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| Introduction to animal water park goals |
Right from the outset this theme promised much given that we had a water park theme only in June. My hope was that this update would essentially top up on what we already had, thus allowing a really comprehensive water park to be showcased in our restaurants.
We'll see how successful it was shortly, but first a pair of new crossovers for us to consider. The three counters which came in the update have been brought over from Nightclub Story, while the wallpaper and floor tile have been seen previously in Fashion Story. Given that I haven't played either of these games this was something that passed me by in the initial analysis. To my knowledge this is the first time content has made the journey over to Restaurant Story from either of these other Storm8 games - for me it's not really an issue so long as the stuff is relevant to the theme and fits in with the rest of the update. And in this case it does.
In contrast we have an increasingly familiar tale of high costs for the various additions, with the coins needed to purchase the range of decor generally the same as they were in the last goal set. Okay, at least that means the prices didn't go up, but with the appliances coming at 37,000 coins and 42,000 coins respectively, and the counters at 21,000 coins it all racks up fairly quickly, especially in those cases where you need to buy multiples.
It's not all doom and gloom though. We had another bonus chain of goals which were independent of the main strand. Perhaps I was just more organised and on top of things this time, but I certainly didn't feel as swamped by the bonus steps as I did with the last batch which was a relief. The only annoyance really was that the requirements for each of the three steps were identical to that which we had last time round. It surely wouldn't take much effort on the gamemakers' part to switch out the basic appliance recipes called for?!
The prize waiting at the end of the bonus goals was the Whale Fountain which initially remained locked even after completing the last of the steps. And there was a delay in fixing the glitch due to a long weekend in the US, but thankfully the moderators over on the Storm8 Forum did a fine job of keeping us up-to-date with the situation, and diffusing any rising tension.
The item itself was well worth waiting for. It is an absolutely massive 4x4 titan which includes three killer whales splashing around in a large circular tank. It's a nice complement to the Porpoise Juggling which is freely available to buy, although does really dwarf those poor porpoises! But for what is to all intents and purposes a freebie, the Whale Fountain is hugely impressive.
Before we take a look at the remaining floor decorations obtained via the goals, let's inspect the two appliances introduced for the animal water park quest. When it comes to construction they call upon two new parts, namely the Marine Knob and Nori Press.
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Marine Knob and Nori Press
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I'm not sure about the Nori Press, but I can certainly see the Marine Knob being re-used in the future. It's reasonably unassuming appearance is certainly conducive to recycling, and any future event which has a hint of water in its theme would be a prime candidate.
The Nori Machine is the first of the appliances and needs 6 Motors, 6 Origami Paper and 10 Nori Presses to build. As ever there are three recipes aboard, with a very green theme agoing...
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| Nori Machine recipes |
Nori is the Japanese name given for seaweed, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised to see seaweed so prominent. However Storm8 have stretched the truth a little here by taking some dishes from Bakery Story which aren't related to seaweed, except in colour. For example, the Seaweed Ice Cream is the Green Tea Scoop in the sister game. Not two flavours of ice cream you want to be getting mixed up, but rather than shaking my head with incredulity I find myself giving a thumbs up to the game's developers for their ingenuity and resourcefulness. My preference is undoubtedly for recipes rather than decor to make the crossing between the games, although there is a persistent danger of moving away from restaurant oriented dishes.
The durations are in reverse order as you unlock the recipes which is becoming increasingly common. I quite like this purely because it shakes things up. It doesn't really serve any specific purpose, but at least it prevents the process of cooking in the goals from getting too monotonous.
Brace yourself for the ratings...
| Seaweed Ice Cream | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 1 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3.3 |
| Seaweed Pastry | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3.2 |
| Seaweed Smoothie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 5 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 4.3 |
The outlook is not good, and to rub salt in the wounds there's some copy catting at play. The ice cream is identical to the Strawberry Slushy (Slushy Machine) and the Seaweed Pastry matches the Strawberry Snow (Snow Machine) blow for blow. Both of those strawberry based efforts were added with the winter in July goals so are not exactly long forgotten.
