I realize y'all gotta pay the bills, but...

[Ailinea]

So do the rest of us. I went to decorate my restaurant with a nice nature-y type theme and looked at the prices of green tiles, and... wtf, seriously? 1 gem PER tile?! Are you f***ing serious. 90% of the colored tiles are bought with gems. Why is this? That's like over 50 gems if I wanted to tile just HALF my restaurant green. I understand some of the fancy decorative items need gems to obtain, and that's fine (though I think there are way too many that could be bought with coins instead), pricing a flipping tile at 1 gem a piece is just WAY too much.

Not to mention, if I even had the money to buy them I wouldn't, because I have yet to see a "weekly" update and I refuse to support a company that doesn't deliver and lies to paying customers. I find it immoral and quite frankly, embarrassing.

Just my constructive feedback; I'm sorry it isn't happy, cheery, and all sucked-up, but not all the criticism you get will be positive. Being nice doesn't get people's attention all time. Thanks for reading.

[Unregistered]

I'm going to second this. I won't be paying for gems I downloaded a free game & I luv it-totally addicted but will not be paying real money for gems in a game I use to fill time. Again, 1gem per floor tile?! Give me a break! They can cost coins! Easy to fix, there r plenty of solutions to this problem1. Gems are cheaper 2. Gems are free 3. Items that cost gems are changed to coins 4.the best solution:you can use coins to buy gems..come on guys I have seen countless reviews & forums of people saying they have a problem with the price of gems..if u don't respond soon it's too easy to delete the game & move onto something else. Ps my restaurant name and ID is luvettes I have not once recieved gems for leveling up foods

[Annette101]

I agree, gems are expensive. But, not for some people obviously or else TeamLava wouldn't sell them or do as well as they are doing with the Story games. So, while they are too expensive for you they aren't for everyone.

I haven't bought gems (at level 17 in Bakery Story) and just don't even consider using things that cost gems. For me, it's about the community, leveling and expanding my bakery. I do think, once I've leveled up I might want to buy some fancy decorative items and might spend $20 or so, which to me, is what the game is worth. Green tile in Bakery Story are 500 coins, btw.

[Unregistered]

I agree, gems are expensive. But, not for some people obviously or else TeamLava wouldn't sell them or do as well as they are doing with the Story games. So, while they are too expensive for you they aren't for everyone.

I haven't bought gems (at level 17 in Bakery Story) and just don't even consider using things that cost gems. For me, it's about the community, leveling and expanding my bakery. I do think, once I've leveled up I might want to buy some fancy decorative items and might spend $20 or so, which to me, is what the game is worth. Green tile in Bakery Story are 500 coins, btw.

You make a good point. Its basic economics. If there are enough people who are willing to, and can pay, then there is no incentive to lower. There is an argument that if they lower the price more people would buy, but I don't personally believe that. At least not enough to make up the diff.

I wouldn't buy more. I'd buy the same, just cheaper. Some might buy because Gems are cheaper, but it would only make up the diff for what some of us are already thinking is a reasonable cost. Then there will be the ones who will continue to complain that there is any cost at all, not quite understanding that the developers are not making these games as a hobby.

I'm a high level player in the games. My reason for playing is different than others. I find constant redesign a relaxing mindless exercise. My priority isn't cost or updates.

The only thing on my wish list is getting rid of magic case and selling some/most/all outright. I'm not into the randomness. Id like to get premium items that fit in with my designs, so up to now I've steered clear of them (with one exception- but am happy with the winter barn)

I find it hard to swallow too all the folks crying poor, yet they own these devices that aren't staple for the truly underprivileged. But who knows, I could be wrong on that score.

Some may disagree, that's ok. But for me the cost doesn't seem unreasonable.

[Unregistered]

I'm going to second this. I won't be paying for gems I downloaded a free game & I luv it-totally addicted but will not be paying real money for gems in a game I use to fill time. Again, 1gem per floor tile?! Give me a break! They can cost coins! Easy to fix, there r plenty of solutions to this problem1. Gems are cheaper 2. Gems are free 3. Items that cost gems are changed to coins 4.the best solution:you can use coins to buy gems..come on guys I have seen countless reviews & forums of people saying they have a problem with the price of gems..if u don't respond soon it's too easy to delete the game & move onto something else. Ps my restaurant name and ID is luvettes I have not once recieved gems for leveling up foods

So what would their incentive be to continue this game?
If everything costs coins, they'd have no income.

