Topic

A Guide to Giant Philanthropy 101 (Shrines, Donations, Favor, Icons, Emblems)

Version 11.4.11

Hello there! Have you considered the amazing opportunities available to you in the world of Giant Philanthropy? Now, now, I know this is an adult game, but it doesn't mean that, you dirty, dirty bird. Philanthropy is just a REALLY big word that relates to the act of giving! Yes, those trash buckets with symbols on them you see around the world do have a purpose beyond garbage day! Sit down, have yourself some coffee and flummery, and let's explore the world of shrines! When we're finished, feel free to devote your entire existence to one, or all!, of the giants.

The world was created by eleven giants, if you didn't know. This is not a faith-based idea, it's true! To prove it, each of the giants have shrines located around the world, and when you interact with them, THEY TALK TO YOU. Do you need anymore proof? Good! Now let's cut the flowery exposition and get down to the facts.

Donations
When you donate to a shrine, you are awarded favor. You'll notice when you interact with a shrine, that there is an associated cap for the amount of favor you can stockpile with a giant. Every giant starts at 0/1000. In order to raise your favor, you must throw stuff in the bucket! Feel free to do this from any distance you desire. I played a game of horse with my chick cubimal, and let me tell you, I got creamed! 

The value of your donation is 10% of the item's value located on the info page of the item.
Let's take a look at an item that I find to be very popular in my philanthropic efforts, Meat. Now don't be scared by all this cuh-razy math I'm about to throw at you, because it's really not as bad as it seems. Sure it may scowl at you at first, but the math will warm up to you eventually if you feed and play with it at least twice a day. Meat has a value of 10 currants. For every piece of meat you donate to a shrine, you will receive 1 favor. Go ahead, toss some pork in the bucket. Not the whole pig, mind you, he's worth more than we're using in this example; just the one piece of meat. Congratulations, you've earned your first favor point! The fun does not stop there, however. Not all items are as easily divisble. You can approach this in two ways to help you figure it out. You can go the calculator method, or if you want to do quick math, then just assume that the currant value on the item's info page is the favor value for every 10 of that item you donate. Lost yet? Better to just whip out that calculator, if you ask me.

Emblems
Now unlike most philanthropy, there are direct, tangible benefits to you for making an investment in the bucket! And for the sake of this session, let's just ignore how absolutely ignorant that last statement was. You'll notice that there is a limit to the amount of favor you can stockpile. If you donate so much to the giants that the amount of your favor reaches that limit, the shrine will poop out an emblem! That's right, poop! I said it! HAHA! Congratulations, you have received an item that shows you are a good glitch! Now here's the kicker:

After you receive an emblem, the amount of favor you can store will increase by 100.

This will have benefits we will discuss later. However, now you have an emblem! What should you do with it? You have a few options. First, you can spend it. The first emblem spent will unlock a skill in the skill tree that will allow you to develop a skillset directly related to the giant further. For example, Zille is mainly associated with mining type stuff, so spending that emblem of Zille will unlock Mining 3, which will unlock Mining 4. So in the long run, it's pretty necessary to acquire at least one emblem for each giant! You can still spend the emblem after you learn the skill associated with it, but we'll discuss that later.
You will also hear the term CCC thrown around. CCC applies to qualities I look for in a man. You are allowed to Caress (sexy!), Consider (thoughtful!), and Contemplate (smart!) an emblem for each giant once per game day (every 4 hours). Just kidding on the last part, but not really. Caress will increase your mood, Consider will increase your energy, and Contemplate will give you xp! Freebies just for keeping a set of emblems around! Who knew throwing stuff in a bucket could be so rewarding!

Donation Limits: XP and Favor
There are two limits associated with donations. The first is the xp cap. This cap is 10% of your current xp to level. So once you hit that xp cap, that's it.

You receive 24% of the donation's value in experience points if your mood is at Mr. Winky. You will receive less experience points for your donation if you are not at optimal mood.

