Cake Mania (PC) Strategy Guide Version: 0.1 - 10/04/06 By Jim Chamberlin red_phoenix_1@hotmail.com ================================================================================ << Online References >> Developer's Official Site http://www.sandlotgames.com/ ================================================================================ Revision History ================================================================================ Version 0.1 - Oct 04, 2006 - 17 KB Started and completed the FAQ. ================================================================================ Table of Contents ================================================================================ Introduction The Game Upgrades Ovens Frosting Stations Decoration Stations Microwaves Shoes Television Display Case Customers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Final Words... ================================================================================ Introduction ================================================================================ Welcome to my FAQ for Cake Mania, a game developed by Sandlot Games. In this game, we play as Jill, who has returned from culinary school, only to find her beloved grandparents' bakery has closed down. Because of the new Mega- Mart store in the area, local businesses have taken a nose-dive. It's up to us and Jill top open a bakery, bring in customers, and earn enough money to re-open her grandparents' bakery. Below, you'll find the requirements in your PC to properly play the game. - Windows 98/ME/2000/XP - Pentium II 400Mhz or better - 128 MB System RAM (256 MB recommended) - 3D Hardware Accelerated Video Card with 16MB Video RAM - Internet Explorer 5.0+, AOL 5,6 or MSN browsers - Direct-X 7 or above - Keyboard & mouse required - Joystick and game pad are not supported ================================================================================ The Game ================================================================================ The game is quite simple to play. You only have to use your mouse, so you don't have to worry about memorizing dozens of keyboard shortcuts. As your day begins, Jill is in the kitchen all by herself. It's only a matter of seconds before the first customer shows up. Once he/she shows up, it's time to start baking a cake. Walk over to him/her and click on him/her. This will give the customer a menu of the cakes available. The customer will relay the cake of their choice in a small thought bubble next to them. You will be able to see the cake shape, the frosting needed, along with any special decorations. After a few levels, you'll have to offer double-layer cakes for sale, which obviously take more time to make. TIP: If you have the display case, consider baking and start frosting a cake before the first customer comes in. Place the finished cake on the display case. A future customer will likely buy the cake as long as you bake it early. The longer you wait to use the display case, the less likely the cake will be sold, and you'll eat the cost of the cake. Anyway, once you see the cake shape, walk over to the oven and click the correct shape on the top of the oven. After the cake has baked, it will come out and sit on a board in front of the oven. Click on the baked cake and then click on the correct frosting color over on the frosting station of your choice. In the beginning, you'll only have one station, so it's obvious which one you'll choose. If the customer doesn't require additional cake layers or decorations, click on the frosted (completed) cake and then click on the customer. Jill will walk over and give it to the customer. The cake will quickly be boxed up and the customer will leave after placing money on the counter. You can pick up the money now or wait for a while. It sounds simple, doesn't it? Things tend to get more challenging when Jill has multiple customers to deal with. As you upgrade your bakery's equipment, you'll be able to improve the speed in which you can serve your customers. I won't include a walkthrough because it's not necessary. Play the game and you'll see what I mean. ================================================================================ Upgrades ================================================================================ You have a number of upgrades available to you in the game. They're all meant to improve your ability to quickly serve your customers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ovens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The conventional oven is where the magic all begins. Jill can have up to three ovens running at one time, so make sure you keep track of who ordered what! Times vary depending on the type of oven Jill has purchased. Name: Bake Pro 1000 Cost: $1500 Description: The standard professional baker's oven. This trustworthy appliance turns out cakes in six seconds. Name: Bake Master 2000 Cost: $2000 Description: Invest in this industrial convectional oven to cut your baking time down to four seconds. Name: Lightning-Bake 5000 Cost: $3000 Description: This state-of-the-art oven turns out delicious desserts in an amazing two seconds! