@Master Jz, there is also the upgrade time you can calculate.
Getting one uncommon saves you 25*6 hours + 1*12 hours in compare to gathering poors, so in any case I'm more willing to take the risk of getting an common instead of uncommon than getting another poor instead of an Epic.

On the other hand I must admit that I rarely get the chance of deciding between digging sites.
In my case I usually have just one or two to pick from. So I just dig. At the later stages dig sites are starting to pile up, but then I just prefer finishing the level instead of digging all of them

Wouldn't it just be better to always go for the cheapest dig? Always be digging but pick the cheapest, or one of the cheapest ones.

Some dig sites are very expensive. The money you divert to digging isn't spent on hospitals, army camps or mercs. Thus, not picking the cheapest dig costs AP, because you take more time to finish the level.

From the spreadsheet, we can see the difference between dig sites isn't overwhelming. So going for one of the 2 or 3 cheapest one seems to have a better ROI, due to extra AP you get from finishing a level sooner.

I go for digs that end at convenient times first, then cheap ones second. I leave half or more undug, usually.

Parsifal: I could put the information into the spreadsheet, but it doesn't affect my calculations. My numbers are based on infinite digs. Compared to infinite time, the 6+12+24+48 = 90 hours to convert 625 Poors into the last Epic at the end is negligible.

@Banxi
If you're tight for money, then yes, go for the cheapest.

@Master Jz
Agree with you, I often go for the digs based on the dig end timing. If 8 hrs from now will be 2am, it's probably not a good time. Maybe go for 16-36 hrs to avoid wasted dig time.

Lately I've been playing ML a bit ... and I have much more flexibility on the digs, so target the "best dig" based on type (Common, Common/Uncommon, Everything else), time & money.

I have a question. Never used the "Field hospital" before. Now wanted to try but found no button to activate it and place it somewhere. Can anyone help?

Perhaps a dumb question but have you equipped the artifact? If so, on the "Artifacts/Advancements" tab there should appear a blue button below the Field Hospital (or any other active) artifact. This button won't appear in the "View All" dialog.

I did but didn't see an "activate" button which usually appears for such artifacts.
However, now it works. Maybe I was just sleeping ^^
Sorry for bothering and thanks for the answer!

Anyone has one or more of the following active artifacts:
Resource Cache, Triple Strike, Supercharge Army Camp and Supercharge Mine?

I'd like to have a screenshot of them.
I've rewritten the artifacts guide and added all the active artifacts, but I'm missing those 4 because I still haven't dug them.
https://justpaste.it/65zlb


Update: now I got them all. Thanks for the help mates!

Edited 5/26/2021 08:15:54

FunnyEric
The Activate Button appears on Tab with artifacts and AP store. It doesn't appear on the artifact widow that pops up. I guessing that was the problem you were having.

Edited 5/27/2021 02:31:38

I'm still relatively new to idle but have some questions regarding the Time Warp artifact and haven't gotten one yet to test. The obvious benefits of using it are clear but I am considering the less obvious benefits of the artifact so any help would be appreciated.

1. Does using the Time Warp artifact reduce the dig time of a dig site in progress?

2. Does using the Time Warp artifact reduce the cooldown on other active artifacts?

3. Does using the Time Warp artifact reduce the cooldown on itself when used?

Assuming number 1 is true Time Warp could be the only free way to actually shorten how long it takes to acquire new artifacts. If number 2 is true it could be the foundation of active artifact usage. If number 3 is true Time Warp may be significantly better than previously understood as it's effective cooldown decreases with level.

Edited 6/3/2021 15:35:11

If it works like the power up, 1 and 2 should be yes.

As for 3, I am wanting to know that myself. I suspect the answer is no, but it would be quite useful if it is yes. Otherwise, it would essentially have a recast of 16+Warped time.

1. Does using the Time Warp artifact reduce the dig time of a dig site in progress?

Yes.

2. Does using the Time Warp artifact reduce the cooldown on other active artifacts?

Yes.

3. Does using the Time Warp artifact reduce the cooldown on itself when used?

No. You use the TW artifact, time jumps ahead, and then you get the 16h cooldown.

