Game update: 28/05/14

To round off May, there's a Rustic theme.

Notification for Rustic update

In all honesty it's one of those rather underwhelming updates in which there's only a small number of additions, but here's the usual list all the same:

Tables:

• Checker Table - 95,000 coins

Chairs:

• Rocking Chair - 29,000 coins

Wall decorations:

• Rustic Sconce - 9 gems

Floor decorations:

• Banjo Player - 16 gems

Wallpapers:

• Lattice - 1 gem

Counters:

• Rustic Counter - 60,000 coins

There's also a couple of new recipes which will be dissected in all their glory shortly.

If you're not seeing any of this new content, then it's because you're not yet at level 71. That's right, TeamLava are continuing to up the ante with more content available only to high-level players. You may have me to blame for that as I've championed new stuff for us lot at the top-end in the past, but I've also asked for a fairer spread of level requirements for new items, so don't get too angry!

The thing jumping out at me here is the price of the Checker Table. At 95,000 coins each it is the most expensive table in Restaurant Story history, even ahead of the Lily Pad Table from a few weeks back. The prices continue to escalate, and it may just be a matter of time until we get the first six-figure fee for a table, especially if the level of unlock of new content continues to rise.

As far as the Checker Table's appearance goes, it looks fine enough - nothing too complicated and ideal for a number of scenes. The same can be said for the Rocking Chair, although it's just a bit too simple. It's outright bland actually. As I mentioned in the last Suggestions Box, I'd like to see some items take on some animation, and seeing the Rocking Chair actually rocking when a customer parks their bottom on it would be fantastic.

The last of the coin content is the Rustic Counter. Like the table it cannot be topped for cost with respect its fellow counters, but again it is at least usable in lots of different environments. And for once there's no item in a glass box underneath! I think this one will actually look really good with some food on it.

Now we turn to the gem additions. The Banjo Player is the solitary floor decoration this week, and has me encouraged and disappointed in equal measure. It's a cute little piece, but is just a touch too little. For a significant gem purchase, it's not really got the presence you'd hope for, although I do like the touch of having the musician seated on a Rocking Chair. Some nice continuity there.

For 9 gems the Rustic Sconce could be yours. It's fresh and looks the part, although I'm always wary of parting with gems for a wall decoration. They're often tucked away and not really at the centre of things. The same goes for the Lattice wallpaper, and I'd add that it looks a tad dull. I'm passing on these.

But what I won't be passing on are the two new recipes:

New recipes on Basic Stove and Drink Machine

The Biscuits and Gravy are located on the Basic Stove and boast some excellent stats:

Biscuits and Gravy
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
10	6	10	10	3	8.5

It was only on Saturday that I analysed the 3 hour recipes in-depth, and thanks to the Biscuits and Gravy it's already redundant! I had inducted the Cheese Spread into the Hall of Fame, but this recipe takes the biscuit (ahem!) It's profit and portion numbers are outstanding, with the profit in particular being incredible.

As a result only six dishes across all the durations yield a greater profit per plate, with those all being either very long or very short recipes. The only downside is the availability rating - much like the Cheese Spread, the high level of unlock is a sticking point, but this is a gravy train I'm definitely boarding! Welcome to the Hall of Fame!

The second new recipe is the Watermelon Lemonade, a rare addition to the Drink Machine:

Watermelon Lemonade
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
10	9	5	10	3	8.4

It's another belter! Usurping the Portabello Mushroom, the lemonade is the new king of the 1 hour dishes. It doesn't top the charts across any of the factors, but it's up there on multiple fronts, and thus wins out regardless. Not as dominant as the Biscuits and Gravy, but still a worthy newcomer to the Hall of Fame.

So a lacklustre update is made up for with a pair of truly great recipes. With June coming next week, I reckon we're headed for some new goals in the next update, but what could be the theme? A Summer theme is to be expected, but with football's World Cup on the horizon, I wonder if we might see something relating to it much like the Olympic goals in 2012...