If your donation is going to go over the xp cap, you will receive a notification, so if you are donating just to hit the cap, keep lowering your donation until you don't get the message anymore. Bear in mind if you hit a new level during the day, your cap will raise as well, so you can contribute more during that game day to hit the new cap if you want.
The second limit is your favor limit. This one is easy to determine. It is based on whatever amount of favor you need to earn for your next emblem. If you are 0/1000, you can only do 1000 favor. If you are 0/2900, guess what, it's 2900. Now, if you happen to earn an emblem that day, the limit will increase as well, but I tend not to worry about that. For completist's sake though, those silly completists *cough*, if your limit was 1000, and you donate 1000 and receive an emblem, your new limit will be 1100. You can donate 100 more that day, resulting in 100/1100 before you cap for the day.
Reaching these caps are calculated seperately. Any bucket tossing you do will contribute to your overall xp donation cap, while you have a favor cap for each individual giant. Using a new player as an example, you can donate 1000 favor to all 11 giants in one game day if you wanted. It gets mighty tricky to do that when they start letting you stockpile more favor though! Perhaps there is some way to ease the burden of giant donations for giant philanthropists?

The Secret Sauce
There is! I will let you in on a secret: you can make your donation seem like a lot more than it really is. Imagine is everything, my dear! First you need to acquire either Fairly Hallowed Shrine Powder or Extremely Hallowed Shrine Powder. By using these on a shrine, the giants become so engrossed with the effects of the powder, their perception of your next donation gets altered. It's like drugging up your creators, it's great! Fairly will reward you with double favor for your donation, while Extremely will reward you triple. Go with Extremely is my best bet. I personally love sneaking up on a shrine, throwing that powder right in it's face and slam dunking my donation right down that bucket. I then perform my patented bear-in-a-barrel victory lap around the shrine while reveling my newly earned favor. Try it out!


Spending Favor

Now, perhaps you've noticed there is another option listed on the shrine's page, and that is spending your favor. It's true! You don't have to hit the cap if you don't want to, for any favor you have stockpiled can be spent to speed up the skill you are currently learning!

You can speed up your skill learning by a maximum of 50% of the original learning time of the skill by learning "double time."
This is a complicated statement/concept that is worded carefully to ensure maximum confusion!  Think of it this way, every time you spend favor to speed up learning, you are learning at double speed. Let's use a 10 hour skill for example. If I spent enough favor as soon as I started learning the skill, then I could cut down the skill's learning time to 5 hours, because I am learning at double speed for 5 hours. Now, if I were to cut down the skill by 2.5 hours, a few things happen. One, the timer on the skill window will show that I only have 7.5 hours left to learn. Two, I will have 2.5 hours of double time learning remaining before I must speed it up again to maintain maximum spending benefit (I've used 2.5 hours, I have 2.5 hours of speed learning left to earn).  Any time spent learning a skill outside of "speed learning" is time you have lost the opportunity to learn double time. If I were to spend no more favor after the 2.5 hours expired, I will return to normal learning speed for 5 more hours. Now, say I wait two more hours, and have 3 hours left. I could spend favor again, and it will allow me to learn double speed for 1.5 hours, which is all that remains. The two hours I spent outside of double time, I can't get back, and the one hour that I could have saved during that time is long gone. So anytime you are learning double time, if you have not reached a complete 50% savings of learning your skill, then you have until the end of your double time in order to extend your speed learning.

You know what, let me help you visualize it. A picture is worth 1,000 words. At this rate, I could open an art gallery with all the pictures this guide could have been summarized in! 

For a visual representation of how spending favor looks, click here.

Make sense? This is the benefit to raising your giants favor cap. The more points you can stockpile and spend in one sitting, the quicker you can shave off learning time, ensuring maximum benefits without multiple trips and donations! On top of that, emblems! More on that in a moment, I promise.

But after all this complicated math-ery, how will I know what my favor points are worth?

For every favor point spent in your skill's primary giant, you will reduce learning time by 10 seconds.
For every favor point spent in your skill's secondary giant, you will reduce learning time by 7 seconds.
For every favor point spent in any other giant, you will reduce learning time by 5 seconds.

You can locate the giants associated with the current skill you are learning on the skills page, or check it when you start a new skill in game. As you can see, it's best to make donations and spend favor in the primary giant vs. the other giants unless you have SO MUCH STUFF that it doesn't matter, but we all can't be like you, now can we? /snort

Lastly, those emblems again. I mentioned earlier that they can be spent beyond the first one for another purpose. Spent emblems can also be used to speed up learning as well! Think of each emblem as worth 1000 favor points. If you have not already reached your speed cap on learning, you can spend the emblem to nudge you closer to the cap. The same rules apply as when you spent favor points. The amount of time the emblem will shave off will tell you before you spend it, so don't be afraid to check it out!

