Saturday 31 August 2013

Game update: 28/08/13

I was on holiday this week, so that is why the update post is late - or should that be delayed?

Notification for airplane update

At least the Restaurant Story airplanes are on time, with this new theme including plenty of content, all of which is listed below:

Saturday 24 August 2013

A sporting expansion

It's been two and a half months since the last one, but at last I'm ready to expand my restaurant again, this time to 21x24.

Expansion to 21x24

As you can see this expansion costs 7,500,000 coins (or 80 gems) and requires players to have 45 neighbours before it can be executed. I've saved up over 8,500,000 coins to ensure I have plenty left over for refurbishments and any upcoming sets of goals.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Game update: 21/08/13

The seaside theme continues this week, with the pirates continuing to rule shores.

Notification for latest under the sea update

The centrepiece of this update is a limited time offer, but there are a few other addition too. All are listed below:

Saturday 17 August 2013

The optimum neighbour number

Neighbours are an integral part of Restaurant Story. When you start out, Stormie's Store is your only pal, but you can add up to as many as 2,000 neighbours (including invites) if you so wish.

Now that maximum number is a bit bonkers, but what is the optimum number of neighbours to have?

Well those who like to tip their neighbours every day will need to ensure they don't take on too much of a workload.

Tips on tables in The Garlic Tree

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Game update: 14/08/13

Following on from last week's under the sea update, the pirates are now taking over!

Notification for latest under the sea update

The only addition to the game this week is a new box, called the Pirate Chest. It costs 24 gems a go, with those brave enough obtaining one of nine possible items. Some are worth around 24 gems, while others are worth much less, but one or two are worth a whole load more.

Monday 12 August 2013

The latest new recipes

Over the last week there have been four new recipes added to the game. Three have come from the under the sea update and the other was part of the back to school update released the following day.

Let's start off with the three recipes on the Sunken Stove. To gain access to them, you will need to work through the Under the Sea goals to unlock this new appliance. The dishes are as follows:


First recipe for Sunken Stove

Second recipe for Sunken Stove

Third recipe for Sunken Stove

Saturday 10 August 2013

My one-year anniversary

It's now one year since I innocently downloaded an app called Restaurant Story. Little did I know the obsession I was unleashing.

So having unlocked every item in the game, saved and spent many millions of coins, fallen into multiple gem traps and reached level 99 at last, whatever do I aim for now?

Well, I'm still working on expansions. Currently my restaurant is 20x23 with three more expansions to go. So this is something I'll continue to focus on in the coming months, with the huge figures required to make final couple of expansions set to make this a long haul.

Expansion to 21x24

My next expansion is to 21x24, and I am getting close to reaching the 7,500,000 coins needed for it. So some rejigging will be necessary for that.

Then there's mastering recipes. I'm moving towards mastery at the third level across the basic appliances while some slots have been homing in on fourth level mastery for specialist appliances. There's a long way to go as far as the basic cookers are concerned, so I'll have to be patient, but just think of the windfall of gems when I do get there!

And the nature of the game helps to keep me interested too. With weekly updates, there's something new every week. Some updates are better than others, but as long as there continues to be an inviting update every now and again there will always be an incentive to return to the app.

Just look at this week's under the sea themed update complete with goals. Some really nice content which encourages players to keep checking in.

My first year of playing Restaurant Story has been very enjoyable indeed. Here's hoping that the second year is just as good. There's plenty to work on!

Friday 9 August 2013

Game update: 08/08/13

Yesterday there was a bonus update in addition to Wednesday's big under the sea update.

Notification for back to school update

There's several new items in a back to school theme, and here's a comprehensive list of all of them:

Tables:
  • Pencil Table - 3 gems
Chairs:
  • Pencil Chair - 7,000 coins
Wall decorations:
  • Back to School Sign - 15 gems
Floor decorations:
  • Crayon Divider - 2 gems
  • Bookworm - 20,000 coins
Wallpapers:
  • Pencil - 1 gem
Counters:
  • Lunch Box Counter - 15,000 coins

This update is of the usual variety for iOS users while Android players need to download a new app.

I quite like this mini update. The Pencil Table and Pencil Chair are cute pieces which go well together. However not many will be keen on paying 3 gems for a table.

The Crayon Divider is an inventive way of forming a divider, and reminds me of the giant equipment in the children's TV show Art Attack here in the UK.

