The changing artistry of Restaurant Story

It has now been nearly six years since Restaurant Story was first released into the competitive world of gaming. In the time since the industry has evolved massively, and consequently some aspects of the game have become outdated and tired looking in appearance, including the menu interface. But with a weekly update introducing new content regularly, the game's developers have certainly had ample opportunity to demonstrate the advancement of technology and their ability to keep up with it.

Inspired by a terrific idea from regular reader and contributor to the blog, Ali Cat Cafe, I've compiled a number of decorations which will hopefully show that Storm8 have indeed improved the general quality of decor over the years. Of course there will always be the odd addition which fails to meet present day expectations, but this snapshot should provide an insight into the changes.

I should also point out at this stage that Ali also had a part to play in picking out some of the following comparisons, and triggered some of my own ideas. So a big thank you to Ali for making this post possible!

We'll start at the start, with perhaps the most fundamental object in the game, the door. For the first few years of Restaurant Story's tenure, there was only one Door available in the market, but more designs would eventually follow, starting with the Summer Dreams Door in August 2014.

Doors and windows

Pictured above alongside the generic Door is the New Orleans Door, which debuted in February 2015. The difference is stark. The original Door is so plain and simple, with just a solid grey colour and bland white frame. Even the doorknob lacks creativity, with a relatively simple shape implemented.

In contrast the New Orleans Door has depth, Panels of a darker shade of brown have been used to keep the door from looking stale, and the frame has a brickwork appearance. There's even an elaborate window above, thus making greater use of the full height of the wall. And the handle is so much more refined than the original cumbersome knob.

A similar contrast can be gleaned from the two windows depicted above. On the right is the Rainy Window, a 10 gem purchase which has been around for years. It does show rain outside, but the raindrops are very basic, as is the blue background.

Meanwhile the Sprinkling Window added in April moves away from the boring white frame to try and set the sad tone that is typical of a rainy day. The rain itself is much more realistic, with less strictly shaped drops on the go and the illusion of the water actually pouring down the window has been executed nicely. Plus there's a more refined background, with a bush visible beyond the glass.

In fact, let's get outside and inspect some of the outdoor content through the years (please excuse the lampposts which force their way into the next few images!)

Outdoor items

There are several items I've displayed here, starting with the floor tiles. There are two concrete floors with these being the Concrete (left) and City Sidewalk (right). The former is the standard tile that has always appeared when you expand and is as insipid as it gets. The monotone grey features just a few barely visible specks and the criss-cross that was standard in early floor tiles.

On the other hand, the City Sidewalk from the New York goals last Autumn puts a lot more emphasis on the specks, and also utilises a different shade of grey in some places. Together these greater attentions to detail result in a much better finish, with the City Sidewalk definitely now the go to tile for concrete floors.

Turning to a different texture, we also have the Astro Turf (left) and Summer Grass (right). There's no prizes for guessing that the latter is the newer, having entered the game nearly two years ago. The Astro Turf was added two-and-a-half years earlier, and has a dark border around the edge of each tile. The grass texture was almost non-existent, with the final rendering pretty rough and ready.

And yet this was the only grassy flooring in Restaurant Story for a long time. At 1 gem each as well, there was definitely a gap in the market, and this was filled by the Summer Grass. Not only does this tile include tiny blades of grass to really give a realistic lawn, but it also merges neighbouring files together seamlessly. These days we take such an attribute for granted, but back then it wasn't always a given. The Summer Grass was a real game changer, and plenty of other grassy flooring much superior to the ancient Astro Turf has emerged since.

Meanwhile there's a similar contrast to be made with the two wallpapers showcased in the above image. The Meadow wallpaper (left) has been kicking around since long before I started playing, and looks nice enough. It even allows continuity across multiple wall slots.

And yet just look at how much more detailed the Floral Meadow is (right). Joining the party in March 2014, this wallpaper is significantly more precise when it comes to portraying the grass. Likewise the flowers are more subtle and easy on the eye. There's a much less cartoonish feel, and it to this day ranks among my favourites in the game.

I've also thrown some plantation in at this point. Flowers have played a big role in the game down the years, and it's remarkable to see just how much progress the gamemakers have made on this front. The basic Potted Plants that have been resident from the start look okay, but when you place them next to the likes of the Winter Bouquet and V-Day Bouquet (added January and February respectively) the difference is night and day. These modern plants provide such intricate flower heads and have unique pots which are actually interesting and give the plant itself additional character. Those dull brown pots from the old school plants would be unacceptable going by the standards of today!

Having already discussed the evolution of concrete and grassy textures, let's now explore how fabric has altered through the passage of time. I've kept the example simple with just two items displayed.

