# NPC food and water

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [January 23, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549 "2020-01-23T03:23:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![hydroplatypus](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/hydroplatypus/32/4070_2.png) [@hydroplatypus](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/hydroplatypus)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549/1 "2020-01-23T03:23:59Z")

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I have NPC needs enabled, and I have a few questions about how food and water work with NPCs. For instance, if I have NPCs on guard duty - mostly to keep them in one spot so they can help craft without getting in the way - is there a way I can get them to automatically pick up and eat food/water without having to take them off of guard duty? Is there a way to do that when in reglar non-guard mode? closest I could find was the pick up items option, which doesn’t seem limited to food and drink. Is there a food/drink only pickup option so I have to micromanage food and water less?

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**Author:** ![Valase](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/valase/32/6972_2.png) [@Valase](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Valase)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 4:09am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549/2 "2020-01-23T04:09:20Z")

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There’s a zone called “food supply” or something along these lines. I’m not sure how it works, as I’ve never used it, but I imagine that all NPCs, even those on duty, may take from that stockpile if they need to.

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**Author:** ![GiggleGrassGatherer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/gigglegrassgatherer/32/7743_2.png) [@GiggleGrassGatherer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/GiggleGrassGatherer)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 10:50am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549/3 "2020-01-23T10:50:50Z")

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That’s a basecamp feature though, i doubt it would work as “realtime” food supply. The only thing it should do is to be used as a place from which you could refill basecamp calorie counter.

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**Author:** ![mlangsdorf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mlangsdorf/32/2462_2.png) [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549/4 "2020-01-23T15:54:31Z")

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If you have a basecamp nearby, friendly NPCs will automatically consume calories from the faction’s food supply. If the camp has a water well, they will automatically drink from it.

We’re doing some work to make the NPC-basecamp food interaction more sensible, but in terms of limiting micromanagement BS, just setting up a minimal basecamp is huge.

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**Author:** ![Valase](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/valase/32/6972_2.png) [@Valase](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Valase)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 4:32pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549/5 "2020-01-23T16:32:00Z")

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> [@GiggleGrassGatherer](#):
>
> > [@Valase](#):
> >
> > There’s a zone [for this][…]
> 
> […] i doubt it would work as “realtime” food supply.

Good to know! Thank you for stating this.

> [@mlangsdorf](#):
>
> If you have a basecamp nearby, friendly NPCs will automatically consume calories from the faction’s food supply.

Also good to know! Is there a definition on how far or near a “nearby” is? Same/Neighboring overmap tile?

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**Author:** ![mlangsdorf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mlangsdorf/32/2462_2.png) [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 10:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549/6 "2020-01-23T22:20:27Z")

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The center of the basecamp has to be less than 3 overmap tiles away.

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**Author:** ![hydroplatypus](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/hydroplatypus/32/4070_2.png) [@hydroplatypus](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/hydroplatypus)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 1:01am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549/7 "2020-01-24T01:01:40Z")

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Is that 3 tiles inclusive? assuming “B” is the absecamp center, and N is the npc, which of these would be the limit?

BXN

Or

BXXN

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**Author:** ![mlangsdorf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mlangsdorf/32/2462_2.png) [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-food-and-water/22549/8 "2020-01-24T18:28:37Z")

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It’s less than 3, so the first.