I haven't kept track of how many times I have super ascended. Do the mods know from stored data?
Maybe some more knowledge than me can answer but I can tell my looking at how much the guides say a level should be worth compared to how much it is work to calculate my .25% AP, the 100s are pretty easy when you start a Super and the +Artifacts when you finish one.
I just know how many +dig time I got and I haven't thought about the math.
The number of SAs is pretty easy to calculate : +AP% /25 + (# of slots -2) + dig speed calculations. If you haven't gone for the +100ap bonuses. Just remember it's the +AP%, not the total, so if you're 7 times normal AP, that's +600%.
But when you can do a SA in a few days, you start not counting that seriously.
There's a reason for this. Managing powers well is kind of essential after you've SA'd a bunch of time, because the skip levels and IMs will eventually run out if you burn through them all without restraint. If they'd be replenished after every SA it would just get WAY too easy as you could SAC, Free Cache, TW and IM instantly through every level and get it all back next time.
But usually by the time they're low you have enough insane & leg artifacts you don't notice it that much.
I do think it should be documented a little better though. I would have not done as many supercharged IM for HEH if I knew, for example. But there's enough anyway, especially when you learn to do Hex Earth in 1 IM.
Each time so far I've always put mercs up to 150% then just used them to power through levels. And I upgrade hospitals twice until I'm at basically 150%, then sometimes only once. And once I get hospital boost +50%, I don't upgrade them at all.
How do people know exactly what the sweet spot is for when to stop adding mercs and for when to stop upgrading hospitals before doing the rest of the level.
You know mercs by not quite having enough when you finish a level, or seeinghow many you have left over when done with a level. Try spending a little less until you find it in a run. And of course it varies by level so you'll be well over on some.
For hospitals, use pkmx so see how much you save per hospital with 1 upgrade instead of 2, and look at your level score screen to see if you didn't need the hospital upgrade and can skip it next time.
Of course, these work at cross purposes. Can't go as meager on AM if you want to skip hospital upgrades.
For reference I usually go to 122.5% AM To do 0.48IM Hex but once I get my ACB to legendary I'm going to start maxing it again and see if I can skip some hospitals on some levels. Fingers crossed.
On my last super I never even went up to hex earth. I was beating every hardened level twice per day so I was over 20K AP per day without worrying about even getting to hex earth.
I'm a bit farther than you so my numbers aren't strictly comparable but at your AP, hex should get you 16k AP and be beatable with 5x SL and 1x IM once you're in P4. To each their own.
If you have SL advancement at 6 and use a super-powered SL after beating EH you unlock hex, skipping PA entirely. Otherwise I can beat it with a SAC arti and a single IM.
If you're not doing that, what are you saving SL and IM for anyways?
I haven't even spent the time to get superpowers in my last two supers. Don't need them.
The problem is I'm not confident in getting through hex earth until I'm into phase 4, and once I'm there I can get like 20K AP per day without going to it. So it seemed like a pointless risk each time I thought about it.
There's a reason almost everyone does Hex Earth, even before they are in P4. Sure it takes powers - less as you go on, down to 1 IM min - but it will get you most of the way through P4 and just make the rest of the run a relaxing breeze. Even if you haven't done many SA's, you can use superpowers with time warp with crafting to get the +50 cache tech + hospital bonuses in much less time than it would take to do hardened levels a few times. So a superpower SL to get there is very much worth it. At least until you're like +1000%AP and Hex Earth doesn't actually save much time. After you get an insane A$B or are into P4 you don't need any crafting.
I have never done HEX. I did the first new level and took a pass on the rest. I remember Ivan talking about early in his race to 1500 and when he ran out of skip levels. I am was aware it was a popular path but it was I didn't want to take.
Maybe it was because I don't have a Super Army Camp but the amount of time to get to the sweet levels made it seem wasteful. Once you pet to P4 you can easily repeat RON, Scan, EH, HOT, and HRFRE quickly for large AP with no super powers. I don't remember the amount of time now but it seems like a month getting to P4 and a few days to finish it. It always seem much better to Super Skip and Super IM on HScan to quickly finish a super than to waste your skips do HEX. I guess I really enjoy the end stage of a super verses the early drag.
#Yes1 there is no bad way to play just the most enjoyable for yourself.
