Friday, May 29, 2009

Recipe Statistics Analysis

In Facebook Restaurant City, how easy a recipe can be upgraded to level 10 depends on how easy you can collect the required ingredients. In my last article, I have computed the frequency of each ingredients in the menu, finding that cheese is the most important one. I will use that result to analyze the difficulties of each recipe.

The difficulty of a recipe can be measured in many ways. For simplicity, I have defined the following measurements:
  • Score Sum = Sum of (required ingredient * count of ingredient in menu * ingredient star level)
  • Menu Sum = Sum of (required ingredient * count of ingredient in menu)
  • Star Sum = Sum of (ingredient star level)
The higher the Score Sum, the more difficulty a recipe should be. Score Sum multiplies the star level because it may affect the chance an ingredient appears as a daily prize. For example, Yakibuta Ramen has slightly lower Menu Sum than Pork and Apple Chops has because Noodle is less useful than Apple. Once we also consider the star levels of both Apple and Noodle, Pork and Apple Chops should easier to complete.

Menu Sum is included because in practice, the count of ingredient may be a more important factor.

Star Sum is a quick indicator of the overall star levels of the ingredients of a recipe.



According to the data, the recipes I have finished (lamb skewers, pork and apple chops, exotic fruit skewers) are quite easy. But it also suggests that Tiger Prawn Platter is also easy to make. For me, prawns are rare for me. I seldom draw that as a daily prize, and I seldom see my friends having it. Thus, it looks like this spreadsheet is not as useful as the last one on ingredient counting.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Restaurant City的路邊小販令食材變得不珍貴

終於完成Mapo Tofu! 總共學成五個食譜. Chili的確難找, 我用了$27000向路邊小販買入三條chili才可以快速完成麻婆豆腐, 幾天後小販又有chili賣, 而且還平$1000! 新增的路邊小販, 只會減低遊戲的娛樂性, 理由是遊戲本身賺得是接近全自動化的, 不需要太多投入; 收集食材卻難得多, 要加快收集便一定要找別人交易; 現在有了路邊小販, 只要你有錢要多少他有多少(儘管小販每日只提供三款東西). Restaurant City的錢不算難找, 現在只要有錢便可以買到食材, 這樣食材便不再珍貴了.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

fwd 與曹仁超對話 - 大概由十個傻佬供養我們一個

與曹仁超對話

M:Milk
C:曹仁超
M:那我們這一代後生的又如何?

C:但問題是,當這班人坐上中產階級的位置之後,後來的一批如何上位呢?現在你們上來,已經有我們百幾萬中產階級坐晒位,我們不會讓你們上來的!

M:對啊!有年輕人投訴上一代霸著位置不讓年輕人上位呢!

C:點解我要讓個位出來?!對不對?我這個位置月入十幾萬,坐得好舒服,點解要我走啫?!我不單只不走,更專登不讓你上來!因為我沒有責任讓你上來的,這個位坐得我好舒服嘛!


M:你所講的利用房地產的HERCULES,不單只隊冧班鬼子佬,仲隊冧埋我們這班下一代喎!因為你們碌卡碌埋我們那張啊!

C:不是你們,是四代人。第一,我們冇樓的上一代;第二,我們這一代冇樓的;第三,下一代冇樓的;還有大陸出來冇樓的。所以有四代人做我們的奴隸嘛!我們一代人搵了你們四代人的錢嘛!(M:呀~Orz…)做乜你們這代人咁蠢,仲被我們呃!一出身便整個龜殼你孭,爬下爬下,你做乜孭個龜殼呢?(M:呀~Orz…)「孭個龜殼做蝸牛」是我們SET出來的RULES嘛!點解一定要遵守我們的RULES呢?

