Some points to keep in mind:
1.Ships, ships, ships! In a sailing game, ships are crucial. One simple concept to grasp is that sailing between two existing ports to sell goods can yield ten times the profit of selling goods in the home port! For example, let's take maple, which is produced in the port of Bisa. It can be sold for 0.01 gold coin each in the home port, but can be sold for 0.1 gold coin each in the port of Marseille.
2. Leveling up your character quickly to level 10 is crucial for shipbuilding as it requires two key materials: maple and iron ore. Building beginner ships and VENUS can only be done once you have reached this level.
Leveling up your character quickly to level 10 is crucial for shipbuilding as it requires two key materials: maple and iron ore. Building beginner ships and VENUS can only be done once you have reached this level.
Through testing, it has been discovered that there are three ways to level up characters: gathering and production, as well as upgrading buildings.
Since we don't know the exact amount of experience needed to level up each level, we can only estimate it based on the experience gained from gathering. Let's define 1 EXP as the experience gained at level 1. After some experimentation, I have come up with the following table:
To level up from level 1 to level 10, it requires approximately 100 EXP. Based on the experience gained from gathering, a hero can earn around 3.8 EXP by gathering for 24 hours. Therefore, theoretically, it would take around 26 days to reach level 10 with one hero gathering continuously for 24 hours. However, since it's unlikely to have only one hero, I recommend having 5-6 heroes gather together to shorten the time to about 5-6 days. Keep in mind that gathering for 24 hours straight is not practical, so this is just a rough estimate and you should adjust it based on your actual situation.
The second approach involves producing goods, but the experience gained from it is relatively low. Based on my calculations, producing maple continuously on five production lines for 24 hours a day can yield approximately 1 EXP, without taking production acceleration into account.
The third approach involves upgrading buildings, which can also significantly increase the character's level at a fast pace. It appears that the amount of experience gained from upgrading a building is directly related to the cost of the upgrade.
I tested this by upgrading the factory, starting from level 0 and only using the factory to level up the character. The following set of data was obtained:
The cost to level up from level 1 to level 10 was less than 0.02 ETH, which is approximately $35. After leveling up, the character reached level 3 or higher.
Based on my EXP calculation, it cost around $35 to gain 7.4 units of EXP. This translates to approximately $4.7 per unit of EXP, meaning that reaching 100 units would cost around $470 \(with some potential deviation).
However, in my opinion, solely relying on upgrading buildings to level up the character to level 10 may not be the most cost-effective approach. Let's examine the following data:
Image one displays the current upgrade costs I have tested, while image two demonstrates the upgrade method I recommend. Based on my calculations, the total cost would be around $71.6 (excluding GAS fees) and would level up approximately 15.24 EXP units. At this point, the character would be close to level 5. To obtain the remaining 84.75 EXP units, I suggest gathering and producing goods, which can be completed in approximately 4.5 days.
Using the upgrade method in image one would cost approximately $121, which is more expensive but faster. It depends on individual needs.
For those who want to level up in the shortest amount of time, upgrading all buildings directly is an option as there is currently a consumption rebate of 32% off. According to my calculation, it would only cost around $300.
After explaining the above two points, I can now share my strategy. Please note that this is my personal research result and may not necessarily be the optimal solution. However, I believe it will be useful for you if you read it patiently.
Step 1: Start the game and purchase a port certificate (buy + bind) for $11, with GAS costing around $1, bringing the total cost to $12 .
Step 2: Upgrade the factory to level 10, which costs $35 , with GAS costing around $7 , bringing the total cost to $42 .
Step 3: Upgrade the store to level 4, which costs $28.26 , with GAS costing around $2.5 , bringing the total cost to $31 .
Step 4: Upgrade the warehouse to level 5, which costs $5.94 , with GAS costing around $3 , bringing the total cost to $9 .
Step 5: Upgrade the shipyard to level 3, which costs $2.52 , with GAS costing around $1.5 , bringing the total cost to $4 .
Once all the buildings have been upgraded, it should take around an hour or so (depending on one's familiarity with the game), with a total cost of $98 , including $15 for GAS fees. This means that the remaining $84 can be discounted at around 31% off, bringing the cost down to around $57 . In reality, with the GAS fees factored in, the total cost is around $72 .
