Independence Day goals content report

The July the Fourth celebrations may have come and gone, but there's still time for a review of the additions from last week's Independence Day update which are only possible to access via the new goal set.

I'm going to begin with the only goal item which I feel really positive about, and that is the Pool Party. A 4x4 sized piece, this floor decoration is the final prize in the goals, and really conveys all that is great about Summer weather. Only the costumes of the modelled bots hint at the Independence Day theme, meaning that you can get away with using this item throughout the hot months. I like how each of the folks has something novel about them - an earring, a flower in the hair, a snorkel or a rubber ring.

Add in the barbecue on the side and you've got a vibrant decoration which can only be criticised for its inclusion of a grassy floor. As I've mentioned many a time before, it would be nice if the game's developers could just save some work and not include a floor so that we could choose our own. After all there's ample options for outdoor tiles.

 Independence Day

 01/07/15 Goals
 01/07/15 Update

The Rockets may only be 1x1, but it could be a handy filler for a theme. Again the grassy floor is a turn off, but I can see myself using it in the future for the likes of New Year or Bonfire Night.

Meanwhile the Cornhole has offered up a learning curve for me! I had no idea what this decoration was all about so had to do some research to discover that it is a game in which players attempt to throw a bag of corn into a hole on a platform. It sounds pretty boring to me, but then again it's probably not aimed at my age group! The red, white and blue colours are rather imposing in this case, meaning that you can't look at the Cornhole without thinking of US patriotism.

Let's move on to the two appliances included in last week's update. The BBQ Stove is the first encountered, and the American flag is prominent in its design. It holds three recipes:

BBQ Stove recipes

There's little more American than hot dogs! There are a few twists in place here - not least avacados in a hot dog! Not sure I'd go for that!

Time for some ratings:

Avo Hot Dogs
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
3	1	3	7	5	2.9

Spicy Hot Dogs
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
7	2	3	8	5	4.7

Bacon Hot Dogs
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
3	3	2	10	5	3.6

It makes for grim reading, as ever. The lowest point comes in the shape of the Avo Hot Dogs' XP gain, which at 36 XP places it only 8 XP short of the basement in the 2 hour duration. Only two previous goal dishes of this length have yielded less XP.

At least there is one welcome fact falls out of this collection. The Spicy Hot Dogs rate favourably on the profit front, with the eighth highest profit number of all 61 foods of 1 hour length. That is spicy! However before we get too excited it should be noted that stat-wise this recipe is identical to the Lemon Cookies (Sour Oven) and Beef Pho (Stormy Stove) from the last two goal sets. Laziness prevails as per usual!

Moving on, the July Oven continues the patriotic theme, with lots of stars and an American flag draped over the handle of the oven door, presumably acting as a tea towel. There are another three foods aboard this appliance:

July Oven recipes

I know I sound like a real whiner here, but I'm getting more than a little fed up of cake based recipes. All three of these delicacies would be right at home over in Bakery Story. I'd much prefer some more meaty offerings, or at least something more appropriate for a restaurant.

Anyhow, here are the ratings:

July Cupcakes
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
2	4	2	7	5	3.3

July Swirls
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
2	4	3	7	5	3.5

Patriot Pops
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
4	3	3	10	5	4.2

The only noteworthy thing among all the orange and yellow here is that the July Swirls have become only the second ever recipe to provide 3 coins per plate, after the Bagels (Basic Oven). That's obviously not good news as it is down on the usual 4 coins per plate which most other dishes have. Why Storm8 decided to do this is beyond my understanding, but at least it's something different!

Concluding the recipe analysis on a lighter note, these fresh foods mean we have passed a major landmark in Restaurant Story - we now have more than 500 dishes! To be precise, if we count the recipes in order of their unlocking, the Bacon Hot Dogs are the 500th dish. Of the 503 recipes in total, there are 456 which are currently available in the game, with 178 being goal dishes.

I'm sure my lack of enthusiasm for Independence Day has been picked up on in this post, and it has led to a less than exuberant outlook on these goals. But I've still completed them for the sake of the Pool Party (and the blog of course!) Hopefully the next set of goals will be more to my taste, and at least there was no requirement to spend gems like in the Bakery Story goals this month!