BH11 LY question

[Geo]

so just done my second travel back in time is 23M LY about right?
Also, does it matter if you create armies at the start of the time travel or the end when you have 24-25 time multiplier? confused, was thinking at the start but unsure as it doesn't explain this very well with linear growth, advice welcome lol <3

[spidweb01]

better to create max needed armies for ly bonus at the beginning of the run so you receive the bonus for the whole 24 hrs. If you are only going to do a several hour run, probably better to save the armies for when you can do the full 24 hrs.

[Silberfuchs]

The only thing that changes in BH11 is the way the time multiplier grows over time.
Before the best timing was at the 3 hour mark (x5 multiplier), everything past 3 hours grew way slower. The limit was reached after 24 hours (x20).

In BH11+ it's all up to you (each hour adds another x1), this means 3 hour runs are irrelevant now, but 24 hour runs are actually even better (x24, instead of x20).

And it doesn't matter when you build armies, all armies you build during a LY run add 5 points each (till you reach the cap at 750 armies).

Around BH11 you start having enough prisoners to actually build such a large army, and the bonus this provides to such a run is MASSIVE. => make sure to build your armies in a long run, to get the full benefits out of the "army created bonus" (on the LY tab).

All those bonuses on the LY tab get added together, and multiplied by the time multiplier. You can only create so much armies, hence make sure to build them when you plan to make a long (=> high time multiplier) run anyways.

[Silberfuchs]

Originally posted by spidweb01:

better to create max needed armies for ly bonus at the beginning of the run so you receive the bonus for the whole 24 hrs.

No, because you only get those LY rewards when you end the run. Everything before is simply an estimate for what you will gain when you end the run right now.

Later on you actually WANT to wait till the end of a run, because you get access to upgrades that let you recruit more armies for the same amount of prisoners (and a 24 hour run leaves plenty of room to grab some of those upgrade levels).

You are correct when it comes to building armies for 24 hour runs (because they are a limited resource).

[spidweb01]

Originally posted by Silberfuchs:

And it doesn't matter when you build armies, all armies you build during a LY run add 5 points each (till you reach the cap at 750 armies).

You make it sound like if you create 750 army in the last hour you will get the same amount as creating 750 armies in the first hour. Don't think that's right. You would receive the same boost for the last hour, but miss the boost from all the previous hours.

[SolidSnake2514]

Originally posted by spidweb01:

Originally posted by Silberfuchs:

And it doesn't matter when you build armies, all armies you build during a LY run add 5 points each (till you reach the cap at 750 armies).

You make it sound like if you create 750 army in the last hour you will get the same amount as creating 750 armies in the first hour. Don't think that's right. You would receive the same boost for the last hour, but miss the boost from all the previous hours.

for the LY gain it doesn't matter at which point in the run you build the armies.

the points from the first 5 bonuses (planets, levels, upgrades, enemies and army) get added together and then multiplied by the time bonus and again multiplied by the total LY multiplier.

[Geo]

so did a little test waited until 20 hours this run then bought max armies, LY went up to 28M at only 20 hours, could have waited until 24 hours, so it does seem like you get a lot more LY from waiting, guess to do with all the upgrades and stuff you get from junk/plasma upgrades? so confusing even after the comments I was still confused lmao.

[SolidSnake2514]

Originally posted by Geo:

so did a little test waited until 20 hours this run then bought max armies, LY went up to 28M at only 20 hours, could have waited until 24 hours, so it does seem like you get a lot more LY from waiting, guess to do with all the upgrades and stuff you get from junk/plasma upgrades? so confusing even after the comments I was still confused lmao.

it doesn't matter

[Silberfuchs]

Originally posted by Geo:

so did a little test waited until 20 hours this run then bought max armies, LY went up to 28M at only 20 hours, could have waited until 24 hours, so it does seem like you get a lot more LY from waiting, guess to do with all the upgrades and stuff you get from junk/plasma upgrades? so confusing even after the comments I was still confused lmao.

To paint an easier to understand picture:
Recruiting armies is basically the same as working a bunch of extra shifts a month at your job. Doesn't matter if you do them at the start, in the middle or at the end of the month, in all cases you get the same amount of "more money" added to your paycheck that month.

The only variable you have to work with is the time multiplier itself, a max army run ideally takes advantage of a long run. Simplified example: 1+1+1+5 times 24 = 192; 1+1+1+5 times 2 = 16 (24 vs 2 hour run). The 5 in those examples represent the army bonus, that number turns to 0 if you run out of armies. Hence even that only matters if you run the risk of running out of recruitable armies during that BH.

[spidweb01]

It does make sense. If you recruit army at the beginning of the run, the Next BH Milestone meter increases steadily during the whole run, but if you recruit army in the last hour, it shows that increase all in a lump sum increase. End result gains are still the same, it's just the graphic changing either more over time, or more all at once.

[Geo]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3389890098

so basically a small time gap but both were x24 hour why is the end result so different?

run 2 and 3 were max armies

[spidweb01]

Might not be a valid comparison if other things got improved like completing a mech or buying more LY upgrades somewhere.

[Nelfie]

Silberfuchs and SolidSnake2514 are both correct. It doesn't matter if you pump out prisoners until cap the first minute or waiting until the last minute. The LY bonus will remain exactly the same.

[Kotli]

Originally posted by Geo:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3389890098

so basically a small time gap but both were x24 hour why is the end result so different?

run 2 and 3 were max armies

Simple you had a higher +% light year boost from one or more of the progression systems.

[Geo]

Originally posted by Nelfie🍀:

Silberfuchs and SolidSnake2514 are both correct. It doesn't matter if you pump out prisoners until cap the first minute or waiting until the last minute. The LY bonus will remain exactly the same.

ok thanks for clarifying, have marked as answered and spidweb was correct, had a couple of LY upgrades more from citizen upgrades and meteorite tab, thanks all :)

[Shrike_SiN]

It won't change your LY production from armies score, but if you build the armies at the beginning of your long run then you will be producing garbage faster that entire time, which could push the more planets completed bonus.