Hey everyone! There's a lot of reasons I'm excited for 2025, most of which is the fact that we're going full speed ahead on the remake of our 2012 classic, "Cook, Serve, Delicious!"
I'm going to be posting bi-monthly updates from now until summer, where we'll likely switch to monthly updates, on the process of remaking this game, so be sure to follow CSD:R on Steam or follow me over on Bluesky for more updates!
An old promo shot for the iPad version of CSD.
Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose
When we first announced this game, I had a very different vision of what I wanted my life to be. I thought I wanted to be fully hands off coding, mainly because I thought I was bad at it. So I hopped into the more manager-specific type of game dev, and with that came Cook Serve Forever, which was a disappointment for myself in terms of gameplay and reception when it was first released in 2023.
What I didn't realize at the time was how vital my own coding process was in making CSD 1/2 and the gameplay of 3. I was able to go in and shape the gameplay day to day- If something wasn't working, I'd bail out quickly and pivot. With Cook Serve Forever I was entirely hands off with coding, and I didn't even get to have a real playable build for me to test until weeks before launch- and there was no time for adjustments. Ultimately that was completely my fault as the director, and more to the point, I realized I never really wanted to be a director or manager- my heart is in coding, in game design.
And what I've realized over the last few months of re-coding CSF from scratch is how good I am at it.
I've been able to make huge strides in creating a "skeleton" that we will use in all of our future projects- things like menus were always difficult for me to do and I outsourced it in CSD 3, but with CSF I programmed a pretty awesome skeleton that allows me to just put one line of code to set up any menus I want- vertical, grids, anything that can also switch from mouse to keyboard to gamepad on the fly. CSD 2 players know how wonky the menus can be in the game when switching inputs- all of that is gone.
A look at the Cook Serve Forever level select menu.
I'm really proud of how well CSF shaped up with the completely new redesign- and more importantly, players seem to really love the new direction we took with the gameplay. It's on sale for another week if you want to check it out!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1928090/Cook_Serve_Forever/
I've taken a lot from the experience of making CSF - how fast I can code, what I want to do with CSD:R, and the future of CSD in general.
Rules of the Game
Originally I was going to make CSD:R as a general update to CSD 1- make it 60fps, change some graphical features, just an overall improvement update. As I started to dig into the code, I quickly realized how impossible that was going to be- the code originally started on Game Maker 8, then Game Maker Studio, then Studio 2, and finally Game Maker 2024. When you port to that many engines, even the same engine, you start to have very brittle code that can't really be flexible in any direction- it's a small miracle I got it to work on PS4/5, Xbox and Switch!
So, this is going to be a completely new, start from scratch rebuilding of the game with new assets, a new campaign, emails that tie the game closer to the events of 2/3, and lots more! As I outline what I want to do, I decided to make some core rules to help me understand what I'm trying to accomplish here- not so much a direct remaster, but a remake.
1. Keep What Works (And Keep It Unique)
CSD 1 is a lot of player's favorite game, as it was before the game became overly complex with holding stations, a new campaign structure, and lots more. Now I like all the new features of CSD 2/3, but if I were to add holding stations to this remake, it wouldn't really feel like CSD 1 anymore. So they will not be in the base component of the game.
Now what does that mean exactly? I'm toying with the idea of adding Autoserve (the CSD 3 feature of serving all ready orders at once) and a new type of Holding Station in the Equipment menu. That would mean you would purchase these upgrades just like you purchase a stove or tip jar in the first game- and if you don't want these new gameplay types, you simply don't buy them and the game will be in more line with the "classic" feel of the first. I really like this concept of making the game as dynamic as you want.
2. Make Flexible Code
Coding CSF and designing the new gameplay mechanics were a feat in itself- how do I make a more casual game that can scale up to more experienced players? And honestly I think I nailed it with the new redesign.
So that leads to a new problem of sorts- wouldn't CSD 1 be way too easy for CSD vets? That's where a more flexible code structure can come in for me to twist the dials and maybe allow for more challenges in specific areas of the game that weren't possible before. For instance, the game allowing for me to adjust the cook times dynamically for burgers and such- perhaps buying an upgraded grill lets you cook burgers and meats much faster, which gets you the opportunity for more customers daily.
3. Don't Be Afraid to Change Things Up
While I want the core of the game to still feel like CSD 1, I think there are aspects of the game that simply didn't work then, and won't really work now. Some examples (and keep in mind, game development is always fluid, and things are always subject to change!)
- The four player aspect of the game wasn't ever really interesting. I know why I went that direction- at the time, four player couch games were hugely popular with things like Towerfall, Gang Beasts, etc. So that was my attempt at trying to shoehorn in some four player aspects, and ultimately I don't think it added much to the game. That said, I'm going to be expanding the co-op two player mode significantly- I'll have more details in a future update, but fans of all CSD games are in for a treat!
- The biggest change is coming to the progression aspect of the first game- the Checklist. Ultimately it exists for one reason: for me to gate player progress and make sure they don't speed run through the whole game. There's a much more fun way to have player progression while achieving goals and I think I have a solution, so no more "20 days of service" requirements!
- The aspect of Iron Cook Battle Kitchen and the Campaign being completely separate is due to the way the DLC was added onto the game, and this time I plan on combining both in a much more natural way.
- Most foods will be returning, with some new foods! But some are, quite frankly, a little dull- so if I bring back Fried Chicken, I want to make sure to spice it up a bit and have it be more entertaining to make, instead of all the fried foods being more or less the same.
That's just a small part of what I'm thinking in terms of redesigns, and I can't wait to dig in more with y'all in future updates!
Have a Taste!
One last thing: my goal is to have a Steam Next Fest demo of the game pre-release! That won't be for the upcoming Next Fest but likely one later in the year, and it'll be great to get some feedback on where the game is going.
Thanks everyone for all of the support over the years, and be sure to check out the CSD series in the upcoming Steam Co-Op multiplayer sale in Feb.! Till next time!
-David aka "chubigans"