Suggestions Box (Dec 2016)

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...

 #196: Offer goal re-releases to all non-finishers

Over the last couple of months Storm8 have done something they'd never previously done before. The Halloween and Thanksgiving goal sets from 2013 were both re-released, giving players who joined the game after that time an opportunity to complete them and unlock a number of sought-after decorations.

Step from Halloween 2013 goals

This all sounds great (and to some extent it is) but what about players who were active at the time and started the quest but for whatever reason were unable to finish it? Regular contributor Whipped Cream was among them and inspired this request - please allow anyone to work on these goal re-releases, regardless of whether or not they've had access to them before.

When you think about it, there is probably no group of players more desperate to get a shot at past goals than those who excruciatingly didn't manage to complete them first time round. I'm fortunate to only be in that pool for one challenge - the Olympic themed set in 2012 were beyond my capability as I was a newbie back then, and I'd be horrified if those goals were brought back but I couldn't have another go because I'd attempted them once before.

So as good as the goal re-releases have been, I urge the game's developers to allow all players who haven't completed them the chance to do so. There's really nothing to gain from barring a number of players from them.

 #197: Add a search function in market

Every year when we get to the seasonal decorating period I come up with new ways via the Suggestions Box to make the process easier. Between Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas restaurants around the community have been undertaking repeated renovations, and navigating the limited market can become tiresome, especially when you need to place removed content which causes a jump back to the start of the current tab.

So I'm lobbying for a search function to be introduced. Below is my take on how it could look, and it really couldn't be simpler.

Artist's impression of market with search function

Rather than suffering the build-up of frustration that comes with the incessant tapping, if you know what you're looking for you could just type a few letters and bang - the desired item is right at your finger tips. I'm not sure how easy or difficult implementing a search function is, but it would certainly be very beneficial when carrying out serious revamps to our diners.

 #198: Keep new content prices varied

The shopping and winter themed updates in successive weeks a short time ago may not be that similar in their content, but when you look at the pricing there is a shocking revelation to be gleaned - the costs are identical in both updates for the comparable items.

This is pretty unacceptable. We've seen plenty of examples over the years of Storm8 being lazy (none more so than whenever fresh recipes are released with the same old stats) but this really is taking the mickey. Part of the fun of breaking down the weekly updates involves considering the prices, so if everything is the same every time you take away a large part of the buzz surrounding the updates.

Luckily this past week's update did see the costs shaken up, but that doesn't stop me being concerned that this could happen again. In fact the costs weren't all changed, with the price of the headline floor decoration remaining constant at 60 gems for the third straight regular update. Apart from this being an excessively high asking price, it's also very boring that it's been the case in three consecutive weeks. The gamemakers need to bring that price down, after all variety is the spice of life!

 #199: Update Refreshment Table

The Refreshment Table was originally released in a New Year themed update back in 2014. It's a really fancy decoration with a tray of wine glasses wrapped with black bows and a number of tasty canapés, all placed on a glittering gold tablecloth. But the reason I want to discuss this item is the tags which are attached to the tops of the bottles.

Refreshment Table

Those tags spell out '2015' to commemorate the upcoming year at the time of the Refreshment Table's release. And this small detail makes this otherwise beautiful decoration obsolete. So how about we have it updated? It would simply be a case of changing the '5' to a '7', and doing so would make me very happy.

We've seen decor altered after release on rare occasions before, so making an alteration is not out of the question. A new edition could even be released instead with changes to the party food displayed, so long as it's 2017 being welcomed in.

 #200: Keep the suggestions coming!

I can't quite believe it - the Suggestions Box has reached 200 entries! It's now more than three years since I launched this monthly feature, and I can recall having a rather modest list of ideas lined up for including in the early months. Little did I know it would still be going strong after all this time!

A big part of the reason why the Suggestions Box has lasted so long is because of YOU. The likes of Whipped Cream, Laura Beth, Jantiene Witzen and Erdmännchen have been serial contributors with some superb concepts that I have then expanded upon, and I'm very thankful to them and everyone else who has provided suggestions over the years.

So as I did when the Suggestions Box reached its 100th entry, I ask that you keep them coming! Whether it be something relating to the decor, the interface or anything in-between, I want to hear it! The comments section below is the perfect place to drop your ideas, and with your help the Suggestions Box can roll on towards the 300 milestone!