LBT dinosaurs have to eat no matter whether they are injured or not. If they are well fed they would be best at performing their tasks. If you haven't eaten anything for a day or two you are not likely to be a very energetic climber or swimmer. Therefore I suggest that the energy bar will gradually lower itself through the game (faster while performing difficult physical tasks, slower while you are just walking or doing nothing very strainous). You won't die when that bar runs out (in case of the rare fights I suppose we need a different bar), but will have great difficulties to do any tasks your points for climbing, swimming, running and similar abilities may be halved or quartered if your energy goes below a certain point. Within the Great Valley it should be easy of course to find food to fill up the bar (there must be a way to let plants regrow), but in tasks which lead the characters into more hostile regions maintaining enough energy to perform tasks may be difficult. We might really come to appreciate what green food / a treestar means for the LBT characters when shortage of those disables our characters from doing many tasks. Also this setting of the game may come as kind of a "conscience" test in some situations. What if a group of characters is out in the wastelands and they happen to find one of the extremely rare treestars out there? Who is the one to get it and thereby being enabled to run, climb, swim, do whatever much easier than any of those who didn't get the treestar?
I really think such a setting may make the game much closer to LBT point of view than the traditional fighting game setting.
This looks a LOT like my idea (cross posted from Abilities thread):
This is my interpretation of the food/energy gauge:The food gauge steadily depletes as you explore or do tasks. It can be replenished by eating green food, some green food fills it up more than others. In general, the further you get from the Great Valley, the less filling the food is. However, there are exceptions, such as an oasis where Treestars grow. Treestars will fill it very quickly, while the food on Chomper's Island will be less filling than others.
The food gauge depletes at a different rate and has a varying capacity for the classes. It depletes the slowest and is the largest in the Longneck class (large stomach and slow metabolism), it depletes the fastest and is the smallest in Flyers (small and very active, flight requires lots of energy). The other classes have depletion rates and gauge sizes between them. I am visualizing the guages as the same size (appearence wise) for all the classes, it's just the value that's different.
I don't know if the size and depletion rates should be modifiable or not.
The food gauge does affect the gameplay:
100% of gauge - abilities at max level (whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing is at max speed
75% of gauge - abilites at max level (whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing is slowed down slightly
50% of gauge - abilities drop 1 level from whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing is obviously slowed down
25% of gauge - abilities drop 3 levels from whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing ceases
0% of gauge (totally empty) - abilities revert to level 1, character takes damage
All level drops in abilites are temporary and will be reversed once the gauge passes the critical point.
Example:Shorty with level 6 tail whip at with a full food gauge doesn't eat and his gauge becomes totally empty, he will now have a level 1 tail whip. Once he gets the gauge past 25%, he'll have a level 3 tail whip, once he reaches 50% of his gauge he will have a level 5 tail whip. Once he reaches 75% of his gauge, he will have his level 6 tail whip restored.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I feel that there should be an HP gauge. Combat is obviously not the only way to be injured.
As for what happens if the HP gauge empties:
I'm leaning towards a "reincarnation" at the nest (or central meeting place if desired) with the premise of "it was just a dream" but with the loss of some EXP points.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, someone mentioned treestars. Will those serve as food or currency?