Suggestions Box (Feb 2015)

Every month I list five things I'd like to see added, altered or abolished from the game. Because even though my long time of playing Restaurant Story clearly shows I love it, that doesn't mean it's perfect. Some of the ideas I'll air will be significant game changers while others will be low-key and irrelevant in the eyes of many of you readers.

In no particular order, here are this month's entries...

 #86: Give more portions for goal recipes

It was Whipped Cream who's thoughts were the catalyst for getting this suggestion out, although it has been relevant for a long time.

Regular readers will know that every goals content report includes a few paragraphs where I bemoan the disappointing statistical quality of the recipes. They are generally much poorer than most other dishes and leave you feeling ripped off.

Love Potion Mixer recipes

In particular the portions number can be really crippling. We all like to have food on the counters at all times as it means you've always got some form of income flowing in. But the portions yield of the goal recipes relative to their durations are really low, and when you've got most of your appliances focused on the goals that increases the risk of selling out.

Considering that we have to put some effort into unlocking dishes it actually makes sense for goal recipes to offer better value than standard foods, yet it's the other way round! TeamLava should really address this - there's no benefit to anyone of these dodgy portions.

 #87: Allow players to start over

Ever wished you could wave a magic wand and have your restaurant restored to its initial state? To be honest I don't think I have, but it makes for an interesting idea.

First glimpse of a new restaurant

An empty diner is like a blank canvas - it's just waiting to be splashed with imaginative designs and
creativity. I've often wondered about doing a place in one theme only (rather than multiple sections) but feel that that ship has sailed at The Garlic Tree.

And returning to level 1 you could apply the abundance of knowledge picked up from years of playing the game to avoid making mistakes you made first time around and regret. I'm thinking of things like spending gems liberally before realising their value!

Having reached level 99 nearly two years ago and mastered every recipe by the latter stages of 2014, there's a strong case to say that I've 'completed the game'. It might be interesting to reboot and start over. I'd really encourage the gamemakers to introduce such a feature - as long as they also implement a confirmation button!

 #88: More doormat designs

There is only one doormat has ever been added to the game. The Autumn Welcome Mat looks great but is no longer available in the market. Not only is it the only doormat we've ever seen, but it's also very useful when you want to include doors purely for aesthetic purposes.

I have a door to my kitchen area but it's not connected to the rest of the restaurant. The bots choose which door to enter through at random, so it confuses the bots into fury when they pop in via the kitchen door but have no host table in the zone to head to. The doormat allows me to block the door in a subtle way to prevent the customers getting in and getting grumpy.

It would be great to get some more doormat designs. The Autumn Welcome Mat is obviously seasonal, so although it's not exactly an eyesore in February, it is still an anomaly. We've had a few new door designs recently so matching doormats would be fantastic. Or at least the game's developers should return the Autumn Welcome Mat to the market so that newer players can take advantage of it's handy function.

 #89: Add label showing time of last log in

Admittedly this is not an original suggestion, but it's a great one so I'm adapting it!

It can be difficult to deduce whether players are active based on the state of their restaurant alone. I've discussed the tell-tale signs before, including ruined food and maxed out tips, but these parameters can be passed for lots of reasons - not least a player being without an internet connection or on holiday.

 Previous Suggestion Box posts

 24/01/15 January 2015
 13/12/14 December 2014
 15/11/14 November 2014
 18/10/14 October 2014
 20/09/14 September 2014

A label at the top of your wall which shows the last date and time you logged into the game would prevent players from mistaking a brief absence for a full on quit. A nice and easy way to see if it's been months since someone was active means we can clean up our neighbour lists much more effectively.

 #90: Add Gran-Gran floor decoration

Barista Phoebe, Hanbok Phoebe and Manager Phoebe have all been introduced since the turn of the year. Phoebe is mighty popular! So what about poor old Gran-Gran?

Gran-Gran

Everyone's favourite elderly member of the Restaurant Story team has still not been turned into a floor decoration, and I'm getting impatient! She's been immortalised in a couple of wall items recently, but nothing can beat the real thing!

There's no need for TeamLava to do anything wacky with this Gran-Gran design I crave. She can be in her usual pink dress with polka-dots, wearing those groovy yellow spectacles and carrying that delicious looking pie. Classic Gran-Gran!