I've tested all these cases. #1 is actually my preferred use for TWs. Saving 1 hr in most other cases isn't a big deal, but timing the dig finishes to my daily activities using TWs comes in handy. Going to bed now but 2 hrs left on this dig? 2x TW then start a new that can finish when you wake up or around noon so you don't waste all that sleeping time. lol

Any suggestions for what artifacts to equip to beat the "challenges"? I assume Army Camp Boost, but literally everything else doesn't seem to help (you can't spend money in the challenges). Do I just need to get the best AC Boost I can and upgrade auto-conquer, or am I missing something?

Bonus question:

4. What is the effect of the Time Warp artifact in WZIB?

(Hamiltwan: apparently auto upgrade army camp is needed)

Unlock Auto-Upgrade Army Camps and use Bonus Money Boost, Territory Money Boost, and Army Camp Boost. You should be able to beat the first 5 challenge levels if your camps are fairly upgraded. Then, expect to be stuck for a while. At the moment, +350% to camps isn't enough to best the 6th level, even with the bonus money advancement maxed and both epic bonus money boosts.

@Hamiltwan

in addition to AC boost, the following are useful to beat the challenge levels
- Auto upgrade AC in combination with AC discount
- Joint strike
- Increased cache money
- Increased money from bonuses

Artifacts: Bonus money and/or territory money boost, army cache boost and/or army camp boost

Their usefulness varies from level to level, but those generally help in beating most challenges

Edited 6/5/2021 16:49:53

Hi guys,

Please let me know the difference between normal levels and challenges. I just finished "AD 1045: Roads of Silk and Iron" level.

Also, regarding the AP won in each level, how would you suggest to invest?

Thanks
Arcturus

@Arcturus

in Challenges your AI plays for you. Conquering a level takes a couple of minutes and you get 100 AP for a level. Only once per level!
You must unlock Auto-Conquer (better upgrade it to the max), and it is very advisable to also unlock Auto Upgrade Army Camps.

If you just started with WZ Idle, I actually wouldn't recommend doing the challenges yet. (You can try it anyway, nothing bad is going to happen).
Wait until you have invested your AP in valuable upgrades like Joint Strike and Increase Army Production.

You can read more about AP in the spreadsheet that Master Jz made: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1F5ejYV2bYeaP6yTH683A27iTY8ulDFxGXjwh0zXB82s/edit#gid=1446462419
go for the last tab "Q&A" and check "Q: How should I spend my AP?"

or my own guide: https://justpaste.it/4hsdo and https://justpaste.it/4botf

Edited 6/11/2021 18:06:33

Many thanks Parsifal, I have reviewed the links you sent me.

I request your help with a few more questions:
1.- why auto-* upgrades are important? For instance:
- auto-conquer: what if AI conquers useless territories? I'd prefer to manage what to conquer myself.
- auto-smelter: it is expensive and even having it actived, will only act after 120 mins, which is a big waste anyway

2.- why statistics are important to activate?
For instance, first activation: Reveals how much ore or armies an upgrade to a mine or army camp will give if you purchase it.
I can know these numbers without activate the statistics.

Arc

1.- why auto-* upgrades are important? For instance:

This depends on what types of idle you play mostly. For the normal idle "Campaign" this comes down to whether you want to do less clicks to finish the level. So, ultimately it's your call. For battles (where you can only do one action every 4 sec) and challenges (where you cannot do any manual actions at all), automation is key! But still, you should check if the automation does you any good. Auto-Smelt is pretty much useless, if you don't have any automation that uses alloys and items (like Auto-Sell and - in case it exists - Auto-Tech Unlock).
If you don't have an automation maxed (like Auto-Conquer) it won't be able to waste all your resources (armies) on something, so if you want to do anything specific, either do this before the automation can get active, or just temporarily disable the automation.

2.- why statistics are important to activate?

Well, the first levels this is more about convenience, the later levels are more about stuff you wouldn't know otherwise, like revealing the whole tech tree. But, even the mine upgrade information gets interesting as soon as you have techs unlocked that boost mine production, or you unlocked some ore production advancement or use a mine boosting artifact. The factors are plenty and therefore, calculating the outcome of an upgrade by hand might not be that easy for higher levels. Still, the wiki has a bunch of resources that CAN make the early statistics useless if you are willing to spend the brain power yourself.

All in all, both the automations and the statistics are about convenience first and foremost. Decide yourself how much APs convenience is worth to you.

Edited 6/13/2021 01:31:23