At this point, the hero should be around level 5, give or take a few levels. It is recommended to invest more money in heroes or pets for mining, in order to have as many of them working as possible. Starting with 5 heroes is a good number, but more is always better.
For those who don't have a Genesis Mystery Box, there is an extreme method: buy as many of the cheap heroes from the tavern (the ones that cost less than $5 ) as possible, spending $100 to buy 20 heroes. Then, send them all to the collection place. If the hero is not yet level 5, they should mine maple wood, but if they are at level 5 or higher, they should mine pear wood.
Assuming that 20 heroes are mining together, it may take 2-3 days to reach level 10 theoretically. However, this can be optimized by increasing the number of heroes dedicated to mining or using characters with higher mining bonuses to increase mining efficiency.
Once you reach level 8, consider dividing some people to mine copper, but make sure not to divide too many as this may slow down overall progress towards level 10.
When you reach level 9, prioritize the use of characters with production speed bonuses to produce pear wood. This will increase production efficiency and help generate more revenue.
After reaching level 10, buying 8,000 gold and building the ship VENUS is a good investment. However, consider checking the market for price fluctuations before making the purchase to save money.
When you arrive at Marseille, consider upgrading the factory, warehouse, and shop only if necessary. Upgrading too much may use up valuable resources and delay progress towards future goals.
After loading the pear wood, consider using some of the characters to mine other valuable resources in Marseille while waiting for the ship to be loaded. This will maximize efficiency and profits.
Finally, adjust the mining and production speeds of both ports according to demand to ensure smooth transportation between them. This will help maintain a steady flow of resources and revenue.
Currently, it takes roughly 13 hours for VENUS to complete a round trip between the two ports, but with a speed-boosting hero, it can be reduced to around 12 hours, allowing for two round trips per day.
In an extreme scenario, a ship loaded with pear wood can be sent from Pizza port to Marseille, unloaded, and sold in the shop. Then, a ship loaded with paulownia wood can be immediately loaded and sailed back to Pizza port, unloaded, and another ship loaded with pear wood chests can be sent back to Marseille.
This requires the mining to production process to be completed within about 12 hours to fully load a ship, and the selling process also takes 12 hours, ensuring seamless transportation connections between the two ports. In the most extreme case, two ships of pear wood chests and two ships of paulownia wood can be transported in 24 hours.
VENUS can carry about 300 units of pear wood chests (more if the ship is in good condition) and can be sold for 255 gold coins. A ship loaded with paulownia wood can carry about 1200 units and can be sold for 144 gold coins upon return.
One round trip can earn about 400 gold coins, which is equivalent to about $3 at current gold prices. With two round trips per day, the total earning would be $6.
Our total expenses currently amount to approximately $248, which includes $72 for the Pisa port upgrade, $100 for the Tavern hero, $20 for the Marseille port upgrade, and $56 for shipbuilding. However, this is a rough estimate as we have 10 heroes at each port responsible for collecting, producing, and selling. As a result, we can expect a surplus of goods, requiring an additional ship to be factored into our costs.
Taking this into account, our actual investment should be around $300. With two ships making trips each day, our daily income is about $12. Based on these figures, we can expect to break even in about 25 days.
It's worth noting that this game is highly engaging, with different strategies and playstyles resulting in varied gold production, despite using the same investment.
My strategy is far from being the best one, due to the multitude of variables at play. For instance, the weight of goods, production time, and selling price all vary. Moreover, even if two players spend the same $100, their hero (pet) combinations may differ significantly. The higher the quality of the hero, the greater their computing power.
Ships can also vary significantly, with payloads ranging from 10,000 to 58,000. Additionally, while the total investment for my strategy is around $300, the actual production cost is only about $200 ($100 for heroes and $100 for the ship). The ratio of variable expenses to fixed expenses, such as building upgrades, is 2:1. If a player invests $2,100, with $2,000U spent on heroes and ships and $100U on fixed expenses, their ratio is 20:1, resulting in a much shorter break-even period than mine.
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Therefore, while my strategy is far from being the best, I believe that understanding my thought process may provide you with some inspiration. I also hope that more experts will share their gameplay experience to further enhance the community's knowledge and strategies.