How do you play DC Diner on Poptropica?

Answer 1

The "D.C Diner" preview game appeared in mid-August 2011 on the unreleased Mystery Train Island. The mini-game continued the trend of membership promotion that began with the Shrink Shot and Shrink Ray Island demo in July, 2011. Although all users were able to play, and obtain 3 special costume items, only paid monthly members could continue past level 4.

The Game

The mini-game is basically a table-waiting game where the player is a waiter or waitress in a busy train station diner. Travelers enter the diner, are served food items, and then leave. The player must initially coordinate 5 activities, but as the game proceeds, more of these actions are aided by "upgrades" that make it easier to manage one or more actions:

1) Seating (can get a hostess)

2) Serving beverages (can get faster drink machines)

3) Ordering and delivering food (*members only can get a faster cook)

4) Clearing empty plates (*members only can get a larger tray)

5) Washing dishes (*members only can get a busboy to wash dishes)

The limiting factor is time: for each patron that is seated, served, and then leaves, the player is awarded extra time on a countdown clock. All the customers for a given level have to be served before the clock runs out. The delaying factors are running from the tables to bring drinks, running to the cook and waiting for food to be made, and washing empty dishes so that new people can sit where a previous diner sat and ate. The table gets progressively longer, from 1 seat to a maximum of 5 seats (4 for non-members).

Playing the Game

To start, a player stands by the door and waits for one customer ((the timer clock begins running). The customer displays a pocket watch, indicating he or she is in a hurry. The player clicks the speech balloon and the customer sits down. After a moment, another speech balloon displays a menu, followed by a drink item. The player dispenses the proper drink (coffee, root beer, or soda), places it on his serving tray, and delivers it. Next the customer asks for a food item, either a hamburger or a chicken platter, and the player must go to the right, to the kitchen, and request it from the cook. When it is finished, the player places it on his serving tray and returns to the table with it. The customer will either finish eating and leave, or may ask for another drink. After the drink, some customers will also ask for pie (dessert) which is also prepared by the cook. So a customer may receive 2, 3, or 4 items before leaving, which ends the first round. You must finish before the time runs out.

On the 2nd level, there are 3 customers and 2 seats at the table. When one finishes, time will be added to the timer, and the remaining (waiting) customer can be seated once the empty plate is removed. The more a customer consumes, the more bonus time is added when they leave. Again, service for all three must be completed before the clock runs out.

On the 3rd level, there are 5 customers and 3 seats. On the 4th level there are 7 customers and 4 seats. For members, the 5th level has 9 customers and 5 seats, and all higher levels increase the customer count by 2 more, with no additional seating.

Strategy

For the first 4 playable levels, there is no real strategy. Players simply try to get the customers their requested items as quickly as possible. Customers make random remarks about the speed and quality of their service. On the higher levels, using the upgrades comes into play, and it is sometimes helpful to take shortcuts, such as dispensing drinks that have not yet been ordered, but might be, and ordering foods from the cook that have not yet been ordered (you can keep 3 on the counter). There is a risk of running out of tray space, which might mean trashing food items and/or cleaning the related plates. For members, the game may be open-ended, since the number of customers increases the bonus time added, and levels can take a very long time (30 minutes for level 12).

Rewards

The items received are based on famous persons who may be involved in the Mystery Train Island quest. All players collect a Thomas Edison light bulb on level 1, a Mark Twain haircut on level 2, and a Magician hat on level 3. Members can obtain two exclusive items: an Eiffel Tower hat and a Tesla Coil costume effect (shoots harmless lightning flashes).

---

Sample Game Level 3:

Player has two upgrades: hostess seats customers, drink machine is faster.

Hostess seats 2 of the 3 customers, one "says" a brown glass, which is root beer, the other says a cup, which is coffee. Player goes right to machine, gets root beer, then coffee, which is placed on the tray. Then he returns and clicks on the speech balloons to deliver the drinks. One customer then says hamburger, the other says chicken leg. (Both may say the same thing.) Player goes to kitchen, clicks on the cook, and then on hamburger, and cook begins making it. When he is finished, it appears on the counter. Player then clicks the cook again, and clicks on the chicken, and this is prepared as well. Player picks up the items from the counter and brings them back left to give to the customers. (It does not matter who ordered first or who is served first, and you can skip a customer entirely for awhile to concentrate on others.) One customer asks for another root beer, and this is brought to them. Then that person is finished and leaves, adding time to the clock. The player has to pick up the empty plate before the final (third) customer can sit down. The remaining one of the first two may ask for another drink, or for "pie" (dessert special). If pie is asked for, the player has to go to the cook and order it, then pick it up and bring it back. At this time, the player might also wash the dirty dish that was picked up, as this is the only way to get it off the tray. Click "wash" and wait for the blue line to finish advancing. The last thing any customer will order is pie, then they leave very quickly. While the remaining customer eats dessert, the new third customer will be also expecting service (drink, food, drink, pie) and must be out of their seat before the game timer reaches zero. If you lose, you can replay the level and try again.

Answer 2

The "D.C Diner" preview game appeared in mid-August 2011 on the unreleased Mystery Train Island. The mini-game continued the trend of membership promotion that began with the Shrink Shot and Shrink Ray Island demo in July, 2011. Although all users were able to play, and obtain 3 special costume items, only paid monthly members could continue past level 4.

The Game

The mini-game is basically a table-waiting game where the player is a waiter or waitress in a busy train station diner. Travelers enter the diner, are served food items, and then leave. The player must initially coordinate 5 activities, but as the game proceeds, more of these actions are aided by "upgrades" that make it easier to manage one or more actions:

1) Seating (can get a hostess)

2) Serving beverages (can get faster drink machines)

3) Ordering and delivering food (*members only can get a faster cook)

4) Clearing empty plates (*members only can get a larger tray)

5) Washing dishes (*members only can get a busboy to wash dishes)