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Cosmic Raven's HQS - Condensed

DeletedUser26965

Put in 40 holographic in for 128 quests/day
You're funny lol. Let's see;

40 Holographic Research Labs
1,200 Tiles not including 2 lane roads
95,600 Population/Happiness
8 Produce Foxes quests per hour
Up to 192 Produce Foxes quests per day if you can sign in and collect every hour for 24 hours.
 

DeletedUser35195

Now that it's 3 months after compiling this guide, I thought that I would share what modifications I've made to how I've implemented it in my own city.

I'm currently in CA, and am working toward leveling my Arc to 80. The last two things I need to do before I start this project is to get my CF to 10 and get partners to help level in a 4-way swap group with support from other level 80 Arcs. I plan to follow @amiar's Preset Style Arc Swap Group Guide in doing so, which is one of the best descriptions I've found of how to do this. This is a clear deviation from CR's original guide, but I'm sold on the benefits of a big arc for expanding one's city and FP production. @doardeproba's post in HQS cant join's forum is also a good source for info on setting up a swap group.

To get to this point, I have built up to getting 120 FP's daily on paper and built what I think are a good set of GBs to help me start this project. I currently have in my city:
- 102 clockmakers
- Royal Ship
- Level 2 Cherry blossom set
- Level 7 Grand Bridge
- 17 SOKs, an Obelisk, and a SSW
- Level 2 PoH
- 2 Rogue hideouts and a Champions Retreat.

Some of these items deviate from CR's advice, such as the Cherry Blossom Set, but it produces more FPs per tile than SOKs, are MUCH more efficient than the equivalent RQs I'd get from clockmakers in the same space, and they've only been plundered 2x since I laid them down. That's worth it to me to take that risk for 7 FPs per day. Also, some things are down like the PoH because I need to fill the space efficiently and it makes sense to me--better to have a PoH in a 3x3 space producing FPs and coins daily than having an odd clockmaker producing nothing but supplies and 3 empty tiles next to it.

As to GBs, I have:
- Arc, level 10
- CF, level 9
- SMB, level 10
- HS, level 6
- IT, level 6
- LOA, level 6
- RAH, level 5
- TOR, level 3

For a lot of the choices that went into this, I also followed @doardeproba's advice. I chose not to build Zeus or CDM yet because I make enough goods through RQs to negotiate through GE, I don't fight PVP except for event quests and daily challenges, I don't GVG, and putting so many FPs into a CDM would slow down progress toward building a level 80 Arc tremendously. I don't plan on building Atomium or FOD in my city because the cost in space and FPs doesn't seem worth it for an enthusiastic population--the benefit isn't that great when you do the math on it. I also chose to build the RAH in addition to LOA because losing 6 clockmakers is worth the additional UBQs I can do with those supplies. And I built the TOR because it increases the chances of scoring FPs when doing GE every week. One regret I have is that I leveled up IT when I still had military buildings in my city and needed the population, but now that I've removed them and built the Royal Ship and a lot of SOKs, I have about 3000 people too many and it's hard to keep my population enthusiastic--I am on the fence about leveling up my HS again to get them enthusiastic at this point in CA. It would help with doing a few more more UBQs every day and give me another FP daily, but at 380 FPs for the next level I don't know if it's worth it.

My plan for my city is to first level my Arc to 80, as I wrote above. Then after that I plan to lay down all the victory expansions because getting medals should be easy, lay down Alcatraz/CDM/COA/Zeus, and level every GB to 10. Even with a level 10 IT, I will still have an enthusiastic population with HS and Alcatraz at 10, and will hopefully be able to fight through GE instead of negotiating.

If you use City Planner at foemanager.com, you can view my work on designing my cities:

My city as it currently is: JBBOPTZ30P
Goal for end of CA: PDFT2YSGBE
Improved goal for end of CA: 7MOU1HZQGT

One last thing I wonder--after all this is done and I have this big city with big GBs in it, what comes next? I have questions like:
- Deviating away from CR's guide and building a level 80 Arc changes things significantly. Many people who have done so say they can do so more "Spend FP" quests than I can do "Produce Turret Clocks" at this point, so is there even a point to doing the "Produce X" RQs anymore?
- What about Ages? Do I work up to FE and maybe sell goods for FPs while stratosphering my CF, combat GBs, or FP producing GBs?
- Do I fight GVG to gain ranking points and for the novelty of it?
- What other GBs do I build? CC, AO, Kraken, or TA?

I'm not sure, and it sounds a little boring at that point, TBH, but then again I'm enjoying doing little more than collecting from 102 clockmakers and aborting through countless RQs to do so. I'm sure that it will be better than I expect having the city I'm working toward.
 
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DeletedUser31308

One last thing I wonder--after all this is done and I have this big city with big GBs in it, what comes next? I have questions like:

- Deviating away from CR's guide and building a level 80 Arc changes things significantly. Many people who have done so say they can do so more "Spend FP" quests than I can do "Produce Turret Clocks" at this point, so is there even a point to doing the "Produce X" RQs anymore?

Is there a point? Of course, the same point all quests have - to gain extra resources. There may still be times where the best allocation of space in your city is to put down some production buildings for those RQs. There is a factor that effects this, though, which is the amount of time you're willing to actively play this game in a day. If/when you get to the point where all that's limiting your daily quests is the amount of time you're willing to spend cycling, it's hardly useful to add forced cycles in the form of production buildings. More collection cycles would cut time away from your Spend FP or UBQ cycles, and vice versa. At this point, I think there is no point to adding Produce X RQs to your city.

- What about Ages? Do I work up to FE and maybe sell goods for FPs while stratosphering my CF, combat GBs, or FP producing GBs?

This is up to you. Are you still trying to maximize city growth? If so, selling goods is definitely the way to go. Push to CE/FE and skyrocket your CF for a ton of additional FPs from goods buyers. Then again, you must decide if that will be the most fun option for you. You mention the possibility of getting bored, so it may be good to take into account what would be most fun for you instead of most strategically advantageous for your city.

- Do I fight GVG to gain ranking points and for the novelty of it?

This is the end game for me. The thing to spend time on in the game after I've raised everything in my city to ridiculous heights. Not because I care so much about ranking points, but because fighting people on the maps may be the only non-monotonous thing left to do in game when you've advanced to the end game state.

- What other GBs do I build? CC, AO, Kraken, or TA?

I personally intend to build all those you listed. Every FP GB, every attack GB (for GVG/PVP), and eventually every goods GB will all be raised. My order so far has been Arc -> CF -> IT -> CC -> HS

I'm not sure, and it sounds a little boring at that point.

Figure out what in the game is most fun/interesting to you, and adapt your play style to maximize that. For me, that is fighting (specifically fighting as a rogue against the top guilds). For others, it will be something else.
 

DeletedUser35195

- Deviating away from CR's guide and building a level 80 Arc changes things significantly. Many people who have done so say they can do so more "Spend FP" quests than I can do "Produce Turret Clocks" at this point, so is there even a point to doing the "Produce X" RQs anymore?

Is there a point? Of course, the same point all quests have - to gain extra resources. There may still be times where the best allocation of space in your city is to put down some production buildings for those RQs. There is a factor that effects this, though, which is the amount of time you're willing to actively play this game in a day. If/when you get to the point where all that's limiting your daily quests is the amount of time you're willing to spend cycling, it's hardly useful to add forced cycles in the form of production buildings. More collection cycles would cut time away from your Spend FP or UBQ cycles, and vice versa. At this point, I think there is no point to adding Produce X RQs to your city.

I'm glad that you replied, because it's actually your posts in the Dulahan guide that I've been thinking about. At least, I think it was you who said that with a level 80 Arc you can do 100-300 Spend FP quests in a day. And like you wrote here, at that point it comes down to how much time a person is willing to play each day. The sky is the limit. And if that's the case, the produce supplies quests could start to become less attractive when more time could be given to generating and spending FPs and stratosphering GBs in the process. I'm sure that I still will, though, because what else should I do with all that space which had been given to clockmakers? And, like I wrote, I'm sure that it won't be boring after all, and that there will be new challenges, like fighting GVG which you worded well, that it will be something which isn't monotonous to do. It just may be that the games becomes less about being efficient and more about what is purely fun to do. We'll see!
 

DeletedUser31308

It just may be that the games becomes less about being efficient and more about what is purely fun to do.

This is exactly how I approach it. Once all the relevant GBs have been stratosphered, the rest of your city could be decorations and your output would still be mindblowing. It becomes a time to redo my city more often, trying for themes or intricate designs, or simply filling it with military racks of all ages and go crazy in GvG a bit.
 

DeletedUser28711

I agree that everybody should adapt their play style to the way they like to play the game, be it making the most efficient city, making the most battle ready city, just building the most fun city, etc.

I myself am camped in CA having just completed getting my Arc to lvl 80 & am now going to work on skyrocketing my CF. With that lvl 80 Arc, I can certainly do a lot of "Spend FP" RQs; however, the way I look at things, I'll keep all my Clockmakers & continue doing the "Produce 2 Turret Clocks" RQs because I can spend about 25-30 minutes doing all my collections with RBQs mixed in & then spend the other 23 hours 30 minutes of each day doing the "Spend FP" RQs as much as I want.
 

DeletedUser27889

Cosmic Raven made the guide before arcs. Big Arcs and spend FP quest changed the game. I can find no reason why at the earliest opportunity one who is interested in doing the quests would not prioritize getting an arc and getting it up to do that quest and UBQ alone. With all those alchemists out you can work on gathering SoKs or SSW or anything else that has the added coin and do gather coin/supply during collection. Utilizing quests and Chateau is a great way to advance your game, using this method the amount of quests you can do are finite based on city room. Using arc you are able to do as many as possible.

While I don't disagree with CRs methods it's simply outdated. I would highly recommend to new people to use their RQs, use Glargs guide on how to start a new city and branch off from there. Simply put if you follow this guide now and ignore arc you are going to be behind even the most casual of questers who built and leveled their arc earlier.
 

DeletedUser27889

The guide was made Dec 26, 2016 long after The Arc was implemented into the game and it's even mentioned in the guide.
The arc being released and the arc being common place and power leveled are two different things. He does mention the arc and while I'm far too lazy to reread all 900 pages of that guide, IIRC it was nothing more than an after thought. Something along the lines of 'If you really want the arc here is where you're allowed to put it down but it's not important' I don't remember him ever mentioning to use it along with the spend FP quests.

Cosmic Raven's home world is mine, he didn't have a high leveled arc so he would have no clue to it's usefulness in questing.
Screen Shot 2018-08-30 at 5.41.42 AM.png

CR had a good concept and developed it well but the game changed. His guide is outdated and should not be followed or promoted any longer in the stringent fashion he devised. If anyone needs further proof they can look at CR's city or GBs. While sure in 2016 it was probably impressive now it would be considered mediocre at best. CR was a great player and this was a good strategy but now the game has changed. Continuing to promote outdated information to new players is only going to put them further behind.

I find it humorous the strict adherence to 'if you don't follow this guide you're not a heavy quester' when following this guide would have you doing a fraction of the quests an arc owner does. Or even someone utilizing SMB and camping in a low age for event buildings/DCs where a single building triggers the gather coin quest.

Many others are far better snipers than I or lock up many more buildings but I can say between UBQ- Spend FP- Gather Supply/coin with my collection I do upwards of 100 quests everyday. On days I get bored and I run UBQ it can be 200 or higher. Because of high leveled arcs my chat is 30 levels higher than CR's was netting me far more goods.

None of this is by any means a bash on CR. His method worked for a lot of players and was good for the game as it was when he played it.
 

DeletedUser35195

The arc being released and the arc being common place and power leveled are two different things. He does mention the arc and while I'm far too lazy to reread all 900 pages of that guide, IIRC it was nothing more than an after thought. Something along the lines of 'If you really want the arc here is where you're allowed to put it down but it's not important' I don't remember him ever mentioning to use it along with the spend FP quests.

That's why I tried to condense what CR wrote in his original guide, where he hung on writing essay length posts until page 24 before disappearing into the ether. If you'd like, you could read this guide and you'll get a good idea of what he wrote, which all fits on the first page of the thread. And though you're wrong about what he wrote about the Arc, that it was the first GB a player should work for once they reach CA and level it to 10 before they leave for Indy, you are correct that he didn't emphasize leveling it past 10 until much later in the game. He advanced to FE where his Arc sits at 21 as your pic shows. To be fair, he hasn't played in over a year, so if one were comparing when he wrote his guide to where his city sits today, that would be misleading. But compared to other GBs, one can see that he didn't prioritize raising it to 80 first and it never became the powerful GB that an Arc has the potential to be, and therefore not a significant source of FPs to complete "Spend X FPs" quests either--or other benefits like farming medals for expansions or BPs to stratosphere your other GBs. There were people who called him out about missing out on a big Arc in his guide, but he disagreed with them about when to do so and how helpful it could be for a city's growth.

