Wednesday 30 October 2013

Game update: 30/10/13

Halloween hits us tomorrow, and there's a great gift for players...

Notification for latest Halloween update

As I predicted may happen, all of the 2012 Halloween content has been re-introduced!

Here is a list containing all the returning items:

Tables:
  • Monster Table - 6,000 coins
  • Ghost Table - 3 gems

Monday 28 October 2013

Countdown to content removal (recipes)

A removal of 'Winter holiday content' took place on Tuesday 7th January 2014. Only Christmas content was removed. More information can be found here.

Let me take you back to 3rd January 2013...

A pop-up appears to every player on every TeamLava game, and it informs that all holiday content from 2012 will be removed on the 7th. Chaos ensues as players frantically try to decide what is and what isn't 'holiday content', before invading Design mode to buy up items expected to go and desperately trying to master seasonal recipes.

It was a bit of a shambles in all honesty. Only four days notice of a whole raft of unnamed items and dishes being removed with no promise of any returning at any time in the future. So as that time approaches again, here's a guide as to what you should do.

The definition of 'holiday content' is a dodgy one - Valentine's Day, Halloween and Christmas clearly all fall into this bracket, but what about Summer, Autumn, Carnival and Cruise themed items? So for the sake of taking no chances I'm going to class anything added this year as at risk.

Saturday 26 October 2013

The Garlic Tree at Halloween

With Halloween this coming Thursday, I've got my restaurant decked out in a Halloween theme.

I've seen a few really special restaurants for the occasion, where a huge amount of effort has been put in to totally refurbishing the diner in the name of Halloween. I've been busying myself with mastering the newest recipes and saving gems for Black Friday so have not gone too big with my decorating.

But as an iOS user who has been playing the game for more than a year, I do have access to last year's Halloween content, so have been able to mix and match nicely to create a spooky tone.

I've actually looked to incorporate some of the Halloween content within my existing design. For example, in the kitchen section my Swedish Server has morphed into a Zombie Waiter:

Halloween themed kitchen section of The Garlic Tree

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Game update: 23/10/13

The Halloween theme continues in Restaurant Story as the 31st moves on to the horizon.

Notification for latest Halloween update

As I predicted, this week we've got a new box. The Mystery Mummy Chest is the only new item in this update, but for 24 gems you get a shot at picking up a seriously spooky decoration. Of course the odds are against you so gamble those gems at your own risk!

So what exactly are the prizes available from this new chest? Well here is a prize distribution list of everything available:

Saturday 19 October 2013

Suggestions Box (Oct 2013)

Every month I list five things I'd like to see added, altered or abolished from the game. Because even though my long time of playing Restaurant Story clearly shows I love it, that doesn't mean it's perfect. Some of the ideas I'll air will be significant game changers while others will be low-key and irrelevant in the eyes of many of you readers.

In no particular order, here are this month's entries...

Thursday 17 October 2013

Game update: 16/10/13

Halloween is now two weeks away, so it's time to stock up on candy!

Notification for latest Halloween 2013 update

The latest update is candy themed, so those going guising will be showered in sweets. Here's a full list of all the new content:

Tuesday 15 October 2013

App update: 14/10/13

Yesterday for iOS players an app update for Restaurant Story was released, the first since April:

Restaurant Story app update
on iTunes store

For reference purposes, this update is version 1.6.9 of the regular edition of Restaurant Story.

As the image above shows, this update contains 'Performance improvements'. Now this description isn't very accurate, as the only change to the game that I have observed isn't really performance related. What I have noticed is a change to the interface of the Invite Friends tab of the Social section off the Main Menu.

Monday 14 October 2013

Black Friday is coming!

As the title suggests, this post is all about Black Friday, which this year falls on Friday 29th November.

For the benefit of those outside of the US, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and marks the start of the Christmas shopping season. Consequently there tend to be lots of sales and promotions from retailers on this day, much like on Boxing Day in the UK.

Now I understand that the end of November is still some time away, so why on earth am I bringing this up now? Well, because the developers of Restaurant Story, TeamLava, treat Black Friday just like high street retailers. So this means something very special could be coming...

Saturday 12 October 2013

Some recipe changes

Just after I published my report on the new Halloween recipes on Tuesday, TeamLava kindly changed the statistics on two of the dishes. Both the Pumpkin Soup and Handburger had their data altered, so here's a look at the differences:

Pumpkin Soup on Basic Stove before and after stats change

So other than the duration, the Pumpkin Soup gets a total statistical makeover. Previously it was a strong 7 hour dish, but now it's poor. Across the board it compares badly, with the School Lunch the only recipe of the same duration which has poorer numbers. So it has gone from a good dish to a substandard effort.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Game update: 09/10/13

The Halloween fun continues this week.

Notification for latest Halloween 2013 update

The focus is on the graveyard, where the spirits are in full swing. Here's a list of everything new:

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Halloween 2013 recipe report

This year's initial Halloween update was a cracker, with loads of new content, a new set of goals, and a massive ten new recipes!

At last I've gained access to them all, so let's take an in-depth look at the new dishes, starting with those that are freely available on the basic appliances...

The Basic Stove has three new recipes:

New recipes on Basic Stove

Thursday 3 October 2013

Halloween 2013 goals (in full)

Please note that this set of goals expired on Monday 4th November 2013.

With this week's update came a new set of goals to celebrate Halloween.

There are six items from the update which can only be obtained by completing the goals, including two new appliances.

There are 33 days on the clock to complete the goals, so they are likely to expire on Monday 4th November, just after Halloween.

The goals contain five 'sidesteps' which must be completed when appropriate if you are to progress through the main strand of goals. All the necessary information is included, so let's get into it...

Wednesday 2 October 2013

Game update: 02/10/13

Halloween has arrived in Restaurant Story!

Notification for Halloween update

The update was a few hours late in release, presumably due to a spooky gremlin in the system.

As of yet, there is no new edition of the app as there was last year, but there are loads of new items and a brand spanking new set of goals to get our fangs into.

Here's a list of all the new content: