Deliciously Indulgent Bakery Store Venue Review

Hey guys,

It's the first week of April, and that means we get another new store release this week! This is the review of the Deliciously Indulgent Store Venue via The Sims 3 Store.  It's sold for 1900 Simpoints (not on a sale discount) and includes two premium content items.

Hope you guys enjoy the review,
AznSensei

Price Breakdown

Like all other reviews, this section of the review discusses the individual item costs and informing whether or not the savings are great for you as the consumer and whether or not you prefer to wait for the item to go on a better sale price.  This venue comes with 2 premium content objects and 14 Build/Buy content.  There are no CAS assets included in this venue. 

Below are the prices of all of the individual items that come with this venue (of course not sold separately) and how much you would actually be paying for and what you would save in buying it as a venue.

Baker's Bazaar Collection: 500 Simpoints

Baker's Station: 700 Simpoints

Half Baked Awning: 25 Simpoints

Decadent Dessert Poster in a Window: 100 Simpoints

Single Vision de Dessert Window: 100 Simpoints

Vision de Dessert Window: 100 Simpoints

Le Fantaisie Baker's Signe: 25 Simpoints

Le Petite Baker's Signe: 25 Simpoints

Today's Special Street Sign: 25 Simpoints

Fresh Baked Awning: 25 Simpoints

Flour Sack: 25 Simpoints

Faux Bread in a Bucket: 25 Simpoints

The Perfect Plastic Pie: 25 Simpoints

Handy Cookie Jar: 25 Simpoints

Bake-A-Lot Cookbooks: 25 Simpoints

Today's Special Wall Sign: 25 Simpoints

Total Cost of Individual Items: 1775 Simpoints

Cost of Venue: 1900 Simpoints

Savings: (-)125 Simpoints

EXTRA Build/Buy Content from the Oven:
Birthday Cake: 100 Simpoints
Wedding Cake: 200 Simpoints

Total Cost of Individual Items with bonus content: 2075 Simpoints (1975 by combining the single windows)
Cost of Venue: 1900 Simpoints
Savings: 175 Simpoints (75 if you combine the single windows)

While it looks like a there's not that much content, it's also mostly decor and I feel like there are some discrepancies within the item list such as:

• The Single-Tile Windows are both the same except one has no poster... In my eyes, I consider something like this with a "Stencil" and "No Stencil" option and should have been lumped together and not sold separately.  Even though they are both not going to be sold individually, it throws off my calculations and pretty much instead of 200 Simpoints for two same windows, it should have been 100. Thus it makes the item cost be 1675 Simpoints instead of 1775.
• There are tons of decor, which means I have no clue whether or not some are worth 50 simpoints and if some are worth 25 simpoints.  We've had nicely designed items for 25 Simpoints and some not-so-much sold for 50 simpoints, so the calculations may be off.  Until then, I'm treating it as 25 Simpoints each in this case.
• Unlike the Prism Art Studio's Glassblowing station, where you can get the items outside of the station, the recipes included cannot be made outside of the premium content nor are they in the recipe books. I don't include the recipes in my calculation because they are already tied to a 700 simpoint item (while most are normally 500 simpoints) like the other premium content (Wood Fire Oven, Teppanyaki Grill, etc.).

I feel like we could have gotten more from the item count, to make it worth at least over 1900 Simpoints.  Honestly, it seems like they have decided to give us less content for the price marked.  If the item cost was around 2000 Simpoints, then sure I'll live with it.  Since there is no sale price with the venue also, this is what I would consider an "over-priced" venue upon release for what you are getting, making it seem not worthwhile.  However, if you use the calculations with the extra content you can find in build/buy mode though, it would add up to 2075 Simpoints, more than what the venue provides.

This is for those who look at it in a object = price scenario. If you prefer to look at it in a gameplay/aesthetic look, then continue on to the review.

