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    Your Elvenar Team

Balancing goods in an unbalanced world

Nerwa

Well-Known Member
What are your techniques for adapting to changing demands in the trader? It's an issue that comes up regularly, and can throw off cities both large & small. But it's also possible to roll with the changes.

A couple things I do are:
  • Keep a weekly chart of on-hand goods. It takes maybe 3 minutes a week; the night before Spire works well for me. If I'm feeling very efficient I'll make a note of major activities (e.g., moving to a new chapter) but mostly it's just the numbers. It gives me an early warning if things start to shift so I can adjust *before* I go all lop-sided.
  • Leave some of my event buildings (evolving buildings & daily prizes) at lower levels rather than upgrading them. For example, Pilgrim's Manor & Pilgrim's Plaza both switch productions from T1 @ ch4 to T2 @ ch5. I decided I'd rather have a lower quantity in T1s than a higher quantity in something else.

So, add a few strategies. (And maybe *try* to keep the inevitable jokes about being unbalanced at the *end* of your suggestion???)
 

Zoof

Well-Known Member
I'm not so rigorous about keeping track of my goods flow, but my pre-chapter 5 strategy involved keeping sufficient goods to last a whole day or two in reserve and make balancing trades overnight. Based on what is/isn't taken overnight, you can adjust how many manufactories you have. I also prioritized being able to have enough manufactories to be able to complete all related quests with a 3h production, which seemed to have helped.

Can't really say anything past chapter 5 aside from having a fellowship willing to shovel nigh endless goods down your throat so you can max out tourney more easily and end up growing sideways instead. I've been totally spoiled. Started a new city on another server to see if I can make it further without a fleet of tractor-trailers parked outside my home wanting to make deliveries.
 

Nerwa

Well-Known Member
I'm not so rigorous about keeping track of my goods flow, but my pre-chapter 5 strategy involved keeping sufficient goods to last a whole day or two in reserve and make balancing trades overnight.

Having reserves is always good. If you up that 1-2 day stockpile to 2 weeks' worth at a minimum, even better.

Based on what is/isn't taken overnight, you can adjust how many manufactories you have.

That also works in higher chapters. As factories get bigger & weirder-shaped you have to allow more flex-space. Rotating factories in & out of storage is an excellent use for teleports. Plus, you aren't "charged" for population or culture on stored buildings.
 

Gustoff

Member
Some of the 'Guides' suggest having 8 manufacturing buildings for each of your primary goods. At lower level, depending on your primary goods, that can be a space management problem as well. When at higher levels (above 3) is the volume of output sufficient for Spire and Tournaments? Or is the number of buildings offset by upgrading them to max and using supplements (once you can make them) on a regular basis? Or is it a never-ending goal chase limited by space? I find at level 2/3 the best I can do is 8 basic, 3 medium and 1 advanced given the space (unable to teleport yet).
 

Iyapo1

Well-Known Member
In chapter 7 I built a BTG(Blooming Trader Guild Wonder) and I sat in chapter 7 until it was level 30. I then used coins and supplies to work around any problem with the world market. I avoided culture/pop hybrid buildings and kept my houses(for the coins), I used PoP spells daily on my workshops, and I visited my entire neighborhood everyday(coins). Once my BTG was level 30 I planted a Prosperity Towers to increase supplies. This worked to get me through the scroll problem on Harander, when crystal and silk were so horribly expensive.
I dont need it for that anymore but I do need it for steel.
 

crackie

Chef, Scroll-Keeper, Buddy's #1 Fan
What are your techniques for adapting to changing demands in the trader?
I think the neighborhood changed, but don’t think the demand is changing. Just post what you want to trade and others will gobble it up if you don’t see matching pairs listed for what you need. It will still get gobbled up quickly.
Leave some of my event buildings (evolving buildings & daily prizes) at lower levels rather than upgrading them.
I did this for some buildings, like when Coldfire threatened to give me scrolls, but eventually just put them away or sold them. For example, it’s not really worth having a chap 4 anything when your city is in like chapter 10 because things like population doesn’t keep up with inflation for the real estate it occupies. By chap 10, is like 1500 worth of goods a day from chap 4 really worth 16 tiles? There are some exceptions, but not many. For example, if you want coin rains instead of Portal Profit, then leave your Fire Phoenix at whatever chapter before 6 since you mainly have it for the feed effect and chaptering it mostly gives you more useless coins after the portal profit switch.
Some of the 'Guides' suggest having 8 manufacturing buildings for each of your primary goods.
The problem with guides or listening to someone else to plan your city is their schedule, ability, playing style, in-game goals and spending habit might greatly differ from yours. Are you available to collect every 3hrs or only 9hrs? Are you happy with 30pts in tourney or 10kpts? Maybe they are geniuses with Spire and can crack it in one go but it takes you a few more tries, etc. Therefore, you need a bigger budget. You also get into the trap of playing by someone else’s formula and stop thinking for yourself. One player said to me, “I was told to have X amount of goods in my inventory.” And who gave you that terrible advice? You don’t want to have the same inventory in chapter 6 as you do in 14 as spending continually goes up so why would you ever commit to a hard inventory number! “Oh yeah,” she said. Light bulb moment.