What I appreciate about his guide is that it gave me a real sense of strategy and a path to building my city faster than I was doing at the time. Focusing on a specific set of GBs that complement one another, tearing down cultural and goods buildings, and building a field of Alchemists in HMA? Then tearing it all down and going on to CA with Clockmakers? Finally I felt like the game had strategy to it!

And I agree with you, that getting an Arc to 80 is a fantastic goal for a city if you want to grow big and fast, so that's what I'm doing. But even without a big Arc yet - mine's currently at a paltry 11 - I am also doing 100 quests per day like you are, collecting from a field of Clockmakers that give me a daily average of:

- 460 goods
- 35 medals
- 1300 medals
- 6 BPs from CA and lower

I can't imagine that I'd be anywhere near this point if I hadn't found CR's guide while I was fairly fresh into HMA. At that point I was racing through tech, making half as many goods and none of the other wondering how long it would take to grow my city to OFE and doing so in the conventional way and without spending (much) money. I was past the point that Glarg's guide would be helpful to my city, but learning from CR's HQS guide got me curious. I thought I'd try it out, because it sounded better than what I was able to do the conventional way. Almost immediately, even without a CF yet, it produced better results than what I had achieved before.

Unlike CR, though, I don't think that you have to follow this guide slavishly. It's arrogant of one to think that this is the only way a person should play, and I intentionally tried to leave that part of his original guide out of what I wrote here. For my own playstyle, I want to learn from it and adjust how I implement it as I learn about the game, observe how others play, and as the game itself changes over time. But many of the principles that CR promoted are working, and are seemingly doing so better than others around me of similar age or length playing the game. You can follow CR's HQS strategy fully and completely if you want to, though, and I won't judge someone who does. There are certainly worse things that they could do in this game, or in life.

Edited to correct typos.
 
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DeletedUser35195

I've thought about writing my own guide about growing a city, taking what I find useful about CR's guide as well as others' that I've used to tweak how I've implemented it in my own city, but I haven't for two reasons. First, I'm so new to the game compared to others, who am I to be telling others what to do with their cities? I have one city, which is about 6 months old and is only CA. My little city is a blip on the map compared to others. And second, there's already enough out there for a person to learn from others' experience that more isn't needed. All the links that I've put in the threads here contain everything I would write, so why not just tell people to read them and learn from their experience? The only thing I could hope to accomplish is to help point people to where they need to look, which I hope I've already accomplished in this thread.

That said, why did I start this thread? Because CR's guide has some good stuff that a noob can learn from, but it's so difficult to read through. His posts are almost all essays. I tried to take it all, shorten it, and bring different topics together that were strewn about over 24 pages. And it's still super long! Like @Lord Muggle said in the first post after mine, even this doesn't seem "condensed" because of how much there is. But I made it that way because all the parts fit together and support one another. And, for someone who doesn't know the basics about recurring quests and GB boosts that help questing, including that seemed helpful to understanding the "why" behind the "how" of the strategy.

I would hope at a bare minimum, posting this "guide" will help improve a person's outcomes in the game. But even more than that, that a person might learn about how the game works and have more fun playing it.
 

RazorbackPirate

Well-Known Member
My story is similar to TBDanny.

I had 2 cities, one had just hit LMA, one HMA. Same thing, racing through tech and feeling more of the strain the further I advanced in age. Reading the original guide was the first time there seemed to be a different way. Since then, I've been building up my cities in those ages to take full advantage of RQs. Since I've started, we have Duluhan's Guide to Arc 80 which is a bit of it's own slavish guide. So I'm blending the two approaches. I've been developing my questing engine around CR's guide while making total FP production the ultimate goal to support an Arc 80 rush. Which means I have Cherry Sets and Terrace Farms along with Sacred Sky Watches, the Magnum Opus, Ships and Sunken Treasures.

I calculate all of it in an Excel spreadsheet I built. Whether or not it goes in my city depends on the math. Does it give me more FPs? If it does, that's what I do.

