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[sheaaaa]

While I'm really happy the game has found a new audience, I know that a lot of people want what was in the first game and while I'm going to be delivering a lot of that in the October patch I know that this game is just always going to be fundamentally different. I feel really bad for those who don't enjoy the game as much as the original...I really tried to make this its own thing and I can get super depressed reading some of the reviews from super fans. Making a sequel is the most difficult thing I've ever done.

I think this is a super interesting thing to talk about in general - indie sequels. What do you do? Change too much and invested fans are turned off. Change too little and people ask why even make a sequel. Expand in scope tremendously and people who played your first game maybe because of the novelty of a bygone genre don't come back, and the sequel doesn't perform as well (thinking of Grimrock 2) here.

Just thinking aloud - your task is a terribly difficult one. Hope CSD2 does great!

 

[Jintor]

i'm really looking forward to the extended oct patch chubs. Probably won't get around to playing it until then!

I'd love to know what kind of testing you went through as well? Just curiousity of course

 

[Rickenslacker]

While I owned it, I didn't get around to playing a lot of the first (sorry!) but a Steam friend of mine was super enthused and loves you chub and gifted me my copy of 2 because they felt they deserved to pay more than they did for the game. I'm enjoying the tower progression but I went back to revisit the first briefly to try and refresh my memory of how it was, and wow the menus were overwhelming!

I've been getting into a groove with 2, I started off using the mouse exclusively, but I've been using keyboard more now that I'm getting into the later shifts that have a lot more orders to juggle. I'm going to be forever too stupid to internalize all the specific food binds so I've decided to stick with universal keys -- but for this I have but one request for the sake of a more personally intuitive layout.

My ideal binds are QWER for the first column of ingredients/actions, ASDF for the second. Though being visually arranged as columns and trying to mentally map them to my rows of binds has my brain frying in the heat of the moment, so instead I have my binds as 1QAZ for the first column, 2WSX for the second, so as to have the keyboard layout match how they're arranged on screen -- but this means I'm opting to lose keyboard binds for orders so I stick to clicking them. I'd love for there to be an option to have the ingredients arranged in rows.

(because apple pie isn't an actual item in the game!)

Also, past me needs to get their eyes checked. Apple pie is totally in the game.

 

[chubigans]

I think this is a super interesting thing to talk about in general - indie sequels. What do you do? Change too much and invested fans are turned off. Change too little and people ask why even make a sequel. Expand in scope tremendously and people who played your first game maybe because of the novelty of a bygone genre don't come back, and the sequel doesn't perform as well (thinking of Grimrock 2) here.

Just thinking aloud - your task is a terribly difficult one. Hope CSD2 does great!

I’m gonna be posting a long detailed article on Gamasutra about this next month. Will post here when it’s done if anyone’s interested.

i'm really looking forward to the extended oct patch chubs. Probably won't get around to playing it until then!

I'd love to know what kind of testing you went through as well? Just curiousity of course

I had about 15-20 people communicating via Discord for about 2.5 weeks of beta testing. I feel like bigger pools of testing are harder to listen to since there are so many opinions. I also chose a few people who didn’t like how the game looked in early previews because I didn’t want a bunch of yes-men/women.

 

[chubigans]

While I owned it, I didn't get around to playing a lot of the first (sorry!) but a Steam friend of mine was super enthused and loves you chub and gifted me my copy of 2 because they felt they deserved to pay more than they did for the game. I'm enjoying the tower progression but I went back to revisit the first briefly to try and refresh my memory of how it was, and wow the menus were overwhelming!

I've been getting into a groove with 2, I started off using the mouse exclusively, but I've been using keyboard more now that I'm getting into the later shifts that have a lot more orders to juggle. I'm going to be forever too stupid to internalize all the specific food binds so I've decided to stick with universal keys -- but for this I have but one request for the sake of a more personally intuitive layout.

My ideal binds are QWER for the first column of ingredients/actions, ASDF for the second. Though being visually arranged as columns and trying to mentally map them to my rows of binds has my brain frying in the heat of the moment, so instead I have my binds as 1QAZ for the first column, 2WSX for the second, so as to have the keyboard layout match how they're arranged on screen -- but this means I'm opting to lose keyboard binds for orders so I stick to clicking them. I'd love for there to be an option to have the ingredients arranged in rows.

Also, past me needs to get their eyes checked. Apple pie is totally in the game.

Ingredient rows eh? Not sure how feasible that is but I’ll look into it!