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frosting Stations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Up to three frosting stations can be working at once. This comes in handy when double-layered cakes are ordered, or there are a lot of customers waiting. Name: Frost-O-Matic 1000 Cost: $600 Description: Add another Frost-O-Matic to the assembly line and get more cakes on the go at once! Name: Fast-Frost 2000 Cost: $1000 Description: New advances in technology allow you to ice a cake one-third faster than usual! Name: Lean Mean Frosting Machine Cost: $1500 Description: The leanest, meanest froster on the market! Produces perfectly iced cakes in the blink of an eye. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Decoration Stations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The decoration station allows Jill to add some flare to each cake with one of four different toppings. Two decoration stations can be working at once, with up to eight different toppings in all. Decorated cakes also sell for a tidy profit! Name: Deco-Lite 1000 Cost: $400 Description: Customers will pay premium prices for decorations! This candle design adds $10 to the cake price. Name: Rose Topper Cost: $700 Description: A rose by any other name would taste as sweet! This delicate decoration adds a $15 value to a cake. Name: Wedding Topper Cost: $1500 Description: This engaging topper nets you an extra $25 from the customer's wedding-cake budget. Name: Strawberry Topper Cost: $1000 Description: A 'berry' sweet design that plants an extra $20 in your pocket. Name: Tradewinds Topper Cost: $500 Description: Decorated cakes sell for a tidy profit! A Tradewinds Ship adds character to a cake, and $10 to its value. Name: Super Granny Topper Cost: $700 Description: Respect your elders! Stand Super Granny atop an order and she'll dig you up an extra $15. Name: Slyder Topper Cost: $1000 Description: Slyder keeps the profits rolling in, rounding prices up by $20. Name: Snail Mail Topper Cost: $1500 Description: The fastest snail in the galaxy will speed you towards financial success, $25 at a time! Name: Deco Deluxe 2000 Cost: $1000 Description: This nifty machine streamlines the decorating process so you can finish orders more quickly. Name: Deco-Demon 5000 Cost: $1500 Description: This delightful device is an absolute speed demon. No more slowdowns on the finishing touches! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Microwaves -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honestly, who could be upset with a warm cupcake in their hand? Especially when they're free! This cupcake microwave is useful when long lines build up and customers become frustrated. Name: Cupcake Microwave Cost: $500 Description: To handle long lineups, free samples are a must! No one can stay cranky with a hot cupcake in hand. Name: Quick Cake Deluxe Cost: $750 Description: More demanding customers need faster emergency cupcake intervention! Name: Space Cake 2000 Cost: $1000 Description: The official microwave used on the space shuttle! Guaranteed to send your cupcake production sky-high. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shoes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upgrade the type of shoes Jill is wearing to move around the kitchen more quickly. These come in handy when there is a long line of customers waiting for their cakes. Name: Cloud Crosstrainers Cost: $500 Description: If you wish you could be quicker on your feet, these special sneakers leave your old shoes in the dust! Name: Wingtips Cost: $1000 Description: Don a pair of speedy Wingtips, and you'll dodge around so quickly the customers will think you've taken flight! Name: Smokin' Sneakers Cost: $1500 Description: Light a fire under your heels! The hottest shoes around will have you blazing through the bakery at top speed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Television -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A television keeps customers happily distracted, buying Jill more time to bake. With various channels, there's something to please everyone. Just make sure to know what each customer enjoys watching when changing channels. Cost: $1000 Channel One: Cartoons Channel Two: News Channel Three: Food Network -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Display Case -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This fancy stand offers an extra place to set down a work in progress - or display a finished cake to tempt buyers. Cost: $200 ================================================================================ Customers ================================================================================ Your valuable customers come in all shapes and sizes, from high school kids to Dracula. The customers have their own respective preferences for cake toppings and TV channels. Also, some are more patient than others. If you wait too long, you may end up losing some of the more impatient customers. High School Male: With little time to spare to get to school, the kids don't have long to wait for you to serve them the cake they ordered. Use the television set and turn it to channel one for Cartoons. Also, serve him a cupcake from the microwave. His favorite cake topping is the Slyder. Delivery Man: This