FIND THE NEEDLETHE INDEPENDENT FIELD GUIDE
TOOL 03 · A CLEARER NEXT PURCHASE

Will the upgrade pay for itself?

Compare the investment with the additional income it actually produces. Enter in-game cash, not real-world currency.

YOUR BEFORE / AFTER TEST

Use the same time unit.

Include the whole investment needed for this change.
Measure before the upgrade with comparable conditions.
Account for running costs consistently in both rates.

Example values demonstrate the formula; they are not actual game prices or a tested production route. Inputs are not stored.

YOUR RESULT

A price is only half the picture.

Enter the observed income change to estimate how long the investment takes to recover.

Simple math, explicit assumptions.

Additional income = new net income − previous net income
Payback minutes = upgrade cost ÷ additional income per minute

A route with no positive income improvement has no finite payback in this model. A zero-cost change has no investment to recover. A percentage change from zero baseline income is undefined and is shown as not applicable.

The estimate assumes the additional income continues at the observed rate. It ignores resale value, future upgrades and any costs you did not include. It is a comparison tool, not a recommendation to buy a particular machine.

How to run a clean benchmark
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