Your city has what I call a “balance point” of where your inventory kinda lingers around week to week. For me, that number needs to slowly inch up every month or so and therefore, always accumulating a small net gain. If it’s not climbing, add more factories. That’s it. Listen to your city. Not hard. If you want to be diligent, actually write the numbers down. For my teammates who can’t manage this in their heads, I encourage them to write it down. Someone in same chapter as me needs 8 T1 factories to grow because their playing style involves more catering. I only need 2 factories for the most part because I mostly fight, except when it comes to T3’s, then I have an excessive amount of factories out because having a Dust Museum is on my list of in-game goals. There is no set “right” number carved in stone.
 

Gustoff

Member
Personally, I work at 3-3-3-3-3-9 shift. I have used the last two contests (only ones since I started playing) as a 'measure' of success/balance in town design. During the events, there are few resources left over for town growth as most resources are used to fulfil event quests. As a result I have 'learned' the usefulness of the MA as well. I've managed to get to 180 in all 4 cities while still being just shy of T3 resources (Gems/Dust/Elixir) generation. I think it is working ok for now ... but I do see differences in 2 mfg cities vs 3 for example or 680K max MH vs 480 (due to research). I've tried to apply the 'ignore scouting everything/leave a few' based on advice here and experience with the Forsaken event that required fighting encounters (none so far in the donkey-thon). But that is the only real 'test' of balance so far as I have not yet mustered the courage to try the recently appearing Spire (me thinks I need to boost everything to max at lvl 3 before I do).
 

crackie

Chef, Scroll-Keeper, Buddy's #1 Fan
Events are too variable. Sometimes you're at the mercy of RNG gods. Other times it's the devs' nerf guns that determines how you'll finish. I use (Spire+) tourney as a 'measure' of success/balance in a town design. Spire has an end but you can push tourney until you cry uncle if you scout far enough. The city needs of a player that does 0 tourney, 30pts, 3k, 5k, or 10k will vary greatly. The more tourney you do, the leaner everything has to be. It's also a weekly grind so you have to be able to do it consistently week after week. The less you do, the sloppier you can be in city design. You can keep things from chapter 2 even if you're in chap 17 already if you like. You can build wonders for the pretty wallpapers. So much flexibility! No need for strategy, analysis, or spreadsheets! This game would just turn into chatting for me and I'd drive everyone up the wall.
 

Darielle

Chef, Scroll-Keeper, and Buddy Fan Club Member
In the early chapters it's even more critical to have a great fellowship who needs your boosts than it is in later chapters. The best strategy is to find the perfect fellowship, the one that has a shortage of what you have and is very active. Check in game for a few fellowships with overviews that you like, and then check them out on elvenstats. If they have a glut of what you have, that won't help you or the fellowship. If they really need you`, it's symbiosis. Perfection.
 

Kadhrin

Well-Known Member
Some of the 'Guides' suggest having 8 manufacturing buildings for each of your primary goods.
I think that was what I tried to hit. Never got there, though.
Eventually, I reduced what I had to 4/3/3.
Now, in chapter 16, I usually have 2/3/2* ... and the 3 T2s are because that's my favorite butterfly and I don't wanna upgrade. ;)

Something to watch is what your collection of evolving buildings and set buildings gives you.
Examples:
* I used to get so much T2 from the Moonstone Library set and other pieces that I didn't need as many T2 buildings as was recommended. (Those buildings are now mostly upgraded, though, so they aren't producing T2s anymore.)
* The Pilgrims' Stone Mason and Woodworks are the equivalent of a factory producing two 9-hour and one 3-hour job. I could probably teleport a corresponding factory after the FA.
* I lucked out on the Forbidden Ruins set and got two Magic Dragon Tamers. The pair is equivalent to a gem factory, so I teleported one gem factory.
 
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