Cedric Appleby
Posts: 121
6/6/2012
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/EDIT: Much of the information here is obsolete after a few changes to basic game mechanics. I will try to update it as time permits. Everything above the line below should be seen as information that is of historical interest at best.
I am currently working my way through this little checklist and, as my personal singular accomplishment, I thought about making friends in the Cause. Unfortunately, I have no main quality below 130, and the university is closed off as well. All in all, I could only identify five storylets that still increase my connections:
- Doing 'political work' in the Flit
- Making donations while in disgraced exile
- Writing excitingly Radical poetry for the Duchess (rare success)
- Donating a Mark of Credit (of course I have Aligned with a Faction: Revolutionaries)
- Siding with the Revolutionaries in the one conflict card they appear in
The first one seems to work best - I spent the last few weeks bombing my way through a significant portion of the City's financial sector, but is very slow going. Thus, to my shame, I have Connected: Revolutionaries at a mere 56. Did I miss something, or am I going to be murdering bankiers for the next months?
- Amber in the Well: An excellent option, of course. It's not grindable, being an opportunity card, but I'll always play it when it shows up. When comparing Fallen London options with those taking place outside the Fifth City proper, the chance of drawing this card has to be accounted for, increasing the choice's CPA a little. Its value is difficult to quantify, though, so I'd rather not dig into it until it becomes relevant.
- The Flit - Melting Statues: Takes 19 actions all in all - 18 to grind Casing (Gang x 3, PoSI option x 1) and 1 to get the reward, so that gives 2.63 CPA - slightly less if you account for the challenge being low-risk rather than straightforward, slightly more if you account for Fast Hetty's husband.
- The Flit - Bombing: Using Urthdigger's data, this one is 100 CP for 37 actions, which is 2.7 CPA - indeed slightly better than the above option, even if you do not account for the difference between a Straightforward and a Low-Risk challenge. Also enjoys the Fast Hetty's husband bonus.
- Mark of Credit: This one was disappointing. The Unusual Home gives a boost of roughly 10-11 CP to each of Connected: Revolutionairies, Connected: Tomb Colonies and Connected: Hell. Assuming 14 actions to complete a cycle (it'll likely be more, using Acquaintances), you get 11 CP per 28 actions, which works out to less than around 0.4 CPA.
- Shroom-Hopping: This one nets 5 CPA for a Persuasive challenge that's straightforward somewhere in the double digits and there's no apparant cap either. Worth 8 Proscribed Material (32 pence) an action, too. You can't really do anything else while stuck in the Shroom-Hopping area, though, as it has its own set of opportunity cards.
- Polythreme: According to Urthdigger, this one gives 10 CP. Assuming 64 actions to complete the whole cycle (which is in the ballpark, at least), this one nets a hilariously awful 0.156 CPA. The material rewards are quite nice, though.
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After the updates of the game mechanics, the following new option is now available (again):
- Holding a lecture in the Forgotten Quarter
The values of the options have changed in parts, mostly for the worse.
- The Flit - Melting Statues: Less attractive. Limited data suggests that the optimum is around Casing 9, which takes 15 actions to grind (with the Gang) and nets 50 CP at 70% odds, for an expected 2.33 CPA. Note that this is something of a gamble because of the 30% failure chance (which will waste actions and gain you Suspicion). For another 5 actions, you can increase your odds to 90% for a slight loss (2.25 CPA), which may be the safer option. The actual gain is a bit higher, as you don't lose all your casing. Assuming you lose 5 actions' worth and that you succeed the next time, and disregarding the Suspicion gain, the approximation becomes (0.7 * (50/15) + 0.3 * (50/20)) = 3.08 CPA (which is still too low, but not by much).
- The Flit - Bombing: Less attractive. Here the optimum seems to be Casing 11 - 20 actions, 100 CP, 50% chance for a total expected 2.5 CPA or, under the same assumptions as above, (0.5 * (100/20) + 0.5 * (100/25)) = 4.5 CPA. Note that this is definitely a gamble - you are flipping a coin, essentially. Spending another 5 actions on grinding bumps the odds to 60%, but expected CPA decreases to 2.4.
