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| Introduction to Christmas 2016 goals |
This week's update sees the arrival of festive goals, with a range of new content, some of which can be purchased straightaway, while others need to be unlocked in the quest. For details on the goals, head on over to my dedicated post here.
For now let's peruse a list of the additions:
Tables:
- Holiday Home Table - 2 gems
- Holiday Home Chair - 11,000 coins
- Home Sweet Home - 11,000 coins
- Village Display - 35 gems (LTO)
- Holiday Piano - locked by goal
- Yule Log Fireplace - locked by goal
- Holiday Living Room - locked by goal
- Winter Wallpaper - 7,000 coins
- Grey Marble Floor - 5,000 coins
- Sonic Homemade Oven - 25 gems
- Sonic Homemade Mixer - 25 gems
- Homemade Oven - 30,000 coins
- Homemade Mixer - locked by goal
- Holiday Home Counter - 13,000 coins
There's undoubtedly a homely theme going on with this year's Christmas goals update. Most of the stuff available is designed to appear warm and inviting on a cold winter's night. This is demonstrated in the update teaser which was posted on the Storm8 Blog on Tuesday:
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| Items from update as shown on Storm8 Blog |
Most of the decor focuses on reds and oranges, with a wooden texture utilised in various places too. I'm not sure which I prefer out of the more traditional design updates and the sophisticated wintry concept updates - perhaps it's nice to have a mix.
As usual I'll hold my tongue on the goal prizes until the goals content report which will be released early next week, hopefully after I've finished the goals.
Let's start the analysis with the Holiday Home Table and Holiday Home Chair. At first glance these don't look particularly exciting, especially for a Christmas themed update. But the red tone is certainly one that you associate with the seasonal festivities, and considering that there are a large number of tables and chairs currently up for grabs in the market, it's not essential that we get a funky Christmas pairing.
However the Holiday Home Table being a 2 gem buy is a downer. This has become worringly standard for tables, even those introduced in goal weeks. You shouldn't expect to have to purchase this table in the quest, but that doesn't make for a pleasant trend. Tables and chairs (and often counters too) come as a set and it's nice to occasionally get the opportunity to invest in the lot for coins. The goals have historically allowed this, but that's changed.
I mentioned the Holiday Home Counter there, and in this case it is a different design to the table and chair. It consists of a white wooden box with an orange cloth draped over it. Then there's a stripy cloth has been placed over this, giving for quite a snazzy appearance. It's reasonably nice, but doesn't really strike me as a Christmassy piece, and of course the main aspect of the design - those bright stripes - will be hidden when food is placed upon it.
Christmas 2016
On the other hand the Home Sweet Home wall decoration is better connected to the theme. The knitted home depicted within a smart wooden frame may not be the most festive item of all time, but it's got that snug feel about it, and for some reason puts me in mind of your granny who might conjure up one of these as a 'great' Christmas gift. Strange thinking from me there!
Sticking to the wall, the Winter Wallpaper keeps away from the jovial side of Christmas, instead keeping things simple with some large white snowflakes on a very light green background. This is an elegant and subtle wallpaper which provides a nice alternative to the Snowflake wallpaper currently on sale which is much more intense due to the darker background.
The Grey Marble Floor is also more suited to general winter decorating since it is just a basic grey tile with a marbled pattern effect. I actually like this flooring - it's original and could be utilised in all manner of situations, not just winter. The border which appears around the edge may irritate some players, but I think it works and helps make this a unique tile.
The only other item introduced in this update which can be bought from the outset is the Homemade Oven. As has become the way with the goals you can get hold of this appliance right away, although only the first recipe is accessible. I'll have plenty more on this cooker along with the Homemade Mixer and all six fresh recipes in the goals content report.
That just about does it, except for a limited time offer.
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| Notification for Village Display sale |
The Village Display was originally added last Christmas, but is back for five days and at a discounted price. Last time round it was 44 gems whereas now is it 35 gems, so that's a 20% reduction. It is still very expensive, but you are getting some serious bang for your buck - it's a 4x4 whopper and contains such a great depth of little touches, whether it be within the display itself or even on the sides of the table. It's a head turner, no doubt about that.
The quality of the content I've dissected from this update is mixed - the wallpaper and floor tile are good efforts, but the table and chair are a little lacking. I suspect that the thumbs up for this update may have to wait until we get our hands on the goal prizes, which based on the teaser do look to be pretty good.
So do we think this will be it for new Christmas content? There were only a couple of Halloween updates in October so it has to be considered a possibility. If I were having a bet I'd suggest that there's more to come, after all we do still have one more Wednesday before Santa heads for his sleigh. And then there's that awkward update between Christmas and New Year to come too. I really hope the gamemakers do something exciting for New Year!
awesome post!!
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