 

[sheaaaa]

I’m gonna be posting a long detailed article on Gamasutra about this next month. Will post here when it’s done if anyone’s interested.

Absolutely. I think it's a topic that warrants further discussion and your take on it sounds like fascinating reading. Looking forward to that!

 

[inky]

Reaction to the game has been more mixed than I would have imagined. When you look at the achievement data for the first game, around 30% made it past the first ~2-3 hours or so. I felt that was abnormally low and wondered what the best ways would be to engage the player for a longer time.

The new structure works, in that a lot of people who felt reasonably ok to not very enthused about the first really love the second. The backfire was that some people who loved the structure of the first feel completely lost, and I had no idea that was going to ever be an issue.

That's what I've seen as well, and I usually don't even check steam reviews (which are still very positive in the case of CSD2) but I was curious to see if other people shared my thoughts, so I can't say I was that surprised to find out some mixed opinions. I think that for a certain profile of players it stood out right away. It's interesting that those numbers are something as a player you would never think about either. Even when I have compared global achievement stats I was more interested in the smaller percentage who would have the last 10 or so achievements, speaking as someone who was (and still is) interested in getting all of them at some point.

In regards to your how to handle a sequel conversation, I can understand and respect your perspective and the need to try something different that works for you. Sequels to these games is something I've thought about constantly, as someone who enjoys a regular rotation of half a dozen or so indie games I would characterize as "mechanics heavy" that I can come back to again and again. How much different would I be able to stomach? How much is it that I just want more content? How many of these ideas are something I would enjoy and everyone else hate? In my personal case these have been stuff like PvZ, FTL, Kingdom Rush, Papers Please, Spelunky, Fairie Solitaire, etc. Most of those don't have sequels (or ever will ☹ and that says something in itself), but when you played some of these games for 30, 50, 100+ hours like I have, it's impossible to not have particular ideas that won't necessarily align with other people experiences, let alone game designers needs.

I think I'm the kind of person who doesn't mind the same strong base with a few changes here and there. I think about PvZ 2 and how utterly insufferable I found it, with it's key-gated progress, premium currencies and paying for powers, yet it was way more successful and more aligned to what people like in the mobile space. I think of Kingdom Rush vs KR Frontiers which most people would think it's probably a small leap forward, more like the perfecting of that first attempt than a new thing, but because the base was already so good, I welcomed it. Obviously you have to do what's in your best interest, and I hope the feedback is more constructive than deflating going forward. It's impossible to please everybody, but you are doing good work.

 

[DrFunk]

Love the game. It has incredible music as well

Protip: don't play while hungry

 

[Moze]

Is the PS4 version still happening? Any time frame? I will wait for PS4 if it is within the next 6 months or so but if it is looking like a year+ then I might just get it on PC.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Just unlocked the sansevieria trifasciata plant (#436), my favourite plant!!!

 

[Rickenslacker]

I'm grinding through Biggs Burger's 8th shift for hours now trying for the gold and every time I fumble on the second rush hour I'm just

and hit Restart Day

Edit: Got it!

I fear what shift 9 has in store for me.

 

[chubigans]

Update 1.04 was released today; I did a major gameplay balance with patience and a ton of designer mode fixes, additions, etc. Woo!

http://steamcommunity.com/games/386620/announcements/detail/1500120408243032941

 

[AlphaDragoon]

Haven't had the chance to play the sequel yet (finances not allowing at the moment lol) but I have the first game and I'm really enjoying it even though it kicks me in the teeth sometimes (soups are the devil XD). Thanks for making an awesome series, chubigans.

 

[sleepydeer]

Is there a way to open all the reward loot boxes at once or skip them entirely? I just got ~10 in a row and even mashing enter that takes way too long because the first part of the animation isn't skippable.
The game still has that CSD magic.

 

[chubigans]

Is there a way to open all the reward loot boxes at once or skip them entirely? I just got ~10 in a row and even mashing enter that takes way too long because the first part of the animation isn't skippable.
The game still has that CSD magic.

I'll see if I can add a skip option in the next patch.

Today is the five year anniversary of CSD! I thought I'd whip up a quick video of some of my favorite moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r06EryIrJGQ

 

[TimeEffect]

I'll see if I can add a skip option in the next patch.

Today is the five year anniversary of CSD! I thought I'd whip up a quick video of some of my favorite moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r06EryIrJGQ

I see youre a pixel junk monsters fan.

Ever consider making a game like it

 

[sleepydeer]

I'll see if I can add a skip option in the next patch.

Cheers! CSD4LIFE

 

[chubigans]

I see youre a pixel junk monsters fan.

