So about those hearts... help!

[76561199134838154]

It's starting to take so long to get the affection meter done! Is there any solution to this? I'm trying to avoid downloading an auto-clicker. Should I be resetting more often?

[rognik]

Whenever you feel the hearts start to slow down, that either means it's time to take a short break, or you need to reset the game. Especially as some of the later boys will actually require having a certain amount of reset value before you can advance with them.

[RogueFireWolf]

When you need to click hundreds of times at Hobby Level 60-65+ while being able to afford the Gifts in less than a day of generating income, that's not "it's time to take a short break", nor is it time "to reset the game". That's the developers putting an absurd requirement for the most trivial thing in the game and expecting players to use autoclickers to handle it despite the fact that many people either cannot download or hold no desire to use an autoclicker.

[rognik]

Originally posted by RogueFireWolf:

When you need to click hundreds of times at Hobby Level 60-65+ while being able to afford the Gifts in less than a day of generating income, that's not "it's time to take a short break", nor is it time "to reset the game". That's the developers putting an absurd requirement for the most trivial thing in the game and expecting players to use autoclickers to handle it despite the fact that many people either cannot download or hold no desire to use an autoclicker.

I had assumed Bobbercat was still early in the game, and thus hadn't maxed out his reset value. Besides, if you have so much money that you can give the boys expensive gifts, then why not use the gifts to gain hearts instead of talk or clicking on the boys?

[RogueFireWolf]

"Affording to give them the gifts they require" does not mean "affording to give them the gifts that would actually make any form of decent dent in their requirements". It takes 500 Jets to move Scale past Crush. That is quite the significant increase in cost of the 500 Pianos he requires.

Even when factoring in that I haven't maxed out my boost yet (but do have the x64 permanent boost bonus), that's a bad sign for how expensive and long it would take for him just a few levels later, even when at max. The Hearts cost scaling is insane when it comes to the later boys and the DLC boys, and earning the cost for the Gifts to generate it takes even longer than it would take by clicking "Talk" once every minute (yes, I mean "minute").

[Elvick]

Just get an auto clicker. Better for your hands and the life of your mouse.

[RogueFireWolf]

As I said in my initial response, not everyone wants to or can download/use an autoclicker. Telling someone to use an external program to play a game is wrong, as is designing a game with the expectation that people will.

[rognik]

I have to agree that having an autoclicker program is not a good idea, since downloading one can be questionable, and might be risking getting a virus. Sure, you may have found one you feel is reliable, but that is your call to make and probably shouldn't be encouraged to other players. I also agree that a game that requires a lot of clicking should be inside the game. Incidentally, the game does have a means to autogenerate hearts, which is levelling up their favourite hobby. Clearly that's too slow for the high levels, but do you really need them at Lover +100? What do you really get by getting them that high?

[RogueFireWolf]

Unless there's a massive increase in how many Hearts Talk gives in the last few Hobby Levels, the later boys and DLC boys still require an absurd amount within a few Lover Levels or even by the time they reach Lover (looking at you, Scale). And it's at least useful at least once for getting the in-game Achievements, even if the benefit is minute after enough time blocks are earned (or bought, if that's your shtick).

[Elvick]

Originally posted by RogueFireWolf:

Pushing the use of autoclickers is one of the stupidest things ever and should not be a factor of how to play a game. Reasonable gameplay should not involve external programs that are not a part of the game itself.

Any quality game that does require lots of clicking has an internal autoclicker of some sort built in, which is why I've suggested before that they make a DLC boy who does speed talking (filling heats requirements immediately) much like Sven allows speed dating/gifting.

I'm not "pushing" it. And the devs don't "expect" you to use it. They just don't seem to care if you do, because why would they? There's no PvP elements to the game. And clicking is tedious and it's eventually the only way to progress beyond waiting for money.

I'm telling you the solution. You can take it or leave it, it's not my problem. Have fun avoiding the current solution to your problem.

Originally posted by rognik:

I have to agree that having an autoclicker program is not a good idea, since downloading one can be questionable, and might be risking getting a virus.

No offense, but if you can't navigate the installation of things onto a computer without paranoia then maybe it's better if you don't even use a computer at all. Many wouldn't install Steam for that same reason.

[76561199134838154]

Thanks all for the advice. For now, I'm going to stick to soft resets. I haven't advanced far enough in the game to see how hearts are down the line but I agree that external programs shouldn't be required or even recommended to play a game. If getting the affection meter up later in the game is *that* difficult, it wouldn't be that hard for developers to add an internal feature. They could even make it DLC like RogueFireWolf said. Also, there's a big difference between downloading a popular program with a solid reputation than finding some random autoclicker online. Autoclickers are a hot spot for viruses- this is common knowledge. An important aspect of game design is balance. If the only solution to balance a game is an external program, that's a game flaw.

[EkinRaider]

Even with max reset bonus and X64, it seems it would take years of money farming to cover the costs of the final boys' heart meter stuff. It's pretty stupid design but I guess it's the developers' way of making you purchase diamonds to combine the 24hr boosts with 7 days skips. The devs are trying to farm off us, after all.

[Barrel O'Nukes]

FYI, if you're not in late- game yet, once you're getting the later boys up to the higher levels (think Sven up to 30+) it takes my autoclicker set at 200 clicks per second around three minutes to max out hearts. The devs absolutely expect people to use autoclickers.

I get about 5 clicks per second just using my hand, which would take roughly two hours of top-speed clicking to max out the hearts. You would not only destroy your mouse after a few days of gameplay, but you would probably wind up with carpal tunnel or some other issue.

Honestly, I think the devs should just put something in the game recommending them at higher levels before some moron who actually attempts doing it without one winds up threatening to sue for medical bills or whatever.

[RogueFireWolf]

Expecting people to use an autoclicker should never be part of balancing. Balance should be around reasonable gameplay - which does not include using external programs in order to do anything. Your entire post there just pointed out a serious balancing issue: manual play is implausible in any form of reasonable time and has other issues that come with it.

[Barrel O'Nukes]

To be fair, there are plenty of games out there that basically require external additions just to be playable at higher levels. I mean, you can play World of Warcraft great at lower levels, but you get to end game and start raiding, no guild is going to bring you on unless you have specific third-party raiding/gear addons.

I love clicker games, and most of them practically require an autoclicker of some kind in late-game. I will add that a good number of them have built-in autoclickers you can activate for real money (and I think Sad Panda is missing out on extra cash by not offering that) but until they get around to that, an external autoclicker is the only way you'll save your mouse and the nerves in your hand.

[RogueFireWolf]

"Other games do it" doesn't make it okay.

Plenty of the games that do have immense clicking requirements also have built-in autoclickers, which nullifies the need for using something externally. I've seen several where it's completely free, too (or where clicking becomes pretty pointless late-game).

To have an immense clicking requirement, and not have something in-game that can handle that within any reasonable time (which Gifts don't with the later boys), is bad game design.