Evening everyone!
You'll have noticed that my posts have become rather sporadic of late. After five years of publishing this blog twice weekly I've reached a point where I just don't have the time to keep churning out the posts on a regular basis.
I can't deny that Restaurant Story no longer holds the charm that it did for me in the earlier years - this is more a result of me developing as a person and time passing rather than any particular issue with the game.
Don't worry, I'm not calling it a day! But I am taking a little break from the blog so that I can concentrate on other things and hope that when I return the spark will have too. And I'll still be checking into my diner when I can so my neighbours can still expect to receive that precious daily gift.
See you soon folks!
Sunday, 15 April 2018
Tuesday, 3 April 2018
The Wedding of Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher: Memory #6
We're into April and that means that the wedding of Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher is just a matter of weeks away! They'll be taking their vows at The Garlic Tree on the 21st, and you are all invited to the ceremony and reception!
This week we're looking back to Thanksgiving, when our famous couple wanted to make sure they had the best time possible...
Yep, a trip to the turkey farm to handpick the unlucky bird! The Playful Parasol and Lake Fisher spent a long time perusing the Rustic Turkeys before the Lake Dog and Frisbee Dog chose for them. Well, it was more a case of a turkey willingly leaving the Harvest Haystacks behind.
This week we're looking back to Thanksgiving, when our famous couple wanted to make sure they had the best time possible...
 |
| Turkey farm - Thanksgiving 2017 |
Yep, a trip to the turkey farm to handpick the unlucky bird! The Playful Parasol and Lake Fisher spent a long time perusing the Rustic Turkeys before the Lake Dog and Frisbee Dog chose for them. Well, it was more a case of a turkey willingly leaving the Harvest Haystacks behind.
Saturday, 31 March 2018
Spring 2018 goals (in full)
Spring has arrived! And Restaurant Story is celebrating with a new quest which appears to contain some really enticing prizes.
In all there are at least three floor decorations, two appliances and six recipes which are waiting to be unlocked, so with 15 days on the clock be sure to get through the lot by Thursday 12th April.
Here is the complete list of steps:
In all there are at least three floor decorations, two appliances and six recipes which are waiting to be unlocked, so with 15 days on the clock be sure to get through the lot by Thursday 12th April.
Here is the complete list of steps:
- Step 1: Springtime for Picnics
- Step 2: Which Sandwich is Which
- Step 3: Where This Sandwich Goes
- Step 4: Monsieur for the Ages
- Step 5: Thirst Quenching
- Step 6: Making a Mint
- Step 7: Cool Night, Warm Day
- Sidestep A: You Can Pick Your Friends
- Sidestep B: Take a Seat for a Delicious Treat
Bonus goals: 'Park Picnic' (unlocks after Step 4):
Game update: 29/03/18
Thursday night brought with it the much anticipated spring bloom!
After a long, dark and frankly miserable winter it's nice to be able to look forward to finer weather and hopefully some cheery goal sets. And it starts now with a spring themed edition. As usual there's plenty of new content to be had so here is that usual list:
Tables:
 |
| Introduction to spring 2018 goals |
After a long, dark and frankly miserable winter it's nice to be able to look forward to finer weather and hopefully some cheery goal sets. And it starts now with a spring themed edition. As usual there's plenty of new content to be had so here is that usual list:
Tables:
- Gingham Table - 17,800 coins
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
The Wedding of Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher: Memory #5
The Playful Parasol and Lake Fisher are just a few weeks away from tying the knot, and our look back at some their best bits to date continues with last Halloween.
Fortunately there was nothing particularly petrifying about our favourite couple's activity at Halloween, with the pair visiting a Fortune Teller.
Fortunately there was nothing particularly petrifying about our favourite couple's activity at Halloween, with the pair visiting a Fortune Teller.
 |
| Fortune telling - Halloween 2017 |
Monday, 26 March 2018
Suggestions Box (Mar 2018)
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...
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...
Sunday, 18 March 2018
The Wedding of Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher: Memory #4
We're inching ever closer to the big day for the Playful Parasol and Lake Fisher, and today we're looking back at a rather fun trip they had to a hard to find place.
On 1st September 2017 there were Harry Potter fans across the lands rejoicing at Epilogue Day - the day upon which the final words of the book series were set. And Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher got in on the fun with a visit to Platform Nine and Three Quarters.