Ever consider making a game like it

I actually want to make a small game before my next big game. I have some ideas in the minimalist Pixeljunk kind of style. I can't wait.

 

[Ixian]

I actually want to make a small game before my next big game. I have some ideas in the minimalist Pixeljunk kind of style. I can't wait.

Ooh, looking forward to this; the PixelJunk games were one of my favorite things about last gen.

 

[karnage10]

Holy crap! to think you are here on GAF.

First i want to say i'm kinda sorry about getting your first game on a bundle. I bought the bundle for another game however when i tried cook serve delicious i was hooked. While the art was great what really struck me was the gameplay loop; it is, to me, lots of fun. I played the game mostly on local co-op, my only complain of the first game was the simplicity of the co op mode. I played the first game a lot with my GF, it only clocks 20h on steam because we didn't have internet.

Just so you have an idea how much i enjoyed your game (obviously you can check my steam profile),I played cook serve delicious more then: batman AC, tropico 5, dawn of war 2, nuclear throne, far cry 3, tomb raider, mortal kombat X,etc.

Obviously, this time i'm not skipping out on the fun. I bought cook serve delicious 2 on launch day. We are having a blast again. She has been kinda "sad" that the campaign doesn't have the buzz, menu rot, VIP, dates, the e-mails,etc. My opinion however is slightly different, while i agree that it lacks on the "progression" the core gameplay loop is so much more satisfying. The side dishes, the main dishes, the new co-op mode are so very satisfying. We already clocked 8h on the game even with warhammer 2 and stellaris DLC launching close to your game.

This post went a bit bigger then i thought it would. I just wanted to say that, to me, your game is a LOT of fun. Thank you for making it.

 

[Jintor]

can't wait for the campaign patch. I started playing cook for hire and that's... fun enough, but the progression in CSD1 - the idea of gradually mastering new dishes, adding them to my own menu, investing in better tech and climbing my own way up - that was the real draw to me.

 

[Jintor]

Also, this might make it too damn easy, but if the ingredient descriptions below the food underlined the letter that corresponded to that ingrediant's hotkey, that would be sooooo good.

Also why can't I skive off and do something while the dishwasher is running?

 

[chubigans]

Holy crap! to think you are here on GAF.

First i want to say i'm kinda sorry about getting your first game on a bundle. I bought the bundle for another game however when i tried cook serve delicious i was hooked. While the art was great what really struck me was the gameplay loop; it is, to me, lots of fun. I played the game mostly on local co-op, my only complain of the first game was the simplicity of the co op mode. I played the first game a lot with my GF, it only clocks 20h on steam because we didn't have internet.

Just so you have an idea how much i enjoyed your game (obviously you can check my steam profile),I played cook serve delicious more then: batman AC, tropico 5, dawn of war 2, nuclear throne, far cry 3, tomb raider, mortal kombat X,etc.

Obviously, this time i'm not skipping out on the fun. I bought cook serve delicious 2 on launch day. We are having a blast again. She has been kinda "sad" that the campaign doesn't have the buzz, menu rot, VIP, dates, the e-mails,etc. My opinion however is slightly different, while i agree that it lacks on the "progression" the core gameplay loop is so much more satisfying. The side dishes, the main dishes, the new co-op mode are so very satisfying. We already clocked 8h on the game even with warhammer 2 and stellaris DLC launching close to your game.

This post went a bit bigger then i thought it would. I just wanted to say that, to me, your game is a LOT of fun. Thank you for making it.

Thanks so much! Do let her know that a lot of what she mentioned will be in the v1.1 patch with the all new Classic mode. But yeah, the main focus is definitely the new mode, and I'm glad you're enjoying it! Really appreciate it!

Also, this might make it too damn easy, but if the ingredient descriptions below the food underlined the letter that corresponded to that ingrediant's hotkey, that would be sooooo good.

Also why can't I skive off and do something while the dishwasher is running?

Ah the thing about keys in the recipe is that it renders the ingredient panel more or less useless. Could be worth trying out though! And someone else mentioned having a dishwasher be the two phase thing, which could be neat, but I kind of like having it be a timed chore where you have to set aside a specific amount of time to deal with it. Kind of changes things up.

 

[Rickenslacker]

I was considering suggesting underlining the key but I thought against it as the memorization seems pretty ingrained in the design intent. I just use the universal keys and map down the placements in my head as remembering the corresponding keys to things with the same first letter in a pinch is something that's a bit beyond me right now.

