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| Notification for Indian update |
It's a normal update with most of the usual features in play, and it's all unlocked at level 22. So let's waste no time in surveying the full list of additions:
Tables:
- Bombay Table - 18,000 coins
- Bombay Chair - 1,200 coins
- Indian Lamp - 12,000 coins
- Mango Lassi - 4 gems
- Masala Chef - 22 gems
- Tandoor Ovens - 5,000 coins
- Super Drop - 70 gems (LTO)
- Indian Palace - 2 gems
- Mandalas - 6,000 coins
- Masala Stove - 10,000 coins
Let's start off with the Masala Stove, mainly because of the relief it brings! Two of the last three non-goal cookers to be added have come with a gem price tag, but fortunately this stove is up for coins. It does mean we've alternated between coin and gem appliances of late, so it will be interesting to see if that trend continues in the long term.
When it comes to building this stove, you'll need 5 Mallets, 5 July Knobs and 5 Masala Seals. The last of these is a new part, so you'll need to send out a few requests to trusty neighbours. The presence of the July Knob (with its American flag design) is questionable in an Indian themed update, but I guess this is preferable to forking out gems to purchase the appliance!
With its red exterior and fancy yellow pattern, I do like the appearance of the Masala Stove. But what of the recipes contained within?
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| Masala Stove recipes |
All three offerings are something different from the scores of foods already in the game, so credit should be given to Storm8 for that. I do enjoy an indirect cultural lesson from the game, and finding out that Lamb Vindaloo is a hot curry and that Saag Paneer consists of cooked spinach with cheese is exactly that!
And it's always refreshing to get dishes of longer duration as a contrast to the shorter lengths usually implemented in the goals. Indeed the Saag Paneer is only the 20th recipe of 10 hour duration we've ever had, and the first introduced since the Kushari (Ancient Sands Stove) way back in the Ancient Egypt goals in August 2014.
To the ratings then, and here are how the trio of Indian delicacies perform:
| Lamb Vindaloo | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 4.0 |
| Saag Paneer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 4.4 |
| Chicken Tikka | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 4 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 5.4 |
None of these recipes is an embarrassment, which is a start. And they all have unique numbers which is something of a rarity these days, so that's also a positive sign. When it comes to analysing the overall rating, the Lamb Vindaloo and Saag Paneer are pretty average, with little to make them stand out from the crowd.
However the Chicken Tikka is more noteworthy. It is ranked seventh out of 31 foods in the 12 hour bracket, mostly thanks to its excellent XP gain - only the Farmers Market Salsa (Basic Oven) and Dinosaur Nuggets (Kids Kitchen Set) can provide more. Steady scores for profit and portions ensure a high placement for this chicken dish.
Let's now turn our attention to the rest of the update, and as always the Storm8 Blog has an image showing all the new content:
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| Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog |
The big buy is obviously the Masala Chef. A 4x4 sized decoration, this one stars a chef tossing some dough into the air. I presume it's some form of naan bread he's preparing, although if anyone wishes to extend my cultural horizons do leave some more elaborate suggestions! The surrounding displays seem to feature baking concoctions, and with a large cabinet at the back, I reckon this is a seriously good deal at 22 gems.
On a more serious note, the chef is black. This shouldn't be something that needs mentioning, but it has been noted by many on the Storm8 Forum over the years that there is a lack of ethnic diversity in Restaurant Story, something I have noticed too. Other than the dude in the similar Pizza Toss item, we don't seem to see many black bots included in the game, so it would be nice if the gamemakers made a concerted effort to be more diverse.
The other two floor decorations on offer are the Mango Lassi and Tandoor Ovens. The former is a nice side table covered with drinks, a teapot and some snacks. If the red and yellow tones of the table and its cloth fit with your outlook this is definitely worth considering for 4 gems. The ovens is 2x2 and each individual pot is pretty large. The different heights make for a well put together decoration. Again it's a sincere thumbs up, and the 5,000 coin asking price only adds to the approving nod.
To the walls, and the Indian Lamp is also up for coins. Red and yellow are the main colours involved, and although small I think this is a well finished item. The slightly lighter tones to indicate the lamp is lit help give a more three-dimensional effect and mean there's another satisfied smile from me.
Things are going well, and this continues with the Bombay Table and Bombay Chair. It's very rare outside of goals to get both table and chair for coins, but that's what's happening here. The table has just the kinds of patterns I associate with India, and the clash of red and blue only serves to give an even better result. The chair is less attached to India, but is still a winner. The cushioned red seat is really well coloured - the lighter spots convey the soft texture much better than on many of the existing chairs.
Summer travels
As has been the case a lot in recent months, there's no new counter to enjoy, but there is a fresh wallpaper and floor tile. The Indian Palace is 2 gems each, and features the iconic Taj Mahal. Like the Eiffle Tower wallpaper from two weeks ago, the only issue is the repetition of a famous landmark which is very much one of a kind! The Mandalas flooring involves another striking pattern in various shades of red. I suspect placing many of these tiles together will give an impressive effect.
The last item included in this update is the Super Drop which is a limited time offer.
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| Super Drop limited time offer |
Available for five days only, this is the first prize from the Carnival Box and in opposition to the inexpensive nature of the rest of this update, costs 70 gems.
Update: Overnight the Super Drop has been reduced to 55 gems! Still too much for me to go for it!
When I was designing my carnival beach theme for the Summer, I seriously considered delving into the Carnival Box, with the Super Drop being one of the reasons why I was being pulled in. To see it now made available out of the box is great, but the price is just not affordable, nor justifiable. I've never spent 70 gems in this game on a single piece, and won't unless it really is the dream item (whatever that is!) I've got enough gems in reserve through 'mastery minus one' to afford it, but with my carnival well equipped already don't think it would be a good use of my savings. I'm already starting to think about Black Friday!
That's it for today's activities, but there's still a couple of items on the agenda. First up is another Value Pack for iOS users on the latest version. This one popped up on Friday night for £7.99 in the UK, and gives one each of the Ice Cream Truck, Ice Cream Machine and Ice Cream Parlor. The truck and parlor are a second and first prize respectively from the Ice Cream Crate, while the Ice Cream Machine is an appliance from the World Games goals way back in August 2012.
Considering that we have two box prizes and an expired cooker which was originally for coins here, it's difficult to break down where the game's developers get their '67% off' banner from. It does indicate that they value the collection at 150 gems since a £7.99 gem package gives 50 gems, but where that 150 comes from is a mystery.
The fact you're getting two high placed and sought after box items in this Value Pack along with an appliance many will never have encountered (albeit it was brought back as an LTO last year) make this an attractive deal if you are looking to spend real money. But again I'm not keen because I'm not in that category!
Lastly, there was a content removal announced on Saturday.
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| Notification for selected Summer content removal |
The Crab Grill, Shore Table and Pier Fishing are all being given the heave. They were all goal prizes in the beach goals from last Summer, so it's slightly unfair for them to be removed when they required some work to get access to. Of course this is not the first time we've seen this - some of the blossom stuff was erased back in April, and it was re-released shortly after as LTOs for gems, an act which I condemned for its timing. Yet I wouldn't be surprised if a similar scenario plays out here.
There you go then. India is our latest destination, with some really good value goods added to the market. In fact it's affordable enough that I may one day have a go at doing an Indian themed section in my restaurant. But for now I'm hoarding!
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