The Back to School Sign is another nice idea, although is a bit small considering the 15 gem price tag. In contrast, the Bookworm is 2x2 in size and very tall. It's for coins and screams of cuteness.

And finally the Lunch Box Counter doesn't remind me of school lunchboxes. To me a school lunchbox is brighly coloured with cartoon characters plastered over it. This one is a shiny silver. Yet I'm not complaining as it is slick and could fit in well if you've got a restaurant designed to be glossy.

In addition to the new content listed above, the School Lunch has been added as a recipe to the Basic Stove.

New recipe on Basic Stove

Further details on it will be posted in a few days, along with more on the recipes which were released via the under the sea goals.

On a related note, the Smoked Salmon Potato (which was added to the Basic Oven a couple of weeks ago) has been relegated to the back end of the recipe list.

Overall, I'm happy with this extra update. My only gripe really is that it wasn't released as a standalone theme with the inclusion of goals and whatnot. There is so much that TeamLava could have came up with,

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Under the Sea goals (in full)

Please note that this set of goals expired on Tuesday 3rd September 2013.

As part of the weekly update, we have a new set of goals to work through. And it requires taking a trip to the bottom of the sea...

There are 27 days available to complete these goals before they disappear forever. This means they will likely vanish on Tuesday 3rd September. Here we go!

 Step 1: Under The Sea

  • Ask Neighbours for 6 Piles of Sand ... tap 'Ask' and send requests for these to neighbours.
  • Buy 10 Under The Sea wallpaper ... any wallpaper is acceptable.
Under the Sea goals: step 1
As is the norm with goals, multiple options now begin to spring up. At this point, you'll have two goals available. The first is 'Ocean Or Ordinary', which is the second installment of the main strand of goals. The other is 'Fine Diving' which is a one-step goal required to continue along the path of the main strand. Therefore I'm going to call it Sidestep A. For details on it, scroll further down this page.

 Step 2: Ocean Or Ordinary

  • Buy 10 Ocean Floor Tiles ... any floor tiles are acceptable.
  • Buy 2 Clown Fish ... these cost 6,500 coins each.
Under the Sea goals: step 2
Completion of this goal leads to another sidealong goal being produced which I'm denoting as Sidestep B. For more on it scroll down this page. Meanwhile the main set of goals continues.

 Step 3: In Deep

  • Have 8 Coral Reef Chairs ... these are locked until you complete Sidestep A and cost 3,200 coins each. Find them towards the end of the Chairs tab.
  • Have 8 Sea Turtle Tables ... these cost 4,200 coins each. Any you have already purchased prior to this goal are included in the count.
Under the Sea goals: step 3
By buying these items, you will unlock the Starfish Host Stand. It is needed in order to complete Sidestep B.

Unlocking of Starfish Host Stand in Under the Sea goals

 Step 4: Sunken Stove

  • Have 4 Sea Anemone Counters ... these cost 10,500 coins each. Any you have already purchased prior to this goal are included in the count.
  • Build 2 Sunken Stoves ... these are locked until you complete Sidestep B and cost 3,200 coins each. They each require 5 Springs, 5 Knobs, 5 Screws and 5 Gears to build. Find them at the end of the Appliances tab.
Under the Sea goals: step 4

 Step 5: The Secret of Seafood

  • Prepare 20 Seaweed Salads ... these are found on the Sunken Stove and take 4 hours to cook.
  • Serve 20 Seaweed Salads
Under the Sea goals: step 5
By getting those salads out, you gain access to the third recipe on the Sunken Stove, the Grilled Mahi-Mahi.

Unlocking of Grilled Mahi-Mahi in Under the Sea goals

 Step 6: Gems Of The Sea

  • Prepare 30 Steamed Mussels ... these are found on the Sunken Stove and take 8 hours to cook.
  • Serve 30 Steamed Mussels
Under the Sea goals: step 6
As you may notice in the above image, the reward for steaming those mussels is 2 gems.

 Step 7: Consistency Is Key

  • Prepare 40 Grilled Mahi-Mahi ... these are found on the Sunken Stove and take 12 hours to cook.
  • Serve 40 Grilled Mahi-Mahi
Under the Sea goals: step 7
This is the final goal, and the reward is the Mermaid Reef. Find it in the floor decorations tab towards the end.