 

[Stumpokapow]

I hesitate to give too much detailed feedback because I think it's bad when creators I admire respond too much to fans and second guess themselves, but I wanted to speak up to say I like the way the dish washing works now. It makes things very tense while you're waiting for it and I'd be sad if it was another ball to juggle in the background.

 

[StMeph]

In for the free tags, staying for the game.


Edit: serious question, as a sequel to the first game that I did not play, is it safe to assume that 2 is basically more of everything with improvements from the 1st? That is, basically jump straight into 2 as the better experience and don't need to get/play 1?

 

[truestatic]

I hesitate to give too much detailed feedback because I think it's bad when creators I admire respond too much to fans and second guess themselves, but I wanted to speak up to say I like the way the dish washing works now. It makes things very tense while you're waiting for it and I'd be sad if it was another ball to juggle in the background.

Plus, it's a moment that forces you to DO NOTHING. For like just two seconds, you have no choice but to do nothing, and that's great. On the more stressful levels it's both a curse and a blessing, because "how do I fit in a delay where I do nothing," but at the same time "oh god I can breathe for a sec."

 

[Oynox]

can't wait for the campaign patch. I started playing cook for hire and that's... fun enough, but the progression in CSD1 - the idea of gradually mastering new dishes, adding them to my own menu, investing in better tech and climbing my own way up - that was the real draw to me.

There is going to be a campaign again with progression? Oh man that is so great. Actually, I played CSD2 first and was amazed by the simple level based gameplay and was wondering, hey why did you find CSD1 so confusing let's try it again. Now I am replaying CSD1 and finally it clicked and I love the progression, besides the fact that 20 days of service tends to be very long haha. I am really looking forward to play CSD2 after I finished CSD1 though.

It is great to have indie developers being in direct contact with their fans and critiques.

 

[Jintor]

Ah the thing about keys in the recipe is that it renders the ingredient panel more or less useless. Could be worth trying out though! And someone else mentioned having a dishwasher be the two phase thing, which could be neat, but I kind of like having it be a timed chore where you have to set aside a specific amount of time to deal with it. Kind of changes things up.

Yeah and it's difficult to translate to controller setups i expect. Still it'd be a cool easy mode option lol.

The dishwasher though, I kinda wanna push for it - it's dead time in a thing where I'm often balancing other half-tasks and half-recipies, and i mean the point of the dishwasher is so I can just slam the plates in there and forget about them, right? haha. But i get it, it's a choice.

 

[Fitz]

+1 for the dishwasher in its current state. You can still send out completed meals whilst it's running don't forget.

In for the free tags, staying for the game.


Edit: serious question, as a sequel to the first game that I did not play, is it safe to assume that 2 is basically more of everything with improvements from the 1st? That is, basically jump straight into 2 as the better experience and don't need to get/play 1?

Whilst I prefer it overall to the first game, it doesn't feel like a typical sequel to me. The first was all about progressing your restaurant, with some side challenges on the way to the top. This one (for now at least) has reversed that, with the challenges being the meat of the game, and running your own place feels like a break between all that.
Though that's just the general structure, the actual gameplay feels much nicer to me, maybe it's the soundfx, but it feels somehow snappier to me.

With the upcoming updates though, I'd say it makes the most sense to just go for the sequel.

 

[border]

Are the holding stations basically just a way to cheat through rush hour while maintaining a combo streak?

Just let all the holding station items pop up and don't clear them until they've nearly expired.....probably lets you get through all of lunch dinner without actually having to scramble.

 

[Fitz]

Are the holding stations basically just a way to cheat through rush hour while maintaining a combo streak?

Just let all the holding station items pop up and don't clear them until they've nearly expired.....probably lets you get through all of lunch dinner without actually having to scramble.

I'd say it's more like an extra layer on top of what you're doing already. Side dishes need to be watched so that you don't end up losing your extra wait time during a rush hour, plus many of the holding station meals still need prep before serving. E.g. Cannoli pastries are cooked via the holding station, but then you still need to deal with individual fillings/toppings when serving.
On top of that there are some dishes which can only be served via the holding stations (i.e. not able to cook individually), another thing you have to keep track of.

 

[chubigans]

Ok, I'm not gonna mess with the dishwashing chore.

Thanks so much for the feedback!

 

[ShogunDarius]

any update on console versions?

 

[Dr.Phibes]

I actually want to make a small game before my next big game. I have some ideas in the minimalist Pixeljunk kind of style. I can't wait.

So, nothing for VR planned?

 

[chubigans]

any update on console versions?

