Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-26394913-20150515030942/@comment-1577342-20150518175657

Ultimately, it comes down to VOLUME. Play often, if only to collect the accumulated coins and treats and start another round of treats baking. The game mechanics are such that each commodity (coins, treats, diamonds, shards) stops being produced when the bubble over its creator pops up. They start producing again once you collect the commodity. For treats, you also have to pop more yummies in the oven. Playing frequently keeps the river flowing by minimizing down time.

The single best advice I can give, if you plan to go at the max production strategy, is to breed a regular 4-element monster on each island. Then, wait until there is a chance of breeding a rare variant of that monster and throw all your resources into breeding that rare. The reason for this is that you can breed a rare with its common relations. You will always net at least a common monster of that type. You can then create a whole mess of 4-element monsters to fund your expansion and progress.

I got really lucky and pulled an entbrat and a rare entbrat after only three days of playing. I had all the islands by day 8, so I've been pretty fortunate. On the other hand, I have only managed to breed one grumpire on the cold island after more than two months of round-the-clock attempts. It's just the random factor kicking in. The percentages can add up in your favor, or despite your every effort. At this point, I am somewhere in the "fantastically, amazingly unlikely" realm in only breeding one grumpire. Just do what you can with what you have, and keep at it. There are other monsters, islands, goals, and strategies to pursue while you are waiting for luck to kick in.

I also find myself continually flipping between maximum saving for a decoration or structure that will aid production, and maximum baking to level up more minions so they create more coins/shards. Just keep a long term goal going, and focus on the short term goals while the longer term plan takes shape. This game is both about immediate reward and patience, and it doesn't have a whole lot of middle ground between the two. If you think of it as an art project, rather than a competitive endeavor, you can really get into planning your islands, finding a unique combination of voices for the music, and it takes the edge off of the pace.

Hang in there! Things will snowball soon and you will be on your way! I can't wait to see what you come up with!