There they saw the Hogwarts Express (the Locomotive) letting off steam as the Train Conductor whistled on its way. One or two students including the Rose Seller and Jock were running rather late, but still had time to make their final goodbyes ahead of the long journey north.
On 1st September 2017 there were Harry Potter fans across the lands rejoicing at Epilogue Day - the day upon which the final words of the book series were set. And Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher got in on the fun with a visit to Platform Nine and Three Quarters.
 |
| Platform Nine and Three Quarters - September 2017 |
There they saw the Hogwarts Express (the Locomotive) letting off steam as the Train Conductor whistled on its way. One or two students including the Rose Seller and Jock were running rather late, but still had time to make their final goodbyes ahead of the long journey north.
Saturday, 17 March 2018
Easter 2018 goals (in full)
Please note that this set of goals expired on Tuesday 27th March 2018.
Easter is almost here and to get ready for it why not take on a new batch of goals?!
This quest is a 15 day edition, which means it is expected to expire on Tuesday 27th March. Until then you have the opportunity to unlock a whopping six floor decorations, two appliances and six recipes, so let's get the egg rolling!
Here is the complete list of steps:
Easter is almost here and to get ready for it why not take on a new batch of goals?!
This quest is a 15 day edition, which means it is expected to expire on Tuesday 27th March. Until then you have the opportunity to unlock a whopping six floor decorations, two appliances and six recipes, so let's get the egg rolling!
Here is the complete list of steps:
- Step 1: Some Bunny Once Told Me
- Step 2: Spring In Your Step
- Step 3: Egg-cellent
- Step 4: Hare-Raising Adventures
- Step 5: Ewe Can't Egg-splain
- Step 6: Feeling Peckish
- Step 7: Hoppily Ever After
- Sidestep A: Hop On Over
- Sidestep B: Practical Yoker
Game update: 13/03/18
Easter is fast approaching and Restaurant Story is marking this most cheery of events with a set of goals.
It's the first time Easter has been covered in the game with new content since 2014, and well and truly ushers in the spring! Here's a full list of everything added:
Tables:
 |
| Introduction to Easter 2018 goals |
It's the first time Easter has been covered in the game with new content since 2014, and well and truly ushers in the spring! Here's a full list of everything added:
Tables:
- Shell Table - 17,600 coins
Tuesday, 13 March 2018
Shamrock Oven goals (in full)
Please note that this set of goals expired on Tuesday 13th March 2018.
St Patrick's Day goals for 2018 are here with the latest update but they are a shocker when it comes to the level of difficulty!
St Patrick's Day goals for 2018 are here with the latest update but they are a shocker when it comes to the level of difficulty!
Game update: 08/03/18
It's fair to say I'm a little late to the party, but last Thursday we did a receive an update dedicated to the Irish.
This is a flash goal set which runs over just five days and will probably have plenty of players tearing their hair out! But to sweeten the deal there's also a sale running throughout the event, with a range of St Patrick's Day content from yesteryear making a triumphant return, including the Lucky Chest at 25% off.
It's worth noting that not all of those orange framed items are seasonal decor returning - certainly the Stone Wall is a permanent entry and has been reduced for the duration of the sale. Hopefully it won't be removed post-event, but be wary because it could.
And among all of this there are actually a few totally new items (and there's no telling for sure whether these will be removed after the goals finish) so let's have a list:
Wall decorations:
Some brighter findings here! Most notably, all three of these dishes carry 5 coins per plate which is higher than the standard 4. That's great news for players who have stacked counters and are therefore already selling the maximum number of plates per day. Raising the proportion of those plates sold which yield greater than 4 coins per plate will inevitably do good things for profit.
The trade off here is that the higher coins per plate results in fewer portions, and consequently all three dishes score in the red for the portions factor. They're not much better on the profit front, but do perform well when it comes to XP. They're on par for XP with all of the foods of the same length released in recent months. It's just that greater coins per plate which makes them a little more interesting.
And on top of all that, the Lucky Breakfast has returned. It's a 6 hour candidate on the Basic Stove which has been re-released on a few occasions if memory serves me right. This time round the gamemakers have made the mistake of placing its timer to expiry completely over the mastery meter which leaves everyone with no idea how close or far they are from mastering it. Another reason to give this update a thumbs down!
So an excruciatingly difficult set of goals and a returning recipe whose mastery meter is blocked off, but also some higher coin yields from the goal dishes and a nice sale. And a very late update post!
 |
| Notification for St Patrick's Day themed update |
This is a flash goal set which runs over just five days and will probably have plenty of players tearing their hair out! But to sweeten the deal there's also a sale running throughout the event, with a range of St Patrick's Day content from yesteryear making a triumphant return, including the Lucky Chest at 25% off.