I will be getting a PS4 devkit in November so I'll be hitting that version hard next month.

So, nothing for VR planned?

That's a bit out of my expertise, so nothing planned right now.

 

[Dr.Phibes]

I will be getting a PS4 devkit in November so I'll be hitting that version hard next month.



That's a bit out of my expertise, so nothing planned right now.

That's a shame. Seemed like you really enjoyed your Vive.
Btw, bought CSD2 gift copies for my four siblings, they all love it.

 

[Jintor]

Ok, I'm not gonna mess with the dishwashing chore.

Thanks so much for the feedback!

D-d-defeated

 

[inky]

I actually want to make a small game before my next big game. I have some ideas in the minimalist Pixeljunk kind of style. I can't wait.

MMOCRPG innit

Spoiler

The C stands for Cooking.

 

[TimeEffect]

I actually want to make a small game before my next big game. I have some ideas in the minimalist Pixeljunk kind of style. I can't wait.

Oh man if you make a Monsters-like game, Im so in




Anywho, Im seeing that this game is lighter on content, but heavier on post-launch support. Seems you are both bringing it up to speed and going beyond, which is exciting.

I think one of the criticisms I saw was that tasks are simpler, while in the original, there were more unique ways to finish them. Is that something thats being addressed?

Also, I know this is kind of too much to ask, but is it possible to be able to "drag" the ingredients onto the screen?

Like, say youre making a burger. You can drag the bun, then the mayo, ketchup, etc. Personally, it's what Id prefer to clicking keys, because it makes the tasks more frantic as you're more in control of the experience.

I know the game is more about speed and memorization, but Id love to manage a kitchen with careful attention paid to reading the order and "making" the order as opposed to pressing the buttons.

So, instead of seeing the ingredients and instantly pressing the keys, something more like a note that says:

"Everything but mayo", or "No ketchup" or "Extra guac", "...cut into 3"


And, as far as multiplayer goes, is it at all possible to add a competitive mode in that you get the same orders and just compete against each other? Or to have leaderboards for challenges?


Sorry if this has been answered, Im mostly avoiding watching too much content because I don't want to spoil it for myself (For when it comes to console)

 

[chubigans]

I think one of the criticisms I saw was that tasks are simpler, while in the original, there were more unique ways to finish them. Is that something thats being addressed?

This was not always the case, for example, the roach chore was going to be where you saw roaches and sprayed them with bug spray. A lot of people didn't like seeing that in-game, so I had to take it out and replace it with a more standard chore. The chores as they are now are probably gonna stay that way, but I do have a few ideas of adding a little variety.

Also, I know this is kind of too much to ask, but is it possible to be able to "drag" the ingredients onto the screen?

Like, say youre making a burger. You can drag the bun, then the mayo, ketchup, etc. Personally, it's what Id prefer to clicking keys, because it makes the tasks more frantic as you're more in control of the experience.

I know the game is more about speed and memorization, but Id love to manage a kitchen with careful attention paid to reading the order and "making" the order as opposed to pressing the buttons.

So, instead of seeing the ingredients and instantly pressing the keys, something more like a note that says:

"Everything but mayo", or "No ketchup" or "Extra guac", "...cut into 3"

That would make it quite a different game really! There's no real easy way to do this without significant re-coding so sadly I don't think that's possible at the moment, but I agree it could add a unique style for sure.

And, as far as multiplayer goes, is it at all possible to add a competitive mode in that you get the same orders and just compete against each other? Or to have leaderboards for challenges?

I have some fun ideas for when Iron Cook gets added down the line.

 

[echoshifting]

I was holding off on buying this game until 1.1 hit, but I couldn't resist and picked it up last night. I've put in about 4 hours so far...and, yeah, I LOVE it. I was worried about some of the progression issues I had read about here, but I actually quite like working in the different restaurants. I'm sure I'll enjoy the new gameplay modes in 1.1 as well, but I'm happy I didn't wait any longer.

The holding stations are a brilliant addition that add a lot to the gameplay...I love how they change the decision-making from the first game. Local co-op is SO fun. At least half of my game time so far has been spent playing with my daughter and we have been having a blast with it. I can't remember if this was in the first game despite sinking ~40-50 hours into it across a couple of different platforms, but I'm glad it's here.

Loving what you came up with for this one, chubigans, and can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!

 

[Amiibro]

this game looks super cool, I will pick it up once it hits console as I dont really game on my laptop. My kid will be excited to watch this, we are always watching Bob's Burgers and for some reason this reminds me of it hahaha.