Game update: 05/10/16

Up, up and away! The sky is awash with hot air balloons this week, and there's a hint of something sinister in the air too...

Notification for hot air balloon themed update

Colour is the order of the day with these hot air balloons, but before we climb in over the basket a list of all the brand new additions is a must. So here it is, with everything unlocked at level 25:

Tables:

• Hot Air Balloon Table - 5 gems

Chairs:

• Basket Chair - 20,000 coins

Wall decorations:

• Hot Air Balloon Clock - 9 gems

Floor decorations:

• Hot Air Balloon - 35 gems
• Hot Air Picnic Scene - 42 gems
• Hot Air Basket - 55,000 coins
• Hot Air Balloon Lamp - 42,000 coins

Wallpapers:

• Hot Air Wall - 7,500 coins

Floor tiles:

• Grass Tile - 4,500 coins

Appliances:

• Hot Air Stove - 40,000 coins

Counters:

• Hot Air Balloon Counter - 4 gems

And of course there's a teaser was posted on the Storm8 Blog last night with previews of all this decor:

Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog

When I first saw what was coming I have to say that I was a little deflated (get it?!) Into October we expect to see the browns and oranges of Autumn, or failing that, the menacing presence of Halloween. However I've now changed my tune. Of course the special sales that have come with this update play a part in that, although don't discount the hot air balloon content.

I think everything is super cheery and there's a real feel good sense to it all. Perhaps it's more suited to the warmer months, but I'm patient and will happily look forward to implementing some of the decorations when the blue skies once again clear in the Spring.

So let's crack on, starting with the Hot Air Balloon itself. To be honest it is somewhat underwhelming, simply due to the scaling. In reality hot air balloons are truly massive and imposing whereas this effort is 1x1 in size and barely taller than the various characters in our restaurants. It's a shame because otherwise it's a lovely design, with really smart use of light spots and an intricate basket. It's just too small to see it properly!

The Hot Air Picnic Scene scores higher with me, despite falling into the cliched area of picnic pieces. We've got so many, and with the Park Party only added a few weeks back, you'd think I'd be jumping at the opportunity to have a moan. But no! It may only be 2x2 but I like how everything's been squeezed into that space to make it seem like a more packed out picnic. However the cost of 42 gems is clearly a huge turn off - that's a steep price to pay for a 2x2 item and I doubt many will pull the trigger.

Fortunately the remaining two floor decorations are for coins. The Hot Air Basket features a classic basket stuffed with tasty goodies and with a bunch of balloons attached. It's quirky and although no particular scene comes to mind I do suspect I'll be using this decoration at some point in the future. In contrast the Hot Air Balloon Lamp will remain untouched by me. Some things just shouldn't be lamps (that's an important life lesson folks!) and this is one of them! It almost looks depressing with the balloon trapped in the hook of the stand, and should have been scrapped at the concept stage of the design process. So much for my initial cheeriness regarding this update!

Well, things do get better, and the Hot Air Wall can claim responsibility for that. The hot air balloons drifting against a blue sky with a few white clouds isn't overengineered, and the result is a highly satisfying wallpaper. It's a nice option for outdoor layouts (especially since it's a coin buy), with my only bugbear being the lack of any ground at the bottom, meaning that perspective problems are likely.

The Grass Tile is another success story for coins in my opinion. We've already got grassy flooring of course, and yet there's something really alluring about this addition. I'm not sure why given that the light and dark shaded checks are not exactly realistic, but I suppose it's just really neat and tidy. That appeals to the perfectionist in me!

Returning to the wall, the Hot Air Balloon Clock may appear a little garish and childish, but against a wallpaper with a sky background (such as the Meadow) this wall decoration may have a use. For 9 gems though it is a little diminutive.

Then there's the Hot Air Balloon Table and Hot Air Balloon Counter. It's interesting to see the latter focus on the basket section of the hot air balloon, and it's woven sides and wooden top do an excellent job of demonstrating the high quality of finish the gamemakers are capable of achieving. The table is perhaps more simple, but it might be an option for a kid's party theme if nothing else.

Lastly among the usual content is the Basket Chair. Unlike the table and counter this one can be captured for coins, and I think it is terrific. The black and blue colours contrast really well, and the curvature makes this chair so enticing. I just know it would be comfy, and fully intend to implement it on the patio when warmer weather rolls around again.

There's just one item left to peruse, and it's an appliance! For the first time since the Lemonade Fountain landed in June we have a new appliance outside of goals. And the Hot Air Stove's construction sees a return of two parts which have not seen the light of day for a rather long time. You'll need 6 Picnic Baskets, 6 Pastels and 4 Rainbolts to cobble the cooker together, with the last of these the customary new part.

