The Speeder's Guide To Getting Energy / Discussion

This is the discussion related to the wiki page The Speeder's Guide To Getting Energy.

Day 1

The Darkness 25 Oct 2009 03:35

I usually go for medical supplies in hopes of either a first aid kit or autodoc. By going for the crate of medicine before finishing the docks quest, I can avoid fighting ghuols. Then again, I get consistent 3-day runs this way… :(

Metricket 25 Oct 2009 08:35

You know, I never really go coinfishing. I usually eat red flakes which aren't too bad, if I can find the proper puzzle box button. Egg salad sandwiches are pretty good too. And smuggler stuff, obviously.

As for drugs, Espresso Doppio is good.

Also, getting the warehouse security badge is silly. Just sayin'. >.>

Vholes 25 Oct 2009 10:55

Thanks for the feedback so far!

Re: The Darkness: The medical supplies are definitely second best after the luxury food. If you have 2 days of coinfishing (which is a new thing for me), you can get several medical shipments. First aid kits are obviously helpful for anyone, and if you get a reinforced surgical mask, you can rest in the Slags without getting poisoned.

I usually rush into the sewers right away, but I see your point about avoiding those damn ghouls. On the "pro" side of doing it later, though, you can multitask while you're coinfishing/capfarming/id-hunting.

Re: Metricket/Ricket: Coinfishing is far and away my favorite way to fill hunger. Giant pike sushi has a significantly higher energy/hunger than red flakes (3.3 vs. 2.75), and considering you often get a bluegill in the same encounter, it's a pretty great deal. You spend a little energy leading up to it, but again, multitasking makes this a smaller cost.

According to the wiki, espresso doppio has a higher energy/body than caffeine powder does. If that's true… dayum, I'm going to have to start going Italian. I'd like to get some confirmation on the espresso's range before I abandon your tip to use the chemistry papers for the caffeine powder recipe. Egg salad sandwiches are a distant 2nd tier for me if I have nothing else, but red flakes might usurp that position. Thanks for the advice!

I sometimes get the warehouse badge, since the warehouse is the best place to get a gas grenade if none show up in the explosives crate. Now that I've come to appreciate the beauty of having the midgard cap, though, I think I'll be beating up that dock worker more often than trailing or shooting him. (I suppose I could clear the quad through Myers and get an explosives crate that way… don't think it's any faster, though)

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Last edited on 25 Oct 2009 22:06 by Vholes Show more

Metricket 26 Oct 2009 04:58

It's Ricket here. I just couldn't sign up with "Ricket" 'cause it was already taken. Iunno if I can have a nickname or something.

I'd really have to run the numbers on it, but I wouldn't think coinfishing gets you enough energy on average to justify it. I just don't like backtracking. :P

I don't think I've ever actually had a 6-energy espressio before. I'll pay attention over the next few runs and check it out. Anyway, you have to remember when deciding between caffeine powder and espressio that you do spend a turn each time you raid the machine, and one for every fifth run away choice adventure selection. Given the choice between raiding for more, and making caffeine, I'll pick caffeine.

The warehouse badge is really unnecessary. Where are you using the grenade you're trying to get there? Are you going in there before you have the Slags quest and using it in the Southside building to free David and then heading back to the warehouse later? And what's this about clearing the Quad? >.>

Last edited on 26 Oct 2009 05:04 by Metricket Show more

Vholes 26 Oct 2009 19:37

Coinfishing doesn't involve any backtracking if you're already at the docks to get the crate of explosives or Midgard cap, so it only costs 3 energy to get: 1 for the pole, 1 for the fishing, 1 to craft. Assuming an average of 2.5 pike sushi from 1 giant pike, and an average of 7 energy per piece of sushi, that's (7*2.5-3)/(2*2.5)=2.9 energy/hunger. Obviously, there will be times when you spend a couple more energy at the docks, but considering you often get a lake bluegill as well, I think if anything the average number is higher than this. (By comparison, moist cookies give 3 energy/hunger, red flakes are 2.75, and egg salad sandwiches are at 2.5.)

The purpose of the badge would be to get access to the gas grenade (for the abandoned building). If you happen to meet the worker before you find the crate of explosives, it lets you use 1 energy to get access to the warehouse instead of potentially several more to get access if the crate of explosives doesn't have a grenade in it. However, beating him up to get a Midgard cap obviously takes priority.

I've never cleared the Quad in a speed run, but I've heard of someone doing the Doc Myers quest so the quad's cleared, then getting the crate of explosives in the VIP room. Seems like it would take way too much time to me, but I suppose if you want to go the Hawk route for some reason, you may as well.

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Vholes 09 Nov 2009 00:59

Gathering some experimental data about coinfishing, since I'm undecided about it:

This run, I spent 3 energy at the docks that I wouldn't have otherwise spent there, plus .8 to get the fishing pole (beyond the .2 I would have spent anyway to skip it). Add in 2 energy to craft (pike + bluegill), and I spent 5.8 energy. I got 2 pieces of pike sushi, and together with the bluegill sushi got a total of (7+5+7=) 19 energy, spending 6 hunger.

So in terms of energy per hunger, it was (19-5.8)/6 = 2.2. On instinct, I'd say I was unlucky to get 3 combat encounters after getting the gas grenade and midgard cap, and not getting the fish in the several turns between getting the pole and getting the cap. The energy gain was probably pretty average (3 servings of fish, average overall gains).

Red flakes @ 2.75 are definitely something I should be going for, but after eating them and luxury food, I think the options are limited. Instaheat @ 2.33 is maybe comparable to coinfishing since you generally pick up one or two on accident. Egg salad sandwhiches and MBR samples @ 2.5 are probably only worthwhile if you happen to get some, as farming them would rapidly decrease that number.

Okay, starting next run I'm going to be recording how I feed myself on the fora, and how much hunger/energy I got per food, and then average it out for each run. Should be fun. :)

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Vholes 09 Nov 2009 01:36

Now let's try out caffeine powder.

1.4 energy to get 1 cup of horrible black coffee (and 2 cups of Joe, blech).
1 energy to craft.
16 energy gained. 6 body used. (maximum possible gain)

(16-2.4)/6= ~2.27 energy per body

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& trying to find the coffee room again

1.8 to get 3 lukewarm lattes.

Were I to drink them all, I could expect (3.5*3-1.8)/9 = ~.97 energy per body

let's see if it's worth it to keep looking for the horrible stuff.

1.6 additional energy to get 1 more cup of horrible (and 1 lukewarm latte, and 1 cup of Joe)
1 energy to craft.
13 energy obtained. 6 body used.

I did not drink the lattes, so I got:

(13-4.4)/6 = ~1.43 energy per body.

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On average then, I got ~1.85 energy per body out of 2 caffeine powders.

There's also a nigh-impossible to calculate opportunity cost in not being able to spend the 200 creds from the chemistry kit to buy a containment suit piece. This depends entirely on how many creds you have, how soon you get the containment suit, and whether you have the equipment & inclination to attack the gaurd instead of chatting with him.

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Last edited on 09 Nov 2009 01:40 by Vholes Show more