The Egyptian cruise was of course a re-release having first appeared in the game back in April 2015. As was the case then, a gem producing recipe was up for grabs as the final prize, with the Pistachio Basbousa situated on the Jubilee Oven.
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| Unlocking of Pistachio Basbousa |
The special ingredient required for its preparation is - perhaps unsurprisingly - the Pistachio which is delivered by the Mysterious Mummy. Even this ingredient is a recycle job! I have nearly 1,500 of them already thanks to Queen Nefertiti, so for me the value in this cruise all comes from the recipe alone.
But the basbousa is notable in itself because it indicates the beginnings of a trend. Among the ingredients it calls for is Turbinado Sugar, the ingredient which can be procured from silver stamps. That makes cooking this prize dish that bit more difficult, and is the second successive climactic cruise reward to require a stamp ingredient after the Pizza Crepe in the French themed cruise in July.
Next up was the 19th edition of Lani's goals, which would then be followed by the 20th edition a fortnight later. I mentioned in last month's round-up that I opted against bothering with the silver stamp strands, and the same was the case in both of these goal sets. Although five silver stamps were there for the taking in each, I decided to focus my efforts on the mastery game. With 64 Turbinado Sugar in my pantry at the time of writing, I figure that between cruise prizes and random drops I can keep my Turbinado Sugar count reasonably high.
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| Introduction to three silver stamp Lani goal |
In fact, talking of random stamp drops, is it just me or are they becoming more common? Gold stamps in particular seem to have been coming my way much more regularly than they've ever done in the past. Maybe I'm just having a good run, but just perhaps the gamemakers are feeling generous at the moment.
Despite these lucky drops I did undertake the gold stamp tasks from Lani in both editions, and unlike at times in the past where I've forgotten to keep on top of the gold goal, I was very attentive - got to get those European Butters stocked up!
Sandwiching the two Lani releases was a British themed cruise event. Yes, you guessed it - a recycled event. This one previously appeared in September 2015, and continues to paint Storm8's bods in charge of Restaurant Story 2 as super lazy. My progress was comfortable throughout this particular cruise, with a number of very handy set-ups of four cruise coin orders heading into the next day aiding my passage.
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| Notification for British themed cruise event |
Edgar the Guard was the special visitor we were fighting for, but even after unlocking him, I seemed to bask in his presence less often than I'd like. Edgar appeared to have problems locating my diner early doors, and this had an adverse effect on my ability to complete the bonus goal set accompanying the cruise.
Among the requirements for this was concocting the gem maker unlocked at the conclusion of the cruise, the Summer Cup. But with Edgar AWOL my build-up of the Red Currants and Blood Oranges he was supposed to deliver was slow. In the end I did get enough to make the new drink before the goal deadline, but still didn't complete it as I fell short in the Potato Soup and French Dip requirements! Three gold stamps missed out on!
Regarding the Summer Cup, it's yet another entry on the Jubilee Oven, taking the dish total on that particular appliance to 26. It goes without saying that that is far too many. I've been campaigning for a new prize cooker for too long, but how far can we go before the game's developers finally given in and give us a third gem producing recipe machine. This complaint is especially topical with the introduction of the Summer Cup given that it is a perfect fit for the Wooden Aging Barrel. It's even got the wooden board - why not just place it on the more appropriate appliance?!
And my the way, Turbinado Sugar rears its ugly head again for the Summer Cup. That's three consecutive final cruise prizes reliant on stamp ingredients - not pleasant news.
Moving on, Thursday brought with it yet another new cruise, with a tropical theme that provides plenty of nostalgia. That's because the very same tropical theme featured in the first cruise event, all the way back in April 2015. I remember how exciting the cruise system was when it was first added, providing an exciting alternative to the more traditional goal sets. How times change. Now cruises are all we get, and recycled ones at that.
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| Main page of tropical themed cruise event |
Having said that, there are a few items in the market along with this cruise which I have a funny feeling may be totally new. The Beach Shells, Surfboard and Beach Buoy are not cruise prizes, nor are they decorations which I already own. Could it be? I certainly don't recall them from at any time in the past, which suggests they could be truly fresh. I'm open to correction though!
Not only are the cruises no longer welcomed with a buzz of excitement, but they aren't even unexpected. That's because over the past two months we've settled into a monotonous schedule of releases. Lani goals have come on Mondays with cruises on the Thursday or Friday of the same week. Then the following week brings nothing as we focus on the cruise, before the process repeats itself. Having a set schedule like this suits players like me who are sticklers for structure, but at the same time it does serve to emphasise the staleness the game is suffering from.
Nevertheless I continue to push on in the great mastery quest. There was a big milestone in my pursuit this week - earning the third mastery star for the Festive Fruit Brioche means I have now mastered all of the Diner Oven's entries, as well as every stamp recipe. A quick count suggests that I have 33 recipes remaining to master to level three, and with the meter on most of these well on the way, things are looking promising.
RS2 News
However there are a few which are a long way off, not least the Five Spice Chicken on the gem bought Festival Stove. The Ghostly Stove also remains a sizeable obstacle, while the Heartberry Tart infamously continues to stay locked to me on the Valentine Oven. It would take 32 gems for me to purchase the necessary Valentine Cards to release it, and I've decided (mostly since I have gems to burn) that I will. But I've also decided that given how it has tortured me over the last couple of years, it is only appropriate that this is the final recipe in my mastery mission. So I'll leave it padlocked for now!
Overall though monotony is the word in Restaurant Story 2. The cruises are all repeats and with so many of them I doubt there's a player out there who can keep up with the various special ingredients dropped by the visitors unlocked from completing each cruise. Consequently the value of finishing a cruise falls and players quit the game in frustration. It's a fairly simple formula, and yet Storm8 continue to do nothing to rectify it. How long before they call it a day and put the game out of its misery?!
It looks like they finally did something new with the end of summer expo.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, although the cynic in me says that they've just replaced the decoration prizes with more recipes really. Still it's something worth discussing. :)
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