How do you expect these guys to earn a living, to keep these games going , if there were ways no one would ever need to buy gems to get a trivial item?

Really, I'm asking you? How do they earn a living if they take your suggestion. I wouldn't work for free. Would you?

I buy gems sometimes. But I wouldn't if there was a no cost way. I played WE games for awhile and they have a set up like what you're saying. I never spent a dime on those games....didn't much like their graphics either...but just asking you to explain how they could do this and still manage to pay their bills?

Please don't say those that could afford would still pay. As one in that grouping I can tell you straight out...no we wouldnt.

[Unregistered]

So what would their incentive be to continue this game?
If everything costs coins, they'd have no income.

How do you expect these guys to earn a living, to keep these games going , if there were ways no one would ever need to buy gems to get a trivial item?

Really, I'm asking you? How do they earn a living if they take your suggestion. I wouldn't work for free. Would you?

I buy gems sometimes. But I wouldn't if there was a no cost way. I played WE games for awhile and they have a set up like what you're saying. I never spent a dime on those games....didn't much like their graphics either...but just asking you to explain how they could do this and still manage to pay their bills?

Please don't say those that could afford would still pay. As one in that grouping I can tell you straight out...no we wouldnt.

Ngmoco (We game devs)Can likely do this because they have ads in their games. So probably earn $ that way to make up for people not buying mojo (their version of gems) I hate ads in my game time as much as I hate spam in my email or telemarketer and market/opinion research pest calls. That's a big reason I stopped playing their suckish graphics ****.
I'd rather pay a little for extras I want then put up with ads and marketing **** when I'm gaming.

[Unregistered]

What you're missing, you who always come to TL's defense in threads like this, is that they quit a long long time ago adding anything to actual gameplay and instead just decorations. Yay. A dollhouse isn't much of a game.

Personally, I think they should add great enhancements to gameplay (fwiw I thought gift-giving was the worst and I don't participate anymore) in an update that costs $2.99 for everyone to use. That way they get their money and we get an actual game to play.

(And that's being generous. I bought Fruit Ninja for 99 cents and its replay value blows anything TL could even dream of away).

[Unregistered]

I think we all know that TL needs to make money. I don't begrudge anyone making a living. But there are ways to do this without alienating your customer base. First of all, provide the updates you promised.

1. Get rid of the Magic Boxes. Provide some decs for coins and others for gems Ppl will buy more readily if they know what they are buying.

2. With each game, things get more expensive. Bakery Story floor tiles, wall panels and table are much more money than in RS. Include more tiles for coins so that ppl can decorate their restaurants.

3. Give more Gems for the price....it's too expensive and the amount of Gems you get doesn't last very long considering the prices of decs and expansions.

4. Treat ppl fairly. Put in confirmation warnings where there is an opportunity to buy something for gems. Give ppl warnings that putting counters in storage will result in losing any food that is on them. Things of that nature. If ppl were not being constantly upset by the callous way TL treats the customers, I think some of the upset would go away.

I have supported the game by buying gems but I will no longer do so. TL seems much more intent on on grabbing the cash and not caring if their customers are happy. They figure there will always be new users who will fall into the numerous Gem traps they have on here. This is so unnecessary. You can make a profit without tricking ppl and gouging them just to get nice decs and buildings.

[Unregistered]

What you're missing, you who always come to TL's defense in threads like this, is that they quit a long long time ago adding anything to actual gameplay and instead just decorations. Yay. A dollhouse isn't much of a game.

Personally, I think they should add great enhancements to gameplay (fwiw I thought gift-giving was the worst and I don't participate anymore) in an update that costs $2.99 for everyone to use. That way they get their money and we get an actual game to play.

(And that's being generous. I bought Fruit Ninja for 99 cents and its replay value blows anything TL could even dream of away).