It's worth noting that not all of those orange framed items are seasonal decor returning - certainly the Stone Wall is a permanent entry and has been reduced for the duration of the sale. Hopefully it won't be removed post-event, but be wary because it could.
And among all of this there are actually a few totally new items (and there's no telling for sure whether these will be removed after the goals finish) so let's have a list:
Wall decorations:
- Celtic Knotwork - 5 gems
- Castle Ruin - 60 gems
- Irish Green Wallpaper - 2 gems
- Irish Green Grass - 2 gems
We have a new wall decoration! It's been a long time coming, with the last being the Towel Rack which was introduced back in August. A scandalous length of time really, but hopefully the Celtic Knotwork will be the first of many more to come. It's not a particularly attractive item, and the 5 gem price tag doesn't help its cause, but hopefully it can be a pioneer!
Indeed all three of the other new entries are also gem buys, and in the case of the Irish Green Wallpaper and Irish Green Grass that means a large expenditure if you want to use them effectively. The wallpaper is reasonably generic with its grassy ground and rocky backdrop while the flooring feels very St Patrick's Day specific thanks to those three leaf clovers.
The new floor decoration is the Castle Ruin which is a terrifying 60 gems. However this is the final goal prize, so there is an opportunity to grab it via the quest. It depicts a large fort structure which is not standing the test of time very well. Some of it is at odd angles and vegetation is taking over. This is not an Irish themed prize as such so could come in handy, especially since it's really one of a kind.
But what about the goals? I won't be finishing them, largely because I'm still on the first step having been rather busy these past few days. But even if you got going straight away you may have problems. That's because there are some lengthy recipes called for, and with a lot of focus on the Shamrock Oven, it's hard work to serve up everything you need to before the timer runs out.
And what makes it all the more difficult is the need to collect 14 Shamrocks to build the cooker. That's a tall order for a part which was not previously available to gift, and it gets all the worse when we consider that the Shamrock Oven has been around before and only needed 6 Shamrocks. Six years have passed since it's original release in 2012, and Storm8 have obviously seen fit to make it a much tougher appliance to put together.
So not a goal set worth getting excited about. I'm going to try and unlock as many of the new recipes as I can, with getting all three a long shot given how long it's taken me to get started. What a disappointing quest! With regard to those recipes, they have the following ratings:
| Colcannon | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 3 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 4.1 |
| Irish Soda Bread | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 2 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 4.0 |
| Shamrock Float | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit | XP gain | Portions | Profit per plate | Availability | Rating |
| 1 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 3.9 |
Some brighter findings here! Most notably, all three of these dishes carry 5 coins per plate which is higher than the standard 4. That's great news for players who have stacked counters and are therefore already selling the maximum number of plates per day. Raising the proportion of those plates sold which yield greater than 4 coins per plate will inevitably do good things for profit.
The trade off here is that the higher coins per plate results in fewer portions, and consequently all three dishes score in the red for the portions factor. They're not much better on the profit front, but do perform well when it comes to XP. They're on par for XP with all of the foods of the same length released in recent months. It's just that greater coins per plate which makes them a little more interesting.
And on top of all that, the Lucky Breakfast has returned. It's a 6 hour candidate on the Basic Stove which has been re-released on a few occasions if memory serves me right. This time round the gamemakers have made the mistake of placing its timer to expiry completely over the mastery meter which leaves everyone with no idea how close or far they are from mastering it. Another reason to give this update a thumbs down!
So an excruciatingly difficult set of goals and a returning recipe whose mastery meter is blocked off, but also some higher coin yields from the goal dishes and a nice sale. And a very late update post!
Saturday, 10 March 2018
Magical goals content report
Before we get into this goals content report I have to apologise for the lack of a post thus far on the St Patrick's Day themed goals which were issued late on Thursday. Life has been busy this past week and I'm not around this weekend (this post has been published automatically!) so the goal post will have to wait until Sunday at the earliest.
Anyway, this week saw the conclusion of the magical themed goals, where the fairies were out in force.
It was a typical 15 day goal set, with the usual arrangement of steps and challenges. That meant a tough start due to the item request task, but after that it was straight on with the first new appliance. That was the Enchanted Stove, which required 10 Magic Moss, 6 Metal Sheets and 6 Ye Olde Knobs to build, the first of these being a new part introduced with the update.
