mission at the start was supposed to be an intro to the system but then they found that it wasn't fun to worry about hunger. The story was already written and the mission was already made (for previewing to the press) so that part stayed but the rest got cut.

It really does sound like they should have gone the Metal Gear Solid 3 route with hunger mechanics

Yes, also in the character art, there is another character in the Endurance crew. Unless I missed her before the ship crashed. She was cut.

I do find it refreshing though to hear, and see this much about what was cut, and the Dev team talking about what they could have improved on not even a week after release.

Also a third of the 15 minuet credits ( that you can skip, because there is nothing after them ), is devoted to Fan websites, thanking the moderators of their forums, and pets. Its pretty cool.

Probably, I'd imagine they implemented the hunger mechanic but ditch it after testing, they probably thought that it would be a nusance to the player.

well fuck it all

i would have bought it if it had a hunger mechanic

i guess tomb raider was never going to be the game to really take some risks

but it seems to me that everyone playing it is the type of gamer that plays big new releases no-matter what they are, so what the fuck

couldn't they even have left it in as an option?

This game is very good, It is still a Tomb Raider game, meaning it is still a third person shooter. I got through most of the encounters with the bow, and they very rarely throw a billion guys at you at once, until the ending, and when they introduce the machine gun, and the story, for the most part, is very fluid, and makes since.

Im not saying its for you, It is not a Tomb Raider adventure game. and if that's what you want, or were expecting, I don't think they will ever make that. But it comes pretty close. But again, perhaps just not what you were expecting.

"Does this make the game more fun?"

"No."

"CUT IT."

I'm going to be honest, I'm glad they removed it. If I wanted to worry about hunger, I would starve myself in real life... but, that isn't much fun. Same with it in a game.

the answer to that changes from person to person, obviously

@dagbiker: what i'm looking for is a survival game, preferably one that looks and plays just like this game does.

I shot one deer during the game just because I had to, and I didn't miss the "hunger mechanic".

so just don't turn on the option. why be glad they took it out altogether?

gamers complain about games being all the same, then gamers complain about modes they've never tried, and will never get to try, because hey, gamers complain.

Always nice to see a varied range of opinions, I personally haven't played MGS3 so not aware on how that worked. Thinking about it, it would have been nice if hunting played a bigger part, say in upgrading like in Far Cry 3 but that's nitpicking.

Yeah it's probably the first set of credits I watched all the way through in years. I thought the pictures of the main crew were a nice touch as well. The way they talk about the game post-release makes me confident for the sequel.

The grenade arrows are awesome.

I think you shoot a deer at the start, because deer cannot carry guns. Over the course of the game, the only really relevant item it ties into are some funny achievements. But that is so far off from the way the game played that I can't imagine a hunger mechanic was ever on the table.

To be honest, the first thing I would add to increase realism would be parka jackets. Modding could add the hunger thing if you really care probably (it looks like the dumb obvious pc modification is already floating around).....

@nictel:

I always just thought of the animals as a way to grind xp. For example, in the beginner area I was about 5/6ths of the way through my xp bar, so I shot a few deer in the face and leveled up.

Something like that could of been neat. I feel the game is too linear as it is now to warrent it though. How often do you actually see wild life past that one part? The hunting feels tacked on.

I definitely feel it would have ruined the pace of the game. I can't imagine being in the Shanty Town with all those enemies on screen at once simultaneously having to worry about a hunger bar and that more industrial part having to look for food.

Hunting for the sake of eating in video games has never really been done that well and there are some early parts in the game that feel like they were supposed to be designated hunting zones since there was a bunch of more large game running around.