A Dog's Tale

Wilfie - Newspaper from Canada -

Published in Canada - Financial analysis - 26 Nov 2016 13:00 - 11

Disclaimer: Earlier today, I began writing an article explaining how the 50% discount on Field Hospitals is a great deal for players wanting to increase their energy cap. I believe it still is an okay deal, but some unexpected discoveries made me question just how good it really can be. At the moment, I think I made a mistake getting the Field Hospitals instead of upgrading my Q1 House Factory to Q4 I suck at math.

https://s11.postimg.org/b23ikeryb/cartoon_decision.png

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Currently, there is a 50% sale on Field Hospitals that will grant you +50 energy and/or +100 energy.  Field Hospitals are basically houses that PERMANENTLY increase your energy limit, but do not let you work extra or speed up energy recovery. 

If you buy the two Field Hospitals for 150 Gold and combine it with a simple Q1 House Factory, you essentially get a Q4 House for life. Both have the same +200 energy cap, but the Q1H + 2FH have a slower energy recharge rate (-12 seconds for Q1 vs -48 seconds for Q4), which is roughly 10% less energy recovery (almost 30 Energy/Day).  

I would not call this discount simply a good offer. Instead, I would call it a necessary upgrade for people planning to play the game for anything longer than a month or two. Here’s why: 

1 – A Q4 House Factory will cost you 150 Gold 250 Gold in upgrades from Q1 to Q4. Then, you will need at least another 140 Gold in Q3 Sand Mines (for example) to produce the 1600 units of House Raw Material needed for the Q4 Factory each day. Total set up cost = 390 Gold

2 – A Q1 House Factory will cost 10 Gold, plus another 100 Gold for 10 Q3 Sand Mines. Then, add 150 Gold for 2 Field Hospitals to have a +200 Energy cap. Total cost = 250 Gold

3 – On top of the 240+ 390+ Gold needed to run a Q4 House Factory,you will then use up 150 Energy each day just to work that factory and its mines. Basically, to earn an extra 200 Energy, you have to use 150 Energy, actually gaining only 50 for fights. Instead, with a Q1 House Factory + 10 Q3 Sand Mines + 2 Field Hospitals, you spend 120 Energy and gain 80 energy for fights.

 ***THE DEAL BREAKER*** 

-At this point, I realized my mistake. 1 Q1H + 2FH gives +30 extra energy for fights, but 1 Q4H lets you recover an extra +30 Energy over the course of the day because of the 10% faster recharge rate. So far, the 2 FHs are slightly better because they require less maintenance and guarantee increased energy without having to work factories. However, choosing a Q4 House does have some benefits.  

Upgrading to a Q4 House means a) you can add employees to build more houses, b) you can sell or downgrade for Gold later (can’t with Field Hospitals), and c) you can upgrade to a Q5 Factory later. Mainly, Q4 Houses Factories are a more flexible investment than Field Hospitals. 

Therefore, while the 50% discount on Field Hospitals are a perfect deal for somebody who doesn’t want to work factories or who has a Q4 or Q5 House Factory already, it is not that great of a deal for a player like me who has a Q1 House Factory and is trying to decide if they should upgrade to make better houses

Instead, save your Gold. Wait for a Company discount. Then, upgrade your Q1 House Factory and buy more Sand Mines. It will give you more flexibility to make more houses for profit and also be able to recover your Gold. Not being able to sell or dismantle Improved Buildings makes this a bad investment for players with limited Gold. 

EDIT: Actually, buying both Field Hospitals is much cheaper than a Q4 House Factory. They ARE a good deal - again, I am mistaken.

Upside to Q1H + 2FH:

--Fewer work clicks and easier resource management from not having to shuffle around as many Raw Materials compared to Q4 House production.

--50% Field Hospital discounts are very rare, while Q4 House upgrades are always available, so this may be a very limited opportunity you cannot purchase later.

 --Field Hospitals are permanent and will be there even if you miss a couple days of work clicks, whereas you need to keep clicking to maintain a steady house supply each week. 

--You save 140 Gold for the same +200 energy cap!

Downside to Q1H + 2FH:

--You cannot sell or even dismantle the Field Hospitals for Gold. All investment is lost/locked away permanently.

--You lose the faster increase in your energy recharge rate (essentially a 10% energy bonus). This would give you an extra 30 energy/day.

--Q4 House Factories can let you hire employees to make more houses and can be upgraded to make even better Q5 Houses later. 

The Best of Both Options:

--One good thing comes with both options. Like Houses, Field Hospitals also boost the effectiveness of your Health Kits. Each Q1 Health Kit will now give you an extra 30 Energy/kit. If your max energy is 700, then you will get 140 energy compared to 110 energy with only a Q1 House (550 energy cap).

The better idea is to go for Q2 Health Kits and two Field Hospitals, which give you 280 energy/kit. That’s a major increase for a relatively low cost in upgrades…but those details are better left for another article. For now, buying either of the Field Hospitals at half price will be a better deal than investing in houses.

Support

RsJack

Comments (11)

My numbers may be wrong in places (feel free to show where) and house production costs/RM will vary according to your country s bonuses.
wilfie, I am really sorry but I could not get to the end of the article. It is pretty long. I bought both of them and far too lazy for such calculations Smile
If you are lazy and have Gold, then you made the right choice buying the FHs, Angel. : )
hehe, I am only lazy, no gold at all Laugh
A Q4 House Factory will cost you 100 Gold in upgrades from Q1 to Q4. are you sure?
Gran - maybe I missed a step. Q1 - 10 Gold. Q2 - 20 Gold. Q3 - 70 Gold....ah dang it. So Q4s would be another 150 Gold or something like that. FHs are a better deal than I realized. lol
Wilfie, put the your last reply to Gran into your article and erase anything else there Smile)
But anyway, thx for your suggestions, it was a good analystic article at all. Vote + Sub. o7
Derbeder - yeah, I may as well. Instead I will leave it up as a piece of comedy. Look everyone, that foolish dog cannot do math!
Wilfie, do not erase it, pls. It is a great work. Not precisely correct but still great.
Agreed, this is a master work, even with the original struck-through s. Well done o/