Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
If we're lucky and they compartment-hashtable the whole thing maybe they'll occasionally rename some as the game updates.
Flashbacks of trying to do this the UTTERLY wrong way in SQL when I was younger... ~shudders~
Verraberries
Fellbeak Macaw Pie
Gingerbread Rootling Cookies
Honey-basted Truffle Trotter Ham
A sensible mix of the factual/factual-based and sheer-fantasy foods would be enjoyable.
I would go so far as to say they should make almost all of the recipes Verran based in some way, like the examples you provided. One downside is the length of the names, but I am ok with that just for the extra flavour the names give.
Eating and drinking makes you fat and run slower...
Smoking should be a feature too. ^^
Long lasting buffs, which build up eating every day fresh cooked food at the tavern.
It should start from flour, water, vegetables, fruits, legumes, meat, fish, bones and carthilage.
Then bread, broth, alcohol, simply cooked meat and fish, juices, pures, salted and dried meat and fish.
Next tier would be more combinations between those dishes: Pies, stews, combined rice dishes, combined salads, etc.
Maybe we could add spices for extra buffs.
Kaelar very basic staples, meat and potatoes type with spirit based drinks, and sparkling water, beets, sugar beets (sugar), salt, peanuts
Vaelune coffee, exotic spices like cinnamon, vanilla, insects, camel milk, goat, cheeses, nuts, dates, almonds, pistachios
Dunir beer, ales, pink sea salt (mined), beef and milk/cheeses, mountain goat meat & milk/cheeses
Nikua fish, seafood, sea salt (fresh), sea weed, nori, palm products like coconuts
Ren'Kai horse milks, rice, tea, exotic spices like curry (and it's individual ingredients) soy, pepper
Vek fowl, blood dishes, hallucinogenic drinks like ayahuasca, brazil nuts, chocolate
Empirean the epicurean of foods, cream dishes, fine wines, pastas, fancy desserts, asparagus, truffles, pates, hazelnuts
Py'Rai bark teas, herbs, eatable flowers, bell pepper types, liqueurs, sugar cane, honey, pecans, walnuts, fresh dew (water)
Tunar mushrooms, spring water, tubers/roots
Formerly T-Elf
Brews:
1. Ratafia - the recipe originates from Italy, a sweet, warming up liquor with alcohol volume ranging between 18-24% (it all depends on how juicy the fruits are).
Ingredients:
Rectified spirits 95-96% 250ml / 0,5 kg of fruits; for quality reasons im using Polish (Spirytus Rektyfikowany) rectified spirits
Water 150-200 ml / 0,5 kg of fruits
Sugar 250g / 0,5 kg of fruits
Fruits: Apples, pears, strawberries, apricots, peaches, grapes, raspberries, gooseberries.
Base:
1kg of mixed citrus (lemon, lime, oranges, tangerines)
50g of chestnuts
100g of dates
100g of raisins
50g of almonds
100g of figs
Base Preparation:
Make sure you have readied airlocked brewing barrel, it needs to be airlocked without distilling pipe so the % does not escape. Put mixed citrus together with other base ingredients in a large bowl or a pot and add 0,5kg of sugar then store it in a warm place for a day or two, during the winter storing it next to radiator does the trick. Within 24hrs you should notice sugar reacting with fruits and have them release the juices if this happens pour all of the contents into a brewing barrel. It's a good idea for the barrel to have as wide neck as possible for the ease of access. Once inside add ~500ml of cold water and ~700ml of rectified spirits to the barrel.
Making it tasty:
Now you should follow the same process with whatever fruits you want to add, once you've prepared your base the rest of ingredients are not really set in stone, obviously different mix will taste a bit differently but it gets the job done either way. I usually go with all of the mentioned above. One important thing to remember is that batches of fruits should be of the same size so no flavour gets dominant over others. I usually go with 1kg batches it makes it simply easier. So grab a 1kg of apples, cut them in in small pieces, put in a pot add 0,5kg of sugar, cover with a lid, store in a warm place for 24hrs and pour inside the barrel afterwards. Then add another 500ml of Rectified Spirits (95-96%) and 400ml of water. It's not mandatory but it's good to wait about a week before adding another type of fruit so the ones in the barrel mix nicely together. Then grab pears and follow the same formula. Remember to always add another batch of spirits and water to every batch of fruits.
WARNING!/ACHTUNG!/UWAGA!
