Game update: 27/02/13

This week we're hitting the Wild West.

Notification for Western theme update

Topping the bill is another new appliance in the shape of the Cowboy Stove which requires four Wagon Wheels and six Black Kettles to build. Both of these components are new. This shiny new appliance yields three recipes:

For the Cowboy Stove

For the Cowboy Stove

For the Cowboy Stove

I like the addition of some more 'real world' dishes (Bagpipe Ham anyone?), and the Cowboy BBQ has a very high level of income at 8,800 coins in total. My only gripe is that we already have quesadillas on the Basic Stove - these are merely a 'Cowboy' variation.

Here is a comprehensive list of new items:

Chairs:

• Frontier Chair - 2 gems

Wall decorations:

• Birch Lamp - 15 gems

Floor decorations:

• Sitting Buffalo* - 24 gems

Wallpaper:

• Frontier Quilt - 1 gem

Floor tiles:

• Frontier Floor- 4,000 coins

Appliances:

• Cowboy Stove -10,000 coins

Counters:

• Frontier Counter - 38,000 coins

*Sitting Buffalo is a limited time offer available for this week only (from 27/02/13).

So there's not that wide a range of items in this update. Outside of the new appliance only the Sitting Buffalo really attracts my attention, but at 24 gems I'm passing on this occasion. But for any players who have enough gems to buy this beast, it's well worth thinking about (and quickly) due to the short timespan you can purchase it for. You could be one of a very small band of restaurants boasting a buffalo. Just keep him out of the kitchen!

Notification for Sitting Buffalo limited time offer

Then there's the other stuff. Again the Birch Lamp looks quite good and would fit well in my warm restaurant, but at 15 gems a pop it doesn't represent value to me considering you'd probably want to pay for two or three to make them work. Meanwhile the Frontier Table costs 63,000 coins. After last week's Svanga Table which is retailed at 72,000 coins, I'm a tad concerned at the sky-high prices of tables these days.

Regarding the Cowboy Stove, it looks more like something spooky you would expect to see in the Halloween edition. In fact it looks very similar to the Witches Cauldron in Bakery Story from last year. And as for customer and staff safety with those naked flames...

The box lottery

Buying the boxes under the last tab in the Design section is a gamble, but that is where some of the best items in the game are hidden. Any box items, and particularly 1st and 2nd prizes you own, have a level of 'exclusivity' about them - in other words not many restaurants will be able to boast these items. A full list of prizes along with images is available here.

This link is well worth a look if you're planning to blow some gems on a box. In my opinion the key question to ask yourself when thinking of buying a box is 'would I be satisfied with any of the 4th prizes?' At the end of the day you are most likely to end up with one of these (54%) so should expect the worst so to speak.

For example, when I purchased a Magic Box in hope of obtaining a Grand Piano, I concluded that if I was left with a Fireplace, Grandfather Clock or Fancy Vase (all 4th prizes) it wouldn't be a big issue. As it was, my luck was in and I got the 2nd prize Grand Piano on the first attempt:
 

Grand Piano (a 2nd prize in the Magic Box)

My other two box purchases also ended in favourable results. The first was a Lobster Tank from the Magic Shell when my preference was the 3rd prize Indoor Waterfall or 4th prize Bubble Pillar:

Lobster Tank (a 3rd prize in the Magic Shell)

I am actually really delighted with the Lobster Tank as it helps convey the high class dining feel that I want to have in my restaurant.

My third box purchase was under the Steampunk Chest where I got a Steampunk Couch. On that occasion I wasn't too fussed what came out - I just wanted something unique for my Steampunk themed section:

Steampunk Couch (a 3rd prize in the Steampunk Chest)

It's fair to say I've been very lucky with picking up no 4th prizes thus far in my adventures.

Basically, if you do plan to spend gems on boxes, make sure you'd be pleased with one of the lower prizes rather than just jumping straight in hoping to pick up a 1st prize. Otherwise you'll more than likely spend a fortune trying to do so!

Follow up on Swedish Stove

Yesterday the Restaurant Story game update gave us a new Swedish theme. To read all about it, take a look at yesterday's game update blog post here.

Since posting that review, I've completed construction of a Swedish Stove, so here are the recipes it cooks:

First recipe for the Swedish Stove

Second recipe for the Swedish Stove

Third recipe for the Swedish Stove

So there it is. It's good to see that there are three recipes (rather than just one) although it would have been easier, albeit less challenging, to add these recipes to the regular appliances. Another positive is that the recipes have drastically different cooking times. This means that if you are around all day then you can concentrate on the Princess Cake while if you're away all day the Gravlax or Swedish Meatballs are a fine choice. Also the Gravlax will fit in nicely as an overnight dish.

