Layout question

[delprincipe]

I'm having a hard time configuring the Tutorial Island to produce what I need, namely T3 Think Juice and resources. Are we supposed to configure the island to produce each element needed one at a time, all the way up the ladder, or is there some way to configure that makes balanced resources? I find that I run out of room really quickly, and I need the higher tier resources to open up space... I know that this question is a little rambling but I hope to get an answer because I am pretty frustrated waiting for ♥♥♥♥♥♥ cogs to build up

[Tonoki]

Hello. It's depends.

For my part, I play active, I build one ressource by one ressource, left 5 minutes and change for others ressources.
Before afk for many hours, I set up many juices and ressources needed.
It's an idle, you need to wait :)

[Curs3d]

1st set your view mode to "count + gain/loss" (overall not map) and set it to items per minute or seconds.

Actual requirement will be in constant flux due to upgrades, but a good way to manage a new resource is to place 1 of new resource, then simply build everything needed to produce one of that resource (so that no produce is negative, *no red numbers), if you see something being very heavily in use (such as glue) check what building require that and stack up efficiency.

Then simply expand this to 5x and check what resources will need to be built more of, since you'll instantly lack some resource and have a surplus of some.

After this you can either eyeball how much space you need to expand it more, or simply produce some other lower tier think juice/resource with the remaining space.

I often go all in on a new resource for an hour or two so I can get all the cheap upgrades, then I setup what think juices are the most required for my current upgrades (usually focusing on 1-2) and turn it off.


Beacons are your friend to, speed for new resources, speed + multiplier for volume stuff (unless speed capped), and efficiency for those few super expensive resources

[delprincipe]

Originally posted by Tonoki:

It's an idle, you need to wait :)

Haha, yeah I am a veteran of the first game (Room 11 FTW!!) so I know that there will be waiting. And waiting. I just wanted to hear how others did it; to kinda see if I was on the right track. Thanks for replies, @Curs3ed and @Tonoki !!

[Elenoe]

Waiting is for Candy map (and maybe for Tronne a bit). First maps are really busy...

* you probably may do one resource at time, although managing it would be much harder, so I didn't do it that way. I use "balanced" layout to what I need

* do not try balance things over the edge, it may be "fun" for a while but it will keep you busy for no gain

* learn to use erase button instead (if you ctrl click you keep beacons) and use it a lot. Sooner you get this, sooner you will be happy. Don't be afraid to "start" over. Layout is not a goal. Aside from clearing factories and keeping beacons, there is an option to Lock beacons meaning you won't override them when dragmoving mouse to build factories. You can still recolor them by clicking.

* pick one thing you want to do: Chonker work order, Research, army, juices, unlock tiles. Whatever, but only one goal. Erase all maps and start putting factories from the most complex to trivial. It's really fast. You may keep numbers in blue, or if it's -43k/4M (100h - I obviously use "per hour" view for all practical purposes), red is ok

* buying production upgrades means either headache or rebuilding. Do it as planned action, not random. If you are focusing on juices, do that. Buy upgrads in bulks, reset and set new factory with new conditions and optimized goals based on current stockpile.

* if you really have to buy upgrades, always buy them from T1 up, not the other way around. Upgrades saves you tiles, not resources. So you concentrate on tiers where you use most factories from and go there from bottom. If it disbalance factory a lot, reset, build again.

* use beacons. 50% of map should be beacons.

* Efficiency beacons are much weaker then production/speed. But their effect stacks up the bigger the chain is. Never use efficiency beacons on items you have full map of and are close to the end of chain (superglue for example). Efficiency is best concentrated just on top tier "few" items to save pages of factories (like the 7 eff-squares + 6 prod knights configuration for top 1x items, trpling the production forprice of one; takes space but saves 2/3 of everything else on the map). And use production/speed on those in numbers to reduce their numbers

[delprincipe]

Thanks @Elenoe... I twigged to the fact that Beacons are a priority as soon as I read the description so now we are bent to that task. Then Blue TJ, then yellow TJ, for the feature upgrade (space travel?). Think I should throw the army to the wolves before that? I don't know what beating the Combat tutorial gives you. But yeah. Beacons.
Good info and pointers here, thanks again

[Ryo5678]

Originally posted by delprincipe:

I don't know what beating the Combat tutorial gives you.

If you can beat a combat mission then go for it. They only unlock new research for the next map. No real point in waiting to do them. To guess if you are ready for a mission, get to an ISOPOD level that has a bit more difficulty rating then the mission.