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How the numbers work

This page shows the exact sums behind two numbers: the meta points a run pays, and the Stardust an ascension pays. Every number here comes from the game's own settings, and the examples are worked out with the same sums.

  • "Round down" means drop anything after the decimal point, so 2,961.75 becomes 2,961.
  • "The tree" means what the levels you own would cost in meta at today's prices.

Meta points from a run

A run pays meta when it ends. SAVE & QUIT and leaving the game pay what the run has earned so far, and finishing it later pays the rest, so a run split over several sittings pays exactly what it would in one go.

Step by step

  1. Score. Every point the run earned, from tiles, bonuses, jackpots and gates. Points you spend in the shop still count. The start points Trust Fund, War Chest and Foothold give you do not.
  2. Floor. Take off 0.7 points for every meta point your tree is worth. That counts every level you own, ascension nodes and levels kept with Stardust included. If nothing is left, the run pays 0.
  3. Curve. Divide what is left by 500, take the square root and multiply by 3.
  4. Tail. If the curve comes to more than 500, it becomes 500 + 234 x ln(curve / 500), where ln is the natural log. Past 500 a bigger score still pays more, but much more slowly. The curve reaches 500 at about 13,900,000 points above the floor.
  5. Alchemist. Multiply by 1 + 0.25 for each level of the Alchemist node, so up to x2 at level 4.
  6. Ascension. Multiply by 1 + 0.5 for each ascension, counting at most 5, so x3.5 from 5 ascensions on.
  7. Round down. This is the only rounding in the sum.
  8. Double Meta. The pass doubles the result, after the round down.
left  = score - 0.7 x tree
curve = 3 x sqrt(left / 500)
if curve > 500:  curve = 500 + 234 x ln(curve / 500)
meta  = round down( curve x (1 + 0.25 x Alchemist) x (1 + 0.5 x min(ascensions, 5)) )
with Double Meta:  meta x 2

These are added after the sum, so Alchemist, ascensions and Double Meta never raise them:

  • Your daily challenge reward, 50 to 100 meta by streak.
  • Tithe and Magpie forge faces pay meta the moment they land, up to 120 a run between them.

Worked example

A 10,000,000 point run after 5 ascensions, with every node open to you bought (a tree worth 77,818 meta), Alchemist at level 4 and Double Meta:

Step Value
Score 10,000,000
Floor 0.7 x 77,818 = 54,472.6
Left after the floor 9,945,527.4
Curve 3 x square root of (9,945,527.4 / 500) = 423.11, under 500
Alchemist level 4 x 2 = 846.21
5 ascensions x 3.5 = 2,961.75
Round down 2,961
Double Meta x 2 = 5,922

And one past the tail: 100,000,000 points on an empty tree gives a curve of 1,341.64. That is over 500, so it becomes 500 + 234 x ln(1,341.64 / 500) = 730.97, which rounds down to 730 meta.

Examples

What a run pays, before the daily reward and Tithe and Magpie. "Whole tree" means every node open to you bought, with Alchemist at level 4.

Score Empty tree Whole base tree Whole tree, 5 ascensions Same with Double Meta
100,000 42 83 200 400
1,000,000 134 267 913 1,826
10,000,000 424 848 2,961 5,922
100,000,000 730 1,461 5,116 10,232
1,000,000,000 1,000 2,000 7,002 14,004

The floor and multiplier with the whole tree bought. The first points of a run, up to the floor, pay nothing:

Ascensions done Meta in the tree Floor (points) Ascension multiplier
0 4,268 2,987.6 x 1
1 30,618 21,432.6 x 1.5
2 43,968 30,777.6 x 2
3 54,768 38,337.6 x 2.5
4 66,718 46,702.6 x 3
5 77,818 54,472.6 x 3.5
10 94,918 66,442.6 x 3.5
25 114,518 80,162.6 x 3.5
50 154,518 108,162.6 x 3.5

Stardust from ascending

You can ascend when you own every level of every node open to you (levels you kept count), no run is live or saved, and, once you have ascended 5 times, the fee is banked. The ASCEND window shows this same sum as a receipt before you confirm.

Step by step

  1. Fee. None for your first 5 ascensions. Your 6th costs 13,000 meta, and each one after that 200 more, up to 22,000. It comes out of your banked meta first and pays no Stardust.
  2. Meta traded in. What your tree is worth, leaving out levels you kept with Stardust, plus the banked meta left after the fee.
  3. Meta part. Divide by 80 and round down.
  4. Share. Astrolabe 10% a level, Nebula 25% a level and Singularity 50% a level, added up to a whole percent (at most 105%). Multiply the meta part by it and round down. The share only grows the meta part.
  5. Flat. 200 for each Star Charter level and 500 for each Zodiac level.
  6. Catch up. 900 for each ascension you made before Stardust existed. It is paid once, on your next ascension, and most players never see it.
  7. Total. 250 + meta part + share + flat + catch up.

Every node level is read from the tree you trade in, before it is wiped.

fee       = 0 if ascensions done < 5, else min(22000, 13000 + 200 x (ascensions done - 5))
meta      = tree (not kept) + max(0, banked - fee)
meta part = round down(meta / 80)
share     = round down(meta part x (10% x Astrolabe + 25% x Nebula + 50% x Singularity))
flat      = 200 x Star Charter + 500 x Zodiac
Stardust  = 250 + meta part + share + flat + catch up

After it pays, your tree goes back to only the levels you kept and your banked meta goes to 0. Your Stardust, perk fills, start grants, sockets and kept levels all stay.

Worked example

Your 6th ascension, with every node open to you bought and 10,000 meta banked above the fee:

Step Value
Banked meta 23,000
Fee 13,000, which leaves 10,000
Meta in the tree 77,818
Meta traded in 77,818 + 10,000 = 87,818
Meta part 87,818 / 80 = 1,097.72, rounded down to 1,097
Share 10% x Astrolabe 3 = 30%, so 1,097 x 30% rounded down is 329
Flat 200 x Star Charter 3 = 600
Total 250 + 1,097 + 329 + 600 = 2,276

Examples

What an ascension pays with every node open to you bought and no catch up. "Only the fee" means you bank just the fee, which is nothing before your 6th ascension. Levels can be kept from 5 ascensions on.

Ascensions done Meta fee Meta in the tree Share Flat Only the fee 10,000 more banked Whole base tree kept
0 - 4,268 0% 0 303 428 -
1 - 30,618 30% 600 1,346 1,509 -
2 - 43,968 30% 600 1,563 1,726 -
3 - 54,768 30% 600 1,739 1,901 -
4 - 66,718 30% 600 1,932 2,095 -
5 13,000 77,818 30% 600 2,113 2,276 2,044
10 14,000 94,918 30% 1,600 3,391 3,554 3,322
25 17,000 114,518 55% 1,600 4,068 4,261 3,985
50 22,000 154,518 105% 1,600 5,808 6,064 5,699

Keeping a level

Keeping a level for good costs 500 Stardust + 10 x the level's meta price, rounded up. A kept level leaves the meta traded in, so it pays no Stardust when you ascend, but it still counts toward the floor a run must pass.

Numbers on this page match Rogue Roller version 3.0.0.