Game update: 30/09/15

We're closing out September with an update revolving around the birthstone for the month, the sapphire.

There's a new edition of the app for Android players - 'Restaurant Story: Royal Blues' is now available to download from Google Play. And here is the complete list of additions, all of which are unlocked at level 10:

Tables:

• Sapphire Table - 2 gems

Chairs:

• Sapphire Stool - 2,000 coins

Floor decorations:

• Sapphire Fountain - 82 gems
• Sapphire Chaise - 16,000 coins
• Sapphire Bouquet - 7,200 coins

Floor tiles:

• Sapphire - 2,500 coins

Appliances:

• Sapphire Oven - 33,000 coins

Before we get cracking on the analysis, a word on the lack of a teaser for this week's update. It's happened before, but the Storm8 Blog hasn't let us down on a Tuesday for a good while. I was a little disappointed at the absence of a sneak peek, as it's something I've come to look forward to on a Tuesday evening. But on the other hand there's that bubbling anticipation when release time is approaching and you've got no idea what is or isn't coming.

So why no teaser? It's entirely possible that the game's developers just didn't get around to putting the post together. That sounds unprofessional, but ultimately the teasers are low on the priority list for Storm8 - preparing and executing the updates in a clean fashion is far more important. Maybe there's a change of tact coming and the teasers are going to be a thing of the past. Let's face it, the blog probably doesn't get that much traffic, so isn't a significant part of Storm8's business. Or perhaps the gamemakers are just sick and tired of the inescapable moaning that inevitably follows each teaser!

Enough with the teaser talk though, let's have a look at some of the new stuff! We start with the biggest buy, which is the Sapphire Fountain. In fact, it is one of only two gem additions, which would be good news if it weren't so expensive! At 82 gems it is hugely overpriced, especially considering it's only 3x3 in size (thanks to Nibble and Noms for the info!) and doesn't really stand out as a particularly impressive item.

The other two floor decorations are much more appealing. The Sapphire Bouquet is a standard vase of flowers on a round table, and would work nicely in the corner if surrounded with the appropriate colours. And the Sapphire Chaise is probably my favourite of the new items. There's an element of luxury surrounding this lounger, and with the patterned mat underneath I think it would fit in nicely with the Indian themed stuff from a couple of months back.

The second gem purchase in this update is the Sapphire Table, which goes with the Sapphire Stool. The use of chilly blue tones on these two mean they're not really ideal for Autumn, but I can certainly envisage them coming in handy in Winter, especially if you don't own any of the removed wintry tables and chairs.

Then there's the Sapphire flooring. The inclusion of orange lines in the design mean you can't effectively utilise this tile in Winter. I'm actually struggling to come up with ideas for where it would look good - perhaps in an Indian themed section would be a decent bet?

We're almost there, with only the Sapphire Oven to go. To construct this new appliance you'll need 5 Wiring, 5 Brass Diverters and 5 Sapphires.

Sapphire

The last of these is a completely new part which can be found at the front of the gift list. I suspect we'll have a few players (particularly newbies) gifting these daily as they mistake them for a valuable currency in the game!

On this cooker are three recipes, all with a hint of blue:

Sapphire Oven recipes

I've said this before, but the number of cupcake and cake based dishes in the game is becoming increasingly frustrating. Bakery Story exists for a reason, and these recipes would be right at home over in the sister game. I'm not saying that cakes don't have any place being in Restaurant Story, but they certainly shouldn't be as frequent as they have become. I get the sense that Storm8 are running out of ideas when it comes to fresh foods.

And just to worsen the mood some more, let's investigate the recipe ratings for these three dishes:

Sugar Snaps
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
3	4	2	8	9	3.9

Sapphire Cupcake
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
1	6	1	8	9	3.6

Sapphire Cake
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
2	7	1	10	9	4.5

Not for the first time I'm going to be brief but sharp with the thoughts on these. All three recipes generally rank somewhere between not very good and downright rubbish. It's only with regards to XP gain that the Sapphire Cupcake and Sapphire Cake score remotely well, and even then it's not sufficient to raise an eyebrow.

And just to add further dismay into the equation, the game's developers have once again demonstrated their inability to shake things up. The first two offerings are statistically absolutely identical in every way to the first two foods on the Olde Stove added in August. Good grief!

I reckon part of the problem with a sapphire themed update is that it's difficult to actually come up with content to fit the theme. Essentially the items in this release just have a blue tinge to them which is supposedly enough to label them as being of the sapphire variety. I don't think there was the scope for sapphire based stuff, and so the overall feeling was always going to be one of disenchantment.

But hey, let's perk ourselves up with a quick review of the special update pushed out last Friday on both iOS and Android.

Notification for Autumn re-release

For 12 days only, a large number of Autumn decorations have been returned to the game. I'm pleased to see such a wide range of items coming back, even if I already own most of the coveted pieces that I adore. However it's always nice for newer players to get a first shot at some of the premium items that until now they've only been able to look at with envy.

In all there are 36 items have been re-released, including such hits as the Autumn Cupcake Stand and the Cider Bar. Plus the very popular Autumn Gift Box is also back, so there's plenty of choice if you are looking to deck out for Autumn.

However one item which was originally brought back yet quickly dropped again was the Autumn Welcome Mat. This floor decoration seems perfect for placing at your door, but that means it actually blocks the entrance and prevents the customers from entering. One user on the Storm8 Forum brought this up, and the gamemakers proceeded to remove it immediately!

This resulted in a lot of annoyance from others including myself. There was no issue with having the mat around first time, so why feel the need to react so jerkily to a minor concern now?! I actually think the Autumn Welcome Mat is very useful as you can place it strategically to block a secondary door you don't want the bots to wander through. I do that with my kitchen section - it has a door (the back door if you like) and having the mat in place prevents the punters from entering, thus forcing them to use the main door. At the time of writing the game's developers still haven't returned the mat again, so it looks increasingly like it won't get another airing.

On a more general note, I do fear that this big re-release may be an early indicator that no brand new Autumn themed updates are planned this year, but will continue to hold out hope. After all there is still plenty of time, and usually it is in November with Thanksgiving on the horizon that Autumn gets covered.

That brings a close to proceedings, as we all breathe a sigh of relief that the daycare dinosaurs didn't rear their ugly heads for a second week! After that debacle and the high rate of boxes recently, I get the sense that the mood around the community is a little down right now. But I wouldn't be too disillusioned - September is often a difficult time in Restaurant Story as the gamemakers struggle to make the transition from Summer to Autumn. There's plenty to look forward to in the coming months, not least the potential for Black Friday goodies, and you can expect a post previewing that particular event this coming Saturday!