Suggestions Box (Dec 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...

 #16: Out of box experiences

In the aftermath of the excitement surrounding the Black Friday sale, I've been pondering something. It would be great (like, really great!) to see box items be made available 'out of the box' for a limited time more often.

Black Friday 2013 sale items

Now we could have a Black Friday type sale once every few months which would be very nice. But here's an alternative proposal. TeamLava should make box items available out of the box when a box is first introduced to the game. It could be just for a week, but it would really make the content so much more attractive.

And the crucial point here is that I think this is something that could work well for both the players and the game's developers. We get a clear sight of some of the very best items, even if we do have to spend through the neck for it. Meanwhile TeamLava surely see a surge in income when new boxes are released.

Take the Picnic Surprise for example. This box was released in April with the items available in the Floor Decorations tab for a variety of prices. This move was met really positively by the players and would be good to see more regularly.

 #17: Selling wallpapers and floor tiles

This is something that's always irritated me. Why can we not delete bought wallpaper and floor tiles in exchange for coins?

We can do this for every other category of item, yet it's something which isn't applicable for wallpapers and floor tiles. I've got quite a few of both which are no longer of any use to me, and I'd like to get rid of them for some coins.

 Previous Suggestion Box posts

 17/11/13 November 2013
 19/10/13 October 2013
 28/09/13 September 2013

I can only assume that the problem for the gamemaker's on this one is that unlike when any other item is sold (or indeed stored) it can just vanish. Whereas a wallpaper and floor tile must be replaced - after all we can't have gaps in the walls and holes in the floor! But a snappy bit of coding could surely allow the default wallpaper and flooring when you first expand to take the sold one's places.

The default wallpaper and floor tiles need be the only ones that can't be deleted, which is fair enough since we don't directly buy them ourselves.

 #18: Bring back the teasers

Those of you who purvey the TeamLava Forums or the Restaurant Story Facebook page will probably be aware that for a long time the game's developers provided a weekly teaser pertaining to the next game update.

Teaser for Haunted Dinner as shown on Facebook page

But since this preview for the Haunted Dinner in late October, the teasers have dried up. This has led to plenty of anger and outrage (usually over the top) on the forums. I've always enjoyed the teasers as they give you something to look forward to in-between updates, and when the sneak peak is for a new theme, it's fun to try and guess what that theme may be. It's also nice to speculate about whether a teaser is for a limited time offer, a box item or whatever.

So I'm calling on the gamemakers to bring back the teasers. I'm sure that there isn't that much work goes into them as presumably the items to be added have been designed many weeks in advance. It's just a case of getting it out there. Such a move would satisfy a lot of people.

 #19: More levels

This is a common suggestion. And no wonder. There are a lot of level 99 players out there (myself included), and it's a bit annoying when you reach the ceiling and can't go any higher. Not being able to aim for further heights removes one of the ultimate goals of the game.

It would be great to see extra levels added to keep high level players as interested as possible. And it's definitely not inconceivable that this could happen. After all the level cap was originally at 96, but was extended to 99 way back in March 2012.

Without more levels, the value of XP becomes negligible as it doesn't lead anywhere. Get me back on the XP trail TeamLava!

 #20: Dress up the customers

Time for a festive suggestion! With no Christmas version forthcoming on iOS, we aren't getting the little touches which really give the restaurant that seasonal feel. The customers in particular look boring.

Customers entering The Garlic Tree

So let's get some thick, woolly jumpers on the guys and sparkly tinsel in the hair of the girls. I know it's too late in the day now, but I'd like to see the punters look like they know it's the season to be jolly. Instead they look their usual robotic selves (to be fair, technically they are robots!) In particular, the bloke coming in through the door in the image above really needs to close his mouth - it's rude to walk around catching flies like that you know!