Man, you gotta realise that with your magnificent power of time travel (and I ain't berating you for it or anything, you can play however the hell you want) comes the downside of seeing stuff that is in a placeholder state or downright missing, since it doesn't make sense to develop and balance parts of the game which nobody could reach legit at the moment. So by the time people approach the point where prestige cycles last months: there might be new upgrades, features and balance changes to make it not so.
But at the same time, this may be what the developer is intending: idle gameplay. Every update they've done (School, then Hordes, then Village/Farm) was made to make the game more idle and extend available content. While it will still be an incremental, it seems the end goal is effectively a check-in game. I don't want this, personally, and would prefer if resets stay between 3 and 7 days or so.
This isn't really that urgent, as I don't think the effects will be that bad until like a month or two from now, but at some point some small changes to address this would be nice.
I don't quite understand why you're telling me this. Look: people are upset about the duration of the processes in the game. Different processes and already now, after playing for a couple of months. And I totally agree with them, but unlike them, I solved this problem for myself and now I'm playing this game a little faster. And knowing more about the game than those who have just encountered these difficulties, I say, in fact, two things:
1) It will be MUCH worse.
2) That one long process that a person complains about is part of the whole system. Literally every aspect of this game is designed for years.
I'm not saying it's good at all. Otherwise, I wouldn't be tormented with missing time. But these are the rules we were WARNED about. We all agreed in advance to play on them. And now suddenly it turns out that someone does not agree. Well, if you don't like it, don't play! :) Or change the rules of the game. Which, in fact, is what the people I am addressing are doing. They are trying to force the developer to change the rules of the game for them. In fact, there is only a tiny difference between us: I solve the found problem on my own, and they want someone else to solve it for them.
And you seem to be saying everything correctly: the game is still in development and the rules may change (especially under user pressure). But personally, I would prefer that the developer spent this time adding new content than changing the old one, which works quite well. Because, for example, the Gallery is now a very poor game. There are only three simple mechanics and four months of gameplay. With three mechanics that have no novelty. The gallery is now impossibly boring, and as for me, it would be better for the developer to finish it than to change what works.
So yeah, I don't understand why you're telling me what you're saying. Living in a world of winning early accesses, it is impossible not to learn to live with them. In fact, very few games in early access that had quite a lot of content are replayed by players later. Especially idle Games :) Especially, designed for months of play and more. I don't know about you, but I haven't played releases of a whole bunch of great games just because I've already played enough of early access. And I'm not interested in playing the same thing, but with small additions. Even though it has become better, more convenient, more enjoyable, more content, etc. So yes, maybe the rules of this game will change later. But I'm playing it now, and then there will be some other, more fun game that will provide me with a new experience, and will not force me to do nothing for weeks. And so it will be in any case, since "sometime later" I will somehow pass a solid part of the game.
So yes, you're right. I play at a pace that suits me and enjoy playing here and now. And the people I talked to are tired and unhappy. And you tell me, "Wait, maybe things will get better"? :) Well... :) Wait :) Maybe you will.
I just saw you dissecting mechanics of the game and sharing your thoughts about it - and all I wanted was to point out that your experience will be significantly different from that of allmost everyone else playing this. Both because of speeding up and because there's pretty much no chance (barring development of the game being ceased) game will be in the same state it currently is by the time people get to the point you're at. And sure, I have no idea whatsoever what's the planned pace of the lategame is, I just think that what's currently is there is a very poor indicator to judge by.
And as I said, I'm not trying to step on your toes and say that "you're playing the game wrong" or some silly shit like that. Just that unless you have a scrying eye directly into the dev's mind - you can't know if he wants cycles to last for days, weeks, months or years. Idle games are slow by definition so if he wants the game to be a slow burn - it's still pretty hard to tell just how slow. And for what's it's worth I'm enjoying the current pace of my prestiges being in the range of 3-6 days.
In fact, this is called extrapolation and is not something special. If you watch the twelve episodes of the detective, you can assume with a high degree of probability that the thirteenth will also be a detective, and not an erotic thriller, for example :) So it is still possible to judge the intentions of the developer with some degree of certainty. At least I'm sure he won't make a shooter out of this game :) Moreover, analyzing the existing state, I observe an excellent balance between the components. That is, all the components of this game make up a more or less integral system, and not a disparate set of elements. And based on this fact, I assume that future components will also be built into this system. In our case, this means at least a similar gameplay speed.
As for the components by which I estimate the speed sometime later, you just haven't seen them yet and therefore don't understand what I'm talking about. That is, yes, I would agree with you if I just talked about the speed of progress of the village. It depends on many factors and I could well have missed some of them, which theoretically would have allowed me to raise the speed by an order of magnitude (or even two! :) ). But I'm talking about simpler and more predictable things. Keys! Exactly one in a week. And for it, I can get about a third of the resource I need for one upgrade. Three weeks for one upgrade! :) And there is no way to increase the speed. Well, except to buy three keys from a merchant for crystals. Once a month. Now here are the very events. One event once a year. There's no way to speed it up either. Are these two points enough for you?
And where it depends on me - there is darkness at all :) There, the person above at the 93rd level of the Horde fills the tank in three days. I went a little further. And the game writes to me ~11.35Kd :) Man! Yes, I'm three hands "for" that I'm wrong :) That somewhere I misunderstood something, played the wrong way, and in general - an idiot. But I've bought everything I can, the capacity doesn't allow any more, prestige upgrades are bought once a week, and it's still decades before the scale is filled :)
And, finally, I will also complain :) And then everyone complains, why am I worse? In the Gas Giant, gas is immediately a prestigious currency and is mined immediately there, without the need for prestige. And it is not spent, but gives a passive bonus. But you can also spend on some game upgrades. And here I accidentally misskliked and hit the "Max" button at the upgrade for the prestigious currency :) And that's it! Minus half of the helium I've been mining for six months :) For one mouse miss :) That's why I'm touched by people who can't get some kind of reward for the event :) Grief and suffering, yes :) They won't get a plus! :)