Halloween
One of three main pillars of the Restaurant Story year (along with Valentine's Day and Christmas), the game's developers are going to have their work cut out to match the heroics of last Halloween. In 2013 the initial update was packed with new content, ranging from the apparatus of a twisted scientist to spidery decorations.
There was an update last year featuring graveyard decor, but it wasn't too well executed, especially when it came to price. I'd like see something similar but more affordable released this time round, as it would be the perfect fit for my outdoor zone. Otherwise I could be scraping the barrel when it comes to finding something spooky to place out there.
In the event this doesn't happen, I may grudgingly part with some gems for the old graveyard stuff if it gets a re-release. With the enormous wealth of Halloween items in TeamLava's coffers, I am very much expecting a major re-release. It may not come until the final update of October, but I know that a lot of players would part with gems to scoop up some of the previously retired content.
Among the things being brought back should be Halloween themed recipes. There are plenty of them - I've counted eight on the Basic appliances alone, with a number of removed cookers potentially also to return. And of course some brand new recipes need to be added. We've waited long enough for fresh food to master outside of the goals, and the celebrations for Halloween are the perfect time to end the famine.
When it comes to the goals I think there needs to be a pretty serious overhaul. I've conveyed my frustrations with the near identical structures to goal sets before, and have yet to see any major changes. Now is the optimum moment to regroup and rebuild. Halloween offers up an opportunity for a really enjoyable storyline involving Gran-Gran, Action Chef Lee and Phoebe on a spooky adventure. And if Gran-Gran in fancy dress was among the goal prizes then my life would be complete!
Thanksgiving
Heading into November, there are a couple of avenues which I'd be satisfied for the gamemakers to go down. Thanksgiving is obviously the big celebration, but we could see Autumn content interlinked. The two themes are very much related, so I'm expecting some cosy oranges and browns, whether they are given the Thanksgiving or Autumn title.
Of course we've yet to have any Autumn stuff this year, which has irked many. Personally I'm a little disappointed, although with a lot of old pieces in storage from previous Autumns I'm pretty well stocked. But of the four seasons Autumn is the one I think TeamLava have done the best job of in the past when it comes to designing beautiful items.
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| Items from the Autumn Gift Box as shown on TeamLava Forum |
Just take the Autumn Gift Box. It's still available to buy, and every one of its goodies is gorgeous. Even the lower prizes (some of which are shown above) are really well crafted, and that makes this box a hot prospect.
Going back to Thanksgiving, I'm sceptical as to whether or not November's goals are going to be having us preparing turkeys. In each of the last two years there has been a Thanksgiving trend, but I just wonder if the game's developers may have exhausted the possibilities. Would they just be repeating previous concepts if they go to town with Thanksgiving again? Perhaps I'm underestimating the demand as I'm from the UK where we don't celebrate Thanksgiving so I'm not that knowledgeable about the holiday.
Black Friday
Something I am in-the-know on is Black Friday, largely in part due to the treats this day has delivered every 12 months in Restaurant Story. For those who don't know, Black Friday is the fourth Friday of November which is the day after Thanksgiving. In the US it is the day which marks the start of the Christmas shopping mayhem, with lots of special sales to entice customers in.
TeamLava have always had their own Black Friday spectacular, with a variety of gem items put up for sale for one weekend only as well as a 40% off gems sale. These are comprised of high-placed box items, old limited time offers and pieces which have been removed previously. This is a unique event and one which everyone should look to capitalise on.
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| Black Friday 2013 sale items |
Of course I'm making the hasty assumption that we will get a Black Friday sale. So a quick disclaimer - not being affiliated to TeamLava I cannot guarantee such a sale and am only going on past movements by the gamemakers!
So what do I want? Well I've sort of covered this in the recent post on the re-release vote so won't get too deep, but I'm particularly interested in two divisions. Firstly I'm really looking for some Winter-related stuff. So naturally the opening up of the first and second prizes from the Winter Wonderland box would induce a gem splurge of mighty proportions. Just the thought of the Snowball Fight in my outdoor section makes me smile!
My other main hope is for some kitchen content. Last Black Friday I bagged the Swedish Kitchen (a box first prize) for just 13 gems, and would tap the night away if the Classic Kitchen box were to be blown open. There are a couple of LTOs which would also satisfy this urge, including the Freezer and Grandma's Kitchen.
Whatever is presented to us I anticipate making several buys with the mountain of gems I expect to have come that magical Friday. Last year the Action Dining was a purchase which provided the catalyst for me to eventually go on and create a beach theme, so there's a fair chance that the Black Friday offerings could inspire a refurbishment!
Christmas
Many prefer Halloween, but for me Christmas is the most exciting theme of the lot. Never before have the game's developers failed to provide festive content THROUGHOUT the month of December. And I'm expecting more of the same, even if this isn't something that has been done with goal themes throughout 2014.
Like Halloween, I'd like to see a storyline being cooked up, with some real imagination being shown by the crew in charge of preparing the goals. Back in 2012 the goals were engineered around The Twelve Days of Christmas, with each goal representing a day, and more and more stuff needing to be done for each day. It was a rare case of a goal set which offered a challenge, particularly with a number of previously retired Christmas appliances being returned. Our resources were stretched to the max!
As for actual content, I'm once again veering towards wintery things. My large outdoor section is altered as the year passes, and there's a real dearth of Winter themed pieces to decorate for the cold months. This also offers an opportunity for TeamLava to provide items which are relevant for all rather than just those who celebrate Christmas, so it's a win-win. Some grand snowman sculptures and kids enjoying the snow in a variety of ways would do the trick.
I'd also be delighted if the old Christmas boxes were re-introduced. There's been one every year the game has been around, meaning there are four boxes no longer accessible to the players.
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Items from Holiday Gift Box 2011 as shown on TeamLava Blog
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Each is a strong box and may well pull me in if offered. The Holiday Express (2011), Gingerbread Castle (2012) and Reindeer Stable are particular highlights.
Indeed a re-release of all removed Christmas stuff would be greatly appreciated by the masses, much like for Halloween. It happened last year, so there's certainly a precedent for it. And how about a creative method for providing it - an advent calendar put in with a new door opening every day. Behind each door is an old Christmas item which we can opt to buy. To add some extra excitement, each door could be open for one day only, meaning we have a limited time offer every 24 hours in the build-up to the big day. This would mean having to weigh up whether to blow those precious gems when the next LTO could be of even greater quality. If you're listening TeamLava, it's the perfect system for encouraging real money purchases!
New Year
It's somewhat forgotten about amid the buzz for the earlier occasions, but New Year has been covered in two of the last three years. With most players broke after mega spending over the previous three months, it's hardly surprising that New Year is placed on the backburner.
But there's lots of opportunity for decoration here! It's one big party, and this year I'm planning to host it with everyone invited! The last Wednesday of 2014 is New Year's Eve, so the timing is much better than last year when the first update was on New Year's Day - not much use for anyone! At present there's a few items which are suitable for the occasion, most of which are from the 2012 update. And I wasn't around then so this could be a flop of a shindig if we don't get yet another re-release along with fresh content!
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