Why do you need to attack with that "you who always come to TLs defense". Because it is an attack. A clear attempt to stifle a differing point of view so that the board is always slanted one way. Negative. I don't see those other comments coming to defense, I read them as coming from a differing frame of mind. I think there is room for both perspectives. At least I hope so.

[Unregistered]

Why do you need to attack with that "you who always come to TLs defense". Because it is an attack. A clear attempt to stifle a differing point of view so that the board is always slanted one way. Negative. I don't see those other comments coming to defense, I read them as coming from a differing frame of mind. I think there is room for both perspectives. At least I hope so.

Oops sorry, as for your other suggestion, there might be some merit. I know for me though I won't buy a game outright. I like to see a free or, if you will, a light version, to see if it's something I want to play enough to put money in. I'm sort of glad these games were free for the basic version, else they wouldnt be on my device lol.

[Unregistered]

(And that's being generous. I bought Fruit Ninja for 99 cents and its replay value blows anything TL could even dream of away).
hi
I looked because your suggestion made me curious :)
fruit ninja is 4.99. I couldn't find a lit version :(

[Unregistered]

I think Fruit Ninja was on sale when I bought it (and I'm talking about the iPhone/iTouch version ...) but to be honest it's still worth it at 5 bucks. Great challenges and replay value.

As for gameplay here, I never understood why TL didn't offer an almost infinite checklist of "achievements" like (since we're talking RS) ... "Raking in Dough: Cook 100 pizzas" or "Spoiler Alert: Allow 100 dishes to spoil," give 1,000 tips, etc. As with these proposed badges and food mastery, there should be a way for others to see which dishes you've mastered (I proposed in the past that with each level up, the dish would look slightly different -- garnishes, etc.) and also the more mastered dishes there are, the chef's appearance begins to change.

And these are just basic, basic gameplay enhancements. In FS I had long ago proposed "tasks" like "water 200 canteloupes." -- imagine one with roses and how hard of an achievement that would be! People rarely harvest them because they cost a gem and once they're watered they can't be unwatered, so you'd have to do some serious exploration.

There are much more complex gameplay enhancements TL could implement that would be worth creating a Lite and Full (paid) version for.

I am not only a naysayer on these threads (although yeah, I dish out a lot of justified criticism at TL). I have offered tons of meaningful suggestions. It's disappointing that instead of anything remotely gameplay-ish being adopted, the company has dedicated itself to releasing sporadic decorations that cost money and do nothing to improve gameplay.

Hence the dollhouse comparison. Although, it's more like paying money to keep a tiny piece of furniture in a dollhouse belonging to a friend and being granted access to see it. Since the pixels paid for exist solely on remote servers (and we've seen these servers experience problems in the past), you don't really own anything when you fork over cash for a lottery chance at a poorly rendered Santa Clause for your virtual restaurant.

Someone in this or another thread claimed that the only people who complain about TL are the ones who aren't paying anyway. I would gladly pay a small fee for better gameplay. Not trinkets.

[Unregistered]

Me again. Sorry. There is veggie Samuri new that looked a bit like fruit ninja, but free so I tried. Not for me. I don't tend to like those type of games. Or the questing ones.
Some of your suggestions above sound well thought out and I know many would like those types of things. But I hope if they implement there is also a way to keep playing like it is, without having to do the water 100 cant elopes thing, in order to still make headway. From what I've read on these boards, it's going to be hard to find a happy medium. Ie keep it like it is for those who like, but have the added features you suggest for players who like more. Thanks for the info. 

[Ailinea]

OP here. Guess I should clarify, though I think most of you are in your right mind and are addressing the post below my original post. I'm all for games offering special items for real money; hell, it's how they have to make money, and I'm also in agreement with the poster that would rather have that as an option instead of annoying ads. In the past I've paid real money for games and I don't think it's a horrible idea. However, my complaint is that 1 gem for EACH tile is too much. Bakery Story offers different color tiles for coins, and I would like to see that on Restaurant Story.