Game update: 20/02/13

This week the update is all about Sweden. I've got no idea why - there is no public holiday this week (or any time soon) in Sweden, but hey, an update is an update! I wonder if we could be getting a series of updates featuring various countries around the world...

Notification for Swedish theme update

So the list of new items is as follows:

Tables:

• Krona Table - 8 gems
• Svanga Table - 72,000 coins

Chairs:

• Roska Chair - 4 gems
• Krona Chair - 40,000 coins

Wall decorations:

• Swedish Geranium - 30,000 coins
• Floral Painting - 12 gems

Floor decorations:

• Dala Horse - 30 gems
• Swedish Server - 22,000 coins
• Swedish Hutch - 30,000 coins

Wallpapers:

• Swedish Knit - 1 gem
• Crowns and Horses - 36,000 coins

Floor tiles:

• Swedish Timber - 1 gem
• Moose Tile - 3,600 coins

 Appliances:

• Swedish Stove - 15,000 coins

 Counters:

• Dala Counter - 6 gems
• Krona Counter - 38,000 coins

 Boxes:

• Swedish Gift - 24 gems

For the Swedish Stove, you will need 5 Paint Brushes, 10 White Springs, 10 Screws and 5 Swedish Flags. That's a total of 20 components so expect to be able to build only one of these per day. The Paint Brushes and Swedish Flags are new components. As for the recipes on this new appliance, there is most definitely Swedish Meatballs as they have been released as a sneak peak by TeamLava already. I don't know if there are any other recipes as well but will let you know once I get my first Swedish Stove up and running - my requests are already sent out!

As for everything else, it's not spectacular. Note that as per usual, to buy chairs and tables of the same theme (in this case Krona) you will need to spend gems on one of the two (in this case the tables). The only item other than the new stove which I've purchased is the Swedish Server who is on duty in my now larger kitchen.

Swedish Server in the kitchen section of The Garlic Tree

All in all, I'm not that impressed this week (no offence Sweden) but have high hopes of some other countries being featured over the next few weeks. We'll see.

Expansion time!

After saving for weeks on end, I'm finally ready to pay for my next expansion, to 18x21 for 3,000,000 coins. I needed to add a couple more neighbours to get to the necessary 35 neighbours to allow the expansion, but I've got there.

Also, I've actually got around 3,300,000 coins as I'll need to deck out the new space in my restaurant and like to have some cash left over just in case.

So here is what my restaurant looked like before and after the expansion:

The Garlic Tree before expansion to 18x21

The Garlic Tree after expansion to 18x21

I think the time is coming when I will be changing the layout of my restaurant according to a blueprint that is presently being housed in my head. The big change will be the door moving to the centre of the right-hand wall (I've bought the second door for allowing the movement of the door). This change will allow more themed sections in my restaurant.

My next expansion will cost 3,500,000 coins and requires 40 neighbours. I'll get there eventually!

Another alteration you may have spotted is that my Valentine's Day theme is gone. The flowers in the centre of the restaurant and the bookcase and chair in the foyer section were there prior to Valentine's so have just been reinstated, but the section which previously hosted the Romantic Couple has been filled with a Steampunk section:

Steampunk section

I built this up over time - the Steampunk Globe and Steampunk Lamp cost coins and are pretty good value, but the tables, chairs and counters did require gems and the Steampunk Couch was a 3rd prize in the Steampunk box. I didn't have any preference for which item I obtained from this box for 24 gems, but was very satisfied with the result.

Hopefully some other themed sections I have prepared in storage will see the light of day soon, especially if I alter my layout!

Splashing the cash on gems

Are gems worth buying?

It's a question which will have a different answer for different people. Although it may seem ridiculous to some that others would spend real money on an app, at the end of the day it is equivalent to spending money on buying a PS3 or Xbox game. Then again NOT spending gems is all part of the challenge, is it not?

I personally spent £20.99 on 275 gems at Christmas time last year when a 40% off offer was around. Would I spend gems again now? Probably not. Don't get me wrong, I do not regret buying gems, but don't feel I'd get much out of further gem purchases (plus 40% offers are rather rare).

I made the most out of my gems by purchasing several high-priced items such as the Elegant Harp and Ping Pong Table:

Ping Pong Table - 55 gems (no longer available)

I also risked some gems with the boxes under the last tab. I'll make a post about the boxes and whether they are a good idea soon. Another investment has been in some smaller items such as the Cask and Umbrella Stand which can fill out your restaurant with nice items.

Some players will not buy gems but instead live with those they can pick up by completing goals and mastering recipes. This increases the challenge of the game - how good a restaurant can you construct without spending real money? The end result of this is both positive and negative - clearly miserly players will be priced out of many items but will no doubt reap in more satisfaction when their restaurant looks the bomb without paying a penny to TeamLava.

