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...
#236: Continue offering bonus goal sidesteps
We're starting with a couple of topical entries. First of all, I need to talk with passion about the most recent set of goals. I discussed this in yesterday's goals content report, but I really enjoyed the independent sidesteps which were not connected to the main strand and had a valuable prize at the end of them.
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| First sidestep in pirate themed goals |
The Pirate Fountain was the item up for grabs, and having only ever appeared previously as a limited time offer for gems, this was an invaluable opportunity for the players to get hold of something special for free. It's a fine gesture from Storm8, but it also provided the quest with a unique selling point - something to spruce things up.
Not only was the major prize a great attraction, but the inclusion of some classic recipes from the basic appliances was superb. Old timers such as myself may have not cooked mastered dishes such as those called for in these goals for quite literally years, so it was with a proper scent of nostalgia that I had the likes of Berry Pies and Fish and Chips stacking up on my counters.
So it's no surprise that I'm suggesting the gamemakers keep providing these bonus goal sidesteps. They are so refreshing and with the quantities of food needed in the tasks they offer a nice challenge. Of course they serve Storm8 well too because of this - undoubtedly there'd be a temptation to hit the skip with gems button if struggling to make the expiry time, meaning that there could be good income in it for Storm8. Everyone's a winner - keep the bonus goals coming!
#237: Fix double coins boost pop-up
I'm not sure this has been all that widely reported, but there is definitely a problem with the recently added double coins boost feature for iOS users. Although the extra coins are added to your total, they're not indicated by the 'welcome back' window when returning to the game after a period during which the boost has been active.
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| Welcome back window |
Instead you just get informed of the coinage which would be expected from standard earning rates, which takes the shine off this feature a little.
So the game's developers need to fix this glitch, after all I can't imagine it's something that would be difficult or tedious to update. A fix would really make this a perfect addition and restore some of the faith in the gamemakers which has sadly been lost with some of the more recent (albeit infrequent) iOS app updates which have on occasion been somewhat shambolic.
#238: Include better incentives for tipping
At present a visit to a neighbour will earn you 20 coins and 1 XP, while there's no bonus available for visiting a community member. This is a longstanding imbalance in Restaurant Story that ought to be addressed.
Of course there are benefits to traipsing around the community. Those red stars build up to make it clear that you are a sociable and active player. Drops of collectibles can help obtain otherwise inaccessible decor and bag extra coins. And of course it's the optimum method of meeting new players who can go on to become great neighbours and friends.
But when you've been slogging it out as long as I have, you begin to wonder what the point of travelling around the game really is, not least because it can be time consuming. The costs of the expansions I'm aiming for now are so high that 20 coins for a neighbour visit is laughable. I've fully mastered the collectible sets which can be done via tipping. And I've built up a strong band of neighbours who are great company and on the ball with regards to part gifting when the goals come round.
Some better incentives for tipping are needed, such as random spot prizes. Imagine laying down a tip and getting a giant floor decoration for your trouble! It would have us all steaming around in hope of getting that lucky tip! Add in some goals which are focused on reaching certain tipping milestones with a timeframe and you could find the game's social side well and truly revitalised.
#239: Introduce Stormie's Store design contests
This next suggestion comes from Nibble and Noms and is one which I think is just genius. Stormie's Store used to get updated regularly with recently added content, thus keeping it in line with the current season. But a quick visit reveals that Stormie is partying like it's autumn 2016.
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| Current layout at Stormie's Store |
So how about regular contests to re-design Stormie's place? It could be run as a forum event, with players posting screenshots from their own restaurants depicting their grand plans for the default neighbour. Then for every season or holiday event, the gamemakers could select a winner (or even decide it by a poll) who would be given special permissions to enter and redecorate Stormie's Store.
There are no shortage of inspirational designers around the community, so we wouldn't have a problem keeping such a contest ticking over in the long term. It would also benefit the Storm8 Forum which appears to be seeing fewer and fewer visitors. Indeed the forum could be completely rejuvenated by such a feature.
#240: Allow floor tile previews over large area
This last one follows my experiences in revamping my own diner for its fifth anniversary party theme. I've discussed before about how frustrating the purchasing of floor tiles is, since it is a lengthy and laborious process of incessant tapping. The solution to that is of course to be able to pre-select a larger area that is then filled with a particular flooring.
But it's not just the process that irritates me - the lack of ability to view a floor tile placed on a large scale makes for a potentially costly gamble if you want to cover a significantly sized space with the same design. In my case I decided to put down the Gold Glitter Floor across the entirety of my main section. It was only once it was done and I zoomed out to take in the complete picture that it became apparent I'd made a mistake - the tile was just too busy to work over a big expanse, meaning that it was taking over the scene when that was not the intention.
Recent Suggestions Box posts
I went on to replace 114 of the Gold Glitter Floor tiles with the more serene Hardwood tiles, and with the former costing 5,000 coins a time, that was 570,000 coins effectively thrown away! We need the ability to preview flooring across more than one square. Being able to get a wider context across any specified space would be excellent, but even just expanding the preview to something like a 3x3 space would make a difference, and maybe save me flushing away over half a million coins next time!
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