The first update of 2015 is very much centred on the chill of Winter, and comes with a new set of goals. Here's the list of additions, all of which open up at level 12:
- Frozen Lake Table - 15,000 coins
Chairs:
- Winter Jacket Chair - 5,000 coins
Wall decorations:
- Hanging Ice Skates - 8,000 coins
Floor decorations:
- Time Machine - 30 gems
- Mad Scientist - 12 gems
- Ice Skating Girl - locked by goal
- Winter Couple - locked by goal
- Ice Rink - locked by goal
Wallpapers:
- Frozen Lake - 4,000 coins
Floor tiles:
- Frozen - 1,000 coins
Appliances:
- Frozen Lake Fountain - locked by goal
- Frozen Lake Stove - locked by goal
Counters:
- Frozen Counter - 10,000 coins
And that's not all! There are a couple of items back for a limited time, a box sale and a selection of items which are about to be removed from the market.
More on all of that to come, but firstly let's take a look at the completely new content. You can get a peek of some of it in the following image from the TeamLava Blog:
The Ice Rink and Ice Skating Girl are both pictured here, but since they're goal prizes I will hold my tongue when it comes to thoughts on them until the usual goals content report.
For me the big addition this week is the Frozen flooring. It makes for a great complement to the Reindeer Tracks from the Christmas goals, and solves a real problem in my outdoor section - up until now I've had to make do with the Waves floor tile for a cold looking path through the snow, but now the Frozen tile can do the trick!
The icy theme continues throughout the rest of the items, with the Frozen Lake wallpaper depicting a frozen stretch of water banked by snow with some buildings in the background under a starry sky. I'm not sure I like this one - the scene is quite dark in tone overall and I don't think several copies of it side-by-side make for a great image.
However I've only got praise for the Frozen Lake Table and Frozen Counter. They both have a similar design to the sleek Frozen flooring and manage to exude a certain amount of sophistication thanks to the polished finish. Getting deep, I'm particularly impressed by the transparency of the table's top. It would have been easy for the gamemakers to apply a high transparency like with the numerous glass tops, but instead they've gone for a low transparency which gives for a much more substantial feel to the ice. And the drawer handles on the counter are a nice touch - they won't win any prizes for design, but they're a neat feature which TeamLava could quite easily have opted out of spending time on.
The Winter Jacket Chair doesn't really go with the Frozen Lake Table but that doesn't mean it isn't a winner. I seem to recall bigging up the idea of having coats on the backs of seats before, so it's great to see it implemented here. I might place a few of these strategically in my main area!
All that remains of the non-goal stuff are the Hanging Ice Skates. A wall decoration, these boots are cute and might make a nice addition to a homely lodge in the snow. Indeed I can think of a good few items which may work well with this update such as the Ski Lodge and Snow Angels.
To unlock the three floor decorations you need to take a look at the new goals.
These are going to be around for around a month but you don't want to caught out of season, so get started now! Plus the first appliance requires two brand new parts so it's going to be a tricky set! For further details on the goals see here.
And if this update leaves you shivering with the cold then you need not worry because there are lots of other things to heat you up again! We start with the good news, which comes in two parts. Firstly, there are two floor decorations have been re-released for a limited time.
The Time Machine is the first prize in the Steampunk Chest, so for it to be available for 30 gems is amazing! I have a Steampunk themed zone which incidentally is on display at present after the Christmas decorations were brought down, and am very much stoked! I'll have a little think about it, but I suspect I will eventually end up purchasing this beauty (thank goodness I didn't blow any gems on the Winter Clydesdales in the end!)
The other offering is the Mad Scientist (it's quite far into the floor decorations tab, between the Spooky Piano and Blarney Stone). This 12 gem buy was on my wishlist heading into Halloween last year, but with so long until he'd next be on show I can't really justify the expenditure at this time, especially if I do go for the Time Machine. Plus he doesn't really look much like the Doc as the 'Back to the Future' link in the notification suggests!
Now on to the second positive feature. There's another box on sale at 25% off. This time it's the Futuristic Box which is available for 18 gems for six days.
I've opened this crate twice before with mixed results and certainly won't be gambling again, although personally I do think it's a decent box. And if you're looking to make use of the space themed content from last week then this is a potential avenue. However there are a healthy amount of futuristic decorations freely available in the market anyway so the box might not be all that attractive.
I have to say that I do like the tie-in to Back to the Future. It's a nice little quirk and actually gives purpose to some of the special deals. Of course it also helps that the Back to the Future series is an excellent set of films!