Unlocking of Mermaid Reef in Under the Sea goals
This ultimate goal prize is 3x3 in size, and further purchases cost 76,500 coins each.

 Sidestep A: Fine Diving
 Available after completing Step 1

  • Visit 20 Community Members
Under the Sea goals: sidestep A
Completing this goal unlocks the Coral Reef Chair, which is required for Step 3.

Unlocking of Coral Reef Chair in Under the Sea goals

 Sidestep B: Kelp Is On The Way
 Available after completing Step 2

  • Have 4 Kelp Columns ... these cost 17,500 coins each. Any you have already purchased prior to this goal are included in the count.
  • Buy 1 Starfish Host Stand ... this is locked until you complete Step 2 and costs 17,000 coins. Find it at the end of the Tables tab.
Under the sea goals: sidestep B
Finishing this one off will unlock the new appliance - the Sunken Stove. One is given to you free, but another will be needed to complete Step 4.

Unlocking of Sunken Stove in Under the Sea goals

Game update: 07/08/13

August comes with a holiday. Not to the seaside, but into the sea itself!

Notification for under the sea update

And to complement a range of new under the sea content, there's a new set of goals too.

So to kick off, here's a list of all the new items available:

Tables:
  • Sea Turtle - 4,200 coins
  • Starfish Host Stand - locked by goal
Chairs:
  • Coral Reef Chair - locked by goal
Wall decorations:
  • Clown Fish - 6,500 coins
  • Jellyfish Lamp - 6,000 coins
Floor decorations:
  • Kelp Column - 17,500 coins
  • Mermaid Reef - locked by goal
Wallpapers:
  • Under The Sea - 1,800 coins
Floor tiles:
  • Ocean Floor - 700 coins
Appliances:
  • Sunken Stove - locked by goal
Counters:
  • Sea Anemone - 5,600 coins

A decent amount of items, and all available for a reasonable price. No gems in sight! This is typical of goals as players aren't expected to pay tooth and nail for items which are required for goal completion.

On that note, you don't need to worry about purchases of this content prior to completing the goals. Any items you've bought will count towards the relevant goals.

Back on track, and this update as a whole looks really good. The Sea Turtle Table is a cute addition, even if the Coral Reef Chair (once unlocked) does not really go with it. The Sea Anemone counter is a cool piece, and with the Under The Sea wallpaper as a backdrop will fit in well.

And the ultimate goal prize - the Mermaid Reef - looks like one of those substantial items which could be at the centre of an underwater theme. And as is the pattern with themes starting with a set of goals, expect this 'under the sea' theme to last for a few weeks yet.

The Sunken Stove is unlocked by doing the goals, and contains three new recipes. For more on those, click here.

On the subject of the goals, they are at the focal point of this update.

Introduction to Under the Sea goals

To unlock all of the content listed above as 'locked by goal' you'll need to complete the new goals - for more details on them, dive into a separate post here.

Please note that a back-to-school update was released the following day. For more on it, see here.

Saturday 3 August 2013

A gem loss rant!

This post is a bit of a digression as it really discusses another TeamLava app - Bakery Story - but the fundamental fury is still relevant...

Yesterday I was trawling through the floor decorations tab in design mode in Bakery Story for potential gem purchases. With 57 gems in the bank I was in a position to really splash out.

Then catastrophe strikes. Having moved on to the floor tiles tab to look for flooring which would fit well with a picnic theme, I accidentally tap on the appliances tab. My finger then taps below automatically, and what does it tap?

The 'unlock now for 49 gems' button.

Additional appliance slot button

For a few moments I take in I'm what has just occurred, and then glance up to see a measly 8 gems left in my locker. Oh man. A dreaded gem trap that I have fallen into.

This is the second time this has happened to me in Bakery Story in just a couple of months. The last time I blew 40 gems on an expansion when I was only looking to check how much my next expansion would cost in coins. So that's 89 hard earned gems up in smoke.

The only saving grace in this tale is that it didn't happen in Restaurant Story, my main TeamLava game (hence the blog!)

Such incidents as this highlight the need to not store up your gems to the point where you're at risk of losing a shedload in a moment of misjudgement.

If you don't buy gems, I definitely recommend spending your gems as you go. Plan ahead and don't risk it. Because I know as well as anyone the feeling of fury when it all does wrong.