M:即是說我們自小接受你們的教育,要尊師重道、便宜莫貪、沒有不勞而獲、要守規矩,然後一出社會便上了你們的當呢。
M:你們那一代人講一套做一套,還教我們做隻死蠢的豬呢!我們徹底地被整了!)作為農莊的主人,WHY SHOULD I TEACH THE PIG TO SING?冇理由教隻豬去唱歌㗎!只要你們聽教聽話、乖乖地做豬仔,那我就有豬肉吃了!對不對?聰明的人要THINK OUSIDE THE BOX嘛!要超越上一代,就不要一味聽教聽話,永遠成為上一代的COPY。

M:今時今日在香港可以不買樓不買股票嗎?

C:你也可以去上海玩嘛~到了大陸的時候,你在社會上層,九七年後在大陸面對的環境,就類似我們在七十年代面對著你們。這個世界一定會有上層與下層,你在上層便成為既得利益者,唔好運在下層的話,你便是被剝削那班。這世上無論什麼制度都有剝削者和被剝削者,我們這一代人是剝削者,而你們是被剝削者嘛!就算是我比你勤力工作,我的財富最多比你多一個開,何解現在我的身家比你多十個、一百個開呢?因為我在剝削你嘛!你不知道嗎?我八元買匯豐銀行股票然後一百六十元賣給了你嘛!我們這一代人的成就建基於你們身上嘛!

M:你對年輕人有什麼建議呢?

C: 每一代人都要找突破點去隊冧上一代,你們這一代人連找破綻都不去想不去做,又如何突破呢?我們很多人的死穴是「恐共」,我們身光頸靚,不夠膽去大陸玩,而你們身無分文就應該去闖,這是第二個方法─將我們成功的方法拿去另一地方玩。今時今日的香港人一定要學懂兩件事:第一,ASSET ALLOCATION,資產配置;其次是STOCK PICKING,即揀股票。

M:我們在香港一定冇得玩嗎?

C:你們在香港一定唔夠我們玩,第一,遊戲規則是我們SET的;第二,我們在香港搵老襯搵了幾十年,財雄勢大;還有,「喂~阿曾、阿任,點睇呀?搞搞佢啦~整個勾地政策啦~」阿曾與我們是同一輩的,大家碌地沙玩大,我一個講唔掂,十個如何,我們是一群人,不單只這一群,連官都是自己人,都是同一代,都有共同語言的嘛!WE ACT THE SAME,WE THINK THE SAME!有默契的,我們信奉同樣的價值,「嘩~冒牌BEATLES來港!」便一窩蜂湧去聽了,我們都是聽THE BEATLES長大的一代嘛。

M:房地產一日在你們手中,一日都仍然由你們話事呢。

C:沒錯,房地產不跌,你們又如何上位呢?你們賺埋賺埋的錢只得三個選擇:第一個選擇─買樓,一炮過,供一世,條命賣給我們;第二個選擇─租樓,凌遲,每個月割一塊肉;第三個選擇─瞓街。你們跑不掉的,甫進入這個系統,就不斷被我們吸水,我們是SUCKER,大概由十個傻佬供養我們一個,所以我們必定很肥的,所以我們飲得起十多萬一瓶的紅酒,因為PAID BY YOU,NOT PAID BY US嘛!香港被我們DOMINATE,不單只房地產,是所有的都被我們控制了。

M:你們這班人的價值觀是「錢就是一切」,你覺得這是正確的。

C:炒樓炒股票有什麼問題呢?(M:全港市民都炒樓炒股票也沒有問題?)你們不炒樓炒股票,誰來接我們的貴價貨呢?我們的貨大部份在七、八十年代建立,在九十年代派給你們嘛!所以見你們在九七年接樓的時候,我覺得你們是傻佬,我們從每呎一百元炒至一萬元,炒了一百個開還接貨?!就算每呎四千元去接貨都是傻佬,每呎四千元都賺你四十個開!我太太說,我什麼都沒有,只是有錢;而你們什麼都有,只是沒有錢!我一直相信「錢就是一切」,但這一兩年開始覺得不是了。(M:為什麼呢?)有時都唔知賺咁多做乜,以我太太的理論講:第一粒鑽石就話嚇親我;第二粒鑽石,略有驚喜;第三粒,你應酬我嗎?第四粒,我覺得討厭;到第五粒鑽石,喂,搞搞新意思吧。現在班有錢已經多錢到癲癲地亂花錢了。(M:那就不要賺太多,漏一兩粒鑽石可給我們吧!)幹嗎要給你?而且這可不是我一個人決定,是一組人的決定。


