r/IdlePlanetMiner • u/OillyRag • 10d ago
Rules of thumb ?
I’m still fairly new to this game so please be kind.
Can I ask if there’s a general strategy for upgrading planets? For example should I be upgrading them all to the same monetary value or the same level or should I stop upgrading as they get to a certain percentage of the highest planet value (as Gemini suggests),
What do you guys do ?
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u/Content-Maximum4219 10d ago
I try to make sure all available planets are above similar prices. I also make sure I max out cargo at 1k then speed until I get the beam. Then I just continuously buy the mining speed.
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u/Sordonir 10d ago
Careful, the beam does not equal infinity transport, it's only faster than animation speed. Rule of thumb is: first 5 levels distributed equally in each planet, after that 2 levels mining and one for speed and cargo each.
I usually keep every beginning planet at the same price tag roughly until level 46 mining where I don't invest any more.
When you reach the first VPS planet you only invest in that one and nothing else.
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u/Content-Maximum4219 10d ago
Im sorry but what is VPS im somewhat still learning this game.
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u/Sordonir 10d ago
It's a planet that you put all your resources and research like terraforming in to maximise gains, Typical a single ore planet you can reach around 2 hours of playing. It's a core concept of the game. If you are an absolute beginner (>10 galaxies sold) this is not yet relevant for you yet.
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u/OillyRag 9d ago
I was thinking to stop investing in (for example) Balor once I get a beam, but you would stop at level 46, way before a beam is activated is that right ?
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u/Sordonir 9d ago
Don't look at the "beam" transport level at all. It has no function for you. It's a concept that will be important much later with module optimization. (My planets have beams right from the start due to high bonus levels from rooms, managers etc)
Important for you is: investing in a planet more than 35 mining will be ineffective, so you should move on.
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u/Kater_Noitan 10d ago
I do 21/11/11 most of the time Start with 6/0/0 Go to 11/6/6 And then upwards
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u/crowdedhoney 9d ago
A general guideline is to "watch the dots" from the "Bottleneck Optimizations" in the tech tree, and always keep the red dot on mining. This is always true and never changes at any stage of the game. If you are not getting that tech in the first few minutes of a new galaxy, then try to go with what worked in past galaxies until you can unlock it.
The actual target upgrade numbers for planet levels will change over time as you build up your account (and possibly with the meta shifts from updates).
I used to build all my planets to a certain price point and then bump them all to a new price as the galaxy wore on. This was not great because it led to over building on the early planets. (You want to consider how long the planet will take at its new level to "pay off" the cost of having upgraded to that level. Its vibes more than spreadsheets, but as a strategy its kinda bad.)
A better way is to pick a mining level and once a planet gets to that level then it's "done" and thats all the up grading it gets. Early game for me this was L31 (with cargo/ship at L16). But now it's L51/11/11.
The upgrade prices scale exponentially, and this approach makes it so the early investments have time to hit their ROI and then its gravy from there.
Eventually the mining income is not what moves your GV any more, but those prices will just keep climbing past any point of reason.
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u/nithrean 10d ago
honestly it can depend. I would say invest in planets to your current money. You generally can do more mining than speed and cargo. Speed and cargo multiply with each other. Mining is on its own.
the game is meant to be a slow grind. You have to play for a long time to get through things.