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Your Elvenar Team
Theory: An instant in your inventory is a wasted instant.
- Thread starter Ashrem
- Start date
Ashrem
Oh Wise One
Opinion: The state of your city at this moment is the sum of your spent resources. While having an instant in inventory when you desperately want to do something provides an apparent relief, until you have actually used your instant, your city is that much further behind where it could have been if you'd used the instant already.
DeletedUser
Guest
Is this Quantum Physics City Building 101? 
Maybe Schrödinger's City Planning Theory?
Is a dollar in your pocket when you desperately want a coffee a wasted dollar?
I posit that an instant in my inventory is not relevant to the progress of my city. If I save an instant for a day, a month, a year, is it not the same as if I did not have the instant in my inventory at all?
Maybe Schrödinger's City Planning Theory?
Is a dollar in your pocket when you desperately want a coffee a wasted dollar?
I posit that an instant in my inventory is not relevant to the progress of my city. If I save an instant for a day, a month, a year, is it not the same as if I did not have the instant in my inventory at all?
DeletedUser12297
Guest
Of course not. Not everything done in your city has equal value and some things have more value done at particular times. An instant saved is an instant that will make your progress and time more valuable when you need it most.
Sir Squirrel
Artist EXTRAORDINAIRE and Buddy Fan Club member
I don't think so, as long as its in my inventory I have a feeling of power, as I can use it when I wish, once it is used that feelings gone, lol. Having a ton of them in your inventory and not using them would be a waste though. IMO.
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mucksterme
Oh Wise One
By the same theory it is wasteful to have goods, coins, spells or supplies in inventory.
Ashrem
Oh Wise One
I happen to think that's true, as well. My goal is always to have my storage less than half full unless I have a specific need for more. That's not just in the game. Aside from a required reserve, money sitting in the bank is money that could be working for me.
DeletedUser9601
Guest
Need to distinguish between coin/supply instants, and time instants.
Coin/Supply instants - definitely not a waste to hold a few of these in your inventory. First, you'll definitely run out at some point, especially in later chapters; why not wait until then? Second, if the "gain X supplies or X gold" quests come back, bam! that instant just became a completed quest.
Time Instants - More arguable. But its opportunity cost. E.g., I have a 14-hour instant. I could immediately upgrade a Fairy House to an Orc House. Or I could let it run its course overnight tonight as planned. I get a house 12 hours sooner. But what do I do with that extra house? Probably nothing. I'm probably just building another house upgrade.
There are definitely times where rushing a production saved me many more hours. For instance, I had a 14-hour build needed for "upgrade 2 buildings" quest. I completed that quest with an instant, then ripped through 5ish more easy quests basically immediately, which allowed me enough Acorns to open 2 more large chests. I got a nice daily building in those chests that I'm otherwise missing if I waited for the full build.
So in all of my rambling, I'd say: save a few coin/supply instants until needed. Save some time instants, but you probably don't need to sit on 7 14-hour reducers. Just spend all but 1 or 2, and save a couple for strategic benefit.
Coin/Supply instants - definitely not a waste to hold a few of these in your inventory. First, you'll definitely run out at some point, especially in later chapters; why not wait until then? Second, if the "gain X supplies or X gold" quests come back, bam! that instant just became a completed quest.
Time Instants - More arguable. But its opportunity cost. E.g., I have a 14-hour instant. I could immediately upgrade a Fairy House to an Orc House. Or I could let it run its course overnight tonight as planned. I get a house 12 hours sooner. But what do I do with that extra house? Probably nothing. I'm probably just building another house upgrade.
There are definitely times where rushing a production saved me many more hours. For instance, I had a 14-hour build needed for "upgrade 2 buildings" quest. I completed that quest with an instant, then ripped through 5ish more easy quests basically immediately, which allowed me enough Acorns to open 2 more large chests. I got a nice daily building in those chests that I'm otherwise missing if I waited for the full build.
So in all of my rambling, I'd say: save a few coin/supply instants until needed. Save some time instants, but you probably don't need to sit on 7 14-hour reducers. Just spend all but 1 or 2, and save a couple for strategic benefit.
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Risen Malchiah
Well-Known Member
A time booster saved for strategic purposes has more value than simply wasting it on immediate gratification. My initial thought when I got 20h instants was "Hey, instant MH!" but then realized, other than freeing a builder, an instant MH has no real benefit to me if I don't need the extra coins/supplies.
