Game update: 04/11/15

As we enter November, the time has come to get out your hat, scarf and gloves.

There's an opportunity to sprinkle some Autumn chill on your restaurant in this update, although there are only eight new items in the market. They're all unlocked at level 21, and are shown in the following fabulous list:

Wall decorations:

• Leaf Torches - 17,200 coins
• Wall Flowers - 33,000 coins

Floor decorations:

• Autumn Kitten - 17 gems
• Puppy Pile - 24 gems

Wallpapers:

• Acorn - 3,000 coins

Floor tiles:

• Leaves - 1,200 coins

Appliances:

• Autumn Stove - 72,000 coins

Counters:

• Fall Leaf Counter - 6,200 coins

The only previous Autumn update this year was related to the harvest and was well received by the players, although it was delivered in the form of a box, which is always a turn off. So it goes without saying that it's pleasing to see more stuff added pertaining to the season.

But there's obviously a little disappointment at the range of new decorations on offer. There may be more than the paltry five included last week, but there's still no table and chair, nor any floor decorations for coins. Nevertheless we'll take that over the inaccessibility of a box!

For a good look at the new items feast your eyes on this image from the Storm8 Blog:

Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog

The pick of the additions for me is the Leaves floor tile. The concept of leaves scattered on the ground is not new - we've had the Autumn Leaves, Fall Leaf, Fall Leaves Tile, Autumn Floor and Fall Foliage all added around this time of year in the past. But I think this one trumps the rest since it uses the most natural and appropriate colours, and the tiles merge together seamlessly when placed side by side. Plus it comes at a price which is relatively affordable.

In fact I'd go as far as to say this is one of the best floor tiles we've had added in a long time. I'll absolutely use it when I return to my Autumn layout in the near future, and I suspect we'll be seeing it included in a lot of diners in the coming days and weeks.

The two new floor decorations will go well with the Leaves flooring since they also feature the beautiful colours of Autumn leaves. The Puppy Pile is 3x3 in size and contains two grey puppies playing in a pile of leaves. This is a super cute piece, right down to the yellow leaf on top of one of the puppies' head! The inclusion of a metal rake is questionable (one of the puppies might cut it's poor paw!) but overall this is a really nice item. The 24 gem asking price may keep some away, but I think it's a reasonable cost for something so charming.

Did I just praise a gem item?! Let's resume normal service then with the Autumn Kitten! Following a similar format to the Puppy Pile this is a scaled down version, with just the one kitten involved. The little thing looks like its pulling a leaf over like a duvet ahead of a nice quiet nap! But it won't be sleeping in my restaurant - at 17 gems this 1x1 decoration does not represent value. I'm sure some cat lovers won't be able to contain themselves (as is their right) but I really can't justify a notable payout for something so diminutive.

To go with all those leaves we need some acorns, and that is provided by the aptly named Acorn wallpaper. Veteran players may have a fair few Autumn themed wallpapers already in their inventory, and probably better ones than this. The Acorn wallpaper features a plain beige backdrop with images of acorns and leaves dotted over it. I suppose it does a decent job as a 'background' wallpaper, but if you want a wallpaper which itself makes a statement, this one will fail you.

 Autumn 2015

 16/09/15 Fall Harvest box

Now that I think about it, it seems I have a lack of enthusiasm for any wallpaper of the 'objects stamped on plain background' variety. The likes of the Football, Coffee Print and Fast Food Wall are among those wallpapers with this format, and I don't dig any of them!

At least you can occupy your walls with two decorations. The Leaf Torches consists of a cornucopia with glowing leaves coming out of the top. I didn't realise at first that we weren't dealing with standard flames here, and I struggle to make sense of what the game's developers are trying to portray. Are these real leaves which have been set alight? Are we dealing with fake flames shaped like leaves? Maybe I should just step back from the analysis and hang some up in my place! After all they are warm and inviting.

The other wall decoration presented with this update is the Wall Flowers. Much more conventional, here we have a couple of plants stuffed into a box. I'm not sure if they're supposed to be sunflowers, but whatever the case it's a nice enough item which can help complete a theme if used effectively.

The last standard addition is the Fall Leaf Counter, which is a deep orange in colour and has a maple leaf shaped structure through the middle. Although there's nothing horribly wrong with this counter, it doesn't exactly catch the eye either. I feel there are enough better alternatives for those who have invested in previous Autumn releases.

Time to turn our attention to the Autumn Stove. My immediate thought when I saw this appliance was that we already had one of the same name. But it turns out that the existing cooker I had in mind was the Autumn Oven, released in 2013 with Thanksgiving goals. This edition has a primarily yellow exterior, with leaves and acorns printed on the sides.

It is an expensive appliance at 72,000 coins, especially if you like to purchase multiple copies to speed up the mastery process. And as you'd expect there's a new part required in its construction.

Autumn Knob

You need 5 Mallets, 5 Iron Presses and 5 Acorn Knobs to put the Autumn Stove together. Yet again Storm8 have failed to show any imagination with the new part! At least the raft of fresh parts we were suffering earlier in the year were all quite original - now it's knob after knob!

Anyway, how about the recipes?

Autumn Stove recipes

Here we have three new dishes which are not baking products - I'll certainly take that! The Acorn Squash is obviously the food which ties in with the appliance's name, while the Chicken Noodle Soup and Veggie Chili are both hearty recipes which will keep you warm in these cold months.

Let's have some recipe ratings:

Acorn Squash
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
3	5	3	8	8	4.4

Chicken Noodle Soup
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
3	5	3	10	8	4.6

Veggie Chili
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
3	5	3	10	8	4.6

Some credit where its due to the gamemakers - the Acorn Squash and Veggie Chili break new ground in their duration when it comes to profit and portions. I discussed the repetition of recipe statistics in the Suggestions Box over the weekend, so it's nice to see some originality applied here.

But when we get down with the numbers things aren't quite so rosy. None of these dishes really do the business numerically, although the Acorn Squash does rank highish. It is the eighth best 3 hour recipe overall from a pool of 49. However some of the offerings which come above it in the charts are real beauties, none more so than the profit trove that is the Biscuits and Gravy (Basic Stove).

I had hoped at this point that I'd now be bringing you a round-up of the delightful Halloween sale we all dappled in on Friday. But alas, Storm8 didn't want our money, and thus didn't re-release any vintage content. I've done enough moaning about this matter, so won't linger on it!

But something Halloween related that is worth mentioning is the prospect of an item removal. These tend to be executed at some point after a major event, and Halloween is among the biggest. Last year it wasn't until after New Year that the game's developers plucked all spooky stuff from the market, but in 2013 it was in November that the deed was done. So if there's anything Halloween based in the market taking your fancy make sure to buy it soon! Removals should be announced well ahead of time, but Storm8 are infamous for their ability to make a boo-boo, so take no chances!

That's it then for another week. Personally I had dim hopes of a Bonfire Night themed update today ahead of tomorrow's celebrations, but it appears I'll have to wait it out another year to see that wish fulfilled. That's okay though because I do like this update (I'm a sucker for anything with the oranges and browns of Autumn!) As for the likely goals next week, I'm pretty open to the possibilities - Thanksgiving is the forerunner of course, but I get the funny feeling that we may see something different from the norm this November. Just no cold turkeys!