Venue

This venue is a 30x30 Community Lot designated as a "Hangout" and seems to approach more of a classical bakery look, with an emphasis on "Old-Town"-like design. 

This venue has three different buildings and a park-like area in the back of the building.  I think the venue is designed fairly nice and convenient for the simmers to utilize more than one building, in case they want to build a shopping center or different types of foods in a market.  Due to the use of the premium content included, one can have a bakery, a restaurant (with the Business As Usual Bistro), or a specialty food store. Or you can have shops along with the bakery, or even make your own living area (if you want to make it a residential lot).  The possibilities are endless.

Below are the images of the lot itself, so I hope you guys enjoy.

Premium Content: Baker's Bazaar Collection

One of the premium content that comes with this venue is the Baker's Bazaar Collection (currently not sold individually but maybe in the future for 500 Simpoints).  This particular premium content item is similar to the Savvy Seller's Collection, but doesn't focus on the Build/Buy content or craftables, rather it focuses on the recipes you can create in The Sims 3, The Sims 3 Expansion Packs, and The Sims 3 Store.  

This item comes in multiple parts and includes the following:

• Delightful Dessert Display
• Rustic Bakery Rack
• Baker's Sales Rugs
• Sweet Nothing Simoleon Register

Below are all of the images of the items that come with the Baker's Bazaar Collection:

While it may function as the Savvy Seller's Collection, there are some slight differences which I will list below:

•  The Delightful Desert Display is refrigerated and can hold any foods created to keep them from spoiling.
• Once you sell the items, they are automatically removed from the displays rather than staying on them (like the Savvy Seller's Collection) and need restocking (More info regarding restocking will be discussed later in this review).
• If you have a cashier running the register, you will no longer get the "Cashier cannot make it to work" notices and there should be someone running the register at the appropriate time.
• Unlike the Savvy Seller's Collection, there are no objects that set the time of when your Bakery will open and close.  This means you will nee the Savvy Seller's to create your door hours if you have multiple buildings and only the register will set the hours for the lot.

This premium content item has no additional extra gameplay other than the changes that the Savvy Seller's Collection didn't provide as noted above. Other than that, I am happy they created something that would focus mostly on recipes and the foods we create (other than baked goods).

The complete list of baked goods that can be placed in the Baker's Bazaar Collection will be added in my tutorial that will be made separate to this blog.

Much like the Savvy Seller's Collection, you can also set the markup along with the sale price with these items too and purchase from the displays or the register.  Other than that, there is nothing new.

There is a drawback when it comes to restocking as so far there are only two ways to restock.

1. You make the item at home, place it in the fridge, put it in your inventory, and place it in the displays.
2. You will have to own the community lot and once you make your items, you will go to Build/Buy Mode in order to put the stuff you made in the community lot into the displays.

Take note that if you want to make profits from this, you'll have to own the lot itself.  Unfortunately, I did wish there was an option to "stock" on the premium content and it would give you the list of available items that hasn't been placed in the displays, but were made and placed in the lot.

NPC's also cannot run the bakery, so even if you place some there, they cannot make and stock the cases for you.  You'll have to restock it yourself.

Separate to this review will be the Baker's Bazaar Collection Tutorial on how to utilize the premium content along with re-stocking and everything.

Premium Content: Baker's Station

The Baker's Station is another premium content item included with the Bakery Venue and if sold individually in the future, it will be 700 Simpoints.

This item utilizes tons of food recipes and can be expanded with the following store content/expansion packs:

• Wood Fire Oven
• Humble Harvest Stands (Al Fresco Street Market Venue)
• Grandpa's Tractor (Grandpa's Grove Venue)
• Bohemian Fruits and Nuts (Bohemian Garden)
• The Sims 3 World Adventures 
• The Sims 3 Late Night
• The Sims 3 Showtime

This premium content item comes with tons of recipes and the following are listed below. Included are also the cooking level requirements. The ones with an * are noted to require harvestables from Store or Expansion Packs noted above.

