Winter 2015 goals content report

Last Wednesday's update was the first of 2015 and revolved around the Winter season. Included was a new set of goals which unlock a large number of the additions in the update. Here I will cast an eye over this content.

But before that I'd like to take the opportunity to apologise for the lateness of this report. Usually the content report is posted after I have completed the goals, which typically is on a Monday at the latest. However the nature of these goals made it a tougher challenge, and so I've only just polished off the goals this afternoon.

Now that I've got that out of the way, it's on to the new stuff. The two appliances and their accompanying recipes are key to the goals so let's start off there. Both the Frozen Lake Fountain and Frozen Lake Stove are nice designs. The icy finish on top of the fountain is great in that it matches the floor tile, table and counter from the update. This means that all these items can be put together in a really coherent layout.

 Winter 2015

 07/01/15 Goals

 07/01/15 Goals update

And the stove has a cool feature too. There's an oven mitt tied to the handle of the oven door which is both cute and gives the stove a unique quirk, much like the tea towel on the Thankful Oven from the Autumn goals.

It was the construction of these two appliances which was the big challenge in this goal set, with each utilising only the two new parts - the Ice and Frozen Fuses. I'm kind of torn on this. On one hand it's pleasing that the difficulty of the goals has been raised. But on the other hand it's not good because it delays my ability to publish this post! Overall though it does add an extra element to the gameplay, and with the Christmas goals having included the same twist it looks like this may become commonplace.

So what about the recipes residing on these cookers? We'll start with the three aboard the Frozen Lake Fountain.

Frozen Lake Fountain recipes

I think these drinks look fantastic! The gamemakers have clearly put plenty of effort into designing these drinks, with three different glasses and a number of little accessories to go with them. Following on from similar praise for the Frosty Fountain offerings last month, I'm very impressed with the attention to detail and hope this high level of precision continues.

And so we turn to the nitty-gritty of the recipe ratings.

Apple Cider Float
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
3	5	2	9	5	4.1

Vanilla Cider Float
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
1	8	1	8	5	4.0

Pumpkin Cider Float
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
1	7	1	10	5	3.9

As is tradition, the recipes don't justify the difficulty in unlocking them. All three drinks are ropey, with the Pumpkin Cider Float particular worthy of criticism - it breaks the record for the lowest profit and portions among 5 hour recipes.

At least the XP levels are not bad, with the Vanilla Cider Float coming out fifth best in its duration and the Pumpkin Cider Float fourth in its. Otherwise though these drinks are all about style over substance.

Moving on to the Frozen Lake Stove, it also has three offerings to analyse.

Frozen Lake Stove recipes

Once again TeamLava should be credited for the aesthetic side of things. Each of these dishes is presented in and on something other than the plain blue plates and bowls the majority of foods are which is refreshing and continues a really positive trend.

Unfortunately the good points end there, with more substandard ratings.

Spicy Chilli
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
2	7	1	10	5	4.3

Broccoli Cheese Soup
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
2	3	2	10	5	3.3

Veggie Stew
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
2	7	2	10	5	4.5

At least we have six recipes all of different length for a change. Not that that makes up for the poor figures above. Orange is the prevalent colour, and that is most certainly not a good thing.

The Spicy Chilli and Broccoli Cheese Soup are identical numerically to the Franken-Pepper and Monster Pepper on the Haunted Oven from the Halloween goals last year, and they were both written off very quickly. The Veggie Stew has the highest overall score in this batch of dishes, but is still nothing on the elite foods in the 8 hour category.

So having dismantled those recipes, we can now shift to the three decorations accessible exclusively via the goals. The Ice Skating Girl is the first unlocked, and is a nice little piece. Figurines are always welcomed, and this girl looks really good when placed on the slick surface of the Frozen flooring.

The Winter Couple leaves me slightly confused. Here we have a couple wrapped up in Winter clothing to keep away the cold who are enjoying a cup of tea and a biscuit. But the wooden table doesn't suit an outdoor area, so where do you place this one? Stick it inside and the couple look silly with their mitts on; place it outside and the lack of frost or snow on the table makes it appear immune to the Winter! It's a shame because this 2x2 decoration has its merits, but I can't shake off the feeling that it's been forced to work in this theme.

Lastly there's the final goal prize, the Ice Rink. A 4x4 item, this is another one which I'm split on. The concept is great - you can get a great action shot with an ice rink, and it makes for a fine centrepiece to a wintry scene. However there's an issue with this design, and it relates to the Christmassy outlook. There are lots of fairy lights draped around the ice rink, including over a couple of fir trees. Was this piece originally intended for one of the Christmas updates? I hesitantly say that it was and has been squeezed into the Winter goals instead.

Nevertheless it is still a nice big prize, and will no doubt satisfy lots of players. It's just not at the level of some of the final prizes of late, at least in my opinion. That's not a total condemnation of it though, indeed I've included it in the latest edition of my outdoor zone!

Winter section of The Garlic Tree including Ice Rink

The Ferris Wheel made a brief appearance in my Winter scene in December and is now back to join the Ice Rink. Together they work wonderfully well, creating a carnival atmosphere in the snow. I even hired the Train Conductor to make sure there's no foul play in the rink!