Anyway, this week saw the conclusion of the magical themed goals, where the fairies were out in force.
 |
| Introduction to magical themed goals |
It was a typical 15 day goal set, with the usual arrangement of steps and challenges. That meant a tough start due to the item request task, but after that it was straight on with the first new appliance. That was the Enchanted Stove, which required 10 Magic Moss, 6 Metal Sheets and 6 Ye Olde Knobs to build, the first of these being a new part introduced with the update.
Sunday, 4 March 2018
The Wedding of Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher: Memory #3
The countdown continues to the wedding of the Playful Parasol and Lake Fisher, with just seven weeks before they tie the knot!
This week we're heading back to last August when The Garlic Tree celebrated its fifth anniversary. It was a party to end all parties, with so many familiar faces from my restaurant through the years showing up to enjoy a drink and a dance. And once everyone was as merry as could be there was a rather large conga wound its way around the dancefloor.
This week we're heading back to last August when The Garlic Tree celebrated its fifth anniversary. It was a party to end all parties, with so many familiar faces from my restaurant through the years showing up to enjoy a drink and a dance. And once everyone was as merry as could be there was a rather large conga wound its way around the dancefloor.
 |
| Fifth anniversary party conga - August 2017 |
Saturday, 3 March 2018
RS2 News (Mar 2018)
We're into March (although you wouldn't know it when I look out the window!) and it's time for another round-up of the latest goings-on in Restaurant Story 2. Since my last update we've seen one cruise event come and go, another bring something a little different, and Lani with her predictable goals, as ever.
But before all that I'd like to briefly discuss a new version of the sequel title on iOS. Released on 8th February, the App Store promised 'bug fixes' and 'performance improvements' had been implemented. In fairness to Storm8 I can't actually think of what these could possibly consist of given that there aren't really many glitches currently in the game, at least from my experience.
To date I've only downloaded the update on my secondary device (always very wary of things going wrong with updates!) and have found just a couple of noticeable changes. First of all the Social and Messages window icons have been shifted from the top of the screen to the bottom right corner next to the Market button. Not sure what this achieves, but it certainly takes a little time to get accustomed to.
The second change is the introduction of the free gems feature which has been added to Restaurant Story (and other Storm8 titles) in recent weeks and months. I don't think I ever got round to mentioning it on here for the original game, but this is a feature run by an outside company which gives players the opportunity to earn premium currency by completing a variety of tasks, ranging from watching trailers and completing surveys to downloading other apps and making deposits.
This certainly opens up more ways to earn additional gems, if you can be bothered. I've found it to be a slightly cumbersome system and had a bad experience with it in Restaurant Story early doors when not receiving a reward for one of the tasks where the goal was to reach a particular level in another game. Of course you can always drop an email to the provider to try and resolve the situation, but life it too short.
Luckily the classic free gem videos remain available on iOS, so we do still have that avenue for earning more gems which then can't be spent on anything useful!
To some of the recent events then, starting with the Winter Olympic themed cruise event. Aligned with the real thing in Pyeongchang, at first glance it seemed quite exciting that we were getting a cruise centred on a current event. However it soon became apparent that the gamemakers had just reused the content from the Rio 2016 cruise - and that was a summer Games! Recycling is obviously standard practice these days in Restaurant Story 2, but I felt that this was a particularly nasty instance of it.
A poor performance in the last couple of days meant that I looked set to miss out on a medal, but a flurry of 60 quick serves and 37 gems (the latter mostly spent on forcing the restock of Peppers which were insistent on cropping up again and again!) meant that I did eventually make the podium.
The final prize was the Go for the Gold Cookies, located on the Jubilee Oven. In line with the rest of the cruise, Miguel from the 2016 edition was back again, providing the Torch which I'd already accumulated over 1000 of in the two-and-a-half years since its introduction. The cookies call for 8 Torches, 2 European Butter and 2 Sugar with the middle one of those a stamp ingredient. Always a mark against a recipe for me - I'll never master all these stamp oriented prize dishes!
Before we got to the next cruise event there was a batch of stamp goals from Lani. This was actually her second lot of the month, and I'm pleased to report that I completed five out of the six she offered up in February. The only one I didn't partake in was the one yielding two silver stamps in the second batch given that this requested the Grilled Gold, a European Butter hungry recipe. I'm so tight on the use of the stamp ingredients that I even refresh them in the early days of the cruises!
