But before I do, I have to admit to some slacking. I still haven't completed the goals, and don't expect to do so for a few days yet. My excuses are sound though - the longevity of the Mad Chemist and Lab Assistant's tour of time is taking its toll, and I've spent much of the last week either trying to resurrect some dishes which have been running out or building Malt Shake Makers. A big thank you to everyone who has been sending me extra White Springs!
I can still provide some analysis mind you, starting with the Fine Stove. This is the first of the usual two appliances included in the challenge, and is 2x1 in size. Such cookers are exciting because they don't come around too often, but they can be a real pest to fit into limited space! To kick this appliance into action you need 6 Gears, 6 Metal Sheets and 4 Golden Screws.
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| Golden Knob and Golden Screw |
The last of these is new with this update. It's interesting to see none of the 'new' basic parts included for the construction of the Fine Stove (such as the Mallet and Brass Diverter). Instead we go old school with the Gear and Metal Sheet, neither of which has been utilised since the Autumn goals in 2014! Meanwhile the Golden Screw is quite standard in appearance which leads me to wonder if it may be a recurring part in the coming months.
Once you have the Fine Stove built, there are three recipes awaiting. One is available straight away, with the others losing their respective padlocks as you progress further into the goals.
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| Fine Stove recipes |
Special praise has to be given to Storm8 for the wooden slates the three recipes are served upon. Too often of late dishes have been presented in an industrial pan or on a drab tray. So to see a fancy wooden board used is refreshing - it really helps convey the grandeur of high end dining.
But what of the recipe ratings? Let's have a look...
| Fine Steak Bites | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 5 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 6.2 |
| Fine Shrimp Bites | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Fine Steak | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3.3 |
It's a mixed bag, with the constant 60 XP across the trio being the main source of variation (there's an oxymoron right there!) For the second straight month the gamemakers couldn't be bothered to set the XP gain different for each recipe, and that is naturally good news for the shorter dishes but bad news for longer ones.
The Fine Steak Bites is now the 10th offering of 1 hour duration to yield 60 XP, and that kind of undermines the perfect score it achieves for that factor. But the profit score stands up on its own too, and assists in allowing the bites to get into the green overall.
The Fine Shrimp Bites and Fine Steak are less fortunate when it comes to profit, and the lesser XP return per hour inevitably means a lower final rating. Not too impressive.
Back to the goals then, and let's look beyond the appliances for a moment. There were three floor decorations to be gathered, starting with the Fine Cart. This may only be a 1x1 item, but it's got a real charm about it. The golden frame is matched by a golden tea set, and with colourful bouquets of flowers included we have a really eloquent piece. Definitely one I can envisage utilising in the future.
High end dining
Then there's the Golden Column which I'm less sure about. In truth it's another victory for the Suggestions Box where I asked for more pillar designs more than 18 months ago! The concept of a golden pillar with fancy curves and a pompous feel is sound, and yet I can't quite make my mind up. For me the Golden Column looks a little garish and vulgar - perhaps the golden tone is a little too bright? For some reason I'm not sold on it, although at only 2,000 coins a pop I'll certainly give it a go and see how it looks.
Last in the decorating department is the final prize. The Fine Drinking Station is a 4x4 giant, and looks fantastic. The bartender is quirky with his wine red hair and ponytail, and the stacked bottles have been rendered really well - the glassy texture is excellently executed. Then there's the cleanly finished red stools out front and the wooden barrel wedged in the side. It's a quality item, so much so that even the sparkles don't put me off!
We finish with a return to recipe roulette, with the Fine Oven carrying three more dishes. This time a more recent part is in use with the Brass Diverter, but there's also a serious throwback with the Gold Spring putting in a cameo. In all it's 6 Gold Springs, 6 Brass Diverters and 6 Golden Knobs that are called for, with the last being the newbie.
This is only the third time we've ever needed the Gold Spring - it's great to see an old part that's related to the appliance in question utilised. This is something which doesn't happen often enough, with Storm8 preferring to just blindly add yet another part. I'd love to see more of some of the long forgotten parts resurrected in the future.
To the dishes themselves then, and there's no prizes for guessing that there's a golden theme here.
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| Fine Oven recipes |
Unlike with the Fine Stove's efforts, I'm not quite as enamoured. I get the sense that this threesome have been 'manufactured' to fit the golden theme, rather than to celebrate fine dining. After all, when have you ever had a Golden Lotus for dessert?!
Maybe the ratings will salvage some pride...
| Golden Sundae | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Golden Leaf Cake | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 3.6 |
| Golden Lotus | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 3.6 |
Eh, not really. As is tradition we've got three flops. And just like with the earlier candidates, the XP is fixed across the board, and that ends up having a detrimental effect on the Golden Lotus. In the end it pretty much matches the Spanish Chocolate on last month's Spanish Mixer, and that's not a good thing. Just four recipes of 8 hour length provide less XP, and the profit and portions don't rate well either.
We do get a familiar story with every goal set these days - truly dreadful recipes on the statistical front, but some marvellous décor too. This month's was particularly impressive, not least because of my enduring longing for high end dining content. Between this and the update at the end of April it appears that the game's developers have taken an interest in fine dining as well, and that bodes well for the future. Here's to many more fancy updates!
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