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.

Handburger on Basic Grill before and after stats change

Again, the Handburger is totally overhauled, only retaining its 12 hour length. In my previous scrutiny of this Basic Grill recipe, I found it to be a top dish, highlighted by its extraordinary XP. Unfortunately the update has killed it - the XP gain has almost halved and is now average for a 12 hour recipe, the portions is the second worst of all current recipes of this duration, while the profit is the third worst. A real shame.

The reason for this downgrading is that originally some of the new Halloween content wasn't unlocked until level 63. This is clearly unfair on newer players who would have no chance of reaching that stage before October is over, so the gamemakers decided to make these recipes available to all players. Consequently their stats were downgraded to reflect the lower level they are available.

 Halloween 2013

 09/10/13 Graveyard update 
 08/10/13 Recipe report

 02/10/13 Goals
 02/10/13 First update

All of the other recipes including those on the Bewitched Oven and Condiment Lab are unchanged - full details of the other recipes can be found here.

My feelings about this development are split. It's nice that new players get access to these recipes, especially considering they're likely to be removed in the New Year. But at the same time the stats on these two dishes were the standouts in the Halloween update, so it's frustrating to have them snatched away and replaced by a pair of very ordinary recipes.

A resolution may have been to make them available to all players without the change of data. This would please everyone, but would create an anomaly. However if the Halloween content is removed in January as in previous years, then it would not be an issue for TeamLava for too long.