I'm finishing up a few more levels on the core GBs (just to 10) to maximize the number of RQs I can do each day, then I'll build the Arc and take it straight to 80. As I do, I expect to add more and more 'Spend FP' RQs, until that becomes the predominate RQ each day. I have everything to build the Arc, but want to get my overall city FP and goods production to full capacity to support completing DC, GE 4, Events, and doing an Arc rush. I'm a week, maybe two away in both cities and the Arc will go down in each.

Many will argue I should have built the Arc the moment I had everything to build it as I'd be much further along. That's probably true, but I'm not racing anywhere, there's no place to get to and I'm not competing against anyone, there is no winner. I'm enjoying taking the overall concepts and advice, and while following it, adapting it, then developing my cities, my way, in ways that please me, and keep me coming back.
 

DeletedUser35195

I was in that category of building it sooner rather than later. I found that building the Arc as early as possible meant that I lost 3 "Produce 2 Alchemist" quests per day, but the FP rewards from sniping more than made up for it, and I have not yet negotiated GE4 to need the goods for it.

Isn't it nice having a field of supply buildings when events come around? If you plan it right, you can usually get past the first questline and to the daily quests on the first day!
 

DeletedUser26965

The arc being released and the arc being common place and power leveled are two different things.
Okay so now you're shifting your initial premise which is all I was taking issue with. Of course as time goes on there will be more Arcs and more Arcs at higher levels but so what. What you really seem to take issue with then is the guilde doesn't make the Arc a priority but I'm not going to argue that because really I don't care and I'm not CR and don't care to be a surrogate.

Just sifting quickly though the comment section with ctrl+f (Arc ) I found a portion of some argument that seems to be related to your main concern which isn't really any fundamental shift in the game rather your view on the guide versus CR to which you'll have a one sided conversation as she stopped playing in June 2017 which also might in part explain your view of lack of impressiveness regarding her city and such.

Here's the link to the portion I mentioned, I'm sure there's more argument about it throughout the comment section though but that's as far as I'm looking. https://forum.us.forgeofempires.com...on-of-heavy-questing.15777/page-9#post-138731
 

DeletedUser35195

I agree that everybody should adapt their play style to the way they like to play the game, be it making the most efficient city, making the most battle ready city, just building the most fun city, etc.

Maybe after getting an 80 Arc, I could tear the rest down and finally get to use the Gates of the Sun God I’ve been saving up!
 

DeletedUser27889

To be fair, he hasn't played in over a year, so if one were comparing when he wrote his guide to where his city sits today, that would be misleading.
Yes, I agree for his time his guide was a great strategy, for those that could stomach it at least but there's no denying it worked. My only issue with reposting this condensed version is that now there are better means however new players will see the date of this thread and think CRs way is still the best way so I'm glad further conversation is happening about it.
Unlike CR, though, I don't think that you have to follow this guide slavishly. It's arrogant of one to think that this is the only way a person should play, and I intentionally tried to leave that part of his original guide out of what I wrote here
That's a much better way to go about things. We played on the same world but I didn't know him however his inability to adapt to the changing game and his attitude toward anyone making reasonable suggestions completely turned me off to listening to him. Not to mention for as verbose as I am at times, and you all so diligently always maintain patience with my long winded posts, he blew me out of the water on word count lol.

And I agree with you, that getting an Arc to 80 is a fantastic goal for a city if you want to grow big and fast, so that's what I'm doing. But even without a big Arc yet - mine's currently at a paltry 11 - I am also doing 100 quests per day like you are, collecting from a field of Clockmakers that give me a daily average of:
A city filled with Clockmakers though is still a city filled with clockmakers and the pop to run them. With Arc you can do the same amount of quests but clear your city and have the freedom to build other things. SoK farm, lower aged military for GvG HoFs for your guild .etc. Anything you want. If a person with arc wants to do more quests they build CF up a bit more to do more UBQ or find more buildings to lock. The amount of quests a 'HQ' city can run is finite based on room. I'm not in anyway trying to say you're not doing very well as a player, I mean none of this as a dig on you or your playstyle just that it may not be the absolute best one for max quests. Which, unlike CR you are reasonable and can take into account other avenues for questing/other peoples ideas.

