Time Wasters

Time Wasters

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Basics Guide
By a harrisong
What I've picked up in 5 hours of playing this stupid game
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Introduction
At the time of this guide there is no collection of tips and what the mechanics of the games are and with the genius name of time wasters it is impossible to search anything

So despite having no game knowledge or skill and most posts in the forums devolving into this

I am risking being roasted to share my information with you..

Here is some beautiful background music for you to enjoy while you read
Cubes
There is unfortunately only two types of cubes in this game: times cubes and space cubes. hopefully companion and cheese will be added in the future (XD)

The time cubes are the blue cubes and can be used to reroll upgrades (using 1x) or to buy a bunch of upgrades (using x5). You can get three cubes from starting the game as a one-off and one cube repeating from the time cube planet. Time cubes also drop occasionally from the big red enemies (that look like space invaders) and also drop from elites
I don't recommend rerolling upgrades with time cubes unless the options are really ♥♥♥♥, but I reroll the shop buys until I get one that looks cool

The space cubes are the weird purple cubes that are used for progression upgrades. You get them from elites and space invaders as well as by an RNG basis from the space planet. If you don't win the gamble you get an increased chance of getting space cubes in the next roll. I have no idea if its fixed how many cubes you get but I can't figure out how you get the max amount besides luck.

You use space cubes to get upgrades between runs. You can reset these for no cost, and I highly recommend putting your first cubes into maxing one character (and resetting and maxing the character you play in that run) as it feels way more impactful than any other upgrade.



BTW i havent taken screenshots cos i dont want to open the game so here are approximations to what they look like
Crew
RN there are 5 pilots: shooter flamer mothership slimer and puncher

shooter (azurenne):
plasma is the best and makes it feel like a real bullet hell
With upgrades you can dash a lot which will usually kill you

flamer (vermillion):
fire does not feel very effective until it is upgraded where it plays like the cross from vampire survivors. when you hit lategame it is feels as ♥♥♥♥ as the cross from vampire survivors.


slimer (corrosia):
super weird weapon that i never notice does anything but I believe the slow works very well with the boxing glove


luna (mothership):
the ships seem to do absolutely nothing as they explode if a small rock tinges their armour and they have super weird positioning.

(puncher):
best and only option. imagine playing a kangaroo in space and that is what this character is

upgrading to get a copilot (you can have 2 other pilots) will let you upgrade the weapon that pilot defaults with.

I am stealing this from someone so I am screenshotting their name but this is how to unlock a super weapon (strongest version of weapons)
Planets
Gold planet and refinery

The gold planet increases gold dropped by enemies when standing in its radius and the refinery gives you gives you

My understanding of getting to late game includes sitting on the gold planet, leaving only to get cooldowns on the cube planets and buy from the shop. The gold magnet and gold planet upgrades multiply each other so it is beneficial to upgrade them both roughly equally.

Trying to keep as much information in one place, the gold planet might look like it deactivated but this is to stop visual clutter

The little golden bug that spawns when you start the game collects all the gold around it and multiples it when destroyed. I believe this multiplier works with the gold planet
Fin
Now I have failed to finish a guide before but that does not mean I will fail to finish this one ..
If theres anything else I should add let me know in comments and please add as much info in this one area until a REAL guide gets made
4 Comments
davidbrims 16 Apr, 2023 @ 2:04am 
When unlocking extra pilots consider which weapon and which upgrades they add. Unlock those weapons and pilots as early as possible, because it increases your chances of getting those weapons as upgrade options at both the Shop and for level upgrades. Only use Time Cubes to buy from the shop, not to reroll. Generally, every upgrade is useful.

For weapons, so far I think the rockets are the best weapon in terms of damage (AOE). The boxing gloves are also a must-have for clearing your path - that said, you don't actually need Ram to get most of what you need out of the Gloves. Consider getting the gloves, but skipping Ram. Some pilots combo well together regardless of weapons. For example, Azurene, Luna and Raven all have Boost upgrades, those 3 plus boxing gloves make you able to constantly move in Boost almost disregarding enemy ships up to Level 200. On the other hand, Azurene and Luna have low late-game damage. Find what works for you.
davidbrims 16 Apr, 2023 @ 2:01am 
The most important thing for development in-game is to be grabbing Time Cubes, Space Cubes and Gold Vault every time they come off refresh. Start the game by doing a sweep through them (I leave boost permanently on while doing so) starting and finishing with the Time Cube planet and getting the extra starting Time Cubes and you can buy from the shop about 60 seconds into the game. In between, you can sit on the Gold Planet. Keep an eye on the wave tracker top right, and consider heading down to the plasma planet just before the boss appears. Or run for the nova planet if you get a fleet chasing you.

For Space Cube upgrades, you absolutely need to max the one that increases the chance of getting Space Cubes. That one is essential. After that the other ones at the top in that menu are also excellent, as well as the Shield upgrades, and any upgrade to pilots are also excellent. Beyond that, just buy cheap upgrades.
Skaldzerker 28 Mar, 2023 @ 3:49pm 
Ram and Raven make the Static Field virtually obsolete. With R&R as co-pilots, not only are you super tanky on both shield and hull, but their weapon properties remove most enemies in the game as threats. So, my fastest time to beating the final boss was roughly 19 minutes with Vermillion and R&R, plus Laser Strikes. 10s of millions of damage for Fireball, Rockets and Laser, and if I get the Gloves upgraded steadily enough, I almost never have my shield break.

The games need to be longer. The next difficulty level might just be when R&R get a balance pass :steamthumbsup:
Tarquinius Superbus 21 Mar, 2023 @ 3:54am 
enemies get super fast after the 3rd boss so static field and it's slow upgrades are a must to survive endgame.
pulse and slime also does a similar thing (pulse pushes instead of slow and slime can block projectiles) and can be stacked to become the ultimate afk fortress defender waifu