Mike's guide to the most efficient way of getting merits.

[Michael93]

Everytime I go into the factory on my little toon and with non-SFs, people always seem to want to do the whole factory. Not only is this slower and counterproductive, but also requires many gag up trips. Around a year and a half ago, two of my SFs, that no longer play, designed a method to the factory to maximize merits and minimize time consumption. So without further adieu, the guide.

Note: This guide ASSUMES all members have sound and maxxed throw/sound.
People needed: Three, MINIMUM. Four will require less gag trips.
Gags needed for each member: 15 aoogahs, 7 elephants, 3 fogs, 3 cakes, and preferably lots of lure. (At least enough to last through the sound gags, which is about 16, accounting for misses, at least 20-25 between the four of you, with three, lure is not used much, if at all. Magnets and Goggles only.)

FRONT ENTRANCE ONLY.
First round: Use just enough sound to kill the cogs. (For example, if there are four of you, only three aoogah and the other passes/lures, if you have extra or one elephant and aoogah.) Four aoogahs/elephants is a WASTE.

Gear room: Repeat method from above room. Three sound gags is enough to finish off the cogs in this room.

Warehouse: Again, repeat above method. Three sound gags needed to kill cogs.

East & West Silo: This is where those cakes I mention earlier come in. If there are three people, each of you cake a different cog. (My SFs and I would usually cake our corresponding cog. Left toon hits left cog, middle toon, middle cog etc etc. This saves time. ) If four people, one lures, rest cake. (Cakes missing= time wasted.)

Center Silo: With three people, one fog and two elephants. With four people you can either: Each of you cake a cog, and have a person with organic throw hit the foreman, or if you all have organic sound, all elephants or one fog & two elephants or three aoogahs with the fog.

This factory nets you 480 merits, with invasion, compared to 776 for the full factory. Also, the factory with four people can be done at LEAST, SEVEN TIMES with this method before regagging. Seven times if enough to net you over HALF of those 5500 merits.

But wait..what about those cakes that we used? That will only last one factory...

Well, after the first set of cogs, there a nice cake barrel on some crates. Push the crate over to it and restock .

My friends and I, with this method, were able to finish the factory within eight or so minutes, six minutes being the fastest. Much quicker then any full factory wil ever be. Remember, two short factories gives more merits any is quicker then full factories.

Feel free to post comments, suggestions and criticisms. :P

[FoolsLove]

Yes, but in the time it takes you to get the rest of those 5500 merits you could've done 7 longs and 3-4 story building, instead of having to do nearly a dozen short factories. I'd rather do 7 longs than basically 12 shorts. Factories are bad enough, and I want to do as little of them as I possibly can. Also, in the past few days I've actually done quite a few long runs that lasted about 10 minutes. Though when I DO actually do short factories, I do take that route.

[Amanda Tori Oinker]

To each his own, I guess. I understand that if you are very close to getting your sell key you get all excited and twitchy and just want to get it done, however, nothing ***** the fun right out of TT faster than cold, precise, technical playing. That is like WORK! I am here to have fun and if I can't goof off, use lots of speedchat and just have fun, especially with friends, then I need to rethink what I am here for. That is my opinion.

[Michael93]

Originally Posted by FoolsLove

Yes, but in the time it takes you to get the rest of those 5500 merits you could've done 7 longs and 3-4 story building, instead of having to do nearly a dozen short factories. I'd rather do 7 longs than basically 12 shorts. Factories are bad enough, and I want to do as little of them as I possibly can. Also, in the past few days I've actually done quite a few long runs that lasted about 10 minutes. Though when I DO actually do short factories, I do take that route.

I understand that people want to do less factories, so they do longs. =/ The purpose of the guide was to minimize time and as the person above posted, make it technical, like work. Even if you do long runs in 10 minutes though, you have to regag every two factories, unless you make trips to the lava room, which adds two minutes to your run.

[FoolsLove]

Originally Posted by Michael93

I understand that people want to do less factories, so they do longs. =/ The purpose of the guide was to minimize time and as the person above posted, make it technical, like work. Even if you do long runs in 10 minutes though, you have to regag every two factories, unless you make trips to the lava room, which adds two minutes to your run.

Nah, my 10 minute factories have been done with trips to the lava room.

[WonderGirl78]

Nice guide. It's great for people who don't like to do long factories. Or for those like me, too lazy to regag and walk all the way back to the HQ to do another full .

[Michael93]

Originally Posted by FoolsLove

Nah, my 10 minute factories have been done with trips to the lava room.

You would still need to regag after a few rounds or so.

[brownie]

Nice guide Mike, I'll be sure to use this when I do factories. 5 stars.