So, having put it off until now, we stumble on to the subject of content removals. I've made a few references to the possible pulling of stuff over the last few months, but only now do we seem to be getting some action, with a number of Autumn decorations getting the heave. And even then it's pretty limited.
Here's a table containing all the items which have been labelled with a countdown to removal which were on the market before this update:
The 20% discounts to all of these items has already been applied.
The items being ditched are from various years and by no means exhaust the Autumn content in the market. I strongly suggest that you take some time to go through the market in full over the next few days and buy up any Autumn pieces you want if at all possible (and I include mastering of Autumn themed recipes in this too). The notification regarding the removal does say that this is a two week job, but TeamLava are unpredictable at the best of times and don't have a great record when it comes to removals, so be vigilant and take no chances!
Despite my concerns, I do have to hand it to the game's developers. If this removal is as smooth as it appears then it's a massive improvement on past efforts. Having the individual items to be removed marked clearly and assigning a timer to indicate the moment of truth means we don't have to puzzle out what exactly is going and when it will drop. That's a huge step forward. And offering everything for 20% off is a nice goodwill gesture to make up for the erasing of the stuff. It's certainly more than we've ever had in the past!
The question now is this: what next? Technically the Autumn updates in 2014 came after Halloween which tend to suggest that spooky decor is safe. However I wouldn't be too sure about that - Halloween (along with Christmas) is usually the most favoured theme for removals, so it could easily be next. I just hope that TeamLava continue to use the system implemented here for any further removals.
So an update with lots of bits and pieces to discuss. And that's before we even get started on the goals! A very promising opening to the new year!
More on all of that to come, but firstly let's take a look at the completely new content. You can get a peek of some of it in the following image from the TeamLava Blog:
 |
| Items from update as shown on TeamLava Blog |
The Ice Rink and Ice Skating Girl are both pictured here, but since they're goal prizes I will hold my tongue when it comes to thoughts on them until the usual goals content report.
For me the big addition this week is the Frozen flooring. It makes for a great complement to the Reindeer Tracks from the Christmas goals, and solves a real problem in my outdoor section - up until now I've had to make do with the Waves floor tile for a cold looking path through the snow, but now the Frozen tile can do the trick!
The icy theme continues throughout the rest of the items, with the Frozen Lake wallpaper depicting a frozen stretch of water banked by snow with some buildings in the background under a starry sky. I'm not sure I like this one - the scene is quite dark in tone overall and I don't think several copies of it side-by-side make for a great image.
However I've only got praise for the Frozen Lake Table and Frozen Counter. They both have a similar design to the sleek Frozen flooring and manage to exude a certain amount of sophistication thanks to the polished finish. Getting deep, I'm particularly impressed by the transparency of the table's top. It would have been easy for the gamemakers to apply a high transparency like with the numerous glass tops, but instead they've gone for a low transparency which gives for a much more substantial feel to the ice. And the drawer handles on the counter are a nice touch - they won't win any prizes for design, but they're a neat feature which TeamLava could quite easily have opted out of spending time on.
The Winter Jacket Chair doesn't really go with the Frozen Lake Table but that doesn't mean it isn't a winner. I seem to recall bigging up the idea of having coats on the backs of seats before, so it's great to see it implemented here. I might place a few of these strategically in my main area!
All that remains of the non-goal stuff are the Hanging Ice Skates. A wall decoration, these boots are cute and might make a nice addition to a homely lodge in the snow. Indeed I can think of a good few items which may work well with this update such as the Ski Lodge and Snow Angels.
To unlock the three floor decorations you need to take a look at the new goals.
 |
| Introduction to Winter 2015 goals |
These are going to be around for around a month but you don't want to caught out of season, so get started now! Plus the first appliance requires two brand new parts so it's going to be a tricky set! For further details on the goals see here.
And if this update leaves you shivering with the cold then you need not worry because there are lots of other things to heat you up again! We start with the good news, which comes in two parts. Firstly, there are two floor decorations have been re-released for a limited time.
 |
| Notification for limited time re-release |
The Time Machine is the first prize in the Steampunk Chest, so for it to be available for 30 gems is amazing! I have a Steampunk themed zone which incidentally is on display at present after the Christmas decorations were brought down, and am very much stoked! I'll have a little think about it, but I suspect I will eventually end up purchasing this beauty (thank goodness I didn't blow any gems on the Winter Clydesdales in the end!)
The other offering is the Mad Scientist (it's quite far into the floor decorations tab, between the Spooky Piano and Blarney Stone). This 12 gem buy was on my wishlist heading into Halloween last year, but with so long until he'd next be on show I can't really justify the expenditure at this time, especially if I do go for the Time Machine. Plus he doesn't really look much like the Doc as the 'Back to the Future' link in the notification suggests!
