[Games]Grinding echoes in Fallen London
Sep. 23rd, 2012 04:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sinisterdevicesI suspect this will be of interest to no one except myself and those who play Fallen London and read this blog. You have been warned.
I've been slowly but steadily working my way up to the Overgoat. The Overgoat is expensive: 11,712.80 echoes. Given that the average action gives you around 1-1.2 echoes, and even at my most dedicated and computer-bound I don't think I managed more than 80 actions in a day... I started this before Fallen London switched to unlimited actions and I figured it'd take me six months. But doing nothing but grinding cash is unbelieveably boring, so I figure it's going to take me another six months from right now.
The most efficient way I was aware of until recently was "Give master classes in etiquette," at Mahogany Hall. Educating a Louche Devil in particular meant 105-108 nevercold brass slivers per action -- a reasonable, but not incredible, payout. However, completing the education nets you a further 1,000 slivers. Of course, if your goal is to maximise the overall payout, you want to complete (and then restart) the education as quickly as possible. I've been taking my Pygmalion points up to either 15 (which gets you to "chancy" success on the completion challenge) or 16 (for "modest" success chance). I'm guesstimating that I fail once every 4 tries on Chancy and once every 5 tries on Modest.
Some calculations:
Keep in mind that nevercold brass slivers sell at the bazaar for 0.01 echoes each, so 100 slivers=1 echo.
It takes 2 actions of Morality (at 105 slivers each) to get to Pygmalion 3 and unlock the "History and Politics" option (108 slivers each). Three actions of History and Politics to unlock Philosophy (111 slivers each). Then 41 more actions of Philosophy to get to 16.1 Pygmalion and try for the completion challenge.
Total actions, counting picking up the master class in the first place and doing the challenge, is 48. Total payout is: 2*105+3*108+41*111+1,000=6,085 nevercold brass slivers, or 126.77/action. A failure sets you back 10 pygmalion change points (note: not the same as Pygmalion points), which takes 3 actions to recover in this scenario -- since you'll be hitting 16.1 not exactly 16. A failure would put you at 52 total actions (3 to make up the pygmalion points and one to retry the completion challenge) and an extra 333 brass slivers, for a total of 6,418 slivers, or 123.42/action.
At the 20% failure rate, you'll be averaging 126.10 slivers/action in the long run.
Same scenario, only trying for the final challenge at 15 Pygmalion points.
2*105+3*108+35*111+1,000=5,419 slivers at 129.02/action for success, or
2*105+3*108+35*111+1,000+4*111=5,863 after 47 actions (you'll need 4 actions to recover your lost change points, not 3), or 124.74/action.
Long-term, you'll be averaging 127.95 slivers/action. You're better off aiming for 15 Pygmalion points, as long as you can manage your Scandal build-up due to failed finishing challenges.
But then there's the recent addition: The Affair of the Box. 13 Boxful of Intrigue lets you try for the Rewards of Intrigue challenge. Fairly quickly, your Empire's Kingmaker quality will hit 40, and you'll be able to "Send your report to certain bandaged gentlemen." Each time you do so will earn you 8 Mourning Candles. Which, unlike brass slivers, sell not for 0.01 echoes but for 2.50 echoes each, earning you 20 echoes for each time you complete the intrigue sequence.
Here, the math is really simple: 14 actions earn you 20 echoes, or 1.43 echoes/action. The final reward is not based on luck, either, but a guaranteed payout. A 12% boost is nothing to sneer at -- and my Overgoat is that much closer.
I've been slowly but steadily working my way up to the Overgoat. The Overgoat is expensive: 11,712.80 echoes. Given that the average action gives you around 1-1.2 echoes, and even at my most dedicated and computer-bound I don't think I managed more than 80 actions in a day... I started this before Fallen London switched to unlimited actions and I figured it'd take me six months. But doing nothing but grinding cash is unbelieveably boring, so I figure it's going to take me another six months from right now.
The most efficient way I was aware of until recently was "Give master classes in etiquette," at Mahogany Hall. Educating a Louche Devil in particular meant 105-108 nevercold brass slivers per action -- a reasonable, but not incredible, payout. However, completing the education nets you a further 1,000 slivers. Of course, if your goal is to maximise the overall payout, you want to complete (and then restart) the education as quickly as possible. I've been taking my Pygmalion points up to either 15 (which gets you to "chancy" success on the completion challenge) or 16 (for "modest" success chance). I'm guesstimating that I fail once every 4 tries on Chancy and once every 5 tries on Modest.
Some calculations:
Keep in mind that nevercold brass slivers sell at the bazaar for 0.01 echoes each, so 100 slivers=1 echo.
It takes 2 actions of Morality (at 105 slivers each) to get to Pygmalion 3 and unlock the "History and Politics" option (108 slivers each). Three actions of History and Politics to unlock Philosophy (111 slivers each). Then 41 more actions of Philosophy to get to 16.1 Pygmalion and try for the completion challenge.
Total actions, counting picking up the master class in the first place and doing the challenge, is 48. Total payout is: 2*105+3*108+41*111+1,000=6,085 nevercold brass slivers, or 126.77/action. A failure sets you back 10 pygmalion change points (note: not the same as Pygmalion points), which takes 3 actions to recover in this scenario -- since you'll be hitting 16.1 not exactly 16. A failure would put you at 52 total actions (3 to make up the pygmalion points and one to retry the completion challenge) and an extra 333 brass slivers, for a total of 6,418 slivers, or 123.42/action.
At the 20% failure rate, you'll be averaging 126.10 slivers/action in the long run.
Same scenario, only trying for the final challenge at 15 Pygmalion points.
2*105+3*108+35*111+1,000=5,419 slivers at 129.02/action for success, or
2*105+3*108+35*111+1,000+4*111=5,863 after 47 actions (you'll need 4 actions to recover your lost change points, not 3), or 124.74/action.
Long-term, you'll be averaging 127.95 slivers/action. You're better off aiming for 15 Pygmalion points, as long as you can manage your Scandal build-up due to failed finishing challenges.
But then there's the recent addition: The Affair of the Box. 13 Boxful of Intrigue lets you try for the Rewards of Intrigue challenge. Fairly quickly, your Empire's Kingmaker quality will hit 40, and you'll be able to "Send your report to certain bandaged gentlemen." Each time you do so will earn you 8 Mourning Candles. Which, unlike brass slivers, sell not for 0.01 echoes but for 2.50 echoes each, earning you 20 echoes for each time you complete the intrigue sequence.
Here, the math is really simple: 14 actions earn you 20 echoes, or 1.43 echoes/action. The final reward is not based on luck, either, but a guaranteed payout. A 12% boost is nothing to sneer at -- and my Overgoat is that much closer.