Hey everyone, hope you're ready for more CSD cause' that's what I got! This is such a large content patch that I've opted to have it available as a beta first before rolling it out for everyone. As this is a beta, be aware that there can be bugs and such that will not be a part of the final patch. BE SURE TO BACK UP YOUR SAVES, which will be detailed below. This beta is for Windows users only. There is a long list of new additions and updates that I'll post once the patch is live for everyone, but here are some key areas that I want to focus on for this beta:

• Controller support (DualShock 4, Xbox 360 PC Gamepad). Everything in the game has been reconfigured to support full controller functions. Unless marked, there should not be any instances where a controller doesn't allow you to progress or perform an action. The two exceptions to this are the options menu at the start of the game and the key binding menu. Rumble is also supported across all foods. Please let me know what you think of the controls, how you might improve them, and so on. They definitely take some getting used to, but have been fine tuned so that you can punch out orders as quickly as possible. It's my personally preferred control scheme at this point.
• New Game+. As this is a new mode, it's always a bit dangerous to mess with code that can affect regular games as well, but I'm pretty sure everything turned out great. If you have a Platinum Star Restaurant, you can jump right into the NG+ mode. I'd love to get some feedback on difficulty and what you think about the new changes.
• New code for buying/practicing foods. There was a bad glitch that has haunted this game since release that would gift players certain foods after trying them out...or worse, remove foods from their menu that they had previously bought. To kill this bug once and for all, I had to redo the entire code for buying and practicing foods. Please let me know if there's any kind of glitch when practicing, trying out, or buying foods. Everything should be good now.
• The ability to replay the opening tutorial. This may not seem like much but originally I could not get this to work because of some old legacy code, so it wasn't available. Thanks to the new code for buying foods, I can finally add this feature. You can replay the opening tutorial via the Tutorials menu, and get a different version when using a gamepad. Again, let me know if anything doesn't look right after replaying the tutorial on a normal save.
• Many assets re-rendered in 1080p. As a result of providing better assets for High Rendering/1080p, there could be a glitch that makes objects or text appear twice the size it should be, or seem abnormally large. This definitely shouldn't happen so let me know if you see anything like that.
• New Quick Options menu in the title/save select screen. Pretty handy if you ask me! You can click the cog on the top right to access it in the opening menus only.
• Garbage throwing sped up by 30%. Let me know if any glitches seem to occur when throwing trash.

• STEP ONE: Backup your saves. It is vital you back up your saves manually as this beta has a number of game changing updates. To do so, first go to your C:/Users/(your username) folder. Then go to the AppData folder (if you do not see that folder, make sure the ability to see hidden files and folders is turned on). Now go to Local, then CSDSteamBuild, and finally copy all Ndata1file.ini thru 6 files to another location on your computer. You should also copy the BCKNdata1file.ini files as well.
• STEP TWO: Make sure your email is confirmed with Steam. Steam occasionally prompts you to confirm your email address within the Steam client. You need to do this before opting into the beta, otherwise your cloud saves may become out of sync.
• STEP THREE: Opt-in. Go to your Steam client, select Library, then right click on Cook, Serve, Delicious and select Properties. Click the Betas tab. In the code box, type in iwantmoredelicious and then hit Check Code. You should be accepted! Now click the drop down menu for the "beta you would like to opt-in to" and select v2_5 beta- Controller, NG+ Beta (3/31/14). Your download should start soon after.

• Weekly Challenges- Face off with your friends and the Steam leaderboard as you compete for the fastest times. A new challenge awaits every week!
  
• Tag Team Local Multiplayer- Grab some controllers and play up to four players locally as you take turns manning the chef station in Battle Kitchen. You only have fifteen seconds to cook, and five seconds to explain to the next cook what to do first! Good luck!
  
• Strike Challenges- Take on twelve brand new challenges on your own or up to four players tag team with adjustable difficulty settings. Warning: these challenges can be extremely difficult!
  
• Endurance Mode- For one player or up to four Tag Team players, Endurance Mode has you making as many foods as possible perfectly, all while having to answer Chef Risotto's calls and switching out menu items and upgrading them while you're cooking. How long can you last? Also includes the new eSports Endurance Challenge, an event that ups the difficulty to an extreme degree!
  
• Co-op Campaign- Play the campaign mode with a friend using your current save! One person is the expediter, who must give orders to the chef and send them out when they're fully cooked, and the other is the chef, unable to choose orders but must cook or do anything the expediter gives them. Tag each other to switch positions on the fly, and make your way from a zero star cafe to a five star restaurant! (co-op can be enabled or disabled at any time in the main menu of the campaign mode).
  
• Game Improvements- A huge array of game improvements and additions have been added to the game! For more, visit the official announcement page here: http://steamcommunity.com/games/247020/announcements/detail/204114190854399404

• New Steam Features include key binding support for all foods and events, a new gameplay option called CookBets where you will receive randomized challenges each day, fifty new spam emails and options as well as improvements to UI across the board, and full Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, Steam Leaderboards with special Steam Challenges and Trading Cards support.
  
• Includes the upgrade pack, "Extra Crispy Edition," that brings ten new foods to the game including Lobster, Bananas Foster, Enchiladas, Sushi and more!
  
• Steam Controller, DualShock 4, Xbox 360, Wii U Pro Controller, DualShock 3 and Xbox One gamepad button mapping fully supported for compatible controllers. Rumble is also supported (for Windows only). (Note: first and third party drivers still required for full compatibility. For a full detailed list, be sure to check out the Steam thread: http://steamcommunity.com/app/247020/discussions/0/598199244891051604/ )
  
• Music by award winning composer Jonathan Geer
  
• Art by Sara Gross - Two Bit Art (Battle Kitchen art by Camille Kuo)

• OS: Ubuntu 12.04 and aboveMemory: 2 GB RAMGraphics: OpenGL-capable graphics card with valid driverStorage: 150 MB available spaceAdditional Notes: Currently Ubuntu is the only Linux platform that is officially supported by this engine.
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: OpenGL-capable graphics card with valid driver
• Storage: 150 MB available spaceAdditional Notes: Currently Ubuntu is the only Linux platform that is officially supported by this engine.