Okay so now you're shifting your initial premise which is all I was taking issue with.
I can't say I'm shifting my premise, it has always been the same: If one if looking to do the max amount of quests arc is now a big factor or arguably the biggest. I should have been more clear in my first post though.

Just sifting quickly though the comment section with ctrl+f (Arc )
How can you search multiple pages of comments at once? Is there a display all comments feature I can't find? Teach me your magic..

he stopped playing in June 2017 which also might in part explain your view of lack of impressiveness regarding her city and such.
Yes. I do think I at least tried to be clear that his city would have been impressive in 16-17 and I believe he was a very good player that completely understood the dynamics of the game when he played it. I think it's important to show though if you follow this (IMHO, outdated) guide that city is what you're going to be able to achieve by FE. Like a time capsule of his method. In 2016 he probably was an unstoppable hood leader, now he would be in the 30's-40's in a hood at best. Not bad but not the results his teachings promised in '16. And again, not due to his fault or a flaw in his plan just changes to the game.
Here's the link to the portion I mentioned, I'm sure there's more argument about it throughout the comment section though but that's as far as I'm looking. https://forum.us.forgeofempires.com...on-of-heavy-questing.15777/page-9#post-138731
Oh boy even just that one comment of his is eye bleedingly long winded and aggravating. It's quite possible given his attitude he quit because of the changes to the game and he was no longer going to be master guru of all things quest related and he just refused to try to understand the people trying to help... jaelis of all people too..

What I appreciate about his guide is that it gave me a real sense of strategy and a path to building my city faster than I was doing at the time. Focusing on a specific set of GBs that complement one another, tearing down cultural and goods buildings, and building a field of Alchemists in HMA? Then tearing it all down and going on to CA with Clockmakers? Finally I felt like the game had strategy to it!
This seems to be the takeaway. It appears many players really enjoy that sense of structure that CR's guide provided. Others prefer a more sandbox approach to this game. I think it would be best if possible for you to make your own guide for the current game. Maybe make a brain storming thread or get some ideas but from @RazorbackPirate 's posts and @HQS cant join forum 's posts and guide this rigid style of gameplay is still going to be desired. Adapting glargs guide, HQS's CRs and Arc I think something much more current would be greatly appreciated by other players looking for the same things you all were when you found HQS but now with better results. HQS is TOS you can be TNG =)
 

DeletedUser26965

I can't say I'm shifting my premise, it has always been the same: If one if looking to do the max amount of quests arc is now a big factor or arguably the biggest. I should have been more clear in my first post though.
Your first statement specifically said
before arcs
But it was posted 13 months after Arcs as I pointed out. Then you said
being common place and power leveled
Which is a shift from "before arcs", that is what I mean by shifting your premise which is what you were using in part to support your conclusion the guide is outdated in which you would have been correct had the guide been posted prior to the Arc being released. Then it becomes an argument whether or not it's an outdated guide since it was posted until the approximated time he stopped responding/updating which we'll just say around June 2017 for the sake of it so really we're only talking about just over a year ago now, the game really hasn't changed all that much to the point I would characterize looking at his city now like a time capsule as you put it lol.

Personally I don't agree the guide is outdated in that sense really, the game by that time already had become Forge of Arcs. As I said I think really your issue is not that it's outdated rather you merely disagree in regards to how he takes into account the Arc. From what I recall he has a section regarding Special Buildings so I'm sure one may be able to use that retroactively for any new ones that have come out since and I don't think any GB's have come out since then that would have compelled him shift the guide either.

I have many issues with the guide myself and there's plenty to take issue with. First is it doesn't upfront make clear to new players that the guide is not really meant for early gameplay, BA, IA, EMA he recommends, late in the comments, to be gone through quickly to get to HMA (Clockmakers). I've run across a few players in guilds I've been in using his guide who are sitting around in the early game wondering why they're starved for goods and why the guide isn't working and get to talking to them trying to explain they need space, lot's of supplies buildings etc. if they're trying to do enough of those quests and such.

Second of course is the guide is so stringent and restrictive that it doesn't really take into account not everyone plays the way CR plays so once you step outside the guide even in the slightest degree you're technically not "HQ'ing" anymore which is absurd, arrogant and implies a sense of pseudo elitism.