DO NO EVER USE PROCESSED FRUITS. ALWAYS USE FRESH ONES CONVINIENCE WILL KILL THE EXPERIENCE.
You don't have to add all of the fruits, want to go with raspberries, strawberries, pears and peaches only? That is fine! want to add larger batches? That is fine (as long as the base remains as it is) just adjust the amount of other ingredients.
Once you've added last of your fruits let it lie in a shaded warm place for at least another 3 months. Ratafia does not need a lot of attention but it serves it good to open the barrel once in a while and stir a bit to help it mix. If it stays longer in the barrel the flavours will mix better and become more vibrant but 3 months is the minimum time needed to make it taste right. Once ready filter it through the sieve and then bottle up.
FAQ:
But but but the fruits will ferment!
- No they won't alcohol stops fermentation.
Can I use the same fruits for another batch of the brew?
- Yes you can although the flavours will not be as intensive and you will receive less brew out of it.
Can I eat the fruits afterwards?
- Yes, but do so with caution, they have absorbed a lot of alcohol and you don't want to ban apples in Australia right?
How much do I get out of it?
- No one ever knows. Quite a lot, quite enough. It all really depends on how juicy the fruits are and which fruits are used. I usually get about 11-12L of liquor while using 3L of rectified spirits and 2,5L of water in total so I'd say it usually should be double the amount of liquids you use to brew it.
How strong it gets?!
- As stated above it's usually between 18-24%, a lot depends on how juicy the fruits are if it's too light for your taste you can always add another bottle of spirits to the mix, stir it and let it rest for a couple more weeks.
Can I use Vodka instead of rectified spirits?
- No.
I'm going to use it anyway
- You've been warned.
The end product?
Drink from shots, don't mix with anything. Great stuff for cold winter evenings.
2. Amber Liquor
The genesis of this specific medicinal drink goes probably like that
"Look at this beautiful piece of rock, lets drink it"
It's a simple yet effective medicinal liquor.
Ingredients:
20g of raw, unrefined Baltic amber
500ml of rectified spirits (95-96%)
Preparation:
Wash the amber, put it in a bottle, fill the bottle with rectified spirits. Leave in warm shaded place. Stir and shake daily for 2-3 weeks. After that time you'll notice it looks more or less like that:
FAQ:
How strong it is?
- 95%
What does it do?
- Here's a list:
strengthen the immune system and prevent seasonal diseases;
restore the nervous system;
improve performance;
activate the production of insulin in type 2 diabetes mellitus;
prevent cell aging;
help with diseases of the thyroid gland;
inhibit the development of tumours
Might also add for extra credit it eases the pain coming from strains and sprains or even migraine when rubbed in, improves metabolism, enhances liver recovery and alleviate hangovers.
Does it have to be Baltic Amber?
- Yes, Baltic Amber is one of the richest in succinic acid which where it gets its healing properties from.
How do I drink it?
- A drop a day.
Do I have to use rectified spirits again?
- Yes, regular vodkas (40%) are simply not potent enough to draw the full extent of healing properties from the amber.
This is it for now, I shall return later with some food stuffs ; D
1) I am not the cook in my relationship but my partner is amazing and we both enjoy being somewhat adventurous with food. The biggest draw for us is ethnic foods. Though I am of a strong Hungarian, and she is of a strong Polish, culture, we truly love many other ethnic foods from other cultures. I would hope to think that while developing cuisine that we can look to our own lives for inspiration.
For instance, while we have Kaelar who closely resemble the average Caucasian in our world there are many regional influences that we see in our cuisine to differentiate American, from English, from French, and even Canadians have their own dishes, like poutine. In that regard, I cannot help to think about how George R. R. Martin used our world as inspiration for the different races and cultures of the world in Game of Thrones.
It would be amazing to see a Vera twist on our favorite cultural recopies, and not just the stereotypical ones. Another example comes in mind from an inspirational segment I saw on TV where a DC restaurant chain based on foods from Pakistan. One thing that stuck with me was one of the keys to their success. They talked about how every Pakistani restaurant in D. C. was kabob based, and there is so much more to their food. Being in their region there are influences in their cuisine from Asia, India, and the Middle-East. The dishes they showed and talked about I had never herd of and seemed so different and interesting. I could immediately relate due to Middle-Eastern influences in Hungarian culture from the Byzantium Empire. While everyone who is keen to Hungarian culture knows about Chicken Paprikas, not everyone is aware that the national dish of Hungary is goulash, and it is nothing like what most people would consider goulash. It is actually pretty close to a beef stew, but with a thin broth instead of a hearty, thick one. And don't even get me started on deserts, or the sweet Hungarian wine Tokey, which was around before the French sweet wines that everyone gives the French credit for.
