Ate without table

[tyriaelsoban]

Nutrient paste solves all these problems, they cant reserve items that dont exist.

Just don't forget that it causes new problems: No food when the power goes out.  Solar Flare = hungry pawns.  (So keep some survival meals locked away for emergency.)

I've always got spares of something somewhere

[RyanRim]

Nutrient paste solves all these problems, they cant reserve items that dont exist.

Just don't forget that it causes new problems: No food when the power goes out.  Solar Flare = hungry pawns.  (So keep some survival meals locked away for emergency.)

I've always got spares of something somewhere

You never know when they hide munchies under their beds.

[arcweldx]

Putting more tables around the map would be ok if it weren't for the fact that pawns love to "relax socially" at the table that's halfway across the map instead of the magnificent dining/rec room just steps away. It's a huge waste of time and puts them far away from where they should be when they finally get back to work. It's such a headache I often prefer to take the "didn't eat at a table" hit.

Maybe a way to define acceptable "joy event areas"?

[RyanRim]

Putting more tables around the map would be ok if it weren't for the fact that pawns love to "relax socially" at the table that's halfway across the map instead of the magnificent dining/rec room just steps away. It's a huge waste of time and puts them far away from where they should be when they finally get back to work. It's such a headache I often prefer to take the "didn't eat at a table" hit.

Maybe a way to define acceptable "joy event areas"?

I did an interesting "social experiment" in one of my savegames, connecting dining room with bedrooms so it would be easier for them to come eat directly; placed 2 connected tables into the dining room, also placed many joy creating objects. The other tables were quite far away in a small park/lounge area where I didn't allow food stored near and the freezer was connected with only the dining room. Turned out that the people started eating over 50% more times in the dining room than in the lounge/snacking somewhere far. It also cured their stress more cause they looked at the nice room and ate at the same time so got a mood boost straight in one pack.

[Mehni]

Putting more tables around the map would be ok if it weren't for the fact that pawns love to "relax socially" at the table that's halfway across the map instead of the magnificent dining/rec room just steps away. It's a huge waste of time and puts them far away from where they should be when they finally get back to work. It's such a headache I often prefer to take the "didn't eat at a table" hit.

Maybe a way to define acceptable "joy event areas"?

Select a table. Toggle "Gather spot" to off. Done.

[Limdood]

A "solution" (in that it helps to remove the "ate without table" but doesn't really address the underlying issue) is to place tables around the map.  several small dining rooms in your base, especially if it is a large base, is better than 1 large opulent dining room in the center (unless it is a very compact base).  A few extra tables sitting out by mining nodes or cliff chokepoints for when your pawns are out mining, hunting, or gathering can help too.  This dramatically increases the odds of the set-distance-table-check finding a table in range when the pawn decides to eat.

Pros:
virtually eliminates "ate without table"
dining rooms are actually fairly easy to get to a positive level of "impressiveness" for mood buffs

Cons:
Raiders will occasionally just NEED to kill one of your tables...I heard it insulted their mother.
Each table/chairs/room will add to colony wealth, which will increase raid sizes, especially in early/mid game and if you're actually making nice dining rooms.
Each table/chairs/room will add new homezones that colonists will fiddle around with cleaning/firefighting, whether you want to or not.

I suggest using stone tables and stools, NOT in a room, with homezone removed.  This makes them eat at a table, but it isn't in a room, so they don't get positive or negative effects from room stats, and your pawns won't bother to clean.  Stone furniture means you ignore fires too.  Only problem becomes insult-sensitive raiders.

[Monoxide3009]

I'd love to have a "packed lunch" food item that pawns will prioritize taking into inventory before anything else.  Then if a pawn eats a "packed lunch" they don't suffer the lack of table penalty because, presumably, they were planning to eat their lunch on the job site or otherwise away from base.

100% agree with this.  either 1) pawns should go to a table when one is available (or a toggle), or 2) allow eating pemmican on the road with no ill effects.

[RyanRim]

Putting more tables around the map would be ok if it weren't for the fact that pawns love to "relax socially" at the table that's halfway across the map instead of the magnificent dining/rec room just steps away. It's a huge waste of time and puts them far away from where they should be when they finally get back to work. It's such a headache I often prefer to take the "didn't eat at a table" hit.

Maybe a way to define acceptable "joy event areas"?

Select a table. Toggle "Gather spot" to off. Done.

And people shall eat like royals?

[Rimrue]

Because of this thread, I am now working on a packed lunch mod.