http://www.discuss.com.hk/viewthread.php?tid=9757583&extra=&page=1

http://obelia2.blogspot.com/2009/05/dialogue-with-cho-chi-ming.html

Ingredient Statistics Analysis

Collecting the ingredients you want is one of the most challenging parts of the Facebook game Restaurant City.

My impression is that ingredients like tomato, cream, and lobster are some of the most difficult to obtain, while lime, lamb, and saffron are easier.

One reason may be that, some ingredients are required by many more recipes than other ingredients. For example, only one recipe requires saffron, but many recipes require tomato. If an ingredient is required in many recipes, then the chance of people seeking it will be higher; in other words, they are less willing to trade it out.

In order to understand what ingredients are most useful in a more scientific way, I have prepared a spreadsheet to analyze some statistics on the ingredients of the Facebook game Restaurant City:



The data are sorted by the column "Menu Total" in a descending order. The column "Menu" is the number of times an ingredient appears in the menu, while the column "Recipe" is the number of times an ingredient appears in a recipe. For example, cheese appears in 6 different recipes while it appears 9 times in the menu (as Cheese Board requires 3 cheese). The higher the number, the more useful an ingredient is.

It is no surprise that cheese is the most useful. But quite surprising is that, flour and potato are more useful than tomato. For me, the daily prize gives me flour and potato more often than tomato and cream. One thing for sure is, Sweetcorn is useless. Perhaps PlayFish should introduce more recipes like Grilled Sweetcorn with Lime/Garlic Butter, Braised Pork Rice in Sweet Corn Sauce, ...

My Restaurant City

最近迷上了玩Facebook的Restaurant City. 以Facebook遊戲來說, Restaurant City算是做得不錯. 有幾好玩? 其他features應該很多人已經說過了, 不再說; 可以說的是, 我有個朋友, 一直都沒有玩facebook, 突然因為Restaurant City而玩facebook, 你話有幾好呢?

用了很多時間才把菜色升至10級. 先是最簡單的主菜Pork and Apple Chop, 之後是甜品Exotic Fruit Skewers, 最後才是前菜Lamb Skewers. Pork, Apple, Onion都是很易到手的食材, Kiwi不太易, 而Mango, Lemon當時卻很困難才換到. 而最想升的Pomegranate Parfait終於今日升到了! Cream的確是很難找到的. 下一步是要升Mapo Tofu... Chili又是難找...

Monday, May 11, 2009

做預測 13條守則

1.要自己個經濟預測有用,就一定要同時建議埋買乜、沽乜。
2.千祈唔好做數據奴隸,冇嘢勝過有智慧咁睇番個大環境同趨勢。
3.主流意見好少啱,太樂觀。除咗見底時。
4.談戀愛嘅對象應該係自己老婆,唔係自己個預測。
5.冇兩個周期係一模一樣。
6.永遠唔可以將責任卸落個預測方程式度。
7.要不斷搵新證據去測試原先個預測。
8.「市場先生」講嘅嘢,你要尊重。
9.要留意自己嘅預測要幾耐先會「靈」,因為好多客其實只想短炒。
10.咁多個市用不斷跳動嘅市價同你「講」嘢,通常都係債市「講」嘅嘢最準。
11.一開始就要解釋清楚,你個預測如果唔中,可能會因為啲乜。
12.估到花旗國消費者嘅意向,個預測都好難錯。
13.經濟增長時,過癮過衰退時。

Source: Appledaily 2009/05/11 金手指:嚴守 Sell in May