The most useful to me are the Barracks (to avoid a day-long pause in troops), a Portal (which could also instantly increase the value of the settlement goods I'm about to collect), or a factory during one of those occasions where taking it offline isn't feasible because you're trying to push ahead in the tournament while providing goods to your FS at the same time.
Something saved in your inventory (or in your wallet) to makes things significantly easier later has more benefit than spending til you're broke and getting stuck.
The most useful to me are the Barracks (to avoid a day-long pause in troops), a Portal (which could also instantly increase the value of the settlement goods I'm about to collect), or a factory during one of those occasions where taking it offline isn't feasible because you're trying to push ahead in the tournament while providing goods to your FS at the same time.
Something saved in your inventory (or in your wallet) to makes things significantly easier later has more benefit than spending til you're broke and getting stuck.
DeletedUser9601
Guest
To follow up on the strategic decision-making that instants can provide. I think there is some value to saving a few of the great instants (14+ hour timers, 33% gold/supplies). But its probably overkill (and not worth the opportunity cost) keeping 8 or 9 of each in the bank. Not sure how you adjust the poll to accommodate that response
Ashrem
Oh Wise One
I was probably too ambiguous. Using an instant just for the sake of using it is clearly not a gain in value. I was considering a realtively normal situation where you have a bunch of work to do. Saving time now puts you at the end of whatever needs doing sooner, which means a residence providing coins for that much longer, and population to allow another upgrade, or a manufactory to produce that much more goods that much sooner.
I don't think there's anything wrong with having an instant in storage, unless you are delaying other jobs to use it for something "better," later.
I don't think there's anything wrong with having an instant in storage, unless you are delaying other jobs to use it for something "better," later.
DeletedUser9601
Guest
Yeah, then I think you're right @Ashrem. Better to put your resources to use now. At the end of the day, (a) time is the biggest gating item and (b) cities are generally more powerful as they advance.
So if you can advance 3-4 days in your development by rushing a building, or buying KP with gold reserves, or building an army now, I think it makes sense to do so. That's 3-4 more days you spend in the next chapter, or with more advanced buildings.
So if you can advance 3-4 days in your development by rushing a building, or buying KP with gold reserves, or building an army now, I think it makes sense to do so. That's 3-4 more days you spend in the next chapter, or with more advanced buildings.
SoggyShorts
Mathematician par Excellence
I try to use all my instants to keep my builders from being idle rather than to rush a completion.
This is why I actually like 1h the most. Finish a build before bed/work so I can start another.
@Risen Malchiah has a good point about using big ones on portals.
This is why I actually like 1h the most. Finish a build before bed/work so I can start another.
@Risen Malchiah has a good point about using big ones on portals.
DeletedUser3468
Guest
Approaching it from the other side, why use an instant that is for 14 hours when you only have something that takes a couple hours to complete? That would be wasing the instant. Why use an instant for supplies if you're going to be collecting from your workshops in a few minutes but don't have enough 3 minute instants to collect instantly?
Risen Malchiah
Well-Known Member
Another thought that I hate to bring up is that we don't yet know how common these 14-20h boosters will be. It is entirely possible that the devs feel they're overpowered and the next event will have smaller boosters. For that reason primarily, I'm not ready to waste them just yet. I'm comfortable using them in specific instances and holding a few for a later chapter just in case the next event doesn't provide them. But I'm hoping they're here for good and come winter, I can go instant-crazy.
SoggyShorts
Mathematician par Excellence
In the first FA the prize for 4th place was one 14h boost. With average luck a player could get almost 50x14h during this event.
Based on that information I can pretty much guarantee that we will be getting between zero and 500 of these a month.
SunsetDanar
Well-Known Member
I'm using the 14hr. ones to cut scouting time to yet another unbelievable length of time while saving the 20hr. ones for large building upgrades such as the main hall. Not too many of these remain though...Until the next guest race.
SunsetDanar
Well-Known Member
In the first FA the prize for 4th place was one 14h boost. With average luck a player could get almost 50x14h during this event.
Based on that information I can pretty much guarantee that we will be getting between zero and 500 of these a month.
Liberally specific? (chuckle)
DeletedUser7370
Guest
Ah...The Pit and the Pendulum...what a wonderful movie.
DeletedUser3468
Guest
I was getting enough of the 14 hour ones to use 2 of them for a 29 hour scouting time. Came in very handy. Yeah, holding on to the few 20 hour ones (in my 6 cities in 6 worlds I get a lot of instants of all types) for big projects like main hall upgrades too. I actually wish I could get some more of the 8 hour ones. Those would come in very handy for me. I've totally turned around my original attitude that they're worthless to finding them very handy. (all types of them)