Now to the current event which concludes this weekend. The Lunar New Year cruise event was released in the early hours of last Saturday morning UK time, which meant that I wasn't able to kick it off until after reset time. The result of that is a Monday finish for me which will probably mean a not so pleasant quick serve and gem spend.
We're battling for right to have Barktholomew Chowington (it is the year of the dog after all!) visit our restaurants and deliver the Red Packet, with this special ingredient feeding into the Golden Dumplings on the Celebration Stove. There's good news regarding this dish - the stamp ingredient it devours is Duck Eggs, which being the main drop from bronze stamps is much easier to come by. I have 125 in the pantry at the time of writing!
But the real success story of this cruise lies with the side goal chain. Usually this is a monotonous and dull string of steps with a gold stamp awaiting at the end of it, but not this time. We have a new ingredient! The Paper Lantern is a time limited addition to the General Store with a 2 hour refresh time. It's been a long wait for a new ingredients so this is a real treat!
The Paper Lantern is among the necessaries for the Auspicious Fish on the Diner Stove and the Prosperous Spring Rolls on the Diner Oven, both new recipes which are around for a limited time. It's great to see new dishes added outside of the two prize appliances again and greater still that the only other ingredients they need are Eggs and Tomatoes. This makes for a relatively easy challenge running alongside the cruise, especially given that the mastery requirements of both are not all that high.
The only negatives I can pull from these side goals is that there's a decoration reward at the end rather than a valuable gold stamp, and Paper Lanterns are a prize on three of the 10 days of the cruise, thus meaning fewer stamp opportunities. However this is balanced out by the fact that day eight is providing four gold stamps, which may be unprecedented.
It's fair to say that I am pretty happy with this current event. And I haven't said that in a long time. That makes it all the more baffling that I'm well behind schedule having just finished day seven halfway through what is my day eight! But hopefully we see more invention in the coming weeks as it has certainly brought me out of my Restaurant Story 2 stupor.
But before all that I'd like to briefly discuss a new version of the sequel title on iOS. Released on 8th February, the App Store promised 'bug fixes' and 'performance improvements' had been implemented. In fairness to Storm8 I can't actually think of what these could possibly consist of given that there aren't really many glitches currently in the game, at least from my experience.
 |
| App update for iOS in App Store |
To date I've only downloaded the update on my secondary device (always very wary of things going wrong with updates!) and have found just a couple of noticeable changes. First of all the Social and Messages window icons have been shifted from the top of the screen to the bottom right corner next to the Market button. Not sure what this achieves, but it certainly takes a little time to get accustomed to.
The second change is the introduction of the free gems feature which has been added to Restaurant Story (and other Storm8 titles) in recent weeks and months. I don't think I ever got round to mentioning it on here for the original game, but this is a feature run by an outside company which gives players the opportunity to earn premium currency by completing a variety of tasks, ranging from watching trailers and completing surveys to downloading other apps and making deposits.
This certainly opens up more ways to earn additional gems, if you can be bothered. I've found it to be a slightly cumbersome system and had a bad experience with it in Restaurant Story early doors when not receiving a reward for one of the tasks where the goal was to reach a particular level in another game. Of course you can always drop an email to the provider to try and resolve the situation, but life it too short.
Luckily the classic free gem videos remain available on iOS, so we do still have that avenue for earning more gems which then can't be spent on anything useful!
To some of the recent events then, starting with the Winter Olympic themed cruise event. Aligned with the real thing in Pyeongchang, at first glance it seemed quite exciting that we were getting a cruise centred on a current event. However it soon became apparent that the gamemakers had just reused the content from the Rio 2016 cruise - and that was a summer Games! Recycling is obviously standard practice these days in Restaurant Story 2, but I felt that this was a particularly nasty instance of it.
 |
| Main window for Winter Olympics themed cruise event |
A poor performance in the last couple of days meant that I looked set to miss out on a medal, but a flurry of 60 quick serves and 37 gems (the latter mostly spent on forcing the restock of Peppers which were insistent on cropping up again and again!) meant that I did eventually make the podium.
The final prize was the Go for the Gold Cookies, located on the Jubilee Oven. In line with the rest of the cruise, Miguel from the 2016 edition was back again, providing the Torch which I'd already accumulated over 1000 of in the two-and-a-half years since its introduction. The cookies call for 8 Torches, 2 European Butter and 2 Sugar with the middle one of those a stamp ingredient. Always a mark against a recipe for me - I'll never master all these stamp oriented prize dishes!
