So about a month ago, I wrote my thoughts about the new Pawn Stars game on Facebook. It was an amusing game that had an addictive nature, especially for us who’ve watched the show. However, that article is pretty much obsolete at this point. The game has seen a massive overhaul that has drastically changed the game. Let’s take a look at those changes and determine whether or not they improve the game.
The first change is how you sell items. Before, you had a store like every other store. You had a couple of shelves, a counter, and that was about it. About a third of these selling slots were locked unless you spend FB credits. For me, this meant that I was playing the game with an empty looking store. I also had an issue where if an item took a while to sell, then my inventory got backed up and things moved slowly. It wasn’t as streamlined as I would have liked.
Now, the game is much more open. You’ll start with a barebones shop and a couple of dinky metal shelves. Once you’ve built up a bit of cash, you can start buying upgrades. You can buy new shelves, counters, tables, and pedestals. Even better, they all offer bonuses. For example, one counter I purchased halved the selling time, which was a godsend for some of the rarer items. You can design your shop pretty much any way you want, and unused pieces go into storage, so you don’t lose them. The shop itself can be expanded upon, giving you more room to place items. When the update happened, I had probably twenty plus items on my hands. With the old system, I could only sell about a fourth of these at once. After upgrading my shop, I was able to sell them all at once.
The items you sell also fit onto a grid. For example, a standard shelf has two slots that can be filled with items. However, a big item such as an antique diving helmet takes up two slots. A rifle can take up to three slots, meaning it can’t fit on the shelf. Fortunately, you can also hang several items on your wall. This is where anything in a frame goes, and it makes the shop look a lot more like the real thing. You also need to fit your furniture on this grid as well, so planning is key, as is buying expansions to fit more stuff.
There are also a ton of purely cosmetic changes too. You can edit the backdrops, storefront, and floors. There are also plants you can buy as well as pictures and other furniture you can use to decorate your store. The option isn’t too heavily featured, but through customization, the store can really feel like something you’ve created, rather than just another store.
Then we get to the items you can add for bonuses. These include touches to your store that give you benefits. For example, adding a bathroom allows you to have more customers in your shop at once, a soda machine pays out money every eight hours, and a bench keeps customers happy. These cost in-game money for the most part, and they are definitely worth it. The caveat is that they take up space in your shop. You can’t hang items on the wall if there’s a door in the way.
One of the more interesting overhauls is to the candy system. Before, you could only acquire candy through the spending of FB credits. All candy could do is keep an exasperated customer from leaving and keep the deal going. Now, it covers everything that FB credits used to run. If you want to get more customers now, it costs candy. If you want to get an immediate offer for your item, it costs candy. You get the idea. However, the big change is that you earn a piece of candy each time you level up. This works retroactively too. I was level thirty when the update went out, and I was given thirty pieces of candy when I logged in. Now that candy is actually available without spending real money, it has become a much more important part of the experience.
These changes have vastly improved the game on every level. None of them affect the bargaining system, but rather improve the framework of the game and make it more enjoyable. This is especially true for new players, as building up your shop from the ground up is sure to be rewarding. However, even for experienced players, the change is for the better. I may have been able to buy most of the upgrades immediately, but that didn’t stop all of the changes from making the game more enjoyable. With more space, I can keep on item on the shelf for longer if I need to. With shelves having stats, I can place tricky items in strategic spots so as to maximize profit and minimize the time investment. It’s a much, much better game now.
If you haven’t given Pawn Stars a try, no time has ever been better. If you’ve played it and didn’t enjoy it, give it another look. This new update is sure to get more people interested.
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