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Scribbled on a post-it note on the original presentation you find:
Icons
Hai Guys!!!! I know it's been a while since I updated this, and maybe I'm just a little too addicted to the game to edit the original work, but there's just a little bit more I have to tell you about, Icons! See, you're probably at this point in your Glitch life now where you are overflowing with emblems because of this guide, it's ok, you can admit it! You needed this guide like you needed my Aunt Mabel's Super Chunky Cherry Pie for dessert yesterday! This guide is making your thighs fat with emblems, I can tell (but I'll never say it to your face)! Well, wouldn't it be nice if there is a way to reduce all those excess emblems into a stronger, more powerful you? Well hey, that's where Icons come in. It's liposuction for your emblems!

When you acquire 11 emblems from the same giant, a new verb becomes available, "Iconize."

Do you remember all those kids shows where all those robots would form together to create a more powerful robot? Well, same thing! You are putting together 11 emblems to create a more powerful emblem, except this Icon lets you see a picture of your giant presented in one of the more expensive display cases available at your local Pier 1 Imports, without a coupon! You can carry the icons around and use them like Emblems, but Icons gain the unique ability to be placed in your home and used from the ground without having to pick it up. Utility and Beauty all in one package? Thank you Pier 1!

There's also another advantage to keeping the icons on the ground in your home: Giant Love. Now that you've placed your Icons in the exact spot where your Feng Shui Calculator © determined would be the best place, everytime you run past it, your icon may grant you bonus energy, mood, XP, or favor. It even gives you a fun animation to know you got lucky. Bet you're snotty little emblem never did that for you! 

Icons also grants more powerful verbs that you can use once per day, just like emblems. These verbs can be used on top of your Emblems, so double perk bonus miles, woo! Instead of CCC, our powerful megazord of worship has RRR. Reflect is the XP option, Revere is the Energy gain, and Ruminate is the mood booster. These verbs are more powerful than their emblem kin, and the rewards scale based on your level.

BUT WAIT! 

DANGER WILL ROBINSON! 

Icons don't give out their perks willy-nilly. No ma'am, these Icons want something in return! YOUR SOUL. No, not really, but....

Tithe'n for a Livin' (SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY)
While emblems are a kid sister who trusts you and will do anything for you, Icons are your more skeptical teenage brother who demands some sort of sacrifice in order to maintain the perks of your relationship. At some point, using the verbs will deplete the Icon of it's hidden mojo, and you will need to tithe. Think of each icon having a fuel bar like a Blockmaker or Fuelmaker, the more you use it, the more you'll need to replenish it. When the fuel bar runs out, your Icon will rat you out to Mom. But seriously, they'll demand a tithe! The amount of your tithe depends on your current level. As the rewards of having an Icon scale with level, so too does your tithe. Tithe'ing refills this unseen fuel bar, and allows you to take advantage of all this annoying sibling has to offer. Please note that punching your icon in the face will not forgo the need for a tithe.

Phew, that was a lot to cover. I'm sorry I had to write this on a post-it note, but it just didn't seem to fit anywhere in the presentation! And ignore that smudge of cherry pie. Writing makes me hungry!
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I believe that's about everything related to the world of giant philanthropy. If there's anything I missed, as I'm sure I have, please feel free to let me know so I can modify my presentation. In the meantime, if you happen to find any sexy, thoughful, smart men who are available every four hours, could you please send them my way? After all, I am a philanthropist! Happy glitch-ing!

Version 11.4.11 to include visual representation of Speed Learning.
Version 11.3.11 to include Icons and more accurate understanding of "Speed Learning." (Thanks Sthenno)
Edit: Check out agent86's latest tool, FavorSaver! to help you determine the size of your donations!

Posted 14 months ago by Zu Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

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  • Rebelwerewolf: What actually happens when you donate is not a reduction in the amount of learning needed to finish a skill, but a doubling of speed at which you learn.  If you keep this in mind, it's a little easier to get your head around what is happening.

    If you want to learn a skill at maximum speed, you don't have to spend all the favour points at once.  What you have to do is spend more favour points before your fast learning runs out.