Now on to the second positive feature. There's another box on sale at 25% off. This time it's the Futuristic Box which is available for 18 gems for six days.
 |
| Futuristic Box limited time offer |
I've opened this crate twice before with mixed results and certainly won't be gambling again, although personally I do think it's a decent box. And if you're looking to make use of the space themed content from last week then this is a potential avenue. However there are a healthy amount of futuristic decorations freely available in the market anyway so the box might not be all that attractive.
I have to say that I do like the tie-in to Back to the Future. It's a nice little quirk and actually gives purpose to some of the special deals. Of course it also helps that the Back to the Future series is an excellent set of films!
So, having put it off until now, we stumble on to the subject of content removals. I've made a few references to the possible pulling of stuff over the last few months, but only now do we seem to be getting some action, with a number of Autumn decorations getting the heave. And even then it's pretty limited.
 |
| Notification for Autumn content removal |
Here's a table containing all the items which have been labelled with a countdown to removal which were on the market before this update:
| Item | Cost | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Red Foliage | 56,000 coins | Tables |
| Cornucopia Table | 22,000 coins | Tables |
| Fall Leaves Table | 12,000 coins | Tables |
| Fall Forest Chair | 3,160 coins | Chairs |
| Autumn Wreath Chair | 8,000 coins | Chairs |
| Autumn Tree Wall Art | 12 gems | Wall decorations |
| Autumn Wreath | 6,000 coins | Wall decorations |
| Autumn Lamp | 5,400 coins | Wall decorations |
| Autumn Divider | 1,200 coins | Floor decorations |
| Fall Hedge | 4 gems | Floor decorations |
| Autumn Flowers | 1 gem | Wallpapers |
| Falling Leaves | 1 gem | Wallpapers |
| Autumn Afternoon | 2,200 coins | Wallpapers |
| Turkey Wallpaper | 3,400 coins | Wallpapers |
| Autumn Leaves | 600 coins | Floor tiles |
| Fall Leaves Tile | 560 coins | Floor tiles |
| Fall Leaf | 3,600 coins | Floor tiles |
| Autumn Counter | 5 gems | Counters |
| Wreath Counter | 8 gems | Counters |
| Painted Fall | 8,000 coins | Counters |
| Autumn Gift Box | 20 gems | Boxes |
The 20% discounts to all of these items has already been applied.
The items being ditched are from various years and by no means exhaust the Autumn content in the market. I strongly suggest that you take some time to go through the market in full over the next few days and buy up any Autumn pieces you want if at all possible (and I include mastering of Autumn themed recipes in this too). The notification regarding the removal does say that this is a two week job, but TeamLava are unpredictable at the best of times and don't have a great record when it comes to removals, so be vigilant and take no chances!
Despite my concerns, I do have to hand it to the game's developers. If this removal is as smooth as it appears then it's a massive improvement on past efforts. Having the individual items to be removed marked clearly and assigning a timer to indicate the moment of truth means we don't have to puzzle out what exactly is going and when it will drop. That's a huge step forward. And offering everything for 20% off is a nice goodwill gesture to make up for the erasing of the stuff. It's certainly more than we've ever had in the past!
The question now is this: what next? Technically the Autumn updates in 2014 came after Halloween which tend to suggest that spooky decor is safe. However I wouldn't be too sure about that - Halloween (along with Christmas) is usually the most favoured theme for removals, so it could easily be next. I just hope that TeamLava continue to use the system implemented here for any further removals.
So an update with lots of bits and pieces to discuss. And that's before we even get started on the goals! A very promising opening to the new year!
Having played this game since 2011, I agree that the timer is a vast improvement over the old way. Hopefully newer players will never know the pain of completely random items disappearing. And even if TL continues to thin the selections in the market, if they do a little bit at a time with the same advanced warning, then I think there is/will be little room for complaint.
ReplyDeleteJust one more sign that the are starting to pay attention to the desires of their customers, which I think is a smart and over-due move. It's actually quite reassuring even with RS2 coming out.
As for this update!! I agree, the wallpaper is too dark, and is pretty much impossible to transition it smoothly to any other similar wall paper, which was super disappointing in trying to create my wintry restaurant scene. Maybe I gave up too easy, but it seems like the perspective and lighting in the others is too different, and the new wallpaper itself is awfully repetitive.
However that really is a small complaint, and otherwise I am very happy with this update. :)
Thanks for the recap!