Before we got to the next cruise event there was a batch of stamp goals from Lani. This was actually her second lot of the month, and I'm pleased to report that I completed five out of the six she offered up in February. The only one I didn't partake in was the one yielding two silver stamps in the second batch given that this requested the Grilled Gold, a European Butter hungry recipe. I'm so tight on the use of the stamp ingredients that I even refresh them in the early days of the cruises!
RS2 News
03/02/18 February 2018
13/01/18 January 2018
02/12/17 December 2017
04/11/17 November 2017
14/10/17 October 2017
13/01/18 January 2018
02/12/17 December 2017
04/11/17 November 2017
14/10/17 October 2017
Now to the current event which concludes this weekend. The Lunar New Year cruise event was released in the early hours of last Saturday morning UK time, which meant that I wasn't able to kick it off until after reset time. The result of that is a Monday finish for me which will probably mean a not so pleasant quick serve and gem spend.
We're battling for right to have Barktholomew Chowington (it is the year of the dog after all!) visit our restaurants and deliver the Red Packet, with this special ingredient feeding into the Golden Dumplings on the Celebration Stove. There's good news regarding this dish - the stamp ingredient it devours is Duck Eggs, which being the main drop from bronze stamps is much easier to come by. I have 125 in the pantry at the time of writing!
But the real success story of this cruise lies with the side goal chain. Usually this is a monotonous and dull string of steps with a gold stamp awaiting at the end of it, but not this time. We have a new ingredient! The Paper Lantern is a time limited addition to the General Store with a 2 hour refresh time. It's been a long wait for a new ingredients so this is a real treat!
 |
| General Store including Paper Lantern |
The Paper Lantern is among the necessaries for the Auspicious Fish on the Diner Stove and the Prosperous Spring Rolls on the Diner Oven, both new recipes which are around for a limited time. It's great to see new dishes added outside of the two prize appliances again and greater still that the only other ingredients they need are Eggs and Tomatoes. This makes for a relatively easy challenge running alongside the cruise, especially given that the mastery requirements of both are not all that high.
The only negatives I can pull from these side goals is that there's a decoration reward at the end rather than a valuable gold stamp, and Paper Lanterns are a prize on three of the 10 days of the cruise, thus meaning fewer stamp opportunities. However this is balanced out by the fact that day eight is providing four gold stamps, which may be unprecedented.
It's fair to say that I am pretty happy with this current event. And I haven't said that in a long time. That makes it all the more baffling that I'm well behind schedule having just finished day seven halfway through what is my day eight! But hopefully we see more invention in the coming weeks as it has certainly brought me out of my Restaurant Story 2 stupor.
Sunday, 25 February 2018
The Wedding of Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher: Memory #2
Last weekend I premiered a new series of posts centred on the build-up to the wedding of the Playful Parasol and Lake Fisher. With their big day one week closer, it's time to share another fine memory from their adventures this past year.
And this time we are returning to the summer, when our favourite couple went into business together.
The outdoor area of my restaurant was headlined by Action Chef Lee and his BBQ Island, but a corner was reserved for Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher who had set up a Jam Stand having slaved over a pan of fruit for ages the night before. Yes, fresh jam and marmalade too! All very tasty and locally made!
But the Frisbee Dog and Lake Dog felt they could top this and so decided to cobble together a Produce Stand. Why buy a jar of jam when you can make your own?! Apples, oranges, lemons and much more to create your own unique and groovy jam or for preparing a delicious tart. Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher did well, but on this occasion I think the two pooches did better!
Next: Memory #3 - Fifth Anniversary party
And this time we are returning to the summer, when our favourite couple went into business together.
 |
| Summer market stall - summer 2017 |
The outdoor area of my restaurant was headlined by Action Chef Lee and his BBQ Island, but a corner was reserved for Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher who had set up a Jam Stand having slaved over a pan of fruit for ages the night before. Yes, fresh jam and marmalade too! All very tasty and locally made!
But the Frisbee Dog and Lake Dog felt they could top this and so decided to cobble together a Produce Stand. Why buy a jar of jam when you can make your own?! Apples, oranges, lemons and much more to create your own unique and groovy jam or for preparing a delicious tart. Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher did well, but on this occasion I think the two pooches did better!