On a tangent, I'm also pretty miffed that TeamLava decided to capitalize on a new game instead of adding the features to the copy they ripped it off of. Soooooo many people would have been more than appreciative of the massive amount of new content. I won't even being to describe how absolutely disgusted I am about TL's decision to release a new game with more broken promises instead of updating their older original games. I feel like we've been conned. New Christmas update is ONLY a $5 box you have to pay real money for? Give me a break.

Anyway, my initial complaint is that the gems for tiles needs to go. Also, more decorative options that you can buy with gems OR coins would be nice. And no, just because I could afford an iPhone does not mean my pockets are lined with money and I can shell out cash on virtual currency/items. How ignorant to assume so.

And to TeamLava's supporters, you are of course more than welcome to be here and voice your opinion. While most of the posts on this board are negative, that clearly shows the population's current opinion of TeamLava. We're all entitled to our opinion, as you are yours. I'm just glad some of you can be more positive than others. :)

[Unregistered]

To the poster two above: Of course you wouldn't have to do the "tasks" or whatever they'd be called like my cantelope example ... you don't have to do the missions in any of the Storm8 games either -- but you can get interesting loot if you do (then again, the loot in those games actually has a statistical attack/defense purpose and not just a pretty trinket ...).

At any rate, I never said I'm totally against the option of buying decor even if I find it laughably overpriced. What I oppose is that the entire crux of these "games" (can they really be called games?) seems to be decoration, not gameplay. And to me that's a great waste.

To support the OP whose thread I've apparently bulled my way into ... one gem per floor tile is ridiculous, and TL semi-abandoning a game to focus on its near-identical clone is pathetic.

The climate on these forums leans heavily in the disappointment factor. We wouldn't be here posting if we didn't see some promise in these products, but as consumers of TL's products more people are voicing displeasure than not.

Perhaps they will take note.

[Unregistered]

So what would their incentive be to continue this game?
If everything costs coins, they'd have no income.

How do you expect these guys to earn a living, to keep these games going , if there were ways no one would ever need to buy gems to get a trivial item?

Really, I'm asking you? How do they earn a living if they take your suggestion. I wouldn't work for free. Would you?

I buy gems sometimes. But I wouldn't if there was a no cost way. I played WE games for awhile and they have a set up like what you're saying. I never spent a dime on those games....didn't much like their graphics either...but just asking you to explain how they could do this and still manage to pay their bills?

Please don't say those that could afford would still pay. As one in that grouping I can tell you straight out...no we wouldnt.



I understand they need to earn money somehow.. but let's be real the gems are TOO expensive.. and not all of us have the money to spend money on fake money.. and to be honest i rather pay 10 dollars for the entire game rather than to spend 4.99 for 24 gems which aren't even enough to get most of the things..

that's a way for them to earn their living money.. since you asked..

[Unregistered]

Uhm am i in the wrong forum or it's this suppose to be about the restaurant story or about ninjas?

[Unregistered]

I understand they need to earn money somehow.. but let's be real the gems are TOO expensive.. and not all of us have the money to spend money on fake money.. and to be honest i rather pay 10 dollars for the entire game rather than to spend 4.99 for 24 gems which aren't even enough to get most of the things..

that's a way for them to earn their living money.. since you asked..

So what's with the attack of "ridiculous"? Your explanation or opinion was fine without the snark. This is exactly whats wrong. It was an honest question, your answer to it was quite reasonable, but the snark ruined in. No wonder the flaming continues by factions.

[Unregistered]

Uhm am i in the wrong forum or it's this suppose to be about the restaurant story or about ninjas?

Both. Because those that like the game as is, and those that would like changes or costs reduced are snarling and fighting on here just like ninjas. But with less honor. Both as equally rude. Ninjas, tho anonymous, fight with honor and cause. ( I know, you meant the game) lol

[Unregistered]

Both. Because those that like the game as is, and those that would like changes or costs reduced are snarling and fighting on here just like ninjas. But with less honor. Both as equally rude. Ninjas, tho anonymous, fight with honor and cause. ( I know, you meant the game) lol

Lol i did mean the game.

[Unregistered]

So what's with the attack of "ridiculous"? Your explanation or opinion was fine without the snark. This is exactly whats wrong. It was an honest question, your answer to it was quite reasonable, but the snark ruined in. No wonder the flaming continues by factions.