Third, like has been mentioned many times, it's bloated to the point of seemingly using that bloat to also give a false sense of importance and depth when really, despite his claims to the contrary, all it is doing are recurring quests, doesn't really take much to figure out with the more space I have and the more Clocktowers I have the more recurring quest I can do, wow. Could say that in one sentence, oh, I did, boom, guide done lol. Okay yeah sure you can start tagging on things like oh hey LoA gives more supplies to pay for UBQ, yeah yeah okay.

And lastly, which has also been mentioned many times, is it creates this sense of cultism, that his way is THE way, follow him, he will make your game unlike any other, attack any and all descent, anyone who deviates is not like us and is the enemy and a Submissive Person (scientology reference).

But look at me drone on, CR brings out the tldr in everyone I think lol.

How can you search multiple pages of comments at once? Is there a display all comments feature I can't find? Teach me your magic..
No, I just go to the first page, ctrl+f Arc, glance at the comment, then hit each page number and repeat.
 

RazorbackPirate

Well-Known Member
This seems to be the takeaway. It appears many players really enjoy that sense of structure that CR's guide provided. Others prefer a more sandbox approach to this game. I think it would be best if possible for you to make your own guide for the current game. Maybe make a brainstorming thread or get some ideas but from @RazorbackPirate 's posts and @HQS cant join forum 's posts and guide this rigid style of gameplay is still going to be desired. Adapting glargs guide, HQS's CRs and Arc I think something much more current would be greatly appreciated by other players looking for the same things you all were when you found HQS but now with better results. HQS is TOS you can be TNG =)
You're last sentence pretty much nails my strategy. It's a blending of all the guides.

I wish I'd had glargs' guide when I started the game. If I ever start a new city, I plan to follow this strategy to start getting GBs quickly. With the cities I have now, by the time I hit HMA in one, and LMA in the other, Zues was at level 3 in my HMA city and I had just built ToB in each one, just a week or two before entering their current ages. The one city was already in LMA before I was able to build Zues.

In the linked CR post, he spoke about maximizing the total efficiency a city's production of diamonds, medals, coins, supplies, units, goods, FPs, BPs, PvP Tower Points, Rank Points, Guild Power, and Support Bonus on a total value per tile basis. Maximizing production per tile of land is what I'm putting the finishing touches on by getting the last few levels on my GBs. I've done it all in preparation to building the Arc and starting an Arc 80 rush.

Which is really following HQS' guide. His first chapters focus on maximizing your RQ engine to maximize goods for GE and FPs for leveling. HQS is a bit thin on the details, so this is where I followed CR's guide. To a point, HQS followed CR's guide also. I used CR's guide to flesh out the details of chapters 4, 5, and 6 of HQS's guide.

From the same post, it's clear CR wasn't looking at total FPs from all sources, he was too focused on more FPs from more RQs and completely missed the hundreds of 'Spend FP' RQs he could have done on top of his 10 UBQs with a high level Arc. He clearly didn't understand the power of the Arc to generate FPs, medals, and BPs and maximize RQs. His CF was only at level 14 if FE. I don't think he fully understood the power of CF either.

At the beginning of the HQS guide, he talks about an Arc 60 or Arc 80 in 200 days or less from the start of your city. Impressive, but why? There's no place to get to but the end and it's not a competition, there is no winner. As such, I think that the GB levels HQS recommends in chapter 6 are too low, to build the Arc quicker. Most of mine will be at level 10 when I build the Arc, and despite what either of them recommend, I built all 3 A/D GBs and will have them all at level 7 or 8 when my Arc drops.

One thing I've noticed watching other players is that, for most, once the Arc drops, everything else in their city goes on hold until the Arc is at level 80. Nothing wrong with that, unless your putting on hold an underpowered city. You look at GB lists with 14-16 GBs at levels 2-6 and an Arc in the 20's struggling to get to the sweet spot. I can't go that route.

I've about maxed out what I can produce in my city without more land. So now it's time to build the Arc and rush it to level 80. Then, as my city grows with medal expantions, each expansion gets added to a city running at maximum. After the Arc rush, I'll then go back to leveling the other GBs past level 10 to increase production even more.
 

DeletedUser36617

I'm in contemporary era before discovering this guide.
Is it too late to use the guide? I have the necessary GB's, but I can only do a few quests a day with my current production. That is a few coins/supplies and a fp one. I'm producing a lot of goods in normal production buildings.
Any hints for optimizing CE will be appreciated
 
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