Next: Memory #3 - Fifth Anniversary party
Saturday, 24 February 2018
Suggestions Box (Feb 2018)
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...
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...
Chinese New Year 2018 goals content report
The magic themed goals are now in full flow, but that doesn't mean we can't step back and have a review of the previous quest. The Chinese New Year goals concluded on Tuesday, with a number of items unlocked exclusively via the numerous steps.
The structure of the various tasks was as per usual, and that meant the torturous opening step which calls for requests to be sent out to neighbours for an item. This obstacle has been ever-present in the 15 day goal sets since the Christmas batch, so we best get used to it!
 |
| Introduction to Chinese New Year 2018 goals |
The structure of the various tasks was as per usual, and that meant the torturous opening step which calls for requests to be sent out to neighbours for an item. This obstacle has been ever-present in the 15 day goal sets since the Christmas batch, so we best get used to it!
Thursday, 22 February 2018
Magical goals (in full)
Please note that this set of goals expired on Thursday 8th March 2018.
This most recent update included a range of new content, some of which could only be unlocked by completing a set of goals. And so here we are!
We have a magical and mythical theme to enjoy, with four floor decorations, two appliances and six recipes all awaiting discovery. You've got the standard 15 days to get through the complete goal set, so expect them to expire on Thursday 8th March.
Here is the complete list of steps:
This most recent update included a range of new content, some of which could only be unlocked by completing a set of goals. And so here we are!
We have a magical and mythical theme to enjoy, with four floor decorations, two appliances and six recipes all awaiting discovery. You've got the standard 15 days to get through the complete goal set, so expect them to expire on Thursday 8th March.
Here is the complete list of steps:
- Step 1: Magic and Mystery
- Step 2: It Was Nothing
- Step 3: Odds and Ends and Bric-A-Brac
- Step 4: The Land Was Green and Good
- Step 5: Fly Swift and Sure
- Step 6: Omen of the Night
- Step 7: Flitterific
- Sidestep A: Your Guide in the Realm
- Sidestep B: My Silly Place
Game update: 22/02/18
Last week there was love in the air, and this week there is magic in the air...
The clipboard is back, with a magical theme as we turn our backs on winter. Let's dive straight in with a traditional list of fresh content:
Tables:
So we have 11 additions to the game, including two appliances which each house three recipes. Those two cookers and three of the floor decorations can only be accessed by making your way through the goals, more details of which can be found here.
I always find this to be a fun time of the Restaurant Story year - we've just completed the seasonal stretch and now the game's developers can throw off the shackles and do as they please with regard to themes. And they've done just that here with a seemingly random theme focusing on magic in nature. It's a subject with plenty of scope, and I think Storm8 have done a pretty good job of it.
Take the Mysterious Forest wallpaper for example. It shows tall trees and ferns, all with a clever green filter applied. This monochromatic effect has a significant impact since it really adds a sense of foreboding which allows the wallpaper to live up to its name. And yet it still carries some flexibility - I can see this being a popular choice for outdoor scenes in the coming months.
The Thaumaturgic Tile could hardly be more different with its bold design. I hope I wasn't alone in having to look up the meaning of 'thaumaturgic'! I discovered that it means a miracle and it will certainly be a miracle if I ever spell it correctly at the first attempt! The tile itself doesn't appear to follow any particular pattern, with seemingly random squiggles of light blue on a purple base. I'm sure it will come in handy for someone someday, but right now I'm struggling to think of where it could be used.
Meanwhile there's no doubting where you'd use the Mushroom Table and Mushroom Chair. Both bright blue, these furniture items will do a great job sprucing up your spring scene. They'll also go perfectly with the red Toadstool pair. Admittedly the existing table and chair are for gems so only a smattering of players will already have them, but at least we have a variation now available for purchase that has a coin price tag.
The Mystical Counter takes a different approach, with the wonders of nature replaced by an enticing and maybe mysterious unknown. Concentric circles of alternating tints of blue are the order of the day on the counter surface, with curly legs making this look more like a table. The only concern here is that when the customers are served their meal may just be sucked into an alternative universe!
The last of the new stuff which can be bought from the off is the Rearing Unicorn, a 2x2 sized floor decoration. I felt straightaway that this was an item we'd seen before in some capacity, but the only unicorn I can track down in the game is the Ice Unicorn from January 2017, and that took a slightly different form. It's out first unfrozen unicorn! She's mounted on a rounded pedestal which is a little frustrating since it rather limits what you can do with her, but nevertheless it's a safe inclusion for a magical and mythical theme.
