Suggestions Box (Dec 2017)

Every month I list five things I'd like to see added, altered or abolished from the game. Because even though my long time of playing Restaurant Story clearly shows I love it, that doesn't mean it's perfect. Some of the ideas I'll air will be significant game changers while others will be low-key and irrelevant in the eyes of many of you readers.

You can share your own suggestions too via the comments. If I like them, I may even include them in the next instalment!

In no particular order, here are this month's entries...

 #256: Add new wall decorations

Of late I've been noticing fewer wall decorations being added with updates. I decided to investigate this further earlier this week and was mortified to find that a new piece of wall decor has not been added since the end of August. That was the Towel Rack from the animal water park theme, and since there have been six standard goal updates, with none yielding a wall fitting.

I can't deny it - the wall decorations are not my favourite type of content in Restaurant Story. When I redecorate they're often the last category that I populate my place with, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have them. I've seen wall decor be the missing item in numerous updates down the years, but never on a run like this. Without them updates just don't quite feel complete.

So Storm8 should consider returning to adding new wall decorations on a regular basis.

 #257: Mark current goal recipes

Maybe I'm just a bit dozy when the bonus goals are in progress, but sometimes locating a recipe on the basic appliances which is requested in a bonus goal step can be a nightmare. There have been plenty of occasions when I've even forgotten the name of the dish I was looking for!

 Recent Suggestions Box posts

 18/11/17 November 2017
 28/10/17 October 2017
 23/09/17 September 2017
 26/08/17 August 2017
 22/07/17 July 2017

The solution is fairly simple - adopt a feature from the sequel title, Restaurant Story 2. Over there any recipe which is currently needed for a goal has a little tick next to it in the recipe list. It's such a straightforward little thing, but it's so handy for homing in on a required dish. And given how many entries there are on the basic appliances I think it could be even more beneficial here in the original game.

 #256: Mark limited time recipes

And while we're on the subject of marking recipes, here's a topical suggestion in a similar vein. On occasion in yesteryear the gamemakers have provided some form of text in the recipe list to indicate when a dish is only available to cook for a limited time, much like the banners signifying that a market item is temporary. However that policy seems to have fallen by the wayside recently, which is unfortunate given the season.

There are six Christmas themed recipes currently back in business, with a notification letting us all know when they'd be expiring. But that is easily missed, and the previous update didn't even include a pop-up window referencing returning dishes, so plenty of players were left perplexed and frustrated when they vanished at the same time that the goals expired.

So the game's developers need to get back to marking limited time recipes - it would certainly prevent pages of bitterness over on the Storm8 Forum!

 #259: Keep releasing double wallpaper designs

Back in October the first batch of Halloween themed goals included not one but two wallpapers. These were the Nothing Out There and Something Out There, both of a similar design but with a nifty difference. The former depicts long and narrow trees stretching into a darkening sky; the latter replaces one or two of those trees with the ominous outline of an otherworldly being and introduces some eyes peering out of the darkness.

Previous double wallpapers

I thought this double wallpaper concept was really cool, and so it was a little disappointing that we had to wait until the Game of Thrones goals to get another edition. There's a chance here for players to organically incorporate subtle changes across their walls that just can't be achieved when forcing it yourself.

And there's a benefit for Storm8 here too - in both of the double wallpaper cases so far there's been one for coins and one for gems. The urge to pick up both variants will surely encourage some gem spending which can only be good news for the gamemakers.

 #260: Include a prize with all bonus goal steps

I think the bonus goals have been a welcome addition to the game generally. They provide us players the opportunity to bag an item without spending gems which would otherwise remain out of reach. Yes, the goals are gruelling and can result in stacks of food on your counters, but it's certainly something that can keep us busy after completing the main chain of the quests.

Introduction to Thanksgiving 2017 bonus goals

But one quibble I have is how often we have just that final prize to fight for. In fact, the Thanksgiving goals are the only ones since the bonus goals came on the go that have offered a reward beyond coins and XP at every interval. Considering how much food needs to be prepared at each step I don't think it's too much to ask that we get a floor decoration upon finishing each one.

And there's no shortage of content not permanently on the market for the game's developers to choose from. And failing that why not just give away some related third or fourth prizes from the boxes? Rarely will a player be inspired to open a crate in a bid to get a third or fourth prize, so I don't think this would be likely to have an impact on box sales. Just give us something more for all the hard work that goes into the bonus goals!