Game update: 24/09/14

Here we are again, convening for the weekly update.

Notification for latest update

This update apparently takes us to the treetops, although I'm fairly sceptical about that. Here's the full list of new content:

Tables:

• Tree Table - 1 gem

Chairs:

• Tree Stump Stool - 3,000 coins

Wall decorations:

• Hanging Monkey - 2,500 coins

Floor decorations:

• Jungle Tour - 10 gems
• Hut Bar - 20 gems
• Lion Statue - 6,000 coins

Wallpapers:

• Tree Vine - 2,000 coins

Floor tiles:

• Tree Line Tile - 3,500 coins

Counters:

• Tree Top Counter - 4,500 coins

Putting aside the gem items for now, it is nice to see some of the coin stuff being relatively affordable. This is mostly due to everything new unlocking at level 7, which is very much at the other end of the scale from a lot of the recent updates.

I suppose it's best to start the item analysis with the two big gem buys:

Preview of Jungle Tour

Preview of Hut Bar

The Jungle Tour is 3x3 in size, with quite a lot of free space on two of the sides. It's a decent decoration, with a couple enjoying a gentle ride, presumably through a dense jungle. However the expression upon the women's face gives the impression that the party are under attack from a pack of hungry crocodiles. And I'm not sure why the guy running the show is kitted out as a sports fan. Despite this it is worthy of consideration for the 10 gem price.

Then there's the Hut Bar. I outright refuse to accept this item as a jungle or safari themed addition. It's pretty clear to me that this 4x4 monster was designed for a summer update (probably the Beach goals week) but for some reason never made it to the market. Now the game's developers have decided that they may as well release it rather than leave it kicking around and gathering dust.

When it comes to picking apart the Hut Bar, I am struggling to find a fault. It's a hefty piece, with four bots frozen in time as they chill out with a drink. Thanks to Black Pepper for pointing out that TeamLava have (inadvertently or otherwise) listened to my suggestion for alcoholic beverages! At 20 gems I proclaim this beauty to be a steal, and an excellent substitute for the Pool Bar and Private Tiki Booth out of the Beach Resort Box. With Black Friday saving my priority, I'm not going to invest right now, but in the New Year definitely plan to spend on this.

The only other gem item is the Tree Table, and it's not worth blowing gems on for me - the Fall Forest Table might not be so refined, but it's definitely a better choice due to being for coins. At least the Tree Stump Stool is available for coins, and will do a good job as a decorative piece, much like the Pumpkin Stools I've currently got positioned in my Autumn area.

The Tree Top Counter is less conspicuous, consisting simply of a wooden box. This may not sound all that appealing, but it does leave the player with lots of room for using their own imagination - there are numerous environments this counter could fit seamlessly into.

In complete contrast, the Hanging Monkey doesn't work in most places. However he's a cute little guy, and I'm actually tempted to place him in my kitchen section, where he can spy on the busy goings-on and cheekily drop a slice of banana into the saucepans! And the 2,500 coins price is once again very enticing - even if you aren't going to have him on show, this monkey should definitely be added to your assets.

Sticking with the animal theme, there's also a Lion Statue floor decoration. As I tend to find with most of the stone statues, this one lacks any oomph. Yet I can imagine the creative among the community having two of these lions flanking the entrance to somewhere grand. Maybe there's even scope for also buying some Marble Columns and creating a mock Trafalgar Square?!

To make the monkey and lion feel more at home, there's the Tree Vine wallpaper and Tree Line Tile. The wallpaper looks alright, although the lighter tones do seem a long way from the rich and dark textures of a rainforest. The Jungle wallpaper is a plausible alternative, although these cost 1 gem each. The same issue applies to the flooring, which actually puts me in mind of a zebra pattern rather than a 'tree line'. However the floor tile's design may suit some of the more glamorous restaurants.

So it's a strong update, which surprises me as I wasn't too impressed when I saw the teaser last night. There is an element of tossing whatever leftovers the gamemakers could find together and releasing it as a single update, but the stuff itself is generally good. At this point we're all craving some Autumn content, but I'm beginning to wonder if we're going to have to wait until after the Halloween fun for that.

Again notable for its absence is a new recipe. TeamLava obviously haven't got round to reading my last Suggestions Box yet! I'm going to start counting the weeks since the last release of a new dish outside of goals - it's now EIGHT WEEKS since the Cloud Cakes were introduced. That is a famine as far as I'm concerned.

On a far more cheery note, there's something exciting afoot over on the TeamLava Forum. A thread is currently on the go which gives the players a chance to vote for what items they'd like to see return to the game 'for a limited time'. This is a really fascinating poll, and one which I'm definitely planning to vote in. There are a small selection of pieces have been included in the poll, all of which are either goal prizes (some old appliances are included!) or box prizes. But further suggestions are also permitted.

There's been no deadline set for voting so I suggest submitting your ballot as soon as possible. I'll post some more detailed thoughts on this passing on of power to the players tomorrow, as it's definitely a story which deserves its own article.

Until then, watch for them crocs!