    So, if you were learning a skill that takes 3 days and you started by "reducing the time to learn" by 12 hours, what that would really mean is that you are learning at double speed for 12 hours.  If you go back 1 day later then you'll only have 1.5 days left to learn the skill, but the most you can possibly speed it up with favour points would be 0.75 days (18 hours).  If, however, you go back to donate more favour points within 12 hours of your original donation, you can keep the double speed learning going.

    Any time you are not learning at double speed is time you can't get back.  Any time you are learning at double speed you aren't putting anything to waste yet.
    Posted 14 months ago by Humbabella Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thank you for this extraordinarily useful post! Cleared up so many questions for me.
    Posted 14 months ago by Kinkajou Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I've never experienced an xp cap to donations. . . and I donate every music box and all the grain I collect.
    Posted 14 months ago by Liz Erd Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You're not donating enough, then.  
    Posted 14 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks, that is helpful and entertaining to read :) For the sake of completion, will you include Icons please?
    Posted 14 months ago by Fiana Stormborn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I stuck a post-it note on there with information about Icons (it's a big note!)

    Also, I revised the Speed Learning section to hopefully more accurately describe what goes on based on what you see. Thank you Sthenno's comment for helping solidify it into words.
    Posted 14 months ago by Zu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Excellent guide. Read it. Knowing is half the battle.
    Posted 14 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Lord Bacon-o: thank you G.I.L.B.O.! :)
    Posted 14 months ago by Zu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I was tracking daily XP from donations for a while...here's what I have...

    level 30 -- 4687 daily XP from donations
    level 31 -- 4763 daily XP from donations
    level 32 -- 5073 daily XP from donations
    level 33 -- 5395 daily XP from donations
    level 34 -- ???
    level 35 -- 6075
    level 36 -- 6432
    level 37 -- 6802
    level 38 -- 7184
    level 39 -- ???
    level 40 -- 9461
    level 41 -- 9959
    level 42 -- 10472
    level 43 -- 11000
    Posted 14 months ago by Otto Otto Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Version 11.4.11 

    I've created a VERY BAD Paint drawing with a VERY GOOD visual representation of what happens when you participate in Speed Learning.
    Posted 13 months ago by Zu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think the answer to a question a just posted in another thread is implicitly answered in Zu's explanation, but I'd like to be sure.

    Is the time you save per favor point constant?

    Is it just as good to spend the favor points when the favor is, say, 25% of the total as when it is at 99%  of the total?  (As far as the time saved per favor point.  I know it is more economical when using EHSP to donate as much as possible at a time, in order to reduce the expense of using the powder.)

    This is, of course, for the case of donating to the same god.
    Posted 13 months ago by MasterOfMyDestiny Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The donation time increase per favor point is fixed.  

    The 'primary' giant gives the most, and the 'secondary' less so, and all other giants even less.  The exact point-to-time ratio is probably documented in Zu's post, but I think it's 10 seconds per favor point for the primary giant.

    It does not matter at what point in the skill learning process you donate favor points, they count the same.  However, there is a limit, and that limit is half the time you have left to learn.  

    I know that if you're donating points stored in a shrine, the game will only let you spend as many points from that shrine that would hit the time cap.  Points over that won't be used up.  

    When it comes to using emblems, I'm not sure that the game will warn you that the use of an emblem would exceed the maximum speedup time, as I've never tried it.
    Posted 13 months ago by agent86 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The game won't warn you that you're about to hit your limit, but if you receive anything less than the full 100 favor points worth (about 2hr46min, 1hr57min for primary/secondary), then you know that emblem is going to put you over the cap.
    Posted 13 months ago by Zu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Bumping for new players. Also, would love some feedback on the speed learning worksheet. Is it easy to comprehend? 
    Posted 13 months ago by Zu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This. Is. AWESOME! Thanks for the guide.
    Posted 12 months ago by Mikah Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The best way to donate is using EHSP and a big donation.  But how much is enough?

    First figure out how much favor you need to gain and multiply it by 10.  This is the total value you need to donate.  Then divide by 3 if you're using EHSP or 2 if you're using FHSP.  Then divide by the value of the item (from the info) and round up to get the number of items you need to donate.

    For example, I need to gain 1511 favor for a quest by donating copper ingots and EHSP.
    1511 * 10 / 3 / 70 = 72 ingots
    Posted 12 months ago by Halfabee Subscriber! | Permalink
  • (a good read for all)
    Posted 12 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
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