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.
My only niggling concern at release was that these goals would be tough to complete within the allotted time. It turns out that the game's developers have done a good job of scaling down the difficulty in line with the duration. In particular there is no requirement for requests from neighbours for a special object, and with this often being the greatest hurdle of all, this goal set is simple to get through.
You also get the sense that you're unlocking more stuff, purely because the number of floor decorations up for grabs is the same and yet they are gathered in a much narrower time-frame. In reality we are obviously getting less since there's only one new appliance, but that I can live with.
On to some of the content then, and let's start with that appliance. The Igloo Oven is unlocked after completion of the opening step and calls for 4 Sturdy Wood, 4 Ice and 6 Ice Blue Flames to build.
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| Ice Blue Flame |
The last of these is a new part and kills off my hopes that cookers were going to stop introducing a new part. You may recall that the Jet Black Oven added in the final update of 2016 only required existing parts which was a first for two years. However this appears to either have been a one-off or a feature that is only going to apply to non-goal appliances. Time will tell.
The Igloo Oven is a funny looking contraption. I say this because on one of the visible sides is a glass panelled door and on the other an open fire. Unless this is some fancy device the Eskimos use I can't fathom why there are 'entry points' on two sides - with a number of the ovens in a row you either have the door blocked off or fires raging!
Anyway, how about the three recipes awaiting your culinary touch?
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| Igloo Oven recipes |
The Marshmallow Snowmen look immensely cute with their little arms and legs while the Frozen Hot Chocolate could not look more yummy - I can almost feel that chocolate straw melting in my mouth! The Snowflake Funnel Cake is less enticing, but it does appear on a nice doily when served up on to counters.
Looking at the numbers, the cake keeps up a growing theme of dishes of longer duration making a comeback. The Holiday Eggnog (Homemade Mixer) added last month was the first 10 hour entry for some time, and yet we've had to wait only a few weeks for another.
Now for the recipe ratings:
| Marshmallow Snowmen | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6.1 |
| Frozen Hot Chocolate | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 5 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 5.6 |
| Snowflake Funnel Cake | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4.8 |
There is quite clearly one of these recipes which stands out on the statistical front. The snowmen are consistent, scoring sixes on all three of the main factors, leading to an overall result of 6.1. This is higher than most additions over the last couple of years, and leads to it ranking in 10th place in the 2 hour duration. Considering that this bracket now has 82 contenders that's good going!
All three dishes perform well in the XP stakes, with each getting into the green. The others do suffer a little elsewhere, but the hot chocolate still musters a share of 16th spot in the 99 strong 4 hour list.
It's good to see some recipes which are respectable numerically, with the Marshmallow Snowmen especially impressive.
On we go and there were three floor decorations introduced via these goals which can only be accessed by working through the various steps. The first you'll come across is the Ice Wolves, which is a 3x3 sculpture of two wolves walking on a rocky outcrop. It's a little over the top for a piece which is only supposed to be a statue, but it's certainly substantial and it's nice that the wolves are smiling and happy.
Winter 2016/17
The second prize up for grabs follows a similar thread, with the Ice Unicorn depicting the mythical creature on a 2x2 plinth. This is more in line with what I'd expect from a statue decoration, and wins points for its height alone. It was also the case with the wolves, but the designers illustrate their abilities with a palette really effectively here, with several tints of blue used to form a solid and eye-catching item.
Lastly there's the Ice Bar which is the final prize. Extra purchases come at 65 gems (why Storm8?!) but with this being a 4x4 giant one edition surely suffices. Five characters are packed in with the pick of them the guy in the grey jacket whose cheeks are puffed out since he's just taken a large bite out of his chocolate snack. It's these kinds of touches which make decor like this so great.
The overall theme of ice is continued too with the glinting sculpture of a seal, but it's the ice bucket near the far corner which I can't take my eyes off after jjs3307's hilarious observation in the comments of my goal post that the champagne bottles look like the legs of some unfortunate soul who has dived in!
Looking at the greater picture, I'm very satisfied with this goal set. The change in format is refreshing and the content is worth working for. Indeed I've even incorporated some of it into my winter layout, with the Ice Bar proving an excellent combination with the Frosty Feast from 2015's Christmas quest. That in itself is a huge endorsement since I tend to be quite sluggish when it comes to blending new content into my restaurant. These goals get an undisputed thumbs up from me!
I don't like the animals. They are too big
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