• Deep Dish Cobbler...
• Apple Cobbler (Basic Level)
• Pear Cobbler (Basic Level) *Bohemian Garden*
• Lemon Cobbler (Basic Level) *Humble Harvest Stands*
• Strawberry Cobbler (Basic Level) *Bohemian Garden*
• Plum Cobbler (Level 1) *World Adventures*
• Raspberry Cobbler* (Level 2) *Bohemian Garden*
• Cherry Cobbler (Level 4) *World Adventures*
• Blueberry Cobbler* (Level 6) *Bohemian Garden*
• Plasma Cobbler (Level 8) *Late Night*
• Pie…
• Apple Pie (Basic Level)
• Strawberry Pie (Basic Level) *Bohemian Garden*
• Raspberry Pie (Basic Level) *Bohemian Garden*
• Chocolate Pie (Basic Level) *Bohemian Garden*
• Pear Pie (Level 1) *Bohemian Garden*
• Peach Pie (Level 1) *Bohemian Garden*
• Orange Pie (Level 2) *Grandpa's Grove*
• Plum Pie*(Level 2) *World Adventures*
• Banana Cream Pie (Level 3)
• Blueberry Pie (Level 3) *Bohemian Garden*
• Pecan Pie (Level 4) *Bohemian Garden*
• Pomegranate Pie (Level 4) *World Adventures*
• Cherry Pie (Level 5) *World Adventures*
• Blackberry Pie (Level 6) *Bohemian Garden*
• Life Fruit Pie (Level 9)
• Bread…
• White Bread (Basic Level)
• Dinner Roll (Basic Level)
• Wheat Bread (Level 2) *Wood Fire Oven*
• Sourdough (Level 4) *Wood Fire Oven*
• Rye Bread (Level 6) *Wood Fire Oven*
• Baguette (Level 8)
• Cake…
• Birthday Cake (Basic Level)
• Wedding Cake (Level 6)
• Cookies…
• Chocolate Chip Cookies (Basic Level)
• Peanut Butter Cookie (Level 1)
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookie (Level 3)
• Sugar Cookie (Level 5)
• Other Desserts…
• Cinnamon Roll (Basic Level)
• Cupcakes (Level 4)

Below are all the images in order from left to right and top to bottom based on the list above. (except the Cake + Other Desserts are combined together).

Included also besides the recipes is a brand new moodlet tied to the premium content and some extra interactions such as frosting the cakes and cupcakes, rolling the dough, and tasting the batter.  Sadly all of it is mostly repetitive and it can be a tad old once you make the same type of items over and over again.  This premium content would be considered the main premium content of this venue, with the Baker's Bazaar Collection being the secondary premium content (not mini of course).

There is some small negative feedback regarding the items created from the Baker's Station and I think it would have been nice if this was part of it too (even though we have tons of recipes):

Frosting the cake should give us a variety of different color options and should have been utilized in this premium content.  I think there should have been an additional option such as picking the design of it, whether it be a whimsical wedding cake, a classical one, cultural one, etc.  The same could be said for the birthday cakes.

Much like the Teppanyaki Grill, Deep Fryer, and Wood Fire Oven, you cannot make the items outside of the premium content.

After you bake something from the Baker's Station, you can also get the moodlet called "Just Like Mom Used to Make" for 4 hours.

Other than that, there's nothing else new to the Baker's Oven other than new recipes and animations for baking content.

Extra Feature:  If you don't want to bake all of the items, there is a DEBUG cheat for those who want to stock their bakery fast. If you Control +Shift+Click the oven, there is an option to spawn the food from the oven.

Build/Buy

Included in the venue are 14 Build/Buy objects that are windows and mostly decor.  Also included are the birthday cake and wedding cakes that don't require the oven in order to use.

I do wish there was more content for the bakery and the following would have been nice to be included:

1. Staircases: I would have loved to see another new spiral or regular staircase or a ladder design included in this venue.  Since this venue used all three, it would be nice to see some "Bakery-designed" staircases.