The Seaweed Smoothie has three mirroring mates, all released in 2014 or 2015. Given that these three sets of statistics have therefore been discussed previously I'm not going to waste any time repeating myself.
Instead I'll move us along to the Marine Oven which requires 8 Chocolate Knobs, 8 Screws and 12 Marine Knobs at the construction stage. Once again a trio of recipes can be accessed from this cooker...
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| Marine Oven recipes |
I was really hoping that the Ocean Tart was a real life thing but alas it is not. The Blowfish Bites and Crab Cakes are at least both to be found in a world beyond pixels, although not in the format they are in here. Both are depicted as cupcakes which are a pet hate of mine - they belong in Bakery Story!
Anyhow, here are another raft of ratings...
| Blowfish Bites | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3.2 |
| Crab Cakes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 1 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3.6 |
| Ocean Tart | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 1 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 4.8 |
We'll start by getting the blowfish out of the way - it is identical statistically to the earlier Seaweed Pastry. That really is the height of laziness and earns big negative points from me. However the remaining two recipes very much buck the repeated numbers trend.
The crab is the 22nd dish of 7 hour length and officially breaks new ground by becoming the worst profit earner and portion provider in the duration. It eclipses the School Lunch (Basic Stove) which had held that title for more than four years. Luckily the sixth best XP gain in the 7 hour bracket saves the crab from contending for the worst overall score, but with the Gumbo (Basic Stove) and Beignet (Basic Oven) both unlocked at very low levels there's not a lot to gain from the Crab Cakes.
And the tart does a similar job of completely tanking on profit and portions, setting new benchmarks for awfulness in the admittedly small pool of 9 hour entries. However the Ocean Tart has an ace up its sleeve - the 145 XP for cooking this recipe is two more than the Roasted Parsnips (Vegan Stove) which makes it the highest XP maker among 9 hour dishes. Plus with the parsnips not unlocked until level 52 the tart offers a nice XP opportunity for lower level players.
As is the way when recipes set new standards (at both ends of the scale) the Recipe Hall of Fame has to be given a review. In this case there is no change in the top overall performers in the 7 hour duration, but in the 9 hour category the Beef and Rice Patty (Basic Grill) is narrowly knocked out of the honourable mentions. Previously it was dead level with the Pirate Cupcakes, but the increase in the XP playing field has resulted in it being lowered a peg.
Water park theme
29/08/17 Animal water park goals
29/08/17 Animal water park update
21/06/17 Water park goals content report
13/06/17 Water park goals
13/06/17 Water park update
29/08/17 Animal water park update
21/06/17 Water park goals content report
13/06/17 Water park goals
13/06/17 Water park update
Returning to the decorations unearthed in these goals, the Sea Trainer loses her padlock following the first sidestep. New characters are always appreciated in the restaurant realm and this one comes armed with a bucket of fish. There's the potential to really have some fun with her - I can already envisage a combination with the fish wielding Lake Dog.
Next is the Turtle Stack from the second sidestep which like the Sea Trainer is 1x1 in size and features three turtles stacked upon each other. They're really well designed with great care taken to make each one unique. There are different ages of turtle have been depicted and it gives this piece some extra charm. It also makes for an excellent combination with the existing Sea Turtle Tables.
The final goal prize is the Penguin Slide which is only 2x2 - that's pretty small as climactic prizes go. It shouldn't be judged on size alone though, as the penguins are cute and will be a really good inclusion when we get round to decorating for winter (it's closer than you think!)
Well I'm really happy with this update. Other than the mostly awful recipe numbers, we have some carefully put together decor which is great value. And there may be one or two carryovers from other members of the Storm8 fleet, but that doesn't devalue this update in my opinion. I think it does a fine job of adding to what we already had from the similar goal set earlier in the summer, thus ensuring we now have a comprehensive selection of related stuff to pick and mix.
Before I call it a night, just a quick heads up for anyone who hasn't caught the end of the most recent update post - I'm off on holiday for a fortnight this coming weekend, so there will be a hiatus of sorts on here from me. My last post before departing will be a Suggestions Box on Saturday, and after that you'll find me in the water park, on the lazy river! Até breve!
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