This research was to make references on the Pacific Northwest for our game to give it a sense of depth. This was also a chance or Marcus to shine his knowledge to prove to Tyler he needs him. Most of the research was reflected on Marcus’ knowledge, the sprite choices and character preferences.
How to use my research
- It’ll be impractical for marcus to do spore printing to check whether or not the mushrooms are safe to eat, however, Marcus could mention his journal, which has spore printings. The journal if found could have a wealth of info.
Edible food in the Pacific Northwest
Berries and mushrooms are a good and abundant source of food in the forest. So I figured our charcters would survive on that. Researching about berries, I found some had good attributes for bettering the narrative. For example, Salmonberry season was missed, which was something Marcus was anticipating to eat. Red huckleberries are incredibly tart, giving them to Sierra would surprise her. A mountain Huckleberry is a favourite for bears, so giving some to know-it-all Marcus would put him on edge.
- Berries
- Salmonberry
- Flowers of salmon berry
- april and may blooming
- June – July
- Red and orange in colour
- Like a big rasberry
- the leaves, if the middle is folded backwards resembles a butterfly
- Red Huckleberry
- small and tart may surprise Sierra
- August ripen
- Mountain Huckleberry
- like blueberries
- Late August
- Favourite snack of bears
- soft rounded leaves
- Evergreen Huckleberry
- thick darkly shaded leaves
- Berries ripen at September and last on the plant for several months
- Himalayan Blackberry
- Surplus, extreme quantities everywhere
- End of summer to harvest
- 2kg + of blackberries in one go is typical
- Salmonberry
Mushrooms are similar to berries in the way were a lot of them look like one thing but can be some other species completely. Namely a false chanterelle and a golden one. This is why Marcus is so crucial. There are common mushrooms throughout the pacific Northwest, and Marcus can mention it is pretty lucky they went in Autumn, beacause these wonderful mushrooms grow in abundance. I decided to research about which ones are good to grill under a fire, because it isnt advisable to eat mushrooms raw.
- Mushrooms
- mycologist – Maybe Marcus wants to be a Mycologist.
- Dangerous
- Fly Agaric
- Kinda a funny one, its common knowledge that they’re poisonous, so bringing that to Marcus will probably make him laugh or disappointed.
- Sickener
- All over the Uk so he’ll know from afar that’s a terrible choice
- False Chanterelle
- The underside of a false chanterelle is very different from a golden one
- Fly Agaric
- Safe – All of these mushrooms are good to grill under an embered campfire.
- Golden Chanterelle
- Aroma of apricot when cooked
- Oregons state mushroom
- Very common
- Lobster Mushrooms
- Also common
- Saffron milk caps
- A “classic” campfire mushroom in Europe – maybe Marcus can resonate and explain to Marcus how great it is with olive oil and salt.
- Golden Chanterelle
There was also the mention of a blood mushroom, which is a rare find and is perfect to freak Sierra out and get Marcus excited. Tyler had additional sprites made specifically for the blood mushroom here
Evaluation
This research was more to enrich the story to make people get an accurate perception of what the Pacific Northwest is like. I considered the seasons of which all the plants would grow to make it more accurate to the game plot. I thought that because these mushrooms are related to Marcus a lot, part of his design would look like the underside of the mushroom cap. Although subtle, it could give the player a hint that he knows all about them. I was worried however, if I kept adding mushrooms and berries that had no influence to the story, only enriching the environment, it would put an unfair workload to my team. If we had time, Id be considerate to choose mushrooms and berries that would actually affect the story first and then mention the more decorational mushrooms after.
Sources
- Spore printing
- Simple Guide to Mushroom Foraging for Beginners – YouTube
- Foraging Mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest: A Season-by-Season Guide
- Foraging and Cooking Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms — Sonofabear
- For the Love of Lobster — The Mushroom Forager
- Observations · iNaturalist
- https://adventurespnw.com/7-edible-berries-of-the-pacific-northwest/
- Golden Chanterelles. Edible Mushrooms in Southeast Alaska. — Alaska Floats My Boat
- Mushroom in the Wild Playing Keyboard – YouTube