That's everything which can be purchased from the outset covered then. It's certainly an intriguing update and goes into the 'so far so good' category. I'm in no doubt that the recipes will let us down statistically, but hopefully the prizes up for grabs can overcome that and make this a winning update!
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| Introduction to magical themed goals |
The clipboard is back, with a magical theme as we turn our backs on winter. Let's dive straight in with a traditional list of fresh content:
Tables:
- Mushroom Table - 18,000 coins
- Mushroom Chair - 16,000 coins
- Rearing Unicorn - 25,000 coins
- Faerie Helpers - locked by goal
- Wishing Well - locked by goal
- Enchanted Forest - locked by goal
- Mysterious Forest - 6,000 coins
- Thaumaturgic Tile - 5,200 coins
- Enchanted Stove - locked by goal
- Faerie Fountain - locked by goal
- Mystical Counter - 17,000 coins
So we have 11 additions to the game, including two appliances which each house three recipes. Those two cookers and three of the floor decorations can only be accessed by making your way through the goals, more details of which can be found here.
I always find this to be a fun time of the Restaurant Story year - we've just completed the seasonal stretch and now the game's developers can throw off the shackles and do as they please with regard to themes. And they've done just that here with a seemingly random theme focusing on magic in nature. It's a subject with plenty of scope, and I think Storm8 have done a pretty good job of it.
Take the Mysterious Forest wallpaper for example. It shows tall trees and ferns, all with a clever green filter applied. This monochromatic effect has a significant impact since it really adds a sense of foreboding which allows the wallpaper to live up to its name. And yet it still carries some flexibility - I can see this being a popular choice for outdoor scenes in the coming months.
The Thaumaturgic Tile could hardly be more different with its bold design. I hope I wasn't alone in having to look up the meaning of 'thaumaturgic'! I discovered that it means a miracle and it will certainly be a miracle if I ever spell it correctly at the first attempt! The tile itself doesn't appear to follow any particular pattern, with seemingly random squiggles of light blue on a purple base. I'm sure it will come in handy for someone someday, but right now I'm struggling to think of where it could be used.
Meanwhile there's no doubting where you'd use the Mushroom Table and Mushroom Chair. Both bright blue, these furniture items will do a great job sprucing up your spring scene. They'll also go perfectly with the red Toadstool pair. Admittedly the existing table and chair are for gems so only a smattering of players will already have them, but at least we have a variation now available for purchase that has a coin price tag.
The Mystical Counter takes a different approach, with the wonders of nature replaced by an enticing and maybe mysterious unknown. Concentric circles of alternating tints of blue are the order of the day on the counter surface, with curly legs making this look more like a table. The only concern here is that when the customers are served their meal may just be sucked into an alternative universe!
The last of the new stuff which can be bought from the off is the Rearing Unicorn, a 2x2 sized floor decoration. I felt straightaway that this was an item we'd seen before in some capacity, but the only unicorn I can track down in the game is the Ice Unicorn from January 2017, and that took a slightly different form. It's out first unfrozen unicorn! She's mounted on a rounded pedestal which is a little frustrating since it rather limits what you can do with her, but nevertheless it's a safe inclusion for a magical and mythical theme.
That's everything which can be purchased from the outset covered then. It's certainly an intriguing update and goes into the 'so far so good' category. I'm in no doubt that the recipes will let us down statistically, but hopefully the prizes up for grabs can overcome that and make this a winning update!
Saturday, 17 February 2018
The Wedding of Miss Parasol and Mr Fisher: Memory #1
If you read my post last weekend providing a tour of my restaurant, The Garlic Tree, you'll be well aware of the big news. But if you haven't a quick recap - two mainstays of my place, the Playful Parasol and Lake Fisher, are getting married! Mr Fisher popped the question under the Eiffel Tower, a year after the couple first met.
The wedding is pencilled in for Saturday 21st April, and preparations are already underway. Invites will be going out in the near future, but over the next few weeks I'll be recalling memories of this power couple as we countdown to their big day.
And where better to start than with their initial meeting?
The wedding is pencilled in for Saturday 21st April, and preparations are already underway. Invites will be going out in the near future, but over the next few weeks I'll be recalling memories of this power couple as we countdown to their big day.
And where better to start than with their initial meeting?
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| Love at first sight - Valentine's Day 2017 |
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