The Beginning of It All[]
So you just started playing Cell to Singularity and you're thinking, "I'm already loving this game, but I'm not sure how to play." Well, I've got you covered, pal. It's pretty simple.
Concept[]
Cell to Singularity is an idle game. The player taps on the screen to earn points, and then uses those points to purchase upgrades. Most of the strategy in the game involves deciding what is the best way to save and spend points, and the goal of the game is to move through the tree of life to learn more about evolution. The first type of points, or currency, is called Entropy. As you progress through the game, new forms of currency will unlock.
Primary Simulation[]
Collecting Entropy[]
A common question early on in the game is, "How do I collect Entropy faster and more efficiently?" If you have a touch-screen device that supports multi-touch, you can use multiple fingers to tap, allowing you to earn Entropy a lot faster than with just one finger. You can also use an autoclicker if you want (and we actually recommend this method for players with motor issues, or repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel).
Let's say you've been buying a lot of Amino Acids, and it starts taking longer and longer to be able to afford them. If a Generator is more expensive than a single-purchase Upgrade, then you should buy those upgrades instead! Single-purchase upgrades improve the earning power of the generators, increasing the amount of points you get from tapping, and make it easier to get more points, more quickly.
Once you have purchased several Generators, set the purchase multiplier to "maximum" and wait for a while. You'll see that the total amount you can earn per second for each purchase depends upon how many of each you can buy. Depending upon the upgrades, an older Generator may earn you more than a newer one, until you get enough upgrades for the newer Generators. The "maximum" multiplier makes it easier to tell which Generators are more cost-effective.
Notations[]
Notations are a way to display amount of currencies. Players may choose whether to use "normal", "scientific", or "custom" notation in their game (you can choose this option from the Settings Menu).
For more information, see Notation.
Dawn of Civilization[]
So you've finally evolved life to include apes and humans - and with these new creatures comes new, more advanced brains! At this point, you have to tap on the big brain icon, which is found in the evolution tree near where you first upgraded the brain. This will begin production of a new currency called Ideas. After you've earned enough points and upgraded the Generators that produce Ideas, you will be able to automate both Entropy and Idea production.
Tap this for Idea points
Simulation Crash[]
When you've been playing the game for a while, eventually you'll reach an upgrade called the Singularity. Once you purchase this Generator, all of a sudden your simulation crashes and you have to restart from the beginning again! What happened?!
Don't fear, it's nothing dangerous, and nothing has gone horribly wrong with your game. This is the start of a new journey, where you'll start building up a prestige currency known as Metabits. Metabits are used to upgrade your Reality Engine, the computer system running the simulation. They also boost your Production Multiplier, which helps you produce Entropy and Ideas at a much quicker rate, which in turn helps your Metabits build up even more quickly.
You're probably wondering, "Does the Singularity reset my simulation again when I reach it a second time?" The answer to that is NO. While rebooting the simulation allows you to spend your earned Metabits to purchase upgrades for the simulation, all reboots after the first one are voluntary. To do this, you just have to click the bar that is under your currency counter and bam, you've reached the Reality Engine. There's a huge reboot button and a stats page that you can access if you click the little graph icon in the top left.
Reality Engine[]
Concept[]
Reality Engine is the system running the simulation, where you can purchase upgrades that boost mainly Primary Simulation with Metabits.
Increasing Metabit Production[]
If your Metabit production is too slow. You can boost it by buying all the glitches up until the Feliform, then purchase the Capybara or the Giant Squid in the Augmentations Console.
For more information, see Reality Engine.
Mesozoic Valley[]
Where’s the dinosaur simulation?[]
You can find the Mesozoic Valley, the game's dinosaur expansion, by going to your evolution tree and looking at the screen just to the right of the Tetrapod Generator. You'll see a Mysterious Rock that needs to be tapped repeatedly to be opened; after you've unlocked it you can access the new simulation any time via that part of the evolution tree or, much more quickly, by clicking the green dinosaur skull button in the top right of the screen. You need to unlock Flatworms to access the Mysterious Rock.
Why aren't my dinosaurs making money by themselves?[]
The dinosaurs don't automate until you collect trait cards for that specific dinosaur. You can learn more about that on the Mesozoic Valley Page.
How do I upgrade my fossils-per-tap?[]
Fossils-per-tap can be upgraded by certain rare trait card. More info on trait cards can be found in the Trait Cards section.
Does rebooting your main simulation reset the Mesozoic Valley?[]
Rebooting your main simulation has no effect on the Mesozoic Valley, and vice versa; they are completely separate and individual simulations. However, resetting a Mesozoic Valley simulation will unlock the next rank of the Mesozoic Valley, and each rank in Mesozoic Valley makes the main simulation 1% (non-compounding) faster.
Why do the reptiles/birds on the main simulation tree look dark and glitchy?[]
Well... that's because you haven't reached the right rank yet in the Mesozoic Valley to unlock them. Make sure that you've also purchased the Egg Shell and Cold-Blooded upgrades to the right of the Tetrapod Generator on the Main Tree.
What’s the maximum rank in Mesozoic Valley?[]
Level 50 is the highest rank, after which you have to prestige.
What is prestige? How can I do it and what's the maximum prestige level?[]
Prestige is a reset to Mesozoic Valley, you will be brought back to rank 1 and restart all over again. However you will get a 'Warm Climate' trait which boosts the production of all dinosaurs. You can prestige by clicking "Prestige" at the top of the window when you reach rank 50.
The current highest prestige level is 10.