2. Counters/Tables/Chairs:  Even though we have KPST to give us "Cupcake-themed" content, it would be nice for those who refuse to buy KPST to get some counters with bakery stencils on it.  Whether it be a classical, or downright silly design some new objects that have something that makes a bakery stand out would nice rather than base game objects utilized.

3. Bakery Doors: We got some new windows and everything, but not a door.  No clue whether they decided to not include one or not, but it would have been nice to see a door with the same design as the windows.

4. Working Fountain:  I would have loved to see a new fountain that blends in with the Bakery Lot.  The base-game ginormous fountain looks out of place (my personal opinion) and a new fountain with flowing water would have been the icing to this venue (no pun intended).

5. Blank Stencils for Double Windows: If you see the pictures below, there is no blank stencil for one of the windows that are included.  Must be an oversight I think....

Anyways, below are the images of the Build/Buy content that's included with this venue.

Overall Review

Price: 2/10 - It's disappointing to see that there was no early bird discount this time and you are paying 1900 Simpoints for 1775 (1675 in my judgement) worth of individual items.  However, if you include the wedding cake and birthday cake, you get 2075 Simpoints worth of objects (1975).  While the Premium Content comes with tons of gameplay with this venue, I just feel as if due to the hype for this venue, the marketers expect us to pay full price without a discount price.  While it may only be just a measily 200 Simpoints, some players do like to see a small discount, which entices them to purchase the content more.  Honestly, with the amount of content we are getting, especially from the fact to unlock other recipes we need to get content from other store content/expansion packs, it isn't "fully" worth the price, maybe when it's on sale for 1400 or 1500 Simpoints.

Venue: 10/10 - While the price is indeed a disappointment, the venue itself looks wonderfully created and can easily be utilized in different scenarios.  While you don't need all three buildings as bakeries, you can convert some of them to other types of shops to whatever you feel is appropriate.  The 30x30 size also makes it convenient to place in any world you like to.  There's tons of space and even a floor dedicated to your chef sims.

Baker's Bazaar Collection: 8/10 - While there are some drawbacks to the Savvy Seller's Collection, the Baker's Bazaar Collection makes up for it by focusing on storing foods created from the Baker's Station or any other recipes your sims create.  So far I haven't found any food items that can't go in, other than the birthday and wedding cakes (Looks like you'll need to use the rugs that come with this premium content). It was nicely designed and I think it made up for what was lacking from the Savvy Seller's Collection.

Baker's Station: 10/10 - We have another new cooking oven that can go into community lots other than the Wood Fire Oven, Teppanyaki Grill, and Industrial Oven.  This one focuses on making baked goods that are tied to this premium content object such as pies, cobblers, bread, cookies, cakes, and other desserts.  There are tons of recipes tied to this premium content and while you need Expansion Packs/Store Content to unlock some of the recipes, there's much variety in what you can make.

Build/Buy: 4/10 - I feel like the Build/Buy objects that come for the bakery venue are quite lacking.  While it is nice that we got some wonderful new decor, windows, and awnings to design our bakeries, I do feel like it would have been nice to see some additional "furniture"-like objects or content that would flesh out the Bakery more.  Some creatively-designed counters that are "Bakery-Themed" would have been nice along with shelves of more clutter, maybe even some new doors, arches, and benches.  While we have tons of chairs and tables from other store content that we can utilize in this venue, I do feel like having it just be decor mostly makes it seem not so worthwhile to get and even adding a chair and table set would have been nice. I also think some new staircases, ladders, or spiral staircases would be nice to add too with this venue.

Overall: 6.8/10 - Overall, I do like the Bakery and what it has to offer, I just feel like while there was tons of focus on the premium content, I do feel like it could have been more fleshed out.  Plenty of opportunities to make it a better venue/set but it seems like it's mostly just the premium content that would draw you to purchase this one.