The Ridiculous statement or opinion was based on how WE continue fighting over a game..
(didn't want to explain too much)
just like everyone else I've made my point, for some of us the gems are to expensive and we'd like different ways to earn them without paying hundreds of dollars a month.. and others think different... others don't care
but the fact is that the majority of the people do think gems cost a bit too much but we'll still keep playing..
i'm one of them (:

[Unregistered]

Or there's those of us that, in addition to gems costing too much, the things you can purchase with them have no function whatsover other than decor and this kind of decor nonsense is getting stale.

[Unregistered]

The Ridiculous statement or opinion was based on how WE continue fighting over a game..
(didn't want to explain too much)
just like everyone else I've made my point, for some of us the gems are to expensive and we'd like different ways to earn them without paying hundreds of dollars a month.. and others think different... others don't care
but the fact is that the majority of the people do think gems cost a bit too much but we'll still keep playing..
i'm one of them (:
Thanks for that clarification. For the record, I do understand your point, though personally it's not an issue with me. But I do understand why it's an issue for others. I too think that fighting over a game is, how you said, ridiculous. Cheers

[Unregistered]

Or there's those of us that, in addition to gems costing too much, the things you can purchase with them have no function whatsover other than decor and this kind of decor nonsense is getting stale.

I understand what you're saying. For me however, the decoration and design facets are the exact reason I like these games over other fare available. If it were to become competitive or questing in nature, I think our positions would be flipped...lol. I'd be one of the ones disgruntled on the board. Good thing I've kept my iTunes receipts...lol

I would like more decorations however. Like windows and wall paintings. But yes, they'd be useless ornaments too. But I'd still like them.

[Unregistered]

I understand what you're saying. For me however, the decoration and design facets are the exact reason I like these games over other fare available. If it were to become competitive or questing in nature, I think our positions would be flipped...lol. I'd be one of the ones disgruntled on the board. Good thing I've kept my iTunes receipts...lol

I would like more decorations however. Like windows and wall paintings. But yes, they'd be useless ornaments too. But I'd still like them.

I'd love it if TeamLava would actually add more things to the game.. like you said paintings and windows would be a great addition to the game as well as us being able to sell walls/tiles that are just useless to the ones that like to use different themes, including myself.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for that clarification. For the record, I do understand your point, though personally it's not an issue with me. But I do understand why it's an issue for others. I too think that fighting over a game is, how you said, ridiculous. Cheers

Cheers it is.

[Unregistered]

I'd love it if TeamLava would actually add more things to the game.. like you said paintings and windows would be a great addition to the game as well as us being able to sell walls/tiles that are just useless to the ones that like to use different themes, including myself.

Agreed completely... See we can all agree on somethings. I love it! Being as I'm into the games for redesign, I haven't truly mind having wallpaper and tiles in storage, just in case I change it up again, but for their cost I think it would help many players to be able to sell the if the don't think they'll use them again. To help off set cost of new designs.

I've mulled over someones point about tiles costing a gem, and have turned my thinking on that one a little. Because so many tiles are needed, 1 gem per can get a tad pricey for some players. Only a few should be for gems and the ones that are, maybe you should get a grouping of, four or five for one gem, to be fair. Just a mulling thought. So I guess you have one of the so called defenders swayed on this issue :)

[Unregistered]

Agreed completely... See we can all agree on somethings. I love it! Being as I'm into the games for redesign, I haven't truly mind having wallpaper and tiles in storage, just in case I change it up again, but for their cost I think it would help many players to be able to sell the if the don't think they'll use them again. To help off set cost of new designs.

I've mulled over someones point about tiles costing a gem, and have turned my thinking on that one a little. Because so many tiles are needed, 1 gem per can get a tad pricey for some players. Only a few should be for gems and the ones that are, maybe you should get a grouping of, four or five for one gem, to be fair. Just a mulling thought. So I guess you have one of the so called defenders swayed on this issue :)

Agreed!
TeamLava needs to upgrade some of this items, it'd be very helpful for many of us users.