what's the point?

for some people- they already made their money back on upgrades, so that would be in a separate part of the equation. Some people were able to finish their upgrades when granite was still under 2 gc per, so it will vary for everyone, that is another reason why i said- "if you are going to START making a gold chain now and START collecting and adding books in geologist for a fast gold mine i would recommend NOT doing so, but for the people with ALREADY a gold chain and fast gold mines, it COULD be worth running"

Truism: While it is absolutely true that many idiots [insert action here], it is further true that not all who [insert action here] are idiots.

Pricing of Rainbow Snows in the examples in this thread is somewhat invalid, given that if those using them 'as free' on their gold chains, were they put on the market, would catastrophically reduce their price, since the market for them is kinda thin as it is. (On Zeus, at least, they can lose 20% of their value with less than a page) Prices would likely stabilize just above the adjust price for badges but that is really a side issue. There is a substantial argument for niche-inefficiencies avoiding mainstream-collapsing-bubbles (cornish hen daily vs a cow twice a decade, for those needing analogies); and, if nature is any example; niches are a staggeringly successful strategy when combined with even a small degree of adaptability.

That said, I don't think anyone is going to argue that a gold chain is either the "best" way to make money or even the "easiest" -- if they try, I have dibs laughing them off the forums -- but it is a nice hobby and a profitable sideline. It must be said, though, that the line between 'hobby' and 'sideline' is the difference between 'I have a pair of smelters and coiners' and 'my entire island's development revolves around this monster' -- and I speak at someone who's island is 92% devoted to supporting a gold chain. It's a nice 12.5k-to-15k-daily-profit sideline (at least in my setup) but still just a sideline.

It must also be said that efficiency is only one component in any decision, there is also risk and variance tolerance, planning requirements, even simple enjoyment. And some folks are just good at some things and not in others -- I've a buddy who's island is an ungodly monument to manufacturing but he dislikes the TO-dance, so he sells me things in the millions-of for a truckload of coins and I head off to the TO to slake the thirst of the many: he could make substantially more, but his time/not-needing-to-take-aspirin is worth it the difference in coin.

If someone wants to start one, there's no reason not to; however, doing it to any size it comes with some long-term strategy attached. I had to weather a plethora of significant (some fairly catastrophic) changes to my other coin-generating endeavors (just passed my 1yr mark) however the building of a gold chain I invested in very early on (I was in my late 20s) made sure I weathered all of them easily (i.e., insulation from market-shock). It's really a matter of how robust you want your plan B or plan C to be -- you don't need a bomb-shelter every day, after all.

So the advice for someone looking to do more than play around is simple: It is absolutely not for everyone; talk to someone competent about how to balance the costs properly or you'll hate yourself later; never consider it your A-plan; don't think for a second it's a quick return-on-investment; it's not the best way to get coin (except in rare circumstance); your island will exist to support it; no, really, it will; and even with all that, it can still a lot of fun to build and that's what games are supposed to be :p But, seriously, consider very, very carefully before you do more than just have a couple pretty buildings you run now-and-again.

You make a good point theWhitecain on prices collapsing if no one used snows on coinages - but FOR NOW, prices dictate they are not worth using there (and i doubt they fall anywhere near badge in efficiency for gold chain). This is from a pure min/max standpoint, where there is a definitive right and wrong answer. I can understand how personal gameplay preference dictates using setups not min/max. However, when we point towards something as "the best way", we tend to be using a min/max scenario.

The issue with rainbow snows collapsing quickly though is pretty much determined by the ability to only post "1" of them. Any item that you can only post "1" of (deposit/building/buff) is going to have more cutthroat pricing (whether to buy or sell) then other items.

Finally - cost of upgrade - does not factor into profit margins. That is a sunk cost, that there is no way to get it back. No matter how much you wish, that granite and coin for upgrades is GONE. Now BEFORE you build something, the ROI is certainly a factor to consider (but not uncommon for many lvl 4 to 5 upgrades to have way over a year for their ROI, if ever).

who really cares it's just pixels....IMO if you got the stuff and want to build it go for it. I'm sure your advice is great if they were trying to get thier poetfolio straight but at the end of the day it's still a game....Settler on ppl Settler on!!!

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Originally Posted by Troll-Phu

who really cares it's just pixels....IMO if you got the stuff and want to build it go for it. I'm sure your advice is great if they were trying to get thier poetfolio straight but at the end of the day it's still a game....Settler on ppl Settler on!!!

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from the person who claimed pixels when others rage quit?

attempted to claim pixels* and FAILED!

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Originally Posted by Draconus2004

from the person who claimed pixels when others rage quit?

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lol i egg ppl on to RAGE QUIT...big difference

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Originally Posted by Wujcio

if you actually read, i said that processing deposits is a money losing scheme for EVERY scenario other than lvl6 fast mine using a rainbow buff.
even if you have that optimal setup, you're still losing money, because you had to spend 20k for the lvl6 mine, a cost you'll never recuperate, since you're making ZERO profit processing the ore.

And of course, i will make more money selling parrots, than processing them. there are readily available offers to buy deposits for 7500k gc i've seen offers of 7800 gc ...and these were offers, i.e. 0 effort on my side. Instantaneously selling deposits is marginally more profitable than having to wait for 4 days for ore to get processed :>

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You are right, and Snacknado is right as well. It all depends on how many gold smelter you have (plus coinages) and if you are able or not to buy the gold ore necessary to keep them running. I'm not sure what's the definition of a big gold chain, but I will assume 25-30 smelters make a decent one. You will need more then 30k gold ore/day. If you can buy it, then YES, better profit rather then buying deposits. But if you cant, then you have 2 options - buy depos and still make a profit or sleep the gold smelters (and maybe some coinages as well) and look at how beautiful they are while resting.

Amend lines 1 & 2 for a more reasonable assessment.

Zeus is the 'North American' server. and it is not 'Americans' that fail at math. It is Americans who have entitlement expectations. They want what is owed them, and they want it now.

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Originally Posted by Draconus2004

lets follow the line of reasoning on why this occurs:
Americans fail at math
Zeus is an American server
Gold mining used to make a profit
Too many inexperienced people jumped on the bandwagon
People are slow to change and like to stick to their habitual ways

I wonder how these 5 statements could combine to cause this? It is a real mystery.

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Originally Posted by EpsilonSilver

Amend lines 1 & 2 for a more reasonable assessment.

Zeus is the 'North American' server. and it is not 'Americans' that fail at math. It is Americans who have entitlement expectations. They want what is owed them, and they want it now.

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Do tell me - is the server or BBs for the server in canada? No. Thus, it could be considered an american server. Could I add a lack of patience as a line? certainly wouldn't be to out of place.