Rainbolt

The Picnic Basket and Pastel have not only sat unused in ages - each has only been utilised once before, for the Spring Stove and Vegan Stove respectively. It's remarkable to see them active after all this time - those two appliances were released a week apart around three-and-a-half years ago!

And before we get to the Hot Air Stove, has anyone else noticed the gifts list out of kilter? I noticed this earlier today, but the Fuse, Paint Brush, Gear, Screw, Spring and Green Nozzle have all been shifted to the start of the list which is very strange. I suspected that they'd somehow be involved with the Hot Air Stove, but alas they are not!

Anyway enough of that. The Hot Air Stove is no looker with its bright blue exterior and overdone knobs, but what of the recipes within?

Hot Air Stove recipes

I really like the Cheese Plate and Picnic Sandwich. Each has an intricacy to it and looks like just the kind of thing I'd fancy nibbling on whilst up in the sky. The wooden board the cheese is served on is a classy touch too. The Balloon Pops are less appealing, with this dish striking me as a case of Storm8 scratching their heads at what to include on a hot air balloon themed appliance.

Here's the recipe ratings:

Cheese Plate
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
8	3	4	8	8	5.7

Picnic Sandwich
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
4	5	4	7	8	4.8

Balloon Pops
Profit	XP gain	Portions	Profit per plate	Availability	Rating
3	6	3	10	8	4.9

And for once it's actually interesting! The Cheese Plate is the best performer with a glittering score of eight for the profit factor. It ties for the sixth best 1 hour recipe on this front, although is unable to match this on the other two main variables. Nevertheless a 5.7 overall score is much higher than we've seen in recent times. And yet the strength of the 1 hour length is made clear when I reveal that this makes the Cheese Plate only the 16th highest ranked dish in the duration (it is out of 78 candidates though!)

The Balloon Pops also deserves a mention for an XP gain that gets into the green. It doesn't come close to challenging the best of the 3 hour bracket, but it's still noteworthy when we consider the relative dross that's been served up over the last few months.

And so that does it for this week... or does it?! Something wicked this way comes! Into October, we were all gagging for a Halloween themed update, and although we haven't got one we have got an almighty sale of past content.

Notification for Halloween sale

As far as mass sales go this one is an absolute beauty. I've seen my fair share of discount events in Restaurant Story over the years (and let downs too!) and this one is right up there among the very best. The game's developers have left no grave unturned, and have delivered an extraordinary range of stuff, with a promise of at least 20% off everything. In truth the four boxes offered are all 50% off! In total there are an incredible 71 items for sale.

Thursday 3rd November is the deadline for making your buys, although given that Halloween is before that I doubt anyone will be leaving it too close to the end! A big thanks to pixiegamer for putting together this lovely arrangement of all the content:

Halloween sale items

Note that although the orange border around decor in the market indicates that it is on sale, the Monster Crate is lacking this!

I am gobsmacked by the selection (and I'm not talking about the random choices of the Curvy Kitchen and Fondue for Two!) Some of the classics are in there such as the Haunted House and Haunted Clock Tower, along with some really old items such as the Plant Monster and Count Dracula. There are even a couple of decorations I don't recognise - the two Pumpkin floor decorations are completely alien to me.

And on top of all this the Spooky Crate is among those boxes to return. This chest may just be the most craved crate in all of Restaurant Story with its prizes being eerie and chilling.

Huge kudos to Storm8. There's been plenty of support for Halloween content on the Storm8 Forum recently, and although there is a clamour for completely new stuff, a sale like this is welcomed with open arms. And it's especially exciting given how much of a damp squib Halloween ended up being last year with so few decent items and no special sale.

And also taking into account the 43 item Autumn sale last month, I'm beginning to get dangerously hopeful for something very special for Black Friday and Christmas. It would be typical of the gamemakers to let us all down after building the anticipation, but this year I really am feeling optimistic.

And if that wasn't enough, the 2013 Halloween goals appear to have been re-released. This is something completely left-field! Having obviously done them at the time I can't provide much information myself, but I doubt this is a glitch since the same has happened in Bakery Story. Great stuff for newer players!

Phew, that ended up being a long post. The hot air balloon update was mostly between decent and good, with my main quibble being the time of year that Storm8 decided to release it. But at the end of the day when you get a Halloween sale like this one who cares?! I was intending to put my Halloween hat on this weekend and spruce up The Garlic Tree for the occasion anyway, and now I'm itching to get started!