This update will put that to the test as the romantic tone continues, despite Valentine's having now passed. It's not a big update, but that doesn't stop me compiling another of those famous lists, with it all available at level 27:
Tables:
- Amore Table - 3 gems
- Amore Chair - 14,000 coins
- Date Night Diners - 30 gems
- Date Night Candles - 12,000 coins
- Date Night Drinks - 6,000 coins
- Amore Stove - 28,000 coins
In truth this is as small a selection of additions as we've seen, but it's certainly better than nothing! The repetition of the Valentine's theme is noteworthy, not least because it's the first time it has ever run past the event itself. Sometimes I just don't understand the way the gamemakers think - why not leave one of the earlier updates (such as Greek week) for this week in order to squeeze in all the Valentine's batches before the 14th?
Instead we have a collection of stuff which regardless of its appeal is quite literally last week's news. No doubt the community will find ways to integrate the items into many surroundings which are not purely based on Valentine's, but it's not a challenge which should be necessary.
Anyway, now that I've got that off my back let's cast an eye over the six new items. With four consecutive Tuesday teasers it appears that the Storm8 Blog is back in action for good, and it has again delivered a preview of this week's offerings:
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| Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog |
Everything is pictured along with a few existing bits and pieces. These include the Light Bar wallpaper, Neon Light wall decoration, Hardwood flooring and Mahogany counter. It's when the teaser includes a number of existing items that you know the update is going to be sparse!
At the centre of proceedings is the Date Night Diners. This is a 3x3 sized effort and depicts two smartly dressed bots holding hands and enjoying a very posh dinner for two (as well as the small matter of a proposal!) There's a deep pink and sophisticated black colour throughout this update, and it imposes itself on this particular decoration. The two tones are present across the table, the chairs and the side table, giving a real sense of grandeur.
The two dishes being sampled are both from the new appliance which is a pleasing link, while the floors, candles and glasses of bubbly all help add to the gravity of the scene. All in all this is a beautiful decoration, although it does come with quite a high price tag. You'll need to be willing to part with 30 gems to gain this one, although that's less than we've seen for most of the headline additions recently.
The other two floor decorations are great complements to the Date Night Diners. The Date Night Candles shows a black round table dressed with glowing candles and star-shaped confetti. It's only 1x1 but could do a fine job of filling a corner of your romantic diner.
Valentine's Day 2016
16/02/16 Goals content report
14/02/16 Showcase
13/02/16 The Garlic Tree celebrates
10/02/16 Goals
10/02/16 Goals update
03/02/16 Love boats update
14/02/16 Showcase
13/02/16 The Garlic Tree celebrates
10/02/16 Goals
10/02/16 Goals update
03/02/16 Love boats update
Then there's the Date Night Drinks which by my reckoning is the first wine bucket stand we've seen introduced to rival the long-standing Chilled Drink. I quite like this item too, although still prefer the original Chilled Drink, mostly because of its more elegant stand. However the ice in the new one is better rendered and the use of pink and gold for the bottle again conveys pomp, so I'm still happy. Indeed I've actually added it to my nightclub section due to the matching colour scheme.
Now to the Amore Table and Amore Chair which cost 3 gems and 14,000 coins respectively. It's interesting to note that these two are exactly the table and chair featured in the Date Night Diners. No doubt a few players will give Storm8 a hard time for doubling up but I see it as an opportunity - you could try placing the tables and chairs around the main decoration in such a way to make it appear that they're all cut from the same cloth. Differences in ratio mean you probably won't manage to do this perfectly, but it would be interesting to see.
We've reached the Amore Stove which requires 5 Mallets, 5 Iron Presses and 5 Amore Knobs to build.
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| Amore Knob |
As tradition now dictates, the last of these is a new part. It's another knob, and another blow to those of us with hundreds of the old 'basic' parts in our back pocket. I'm planning to soon bring you an update on the parts most commonly utilised, so will no doubt elaborate more on the rather stale parts landscape then!
For now let's focus on the three recipes to be found on the Amore Stove.
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| Amore Stove recipes |
Such splendour! All three of these dishes look absolutely delicious, and are clearly designed to be right at home in the world of fine dining. The Molten Amore is especially impressive with the sprinkling of icing sugar included on top. Not to mention the rich chocolate that's oozing longingly out the side!
So what of the ratings? Let's take a look...
| Amore Appetizers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 3 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 4.7 |
| Steak Amore | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 4 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 5.4 |
| Molten Amore | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 5 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 5.9 |
These are certainly an improvement on the sub-par offerings from the Valentine's goals. The Amore Appetizers flirts with the better 3 hour foods, but still falls a long way short of the best. Nevertheless it does manage to land 7th spot in the overall ratings chart for the duration.
Meanwhile the Steak Amore is less impressive, although only marginally. It lands overall 10th position among 5 hour recipes, but remember that the 5 hour duration is significantly less competitive than the 3 hour one.
Then there's that delicious Molten Amore, which is only our 18th ever dish of 7 hour length. It ranks averagely, which may be surprising given the steady scores across the factors. There are some outstanding recipes in this duration which is why the 5.9 score for this dessert is not quite as notable as you may first expect.
We've almost completed the analysis, but first you need to get something nice for your other half ahead of this dandy date. How about a nice bunch of tulips?
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| Notification for Tulip Crate sale |
Personally I'm going to turn it down. The sale is enticing, not least because most of the items in the mix are solid. But the first prize isn't exactly enthralling and I'd hate for this to be the one time I luck out and get the top prize! So I'm going to respectfully decline on this occasion but certainly be on the lookout for future sales of this format.
So even in the aftermath of Valentine's Day love continues to stifle the air. I'm not totally enamoured by this, but the general quality of the content means I'm willing to make this relationship work!
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