Jeb wrote:I did not expect this first post to be so long. I've done my best to ensure it's worth your time. I'm not sure there's anything noteworthy here, but it's a good place for people to find ideas for better efficiency. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. It's been a year in the making.
I've been playing Slime Rancher since it was free through Gold on the Xbox. I'm not sure how long ago that was, but it's been a while. I've not played as long as some of you, but I feel I've explored the topic of efficiency to death. I've probably played through a dozen games to nearly 1000 days total. I'll admit this may be an exaggeration, though the point I'd like to make is that in every one of those games efficiency was my focus, and I think I'm fairly good at it.
So with that said, I offer Yet Another Ranch Design (YARD), with the intent to give new players and even some veterans ideas, especially now that drones are out. I'm also hoping for conversations that could lead to even better efficiency. I'll admit I've not played anything but adventure, and based on the objectives of the other game mode(s), this likely wouldn't be optimal in those modes.
Therefore, let's get into it. My goal is that drones will feed my slimes and store up plorts (an activity I found could take over half an in-game day), leaving the selling and refining of plorts to me (an activity that only needs to be done on an as needed basis), which gives more time for exploring or relaxing elsewhere on the Far, Far Range.
This ranch design is optimized for plort surplus (save more than you spend) without being excessive. Once you hit 7Zee rank 28 (where money is less important) the only thing left in my opinion is Slime Science. As such the most needed reusable gadgets are extractors, so this layout focuses on those specific plorts front and center.
Since we're limited to 2 drones, and my focus is on surplus without waste, I don't store food in silos and opt to one drone take food straight to the auto-feeder, allowing the other drone store plorts in the silos. I'd rather allow food to rot on the ground and have emergency reserves, by way of other gardens in the Manor and Retreat, and utilize my drones for more useful tasks eliminating redundant tasks.
During my testing, I found 6 largos is enough, with the auto-feeder set to the slowest speed. With the release of drones, some people have noticed some issues with feeding not being done quickly enough, and I'll admit more testing is needed, but I've found the 6 largos stay happy with the slowest auto-feeder speed. I've found anywhere from 5 to 7 largos works though.
For the longest I focused on favorite food, doubling my plort production, but I also found myself not needing that excess. Therefore I only care about separating by fruits or veggies, and even then using pogofruit and carrot as my food source. I still grow all the favorite foods, so if a burst of plorts is needed that remains an option, but from my experience it isn't needed often.
With the highest 7Zee rank achieved, money is less important, and once a Master or higher extractor is built, you won't need another for a while. This means gathering and selling or refining plorts become less frequent, ultimately leaving more time for exploring or relaxing in the Far, Far Range. And with 900 storage slots for each plort, you only need to be concerned with the daily watering of the drones.
Visit my Imgur gallery here for screenshots and commentary. I will be keeping the gallery updated, though discussion is welcome and invited in this thread.
Thank you,
Jeb
