The Coral Counter is the first decoration unlocked in the goals. It's a return to my dislike of counters with a 'filling' rather than just being a block with a fancy design. But I actually quite like this one. The glass casing resembles a fish tank, although I don't think there are any fish inside. The simple charcoal base gives for a sleek item which merits its standing as a goal prize.
Next to be unlocked is the Shore Table. I think this table looks brilliant. Similarly to the Weathered Wood wallpaper, there's a dustiness to the table which gives it a hardened appearance you'd associate with a battering from the sea. However the crab lurking under the table would put me off from taking a seat here!
Summer 2014
04/06/14 Goals
Now for the Beach Bonfire. Considering the scale of this 1x1 piece, I'm not sure I'd describe it as a bonfire but there you go. It's a bit of a random choice by TeamLava, and the sand included prevents you from effectively incorporating the bonfire in a different theme. Plus the shells scattered on the Sandy Shore flooring means that you can't make a clean job of placing the bonfire on the beach either!
All that's left now is the final goal prize. The Pier Fishing is 4x4 and includes four characters all looking very happy as they fish for their supper. There's so many folks included in this decoration and lots going on, although I can't help but be attracted to the blonde girl. This isn't because she's turning me on. It's not even because she's got serious bags under her eyes! It's because her long locks are exactly the same as they were on the Mermaid Reef, a goal prize from last summer. The game's developers do like recycling stuff, although I don't have much of a problem with it when it's only little things like this.
Having attempted a beach section before, this update really appealed to me, and with a few quality items I've decided to convert my garden area into a seaside scene:
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| Beach section of The Garlic Tree |
The Pier Fishing has gone straight in, standing on the water's edge. I've included both the Ocean Floor and Water tiles to try and establish some shallowness in the waters right at the beach. It's a bit unfortunate that there's fishing taking place on both sides of the pier, as this means one of the guys is catching a fish out of the sand!
There's not a wallpaper encapsulating the sea and sky as of yet, so I've resorted to using the Ocean View wall decoration.. It's not ideal, but is the best I can muster. There's not even a wallpaper that really works with this, so I've actually opted for the light blue tone of the Cupid wallpaper! A random choice, but it blends in and is nondescript which is exactly what I needed.
For the beach itself I've used a mixture of the new Sandy Shore tile along with one of the Zen Sand tiles. The latter cost a gem each, but I already had 24 from my previous beach theme, so only a few extra were needed and I'm gem heavy right now so it isn't a problem. Upon the sand are two more of the new items - the Pier Stools are acting as moorings for any boats which have taken a serious detour and ended up in my restaurant, while two Beach Bonfires add some extra heat as if it was needed!
Some Cruise Deck Chairs and Beach Parasols provide relaxation to the punters, with the Action Dining a VIP area for those wishing to have a really enjoyable time. The Potted Palm, Parrot Tree (fourth prize in the Island Chest), Anchor Sign and Pirate Equipment complete the area, with Bamboo Slat Counters and Pine Dividers installed to go with the style of the rest of the section.
Overall I'm pleased with the result. I'd probably have attempted a beach in the designated outdoor area eventually anyway, so these goals gave me a real boost. I still feel I could do with another special piece, so may have another crack at the Island Chest later in the week, but will wait until then just in case there's another beach theme coming tomorrow.
As well as all of that there are six fresh recipes aboard two new appliances. The first of these is the Coconut Fountain which doesn't require unlocking. Here's it's drinks:
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| Recipes on Coconut Fountain |
And here are the recipe ratings which shine a light on their qualities:
| Coconut Water | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 5 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 6.6 |
| Coconut Cooler | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 4.0 |
| Coconut Cups | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3.6 |
Hmm. The Coconut Water is exceptional on the XP factor. The 60 XP is just one behind the 1 hour duration's leader, the Thick Cut Bacon (Old West Oven). Unfortunately its chances of being one of the very best 1 hour recipes is compromised by mediocre scores for profit and portions. However that XP is superb, and so the Coconut Water reaches number four in the 1 hour chart with an overall rating of 6.6.
The other two Coconut Fountain drinks don't rate so well. The Coconut Cooler gives double the portions and double the income compared to the Coconut Water, despite being three times as long! Meanwhile the Coconut Cups are even poorer with lots of low ratings. It is however a small improvement on the Lime Water from the Spring goals.
Note that all three of these recipes have the same XP gain. And that continues with the Crab Grill:
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| Recipes on Crab Grill |
Once again an XP gain of 60 for each. And with the durations generally getting longer, this can only be bad news!
| Crab Cakes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Crab Claws | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3.3 |
| Boiled Crab | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1.8 |
Not many cool colours there. The Crab Cakes are pretty average, while the other two dishes are dreadful. The Boiled Crab deserves particular attention for being the fourth worst recipe of all time as far as overall rating goes. And not only that, but when cooking, the crab looks like it's still alive and fighting to escape the inevitable!
Nevertheless, I am pleased to get some crab recipes. This fills a hole in the food offerings we have - it's just a shame the ratings that go with them are so poor.
In the main though it's a resounding thumbs up on the theme as a whole, and I really hope we see some more beach content in the coming weeks. But recently we do seem to have jumped from theme to theme rather quickly, so perhaps another Summer theme will be coming our way!
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