- Holding a lecture: This one is... interesting. It nets you 15 CP, which makes it clearly the best option of the above - but it also nets you 1 CP of Suspicion. Assuming you take the most obvious option (i. e. alternating between using an Ablution Solution and holding a public lecture) and that you can grind for money at the PoSI baseline of 1.2 Echoes/action, you would end up repeating a pattern of "hold 4 lectures, spend 6 actions earning money, use 4 solutions" for a money-neutral net gain of 60 CP over 14 actions which works out to *deep breath* 4.29 CPA. If you use social actions to clear Suspicion, the story changes. The storylet that unlocks at Suspicion 4 reduces your Suspicion by 4 CP. It also gives the recipient +1 CP, so if you want to account for that, the pattern becomes LLLLSLLLLSLLLLSLLLLSRLLLS (L being the Lecture, S being sending, R receiving that offer). You gain 285 CP over 25 actions for a total of a ridiculous 11.4 CP which is the best option by far. (Special thanks to Flyte!)
Oh, by the way, I am now up to Connected: Revolutionaries 350. There has not been a new title. A shame - I was hoping they'd make room for me on the calendar. No 13th month for me.
edited by Cedric Appleby on 7/22/2013
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That is, in fact, a beak. Tea is difficult.
@21stCenturyBird on Twitter. -- In-game profile.
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Catherine Raymond
Posts: 2518
6/6/2012
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Cedric Appleby wrote:
I am currently working my way through this little checklist and, as my personal singular accomplishment, I thought about making friends in the Cause. Unfortunately, I have no main quality below 130, and the university is closed off as well. All in all, I could only identify five storylets that still increase my connections:
- Doing 'political work' in the Flit
- Making donations while in disgraced exile
- Writing excitingly Radical poetry for the Duchess (rare success)
- Donating a Mark of Credit (of course I have Aligned with a Faction: Revolutionaries)
- Siding with the Revolutionaries in the one conflict card they appear in
The first one seems to work best - I spent the last few weeks bombing my way through a significant portion of the City's financial sector, but is very slow going. Thus, to my shame, I have Connected: Revolutionaries at a mere 56. Did I miss something, or am I going to be murdering bankiers for the next months?
edited by Cedric Appleby on 6/6/2012
You can also collect leathery human hearts and give them to the Doctor of Anatomy at the University.
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Cathy Raymond
http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/cathyr19355
Catherine Raymond aka Mrs. Rykar Malkus http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/Catherine%20Raymond (Gone NORTH)
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Cedric Appleby
Posts: 121
6/6/2012
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Oh, true! I had completely forgotten about that one. I don't think it's more efficient than the bomb-flinging, though, as it requires completing a mid-level venture five times. Unless there's a new method for acquiring those hearts.
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That is, in fact, a beak. Tea is difficult.
@21stCenturyBird on Twitter. -- In-game profile.
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Estelle Knoht
Posts: 1751
6/6/2012
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Don't lose heart, keep on bombing 
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Estelle Knoht, a juvenile, unreliable and respectable lady.
I currently do not accept any catbox, cider, suppers, calling cards or proteges.
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+1
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Urthdigger
Posts: 939
6/6/2012
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Sadly, you're beyond it, but for lower level connections, revolutions might be one of the connections that's slow enough to increase that you might want to use the carnival (should boost by ~40 for 2 turns, up to level 10) and their item from the bazaar (should boost it by 75 CP for 3 turns and 150 pence worth of items). But, you're past that.
I'd advise looking into how much a mark of credit improves it by. Barring that, you might also try spying on Polythreme and seeing how much that increases it.
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Looking for second chances to maximize your loot output from those troublesome storylets? Check out our handy gang of volunteers in this thread, or even volunteer yourself!
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Curses
Posts: 32
6/7/2012
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If, perchance, you happened to possess a hat of absurd nature, and, perchance, had a little fate in your pocket to burn, rumor has it that there may be revolutionaries to meet while Shroom-Hopping. I genuinely have no knowledge of how effective this method is, but it may be worthwhile to look into.