Another source of inspiration could be in the YouTube series, A Taste of History. I highly recommend watching those, the very first episode I watched was about honey mead and I have been hooked since. And yet another source of inspiration could be based in processing. I remember watching a bit on an instructor from a local culinary school talk about how they researched the methods that were historically used to preserve and prepare meat though history. I believe he even wrote a book about it but I cannot seem to remember or find the person who it was. But that certainly brings the term charcuterie to mind.
TLDR: Use our cultural foods for influence but keep in mind how regional influences can and have changed ethnic foods historically based on proximity of, or occupation of said region, by other cultures. This can help you to develop new recipes that unlock when certain events happen to a node.
2) Events. I cannot help but to think of how crazy BBQ has become in the United States, with all of the cookoffs and competitions. It seems like it used to be Chili, but BBQ has taken over by storm. It would be really cool if the player community had a method of developing new recipes in the game through events similar to this. If this were done I would prefer it to be an annual, GM run, event with oversight where a player works with the developer for something lore appropriate to be added to the game, for the winner of the contest.
3) Food Trucks. Freeholds and Caravans both lend to the mechanics of some sort of food truck for Vera. It seems very fitting to me that someone could have the proper freehold setup to prepare food and load it to a heated, or cooled, cart which could be taken to the local town square, or even the local mine, mill, or crafting house for lunch hour.
4) Feasts. I really like having the option to have top tier recipes that take extra ingredients and preparation time to feed an entire group of people. Be it a party for a dungeon crawl, or a full on raid team.
5) Duration. It would be nice to have ingredients that can be added that would have magical properties to add to the duration of the food buff. The elven bread from LotR comes to mind, how just one bite could sustain a man for days. Hobbits not so much. (P.S. It makes me sad that there is nothing like a hobbit, halfling, or shire folk in Vera, this was a big miss IMHO, food for expansion thoughts). Also, I am not sure why food buffs disappear on death. Death in MMO games is not permanent, you are magically brought back to life, why is it assumed that your stomach is emptied in that process? Sure you could say that the magic that brings you back consumes the food in your belly, but that seems odd, very odd. While maybe not all food buffs should persist through death, some should.
6) Metabolism. Once again, pointing to drinking contests in LotR and the epic on between Gimli and Legolas, it would be interesting to have racial traits that caused different foods and drinks to impact said races differently. For instance, if the Pryian races. Empyrean and Py'Rai both, are more tolerant to alcohol, it stands to reason that the affects of their food and drinks would be exponential on other races. I realize this kind of ties into the duration concept too and may be hard to balance in the game, but done right, within the Lore of Vera, it could be very interesting.
7) Completionists and collectors. It would be nice to have an in game way of logging and tracking for those who like to "catch them all", forgive me for the Pokemon reference! But for real, keep in mind while tradition, lore, history, and immersion is all good and well, some people just want to check those boxes on the list. I am confident that a system can be put in place where players will still have to research and explore and where the list of titles next to the check boxes can be deliberately obtuse. Not to mention that the list can grow and expand through in game discoveries and events. But at least give people a list along with a n in game tracker please.
The ideal situation in this category is one that allows for both the function of the "Food Buffs" and the added fun or difficulty in creating a particular dish. Some foods may not even offer Combat type buffs but could be used in more social situations. If food is designated as "Buff only" it will have no greater feeling than consuming a potion. Players want to feel like there is something extra with going through the effort of crafting something tasty, fun and useful to both Combat and Social situations.
It would be nice to see dishes unique to Verra that reflect the lore of the game and the different regions within the world.
Toenar of course! 😄 🤤
If it's the second of the above (which is what literally every RPG ever has done, to be fair), then I have no real comment. Balance is all that matters here.
If it is the first, then - as someone with decades of experience as a chef, a current side hustle producing spirits and liquors commercially, and a penchant for studying the crap out of my interests - assuming the game is to be released before 2030, you are behind schedule if you are just starting to wonder about this now.
Creating a new language from scratch is easier than creating a new cuisine from scratch - and (assuming the first of the above options), you have 9 to do.