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| Step from Puppy Bowl goals |
I mentioned before that the goal structure was a little different from the norm, with six strands involved, all leading to the unlocking of three new recipes and the Cheerleader Puppy decoration. I've barely scratched the surface with any goal dishes which don't yield gems, which begs the question of why I'm so determined to complete goal sets such as this one. But it all comes down to the mastery stars, and I'm sure one day I'll get round to earning them for these prizes - you've got to play the long game!
But I very nearly failed to finish these goals. My problems were in the 'Tailgate Time' strand, where one of the requirements was to master the Buffalo Wings on the Commercial Range to the third level. Being the pro that I am, I had made swift progress through the quest to this point, and was able to ease off the pedal thanks to having plenty of time to spare.
How wrong I was. For the second time I made the calamitous error of thinking I was approaching level three mastery when I was in fact only nearing level two. It's a shocking mistake to make, especially given that I've done it before! With the clock ticking down I was left with little option but to throw some quick serves at the situation, along with four gems, all to finish the job with six minutes to spare.
It's fair to say I was rather stressed towards the end! I've regularly vowed not to let the quests come down to the wire like this, but again I reverted to type and induced some tense drama at the climax. I'm really enjoying the game, but when scenarios like this play out I wonder why! Maybe I'm just addicted to the 'gaming adrenalin' that the close finishes generate.
The natural thing to do after a tight call like I had there is close the game and keep away from it for a few days. But that wasn't an option as the Valentine's Day Cruise Catering Event hit our screens within minutes of the timer zeroing out on the Puppy Bowl goals.
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| Main page of Valentine's Day Cruise Catering Event |
This wasn't all that surprising considering the regimental standard Storm8 have established when it comes to updates - I know to be ready every Thursday for the next great surprise!
For the first time since appliance rewards were introduced for cruises there was a third consecutive gem recipe to play for. The Lobster Diavolo was the latest Celebration Stove addition, taking the total dishes on that particular cooker up to 12 (at the time!) for those who have been able to unlock them all. The name of this recipe understandably strikes fear into the heart that the 22 hour refresh Lobster would be an ingredient, but on the contrary things couldn't be better. You've still got the special ingredient (Sweetheart Cookies from Venus) but otherwise it's just Tomatoes which are called for.
This is invaluable. Between this and the Coconut Fish Curry which also relies only on Tomatoes and a special component, we now have gem makers which can be safely cooked during goals. So often during events the likes of Sugar and Cream are heavily involved which can stall gem production. But now I plan to keep hold of the special ingredients of these two for those occasions when challenges get tough and my gem balance grows more slowly. By utilising the curry and diavolo at these times I stand to keep those precious purple stones flowing in, while still having a nice supply of Sugar and Cream.
RS2 News
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07/11/15 November 2015
24/10/15 October 2015
Of course before I could put this into practice I had to actually complete the cruise event, although this was never in question. Aided by upgrading my General Store to level six on restocking (the first store I've been able to do that for!) really aided the cause, and I was able to polish off the cruise with little to know hiccups.
The significant experience I've built since the very first cruise event last April has undoubtedly been handy too, and I have no hesitation in saying that I now feel like a dab hand at these challenges. My progress isn't always completely steady - that's impossible given the element of luck in the orders - but I no longer get myself flustered when things go wrong. Instead I save that for the regular quests!
On the subject of regular quests, following on from the Valentine's cruise we pitched up at the The Renaissance Fair! goals, which took us back in time to a period when kings and queens ruled the lands.
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| Message in The Renaissance Fair! goals |
This time there were three separate strands, each very different in nature. The first relied upon Turkey Legs and Currants which were dropped by a special visitor, the Bard, and were used to concoct Turkey Glaze. This in turn was used to prepare the Royal Turkey Leg, which was the key recipe in the strand.
The second challenge was only available to high level players, because it revolved around using the Wooden Aging Barrel to make Mead, the first time this appliance has featured in a time-limited quest. The Currants were again in action here along with the Pressed Green Grapes produced on the Grape Press. I found this goal strand to be tougher, with multiple Mastery Spices needing to be applied to achieve success, as well as my first Expert Spice having reached level 58 in the last week.
What also helped me was access to a second Grape Press and Wooden Aging Barrel. An extra copy of each were available at 50% off for a limited time towards the start of the event, and I jumped at the chance to bag both.
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| Notification for Grape Press and Wooden Aging Barrel sale |
The XP gains the wine based recipes give are staggering, and now I can hopefully increase my XP flow substantially.
The final segment of the quest was a buy two get one free deal, all involving gems. We've seen this form of goal before, but it still seems to irk some players. I don't really get why - if you take a liking for the décor involved you can purchase two of them (which would have been a heavy gem outlay anyway) and get a third as a reward, which otherwise would be relatively expensive. It so happens that I did take up on this offer, and also went slightly mad with the rest of the Renaissance stuff, resulting in a refurbishment of The Onion Bush.
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| Renaissance theme at The Onion Bush |
Including my duplicate appliance buys and one or two other bits and pieces I managed to spend around 900 gems in an hour! A ridiculous spending spree, but I didn't want to leave any stone unturned with this redesign. Incorporating a few past decorations was fun, including Sir Spookalot challenging the Sly Knight's Armor to a duel, the Taiko Drummer rallying the troops and The King and The Queen sandwiched by a chair adorned with the Iron Cook's Throne Style.
After that mega splurge I'm in desperate need of gem production opportunities, so was pleased to see another cruise event head our way on Thursday evening. The Easter Cruise Event is under way and having started after reset on Friday I've made a serene start to proceedings.
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| Notification for Easter Cruise Catering Event |
With another gem making recipe up for grabs, that's now three in a row, which hasn't happened since the appliance (with a clutch of dishes) rewards kicked in. This is obviously good to see, and I cherish each gem maker just as much as the last.
So another eventful (quite literally!) month in the hyperactive world of Restaurant Story 2. This is not a game for those not willing to devote a lot of time and effort, but for those who are it is highly satisfying. I can safely say that when the original title does sing its swansong (in years time hopefully!) I'll have no problem spending yet more time in the sequel game. If you're willing to be patient and build up your resources and empire there's a great sense of achievement to be had.
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