The first thing you start off with: one Network Node with download and upload speeds. The game's tutorial sets you up to start downloading then uploading text, how to collect the money, and lets you go. "Figure everything out on your own."


It starts with Text -> Images -> Sound -> Video -> Program -> Game. If you find yourself wondering "should I move onto the next file type?" Try it and see if you can produce them in a reasonable time. If you try to immediately move onto the next file type, you'll end up slowing down your production, by a lot.
Keep playing and you'll unlock the CPU. Start off nice and simple: sell the processing data.

As you unlock cores, hook up one Processing Seller per core. Once you get the Synchronizer, you can use it to hook up everything to the one Processing Seller:
Up next is the GPU. You can only start off mining for crypto where you sell the coins manually, but eventually you'll get both: an automatic seller, where you set the price when it automatically sells, and a standard source of income where the GPU is converted into money directly.
I experimented with various options, but in the end, I personally just preferred Mining Tether. You do what makes you happy.

An important part of the game. Initially you'll start off with just inputting whatever you're making into the research node to get research points.
Starting off, I recommend having the input be something you're producing consistently rather than something that you're very slowly producing.

Don't be fooled into thinking "this is side content I can ignore." No, it is not. And no, you cannot. I highly recommend figuring something out, but here's a go-to basic setup:
This specific breaching yields EXP and NOTHING else. It helps you level up so when you breach the government, corporations and the random bank, you can get a lot more rewards by increasing the threat.
Early on, using infection builds is strong, but when you get really late into the game, you just go payload all the way. This is my experience. Feel free to experiment.

I didn't mention a lot of details, like the Virus Scanner and stuff? Well, yes. It gets a lot more complicated, but this is the "BASICS" for a reason. Once you've established a method of progress, feel free to take your time, mess around with experiments and all that jazz.

This is where I might get criticized for not being optimal. Please don't. Gentle reminder that this guide isn't here to help you get the best-of-the-best builds. Simply put: I had trouble getting answers to questions I had while playing the game, so I'm here to try and help people in the future. This stuff is what I used and I eventually got all the achievements, so feel free to use it as you please.

I know that getting all the achievements is nothing special but I don't really know what to do with idle games after I get them all.

Also, if you have some super awesome builds that are overpowered and stuff, feel free to make your own guide and include instructions.

Like with any and all idle games, this game has a "start over but stronger" button. This is my progress.

Eventually, you'll unlock a second Network node, allowing you to double your files. I have one connected to a Download Manager but it only makes games, as it is the most expensive file type. The other is also connected to a download manager, but it isn't in this screenshot. We'll see it later.

The CPU is connected to a simple Process Seller here but you'll find nodes that use CPU Processing power across all my screenshots.
The GPU is in a similar position, where there's just one node to Mine Tether, but there is more to see.
Also, you can see my Overclocker and Heat Sinks, but more on them later.

Like the Network, you'll unlock a second Research Node.
The input into the Pre-Analyzer are Games that have been redownloaded and put into the Encompressor. This file type will get Pre-Analyzed, then Refined and finally fed into the Research nodes.

There's the second Download Manager. Everything it produces gets Encompressed and then put through a Distillator and finally fed into AI Trainers. Six types of files for 6 Encompressors into 6 Distillators into 6 AI Trainers, which is finally fed into the AI Core. The AI Core is connected to Boosts for Research, Coding and Hacking. Speaking of which,

Full disclosure: I don't recommend doing all three at the same time. I'm just done with the game and taking screenshots for the guide.
I tried experimenting with boosting the crit chance and crit damage, but the most consistent results I've found was this. I don't know if this is the best. If someone has done experiments with what's really good at this late stage of the game has answers, feel free to comment them and maybe make your own guide.
Your guide doesn't need to be fancy with screenshots or whatever. You can just type up some info and leave it at that.

Using the Games that have been Redownloaded and Encompressed, I inject Trojan from the Hacker and upload them. This creates the "Infected Computer" which I plug into the "Drain" and I use that to Boost my Networks, CPU and GPU.

Goal: keep the heat below 100%.
I know it's hard to see, but this is what happens when I disconnect one of my Networks from the Heat Sink and it hits 100%+ heat:
You can use as many Overclock Nodes as you want, especially early on when you can't get all 5 Heat Sinks, but at this point, I just use one and I connect my Networks, CPU and GPU. The Overclock Node can only move by predesignated ticks. Before you get a single Heat Sink, you can Overclock one tick and you'll be around 70% heat.
You get a total of five Heat Sinks but for only four node. The plan is simple: one dedicated Heat Sink per Node and one Heat Sink that connects to all four nodes. Once the Heat Sinks are fully upgraded, you'll be able to Overclock to the maximum and have no heat whatsoever.

And finally, the reason I made this guide in the first place:
I stared at all the stuff, fiddling with it, failing a lot... until I finally figured it out. I have no idea if there's a better way to do any of this, but I can confirm that this works quite well (at least, it did for me).
"Commit" allows you to take your finishing product and turn it into exp to level up the Code Interface.
"Build" is what actually outputs stuff you want; namely the Optimization Points and Application Points.
Once you've gotten all the application upgrades you want, I highly value the Encompressor but not much else, you can disconnect the "Build" part and leave the "Commit" connected.
I left it plugged in during writing this guide and I have 11 left over application points that do nothing.

Early on, before you use the portal at all, it'll take forever to do all the requests. The requests are the humongous part of the game's achievement list.
Once you progress far enough, you can casually just get them all done almost instantly. What's 1,000 or 10,000 of any file when you're producing billions per second?

This is what is produced normally.
This means that the file has been Scanned by the Antivirus. This will produce two results, one with a Virus symbol and one without. Upload a Virus for an achievement and then use the Quarantine Node to turn it into a Shield Symbol. You can also skip the Virus and Quarantine Node by using the Antivirus Pro Node.
This means the file has gone through the Re-downloader or the Checksum Verifier which produces two types of files: one with the Puzzle symbol and:
Using a Checksum Verifier gets you both number 3 and 4 so I recommend that. For an achievement, take one of these files (the triangle symbols) and put it through the Re-downloader.
This is the Compression symbol. You can use the Compressor or you can use the Encompressor to get this and:
This is the Enhanced symbol. You can use the Enhancer.
This is an AI Generated file. You'll need to have an AI Trainer, input the relevant file type, and connect that to a Generator.

I hope my guide helped you. Again, please don't come after me for not having super optimized stuff.


Also, I tried messing around via adding more steps to the files I was making and it did improve my output, by a lot. I can confirm that there's more to this game than what my guide has to offer.

Have fun!