I know this feeling having gone several months without spending gems at the start of my time playing the game. For a while my crown jewel was my Aquarium near the door which really screamed upper class dining! And at 29 gems it took some time to save for. But once I bought and placed it, a sense of pride glazed over me. That's something I've not felt with any of the items I paid for.

At the end of the day, only you can decide whether or not to spend gems.

App update: 14/02/13

Last night another update was made to the game. This was a strange one though.

Anyone playing on an Android device can now download 'Restaurant Story: Carnivals':

'Restaurant Story: Carnivals' as seen on Google Play Store

However if you are using an Apple device (like me) then there is no shiny new app available.

The new edition does not include any new goals, and only three new items, which makes me wonder why TeamLava have bothered to release a new app at all. It would have been much easier to just add the new items to the existing editions as they usually do. Perhaps there is much more to come soon.

Anyway, it's not all doom and gloom for us Apple users as the three new items are all available in both the Normal and Valentine's editions of the game on iOS. They are as follows:

Wall decorations:

• Ferris Wheel Poster - 15,000 coins

Floor decorations:

• Carnival Balloons - 8,000 coins

And the final new item is a recipe for the stove...

For the Basic Oven

Game update: 12/02/13

A rare Tuesday update. The bottom line is that all of the Valentine's content from 2012 has been re-released. We got all of the goal recipes from Valentine's 2012 as well as the two appliances which were released last year.

The recipes are as follows:

For the Basic Stove

For the Basic Oven

For the Basic Grill

For the Chocolate Maker

For the Candy Heart Stove

So this is good news if like me you joined the game after February 2012 - seven new recipes to master. However if you were around at that time then there's not much to inspire here, and the same goes for the other re-released content.

Tables:

• Red Heart Table - 5 gems
• Heart Host Table - 18,000 coins

Chairs:

• Red Heart - 5,000 coins

Wall decorations:

• Movie Poster - 28,000 coins
• Cross My Heart - 9,000 coins
• Cupid's Arrows - 14,000 coins

Floor decorations:

• Heart Floor Lamp - 8 gems
• Heart Piano - 48 gems
• Kissing Statue - 34 gems
• Heart Statue - 18 gems
• Valentine Candelabra - 8 gems
• Romantic Park Bench - 30 gems
• Rose Seller - 14 gems
• Amethyst Heart - 18 gems
• Valentine Robot - 35,000 coins
• Giant Rose Basket - 18,000 coins
• Valentine Divider - 12,000 coins
• Love Birds - 42,000 coins

Wallpapers:

• Heart Border - 1 gem
• Flying Heart - 6,000 coins
• Hearts - 7,000 coins

Floor tiles:

• Heart - 1 gem

Appliances:

• Chocolate Maker - 10,000 coins
• Candy Heart Stove - 10,000 coins

Counters:

• Valentine - 6 gems

Boxes:

• Valentine Chest* - 24 gems

*I assume this is the Valentine's Box from 2012, although there was one for 2011 as well.

That's a good load of stuff available, although with my saving for another expansion and with little space to make my Valentine's Day section larger, I chose only to buy the Valentine Robot as I love having a character overseaing the kitchen and also 13 of the Valentine Divider to surround my Valentine's Day section:

Valentine's secction complete with Valentine Dividers

I'd love to buy the Romantic Park Bench as I've got an outdoor section stored for when I've got more space, but I just can't afford it at the moment.

All in all though a good update, with plenty to choose from if you're feeling romantic.

The Garlic Tree at a glance

So here is a glimpse at my restaurant, entitled The Garlic Tree which is at Level 77.

The Garlic Tree at a glance

For a long time I've tried to keep a realistic appearance, but have recently been making some 'investments' which will result in a long-term change in look - a move towards creating a fantasy restaurant. I'll be adding plenty of new sections to the restaurant over the next few months in addition to those I already have:

 

Main 'posh' section (Kissing Swans temporary for Valentines)



Foyer Section

                                          

Kitchen section

Table tennis section

Valentine's Day section

I previously housed an Autumn/Thanksgiving section where the Valentines Day section now is, and it will return in due course.

My big problem at the moment though is a lack of space. I need enough room to display the various sections I have prepared in storage without losing the seating areas which will ensure a steady income. And with the high costs of expansion, my current priority is saving the necessary coins for expanding. I'm well on the way to my next one though - 3,000,000 coins for 18x21. I've got circa 2,600,000 coins at present.



Welcome aboard!

So here we are.

I'm going to (hopefully) post regulary here about Restaurant Story, whether it be to discuss my personal strategy, analyse various aspects of the game or discuss the latest in-game update. Should be good. And there won't be any of the impatient hysteria that sets the tone on the TeamLava Forum.