Suggestions Box (May 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...

 #221: Provide longer recipes for goals

This suggestion stems from a comment from regular reader kcsl following the space themed goals last month. The new age of quests in 2017 has involved the time-frame for their completion typically being around two weeks at most, with the odd goal set even timing out after eight days. In the last Suggestions Box I called for the time-frame to be relaxed to make things a little easier, but another solution could be to provide longer recipes.

At first this may seem counterintuitive considering that this would in theory mean it taking even longer to finish the goals. But the problem that many players have is that short dishes just cannot be cooked in the quantities required during the day. For those with work commitments that prevent them from regularly checking into the game, a 1 or 2 hour food is out of the question.

This really slows progress and therefore Storm8 should consider including more lengthy efforts. A short while ago we did get a few longer durations included, but not with the regularity that is really needed.

 #222: Add a disco floor tile

Here's a fun one! On a few occasions I have decked out a section of my restaurant as a nightclub or party room. The one component which I've never been able to adequately cover is the floor since there is no lit up disco themed floor tile in the market.

Previous nightclub section at The Garlic Tree

So let's have such a flooring added! I'm looking for something that's loud and luminous with lots of colour and which can really carry a scene. Until now I've compromised with the likes of the Foam Mat and Ruby Red Mosaic but they don't quite do the business. The Groovy tile is a good example of what I am looking for, but since it comes at 1 gem a time I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

 #223: Introduce currency for locked content

The credit for this one goes completely to blog favourite Nibble and Noms. You're never far away from a player querying about the availability of locked content from past goals, and over the years there have been no shortage of suggestions for how to give these players a shot at padlocked stuff.

Nibbles came up with the idea of introducing a third currency to the game in addition to coins and gems which could be used to gain decor which is no longer available to purchase, with particular focus on goal prizes which were not unlocked at the time of their release.

 Previous Suggestions Box posts

 22/04/17 April 2017
 25/03/17 March 2017
 25/02/17 February 2017
 28/01/17 January 2017
 10/12/16 December 2016

There's real potential for this concept in my view. The new currency could be gained as part of a new mastery tier which would encourage long time players to get some of their old appliances which have been gathering dust back out and operating. And it would be beneficial to the gamemakers too, with the opportunity to allow players to buy the new currency with real money just like with gems.

 #224: Fit recipe preparation graphics to cooker

Back when the Food Cart Grill was added for the New York Broadway goals in April I couldn't help but feel frustrated with the recipes on board. The issue was not related to the statistics of the dishes (indeed these were actually a big plus point with their 6 coins per plate), but rather with their appearance when in the preparation stage.

Halal Kabobs under preparation on the Food Cart Grill

The Food Cart Grill contains, as you may expect, a grill along with a compartment some sausages appear to be keeping hot in. Yet when a recipe is prepared on this cooker it just appears as a bog standard set of ingredients arranged on a wooden chopping board. I have no problem with this set-up generally, but on an appliance like this which has been so nicely designed I feel like it is being
compromised.

Storm8 could do with being a little more creative when it comes to the graphics applied at the preparation stage. This would really add another layer to the gaming experience and help add a little more 'personality' to our kitchens.

 #225: Add obtained box items to market

This isn't the most revolutionary or impactful entry you'll ever see, but I'd quite like the ability to purchase an already obtained box item again in the market without the rigmarole of re-opening the crate.

Now obviously there are many cases where you wouldn't want to duplicate a box prize, but I think this feature would be a cool way to provide a nod to players who have taken a gamble using their hard-earned gems. The cost of the prize in the market could be flat across all the rarity tiers, meaning that even for a first or second prize you could bag a second for a reasonable fee.