Game update: 06/05/15

Have you got enough flowers in your restaurant yet? If not this is your chance...

Notification for Tulip Crate

This week is a surprise box update, with the Tulip Crate being the solitary addition.

The primary reason for this box coming as a surprise is the fact that this is the first Wednesday of May, and that usually means a fresh goal set. Occasionally we have had to wait until the second Wednesday, but that's normally a consequence of the first Wednesday coming on the very first day or so of the month.

By next Wednesday it will be six weeks since the rainy day goals arrived in the game, and that is a significantly longer wait than usual. The last time there was such a long wait was way back in the early months of 2013, when there was a six week gap between the Valentine's Day goals and the Asian goals. That was a little more understandable though, since the Valentine's goals were added in mid-January to give lots of time for players to get them done by the big day.

In this case I'm struggling to find a reason for the absence of goals. The only two really coming to mind are that a technical glitch has meant it's had to be pushed back a week, or that the great demise is getting under way with RS2 taking priority. After all a goals update clearly requires more work to cobble together than a standard update.

 Spring 2015

 22/04/15 Gardening
 15/04/15 Earth Day
 07/04/15 Rainy days goals content report
 01/05/15 Rainy days goals
 01/05/15 Rainy days

I'm always on the prowl for signs of the end, and on this occasion have probably jumped the gun. It's not unheard of for the goals to appear later than expected - just go back to November 2014 when it wasn't until the 12th that the Autumn goals were released. So let's not get too tetchy - there will be a reason for the unusual schedule, but it doesn't have to be something suspicious.

A second reason for this being a surprise update is the rarity of boxes these days. I mentioned a few weeks back that we've not had many boxes of late. Indeed the Italia Crate in February is the only previous box release of 2015! So although the majority of players (myself included!) tend to moan and groan when a box comes out, we should just be happy that they have been few and far between lately.

What of the Tulip Crate's contents then? Here's a look at the stuff up for grabs courtesy of the Storm8 Blog:

Items from Tulip Crate as shown on Storm8 Blog

I reckon there are only eight prizes shown in the above image, so there is probably one more item waiting to be discovered. Below is a distribution list of the prizes I've sketched up, but it needs some work done to it! If you decide to open the box and find something inside that is not yet listed here, listed in the wrong place, or given the wrong name, then please leave a comment and I'll make the necessary changes!

First Prize (1% chance)

• Tulip Party

Second Prize (10% chance)

• Tulip Cake
• Tulip Hazel

Third Prize (35% chance)

• Bulb Vases
• Tulip Tower

Fourth Prize (54% chance)

• Tulip Box
• Tulip Lamp
• Tulip Basket

I'm liking just about all of these decorations, except for the dreadful Tulip Lamp. On first viewing it's very easy to miss it altogether - it's that small! The gamemakers could really have done with including a unit to place the lamp on rather than having it sitting rather forlornly on the floor. It's booby prizes like this that make me so reluctant to open boxes!

Otherwise it's generally a strong box. Everything can be used alongside some of the other content we had in the two gardening style updates in April, as well as older stuff like the Gardener's Chest. Putting it all together could make for a sensational setting which can be viewed as in-season for a large portion of the year. If my real life wasn't so busy right now I almost certainly would have partaken in some gardening content, and may still spare some gems for it.

The 4x4 sized Tulip Party is the top prize. It is a really pretty item, with so many vibrant colours scattered around. My only niggle is that we have got a few very similar decorations already such as the Tea Party, Dinner Party and Thanksgiving Feast. However they are all past goal prizes so I guess it's nice to get such an item available to all (even if it is difficult to obtain).

I'm not certain of the distribution position of the Tulip Tower - it's not exactly the most imperious of second prizes if it is one. Only 2x2, I think I prefer the 'Tulip Ornaments' and 'Tulip Trough', both of which have an elegance to them.

A special shout out needs to go to 'Tulip Hazel'. I don't know her official name yet in Restaurant Story, but this character has appeared in Bakery Story, and it's fantastic to see some crossover! Helpful Hazel is a mainstay of my bakery, and this version of Hazel would probably go the same way in my diner as long as there's a bright outdoor scene around. It's just a shame that she's stuck in a box!

Last on this week's agenda is a sale which began last Friday and ended this morning.

Notification for Cinco de Mayo sale

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo the Mexican themed décor in the market was made available at 20% off for a limited time. This was a nice touch by Storm8 since there obviously hasn't been any new stuff for the holiday this year. I'm always pleased to see seasonal content get put on sale when the time of year is right, so hopefully this is something we'll see regularly.

My only issue with this sale was the way the goodies were situated all over the market. I covered this lack of organisation in the last Suggestions Box, and it's in full flow here. There's far too much scrolling has to be done to locate all the sale stuff - it makes much more sense from all perspectives to place it at the front of the respective tabs. That way nobody can miss it and the game's developers probably make more money!

So no goals this week which is saddening, and a box which is even more saddening. At least its contents are pretty good, but you can never replace that buzz that comes with a new goal set...