I think time reference is pretty good too, so you can estimate how many frame housings are needed for bees to reach the maximum productivity. From what I tested, you need 9 frame housings to reach the maximum productivity of valuable bee (which is the slowest bee with 2.5 hours/ platinum comb), ruby bee needs 5 (50 min/specialty), industrial/imperial need 4 (5 min/specialty) etc.
I prefer the percentages for this reason:
Untreated/Impregnated/Proven Frame are rated as 200% production rate. Which means it doubles production rate (*2).
Since it is multiplicative when multiple frames are added, that means with three frames it is doubled, doubled again and doubled again.
So, Valuable Bee has 1% chance of producing a platinum comb. And alveary naturally is slightly better then an apiary with 3 frames... so just in an alveary, that means (1*2*2*2) about 6% chance.
Keeping mathing up to find the extra frames needed to achieve it:
*2 = 12% (1 frame in alveary)
*2 = 24% (2)
*2 = 48% (3)
*2 = 96% (4)
So, 5 are needed... but, that assumes only Normal speed for production rate.
On Fastest (170%) that would actually come out to 1.7% chance at a platinum comb... *2*2*2 = 13.6% in alveary.
*2*2*2 = 108.8%... so it then only takes 3 frames in an alveary to max out the platinum comb to occur every life tick of the bee.
Valuable is naturally slowest speed, modifying to 30%. That means a natural Valuable be only has 0.3% chance of a platinum comb, giving it 2.4% in alveary. It needs 6 frames to get over 100%
Does the 9 frames take into account the alveary bonus? I'd like to actually know the exact % the alveary gives, like the frames information.
I'd like to know how your calculations work... since I couldn't figure out how to use them as time values. Think of me as Jhonny 5... input.
So long as the wiki is accurate, this will work.
I won't say that I tested it... but I will soon be testing when I get my Refined Bee producing for combustion engines. I should only need the alveary to max out oil comb production... and one frame to max out the petroleum... that doesn't sound right, guess I'll find out when I get it done. I'm currently trying to get enough drones to get a serum to make a custom princess/drone pairing. My lack of power is what is holding me back... got a Fossiled Bee to get more wind mills while I'm at it.
I will say, thanks to the wiki that my mutation rate is now at 100%... when I pay attention. A combo of soul frames and uranium is giving me perfect results... when I keep an eye on the queen and put her in right before she pops. Soul frames get used a lot slower if only put in for the last couple ticks of life... since they lose durability every life tick... I wasted a few because they wore out before the queen did.
For example: Longest life is 70, Soul Frame durability is 80.
Shortest life is 10, meaning you can mutate 8 bees before wearing out the frames... or, move the queen over to the frames on her last tick or two and get 40-60 uses from the frames.
I hear rumors that putting the frames in with a queen in progress can cause issues, but after putting the frames in, just pick the queen up and put her back to solve. I pick her up while I load in the frames are uranium, just to be safe. (I wait until then to load the uranium, just in case I forget and she pops without the frames... then I don't waste uranium.)
Yes, I know I could use machines and fully automate it... but aside from the power issues (and my lack of power), there is also the using up supplies and I would rather be building then resource gathering... besides, why build an automated system for something that I don't do a lot of... now drone multiplication and comb production, those I automate.
------- On another note:
MilConDoin... face melty (LFG)
Okay, you have bees, combs, mutations and products on the left menu bar there.
I suggest adding links to these:
Frames (you already have the page, just link to it)
Machines (a list of machines from all three packs, much like the frames list)
If there are any other lists you have hidden (not directly accessible from a particular bee entry), might want to consider linking to that as well... if it is useful.
I mean... the list of temperatures is accessible from any bee entry, so not needed on the left.
A list of descriptions would not be helpful, so not worth linking on the left, but could be worth linking on a 'misc lists' page... o.0
A list of bee branches (families) [frozen,secondary,agricultural,etc] could be useful... might be worth linking on the side.
Of course, if the mutations list was sorted by branches (bees of a branch in sequence) then a list of branches wouldn't be needed since it would be incorporated into the mutations list. Either method works for me.