Game Booth and Camp Tent

With the Game Booth a goal prize in the carnival goals in 2013 and the Camp Tent debuting just this month with the camping goals, there are over three years between these pieces' respective releases. Take a look at the sheet making up the tent - it has lots of well placed dashes of colour in order to create some depth. You really get the sense that the tent is made up of a draped material.

Now to the Game Booth which achieves nothing of the sort. The roof of this decoration is as smooth as you like, with only a darkened rim around the bottom giving it any real definition. I understand that the tent is perhaps intended to look a little less pristine, but even so the Game Booth is overly simple. The design of fabric has definitely been enhanced as time has gone on.

Let's now head inside, where I've cobbled together a range of decor which demonstrates further contrasts between new and old content.

Indoor items

Wood is another texture never far away in the game, and the previous Camp Tent illustrated the fact that Storm8 are pretty good at recreating the patterns which characterise wood. But that wasn't always the case. The Mahogany Divider (closer to wall) is another item from the game's birth, and these days looks very primitive. There are just a few streaks of a lighter maroon to give the wooden effect, and no clever touches to make this a unique piece.

And next to the Fancy Wood Dividers added 18 months ago, the Mahogany Dividers look all the more shabby. The Fancy Wood edition has been designed so much more finely, with the strips of differently coloured wood much thinner and delicate. A tight pattern at the top helps give the impression of a hugely more polished divider.

It's a similar story with the Cheese Cart. This longstanding item is clunky and the cart itself lacks dimensional integrity (there's a homemade technical term!) since it sticks to the same murky brown tone. All these years later, the Fine Cart from May's high end dining goals really puts the advancement of the development team's skills into perspective. Not only does the Fine Cart include so much more intricacy and beautifully rendered material, it is also so much sharper.

On a larger scale, we compare the Thanksgiving Display with the Winter Spread. The first is actually a good prize from the Thanksgiving goals in 2012, and deserves praise for its level of detail. But that Winter Spread is just superb and shows that there's always scope for Storm8 to take a decoration to the next level. So much more is packed in and of a sweeping variety. Time has even been taken to produce a smartly patterned tablecloth.

Also shown in that picture above are a pair of lamps. The Paper Lantern has been around since 2011, and although it does a decent job of paying homage to Asian culture, it does lack something rather important... light! Perhaps at the time the gamemakers weren't confident when it came to including a soft ball of light; they've certainly learnt how to.

The Wrought Iron Sconce introduced a few months ago gives a glimpse of how far the design team have come. There is light escaping from this lamp, and the choice of shade is excellent - it's relatively dim so as not to take anything away from the high quality of the rest of the sconce, which includes a lovely shadow on the wall. Clearly lots of work has gone into this decoration, which makes it stand out massively from the old Paper Lantern.

The last pairing in this section is the Coat Rack and Derby Hats. On this occasion the contrast is twofold. Firstly the original Coat Rack is overly simple and clearly there wasn't any particular material in mind when it was being forged. In opposition to this, the Derby Hats which are little over a year old are undoubtedly a metal contraption, with the intelligent use of different grades of colour giving a reflective and metallic outlook.

Then there's the obvious fact that the Derby Hats has stuff hanging on it! The hats are great designs in themselves, but again we see how Storm8 have upped their game through the years, with a plain coat stand no longer viewed as sufficient.

I think I've just about made my point, but before bringing proceedings to a close, I'd like to draw your attention to two of the most critically acclaimed boxes in the history of Restaurant Story.

Items from Classic Kitchen and Chic Crate
as shown on Storm8 Blog

The Classic Kitchen was released nearly two years ago, while the Chic Crate is just about still new having popped up at the end of May. Both have a kitchen theme, and both contain a couple of very similar prizes. The Industrial Fridge and Chic Fridge appear in the Classic Kitchen and Chic Crate respectively, and have the same general form. But the latter has more distinguished handles on the doors, a grill on the side, and a red button or label of some sort on the front. The Classic Kitchen has none of these little features.

And then there's the first prize in each box. The Classic Kitchen's Chef's Station was lauded as a truly outstanding item when first spotted, and that remains the case to this day. It has so much going on and truly captures the spirit of a busy diner kitchen. But the Chic Crate's Chic Chef Station takes the game's developers' credentials to the next level. There are more incisively put together components, illustrated perfectly by the chopping board, which has greater quality and quantity upon it with the Chic Chef Station. And even the surfaces around the item have got speckles on them to indicate that they're dirty!

So in summary, as time has worn on Storm8's design team have made some fine efforts to keep up with the ever improving standards set in the gaming industry. Quite often players are quick to jump to the conclusion that less and less care is being taken and that standards are slipping. I think the complete opposite. I think that the gamemakers are continually pushing the boundaries when it comes to new content, and hopefully this selection of examples help demonstrate this. Of course there will always be a few duds and some questionable themes, but what matters most is that Storm8 are still putting a great deal of care into producing decor that satisfies the playing community. There's life in the old dog yet!