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"Before a desire is sated, it is everything. Afterward, it is nothing." ~Mr Wines
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Cedric Appleby
Posts: 121
6/7/2012
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Thank you all for the suggestions. All in all, this gives me the following options that are theoretically viable:
- Bombing. One of the Wikis claims that both options give ~50 CP; assuming that's true, it'll be sufficient to take the less flashy one. Although I do wonder if I'm actually just melting the same statue over and over. I mean, wouldn't the brass image of a Master be a lumpy pile to begin with? ... anyway, with my trusty Gang of Hoodlums, I'll be gaining 50 CP every 16 or 21 actions or thereabouts, I think. This gives me a baseline of "about 2.38 to 3.125 CP per action". Note that I'm disregarding chance and the Fast Hetty's Husband and Amber in the Well opportunity cards for now. I'll only look into those if the at least one other option ends up being within the same range.
- Mark of Credit pages. This one requires getting Counting the Days to 14 twice; the Pocketful of Loose Change thing is a non-issue now, thankfully. I'll be disregarding the waiting time for opportunity cards, as I can just spend the spare time bombing. Not sure how many actions this will take or how many CP it nets, though. Spading time.
- Polythreme. This requires completing a the Polythreme cycle three times each. Unless my math is way off, that's a total of ~64 actions, assuming I only have to grind for Silk. This means it's only really worth it if the report gives roughly 200 CP, which I kind of doubt, but neither Wiki knows, exactly.
- Shroom-hopping. I have no Fate in my pocket at the moment, but I can set up a virtual machine to complete a few of the less trustworthy offers on the Fate page. Maybe set it up with Windows 98 and see how much malware I can attract in the 20 minutes of its life. ...anyway, this is the big unknown, but given the low baseline, it's worth a look.
- Fate + Red-feathered Pin. Included only for the sake of completeness, as it's horridly expensive; while I fully think the Failbetter Team deserves their own luxury yacht, financing it is a little beyond my means.
Data gathering time! I'll be spading the Bombs and Mark of Credit first and keep this place updated, in case Connected: Revolutionairies ever becomes valuable. Thank you all for your assistance so far; I managed to completely miss a lot of those options.
edited by Cedric Appleby on 6/7/2012
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That is, in fact, a beak. Tea is difficult.
@21stCenturyBird on Twitter. -- In-game profile.
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Nigel Overstreet
Posts: 1220
6/8/2012
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If you haven't gotten rid of Jack then the second option on the Tower of Knives cards gives a minor boost to Revolutionaries as well.
In any event, if you reach 100 before I do, please let me know the descriptor, fellow Comrade!
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The Romantic Egotist: Most Hedonistic Man in All of Fallen London
Are you or someone you know Overgoated? Please, let me know!
Cider Club
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Cedric Appleby
Posts: 121
6/8/2012
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Jack has already been taken care of, sadly. I'll be happy to inform you once I reach 100, but I've only gotten my connections up to 64 at the time of writing. Rome wasn't burnt in a day, Comrade.
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That is, in fact, a beak. Tea is difficult.
@21stCenturyBird on Twitter. -- In-game profile.
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Urthdigger
Posts: 939
6/9/2012
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So, just did a little research for curiosity's sake: Turning in leathery hearts gives 6 CP... so, totally not worth it.
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Looking for second chances to maximize your loot output from those troublesome storylets? Check out our handy gang of volunteers in this thread, or even volunteer yourself!
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Cedric Appleby
Posts: 121
6/9/2012
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Yeah, that works out to what, 0.1 CP/action? 0.2, perhaps? I find the Leathery Hearts mini-arc to be immensely frustrating. Not only is it unporofitable, it's like a big chunk of a potentially interesting mystery is missing - there's just not enough information. Given how old the content is, and that the Jack-of-Smiles storyline has been tied up, it seems unlikely it will get picked up again.
(Oh, and my quest for contacts is going smoothly. Just reached Connected 74. Many thanks, Curses.)
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That is, in fact, a beak. Tea is difficult.
@21stCenturyBird on Twitter. -- In-game profile.
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Catherine Raymond
Posts: 2518
6/9/2012
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Cedric Appleby wrote:
Oh, true! I had completely forgotten about that one. I don't think it's more efficient than the bomb-flinging, though, as it requires completing a mid-level venture five times. Unless there's a new method for acquiring those hearts.
It probably is less efficient than the bomb flinging, but you were trying to list all options. :-)
One thing I like about the heart-donation method is that you get 14 Diamond for each kill, which is a nice money maker because I don't feel a need to keep all of those diamonds.