man is the first character you will meet in your bakery. He has plenty of patience, so giving him cupcakes isn't generally necessary. His favorite TV channel is channel two, which is the News. Also, his favorite cake topping is the Tradewinds Ship. Cupid: Like the other young characters in the game, the cupid is incredibly impatient. This is one of my least favorite characters for this very reason. Keep a plate of cupcakes handy and keep the TV turned to the Cartoons (channel one). Businessman: In the game, there are two classes of businessman. The first is the regular businessman, who is somewhat patient, but don't take too long with his orders. The second type is the vacationing businessman, who has very, very little patience. Keep the TV turned on channel two, which is the News. Also, keep a plate full of cupcakes around. Granny: Being retired, the granny is generally quite patient. She prefers channel three on the TV, which is Food Network. Her favorite cake topping is the Super Granny Topper. College Female: In terms of her patience, she reminds me of the delivery man or the granny... she's far more patient than the cupid or the high school male. She prefers the Strawberry topping on her cakes and Food Network on the television. Bride: Judging by her lack of patience, you would think she is somehow responsible for bringing the wedding cake to her wedding and she's already thirty minutes late. Like the cupid, cupcakes are a necessity. Obviously, her favorite cake topping is the Wedding topper. Also, she prefers Food Network on the TV. Food Critic: The food critic is good for your business, so treat her well. She's not very patient, so I highly recommend using the TV to keep her in your shop. Her favorite channel is Food Network and her cake topping of choice is the Rose. Easter Bunny: Hmmm... a grown man sporting a day of beard growth in a bunny suit. Anyway, the bunny isn't particularly patient, so keep the TV turned to the Cartoons. His favorite cake topping is the Snail Mail. Santa Claus: This jolly fat guy only shows up in December. He's surprisingly patient for a man responsible for delivering presents to people around the world. He prefers Cartoons on the TV and the Snail Mail on his cake. Dracula: Known for sucking blood from humans, Dracula steals hearts from the other characters. Make sure he's content. He prefers to watch the Food Network and likes Roses on his cake. ================================================================================ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ================================================================================ This is the section I've dedicated to questions that I deem are asked quite a bit, and instead of receiving the same questions over and over, they will be asked and answered below. Be sure to read this section prior to asking me a question. Q: How much does this game cost? A: $19.99 Q: Is this game appropriate for children? A: Absolutely. There is no violence or foul language. Q: I'm having trouble in one of the levels, can you help me? A: One of the best (and easiest) tips I can offer is not to pick up the money after the cake is sold. Wait a while. Only serve two customers if possible. Taking the money off the counter opens up a slot for a new customer to come in. Once you've got things under control, pick up the money and keep the customers coming in... just don't be in a hurry to pick up the money the very second the cake transaction is complete. Q: Where did the developer get the idea for the cake decorations? A: The decorations and their names come from other games from the developer's lineup of games. Many of the decorations are actual characters in other games. Q: Are there any other Cake Mania games? A: Yes. Sandlot Games has released a sequel called Cake Mania: Back to the Bakery. Although I've not played it, I understand it's basically the same game with a couple of minor changes. You can find it at http://www.sandlotgames.com ================================================================================ Final Words... ================================================================================ _______ Credits ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Jeff "CJayC" Veasey for hosting my FAQs. Dave Allison for hosting my FAQs. This FAQ was writen entirely using the GWD Text Editor: (shareware) http://www.gwdsoft.com/ ____________________________ Misc Facts about the Author: ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Email Address: red_phoenix_1@hotmail.com Other FAQs: Check out http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/2717.html << Disclaimer >> This document may be freely distributed so long as it is not edited or or altered in any way, I am given credit, you do not charge for viewing this guide; this includes, but is not limited to websites, cds, dvds, magazines, etc. This document was made for personal use only. No part of this document may be copied or used in any form of media without the express written consent of Jim Chamberlin. Unauthorized use of any information herein is a direct violation of Copyright Law, and legal action will be taken. This document is Copyright İ 2006 Jim Chamberlin. All Rights Reserved.