 |
| Notification for carnival update |
This is a proper Summer update, and continues a long history of Summery themes which revolve around the beach. All available from level 19, let's have a glance at the new content with a lovely little list:
Tables:
- Wicker Table - 20,000 coins
- Wicker Chair - 2 gems
- Seagulls - 7,000 coins
- Bumper Cars - 50 gems
- High Striker - 5 gems
- Boardwalk Dog Stand - 35,000 coins
- Kettle Corn Cart - 31,000 coins
- Royal Guests - 44 gems (LTO)
- Beachside Palms - 1,000 coins
- Boardwalk - 700 coins
- Wicker Counter - 3 gems
So we have 10 completely new items as well as a sale on an existing decoration. More on that deal is to come, but first we have to pore over this update's teaser published on the Storm8 Blog:
 |
| Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog |
There's no doubt about it, this is a colourful collection. From the moment I saw the teaser I knew the additions would be greeted with acclaim around the community. Seaside and beach themed stuff has always gone down well in the game, partly because a diner can be put together snugly from such content, but mostly because everyone loves the seaside!
But the excitement is undoubtedly curtailed by news that the centrepiece of the release is a costly one. The Bumper Cars looks fantastic, with three kids having the time of their lives as they recklessly ride around in dodgems (that's what we call them over here!) But the price is so disappointing. At 50 gems, my opinion on this piece goes from rising through the roof to plummeting through the floor. I could really see myself building a theme around this decoration, but not when I'd have to burn such a deep hole in my gem bag.
And with the Bumper Cars, the gamemakers have provided further confirmation that a seriously expensive decoration is now a staple of regular updates. Last week the Sno Cart weighed in at 50 gems, and the Family Fun from the lemon themed update was 63 gems. This is an unhealthy policy in my view, and is one I'd rather see dropped. Yes, a 'top tier' item is acceptable every so often to encourage real money gem purchases, but doing it every week just indicates that Storm8 are out to make money out of the players. That won't win them friends, nor a loyal following.
After getting that off my chest I'm rather peckish, and so it's to the Boardwalk Dog Stand we go next. This 2x1 sized decoration is a fine example of a piece in which lots of detail has been crammed in. Had the game's developers made it any larger it would probably lose some of its richness. And anyone with the Hot Dog Vendor from last year's New York goals has got the prefect accompaniment to this impressive item.
Setting up a rival to the hot dog stand is the Kettle Corn Stand. This one is only 1x1, and rather strangely is yet to have been set up, with bags of corn kernels propped up against the stand, which appears to be empty. Nevertheless this is a cute little decoration, and as with the Boardwalk Dog Stand is available for coins. This certainly goes some way to redeeming the update after the Bumper Cars!
Summer 2016
The last of the floor decorations introduced is another gem buy, but at 5 gems the High Striker is a modest purchase. This is a classic fairground attraction, and given my fascination with the Carnival Box which actually contains a Sledge Striker, this is the kind of item I'm all over. Unlike the Bumper Cars it won't make your seaside design, but it can certainly enhance it.
All of these additions belong on the Boardwalk, and so it is only natural for a floor tile of the same name to be inserted into the game. Made up of rickety wooden boards with exposed nails, this is just the sort of rugged flooring needed to convey the variable weather of the coast (at least in my corner of the world!) It's cheap at 700 coins, and although we do already have similar entries such as the Italian Floorboards and Frontier Floor, it's always nice to have another option.
And for your boardwalk backdrop, the Beachside Palms is the perfect wallpaper. I've long thought that we've lacked many beach themed wallpapers, with the Beach Bungalows the only one currently in the market that really fits the bill. This one is a little more generic, and the clever inclusion of a wall in the foreground means we don't necessary have to have a sand scene out front. It could quite easily be a road, or better still a footpath which contains hot dog and popcorn stands...
Up in the sky there's the opportunity to have Seagulls flapping their wings, with this wall decoration coming in at 7,000 coins. The decision by Storm8 to leave these birds as outlines only is shrewd - if they'd attempted to include any depth with faces or feathers I fear the Seagulls would have become a more cartoonish item. There's nothing seriously wrong with that, although I prefer the more simplistic forms we have. And unlike the palms, the Seagulls are something I can absolutely relate to where I live!
We finish off the new stuff with the Wicker Table, Wicker Chair and Wicker Counter. Of these only the table is up for coins, and sadly it's the one of the three which is least appealing to me. This is a case where the glass top surface is a detractor - the intricately designed wicker pattern is lost underneath the glossy texture of the glass which is a real shame, especially for the poor gamemaker who went through the laborious process of producing it!
Luckily the chair and counter do showcase the wicker pattern more, even if the latter also has the glass panel. There's plenty of wicked wicker around the sides!
We're nearly done, but first there's a limited time offer to be considered.
 |
| Notification for sale on Royal Guests |
The Royal Guests is a regular floor decoration which normally costs 55 gems, but has been reduced by 20% to 44 gems for a limited period. I'm not sure why this 2x2 item in particular has been selected as it doesn't exactly relate to the beach, but at least it is nice to see another long standing decoration available at a cut price.
Of course the sale I was looking for was on that Carnival Box. We weren't scheduled for a box sale this week so it's absence didn't come as much of a surprise to me, but I am dreaming of it next week. After all, if carnival lovers spend all their hard-earned gems on the decor added tonight then a Carnival Box sale in seven days will have them racing to the nearest cash machine, right? Plans are formulating in my head for a future design in my restaurant, but without a half price deal on the Carnival Box I'm not sure I can make it happen...
Even without the sale I dreamed of, this is a good update. Okay the Bumper Cars is too expensive, but beyond that it's really solid. The food stands and beach wallpaper (all for coins) are my highlights, and are definitely decorations I envisage using in future Summer layouts. For now though I'll have a lie down on the beach and build up some energy for the next goal set which is surely going to be docking next week.
I really struggle to put this theme together. Its a shame some items are so ridiculous expensive.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely and colorfull adition to the game though.