Saturday 28 January 2017

Suggestions Box (Jan 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...

Thursday 26 January 2017

Game update: 25/01/17

The cold weather is going nowhere, so I suggest we embrace it and hit the slopes!

Notification for snowsports themed update

The run of winter based updates continues with a snowsports themed week. There are 11 brand new items have been added to the market - eight for coins and three for gems - and you need to at level 32 to access them. Here's the complete list:

Tables:
  • Toboggan Table - 2 gems

Wednesday 25 January 2017

Cabin goals content report

Almost a week on from the release of our second winter themed goals set of the month, it's time to get the lowdown on the coveted content which is attained via the numerous steps of the cabin goals.

Although this quest was not quite as short as the previous one, it was still significantly shorter than we're used to, with 15 days on the clock. With two appliances involved I had my fears that Storm8 would not reflect this reduced time-frame in the tasks, but those fears were quickly swept away. Every goal involving the cooking of a recipe called for 10 batches which overall is well down on the typical requirements, especially under the goal structure from the second half of 2016.

To be honest I quite enjoyed having the lower number of batches needed. There's something quite neat and tidy about having it the same for all the steps, and since the dishes incrementally increase in length across each cooker there's still a slight rise in difficulty for each step. I'd certainly accept fortnight long goal sets such as this again.

Saturday 21 January 2017

Spoil spoilers

This week's update brought with it a new set of goals. On the face of it not all that momentous or eye-catching, but soon players around the community were scratching their heads when the first recipe required to be cooked, the Hot Chocolate, spoilt within four minutes of being set off despite being advertised as a 1 hour dish.

But is this the only case of a recipe attracting flies at a different time from when we'd expect? The general rule that we live and die by is that the amount of time between a dish being ready to serve and spoiling is equal to the amount of time it takes to prepare. So for example, a 3 hour Grilled Cheese set off at 9am will be ready to drop on a counter at 12pm and will spoil at 3pm. Or will it?

There have been no shortage of occasions when I have loaded up Restaurant Story over the years and expected to find the flies descending but have been pleasantly surprised. Usually I just move on at this point but eventually I decided some further investigating was in order. Back in the late summer and early autumn I spent a few weeks testing the true spoil times of the various durations of recipes, and would like to (finally) present the results.

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Cabin goals (in full)

Please note that this set of goals expired on Thursday 2nd February 2017.

This week's update brought with it a new set of goals relating to cabins as we search for warmth during this bitterly cold winter.

This is a full length quest (unlike the previous week's effort) but there is only 15 days available to complete it. This is less than the typical duration of a full goal set, and means that we can expect the clipboard to vanish on Thursday 2nd February.

Up for grabs are three floor decorations, two appliances and six recipes. So get cooking!

Here is the complete list of goal steps;

Game update: 18/01/17

History has been made as Restaurant Story yields a set of time limited goals in successive weeks for the first time ever. We're all catching goals fever, but also cabin fever...

Introduction to cabin goals

As was the case with last week's shortened quest there is a winter theme, although this time it is a little more subtle with the focus on the great indoors and keeping warm. Here is the traditional list of all the additions, including three floor decorations and two appliances which can only be accessed by progressing through the goals:

Tables:
  • Cabin Table - 7,000 coins

Saturday 14 January 2017

Winter 2017 goals content report

What's this? A goals content report released on a Saturday, the day it was traditionally designed to be released?!

Yes, after Storm8 pushed through a new set of goals on Wednesday I've been working my little socks off to get them done and dusted in order to present you with the lowdown on all the goodies unearthed along the way as soon as possible.

Of course this isn't strictly true. This latest quest is what I like to call innovative, with only six steps and eight days to get through them. This is in stark contrast to the typical monthly challenges which traditionally consist of nine steps and can be sauntered through over the course of a month. Consequently I was able to finish in less than 48 hours, and thus bring you this report all the sooner.

So what do we make of this change in tact? I was positive about it in Wednesday's update post, and I'm standing by that buoyant mood. I've been the first to criticise the staleness of the existing goals format, with the requirements in each step the same from quest to quest. This alternative style is a little different just because of the shorter length, and it's refreshing.

Wednesday 11 January 2017

Winter 2017 goals (in full)

Please note that this set of goals expired on Thursday 19th January 2017.

I hope you're wrapped up warm because the latest update brought with it a blast of frosty air and some new goals.

In a Restaurant Story first, this quest is available for only eight days from its release, which means it is expected to expire on Thursday 19th January. So with an appliance, three recipes and three floor decorations to be unlocked, waste no time and get moving!

Here is the complete list of goal steps:

Game update: 11/01/17

Brrrrr! It sure is cold, and it's only going to get chillier as we bring the slippery ice inside our restaurants.

Introduction to winter 2017 goals

As was the case with the last couple of quests, the goals for January have arrived on the second Wednesday of the month. But there's a significant twist - we only have eight days to complete them. This is unprecedented in Restaurant Story, and obviously leaves a number of unanswered questions.

Saturday 7 January 2017

RS2 News (Jan 2017)

Time for the first summary of the shenanigans going on over in Restaurant Story 2 in 2017. And it looks like I'm turning over a new leaf in this new year with some positive comments about the sequel game! Don't get too excited though - there's an ample dollop of grumbling as well!

Two cruises have dominated since my last news post, with the first being the Wizard Wonderland cruise event.

Notification for Wizard Wonderland cruise event

This was essentially Storm8's take on the Harry Potter series, and for some players it may have seemed an odd choice of theme just over two weeks before Christmas. However I tend to think of the Harry Potter films as being quite a Christmassy thing to watch, perhaps influenced by the fact that all eight were aired here in the UK over the Christmas period on terrestrial TV.

Wednesday 4 January 2017

Game update: 04/01/17

This is 2017. The year of the polar bear. And the seal. And the bunny, owl and penguin!

Notification for Winter Animals box

Happy new year everyone! The first update of the year has arrived, with the Winter Animals box the solitary addition. This crate contains eight unique prizes, with the more impressive decorations being the toughest to get when you purchase your raffle ticket for the box.

That's standard with chests, but the price of this crate is far from standard. As the update notification indicates, the box is on sale for 12 gems - that's half price. I'm sure I've suggested a discount on new boxes before, and think this is a great decision on the gamemakers' part.