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Cathy Raymond
http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/cathyr19355
Catherine Raymond aka Mrs. Rykar Malkus http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/Catherine%20Raymond (Gone NORTH)
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Estelle Knoht
Posts: 1751
6/9/2012
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Have you got a Gang of Hoodlums yet? It helps a lot with all casing activities. At least, it make the grind that much less tedious.
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Estelle Knoht, a juvenile, unreliable and respectable lady.
I currently do not accept any catbox, cider, suppers, calling cards or proteges.
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Urthdigger
Posts: 939
6/9/2012
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cathyr19355 wrote:
Cedric Appleby wrote:
Oh, true! I had completely forgotten about that one. I don't think it's more efficient than the bomb-flinging, though, as it requires completing a mid-level venture five times. Unless there's a new method for acquiring those hearts.
It probably is less efficient than the bomb flinging, but you were trying to list all options. :-)
One thing I like about the heart-donation method is that you get 14 Diamond for each kill, which is a nice money maker because I don't feel a need to keep all of those diamonds.
You also get 20 CP of constables connections.
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Looking for second chances to maximize your loot output from those troublesome storylets? Check out our handy gang of volunteers in this thread, or even volunteer yourself!
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Urthdigger
Posts: 939
6/11/2012
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Ok, doing some more research, I have found that melting the statue gives exactly 50 CP of connections. I will bomb a meeting when I can to see how much that gives.
Edit: Got distracted by cards, Amber in the Well gives +25 CP
Edit Edit: Ok, bombed the meeting! It rewards you with +100 CP of connected: Revolutionaries! And seeing as it takes 136 CP to hit straightforward, compared to the 156 to melt a statue twice, it's the better deal even before you account for the few extra actions spent actually doing the statue melting and any excess Casing wasted.
edited by Urthdigger on 6/11/2012
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Looking for second chances to maximize your loot output from those troublesome storylets? Check out our handy gang of volunteers in this thread, or even volunteer yourself!
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Cedric Appleby
Posts: 121
6/12/2012
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Oh, wow, nice. Thanks for the additional data, it's quite appreciated! I'm still Mingling with the Crowd - just hit Connected: 96 - but once I'm at 100, I'll go back to Fallen London. Mingling is still the most effective option, but it's dreadfully dull. After that, it'll probably be bombing and checking out the Mark of Credit. At least I'll have access to the occasional diversion.
Have you got a Gang of Hoodlums yet? It helps a lot with all casing activities. At least, it make the grind that much less tedious.
Quite some time ago! I have all the PoSI items except for a Constant Companion, as I found the current selection rather lacking. (I'm still hoping for a return of the Barbed Wit.) It's good, too, the Gang of Hoodlums offers the best Casing-to-Actions ratio there is.
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That is, in fact, a beak. Tea is difficult.
@21stCenturyBird on Twitter. -- In-game profile.
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Cedric Appleby
Posts: 121
6/12/2012
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"My Connected: Revolutionaries has increased to 100 - A Ringleader! "
Marvellous.
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That is, in fact, a beak. Tea is difficult.
@21stCenturyBird on Twitter. -- In-game profile.
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Urthdigger
Posts: 939
6/13/2012
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Cedric Appleby wrote:
Oh, wow, nice. Thanks for the additional data.
No problem. I love doing this sort of stuff. Though, having collected data for all the available storylets to a capped player, I'm a tad burnt out on it at the moment, so I probably won't be doing tests of my own volition for a while. Still, if you can find something that needs more precise data, feel free to let me know and I'll get right on that.
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Looking for second chances to maximize your loot output from those troublesome storylets? Check out our handy gang of volunteers in this thread, or even volunteer yourself!
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Nigel Overstreet
Posts: 1220
6/29/2012
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Cedric Appleby's Connected: Revolutionaries has increased to 150 - A Demagogue!
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The Romantic Egotist: Most Hedonistic Man in All of Fallen London
Are you or someone you know Overgoated? Please, let me know!
Cider Club
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Cedric Appleby
Posts: 121
6/29/2012
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Indeed! It turns out that the difference between a Ringleader and a Demagogue is 25 unprovoked assaults on the City's financiers.
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That is, in fact, a beak. Tea is difficult.
@21stCenturyBird on Twitter. -- In-game profile.
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