Cooking Simulator
Cooking simulators are a sub-genre of resource management games.
No matter the type of cooking game, the objective is always to assemble recipes ordered by customers within a time limit to simulate a restaurant and please customers.
Simplified versions may not include physically moving objects around the kitchen. Instead they may have a more detailed stationary user interface to manage the food preparation.
More complex cooking simulators may include secondary logic to purchase upgrades to the kitchen, clean messes, serve customers, decorate to unlock bonuses and level up the restaurant quality, etc.
Characteristics
Prepare in Time!
GAIN & USE RESOURCES
🌳 Pick up food items 🔪 Place & prep on areas 🍽️ Place items on plates
UNLOCK EFFICIENCIES
🆙 Upgrade kitchen tools 🔓 Unlock automations
FLEXIBILITY
👥 Single or multiplayer 💠 Simple or complex gameplays
Keys of Success
Everyone Can Play - Simple actions to carry raw food items, prep in designated areas, and carry prepped versions to a plate (which may need to be carried to a counter for servers to pick up)
Play for Long - Short term goals to satisfy customers with increasingly complex menu options
Play with Friends - Multiplayer or singleplayer
NEED TO HAVE
Random orders from customers
Raw food items to prepare
Recipes to combine raw food items to fulfill orders
Tracking player performance to fulfill customer orders
NICE TO HAVE
Automation options later in game (higher cost to motivate longer play)
Unlocking new recipes or kitchen tools
Realism (messes, limited customer patience, burned food, etc)
Rating player performance for fulfilling customer orders
Game Loops
Below is a general game loop diagram for this genre. Your game's loops may vary.
Learn to Create It
GAME MAKER TEMPLATES
LOGIC TO EXPLORE
Random customer orders
Timers for food preparation
Comparing items made with items ordered
Reset data to replay
Make it More Interesting
Consider ways to add to or change the core structure of this game type to challenge and motivate players differently.
MAIN OBJECTIVE
➿ Add a secondary loop to gather ingredients in the game world
🏆 Achievements
RAMP OF DIFFICULTY
🥪 Unlock more complex recipes
🎲 Random trade-offs to progress to the next difficulty level
CORE DECISIONS
👥 Team gameplay with audience controls to cause mayhem or spawn helpful items
🦸 Restaurant rating
PRACTICE: Modify the Cooking Simulator template to increase the fun:
Achievements
Example: "Fired Up! - Burned 10 hamburgers"
Levels of difficulty
Audience dynamics to impact gameplay
Useful Logic
Tutorial Videos
Open the Game Maker Cooking Simulator Template for logic included in the tutorial below.
View Yes ChefGame Jam entries in the Game Maker Gallery for examples of this genre.
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