For the highest value I’ll use the following variety of p4 in this demonstration.
To make continuous production of p4 per hour:
It takes 3 types of p3 to make one type of p4.
P2 -> p3 chain:
If it takes 2 types of p2 to make a p3, then it takes 6 factories making p3. But since it takes 2 hours to make enough units, 12 factories are needed to make enough p3 per hour.
12 x p3 factories.
To fuel those factories you need the p2.
P1->p2 chain:
It takes 2 p1 types to make a p2 type. And again it takes 2 hours to make enough units. To fuel 12 (p2->p3 factories) needs 48 (p1->p2) factories.
P0->p1 chain:
It takes 1 p0 to make 1 p1 and it takes 2 hours to make enough p1 to make a unit of p2.
96 p0->p1 factories.
If we assume we can fuel 8 p0->p1 factories per planet. Then
12 planets for p0 inputs. (P0->p1 @8 factories fully fueled)
4 planets with 12 p1->p2 factories.
1 planet with 12 p2->p3s factories and 1 continuously fueled p3->p4 factory.
K so the smallest number of planets likely per p4 is 18.
But, a properly made p3->p4 factory planet can continuously produce 14 p4 per hour.
Yes…you read that correctly.
One p3-p4 factory planet can produce 252 planets worth of production/farming.
A single account with IC level IV for all 3 characters can have 15 such planets.
A single account can leverage 3,780 to 4,536 (IC level V) planets of production.
That’s a TREMENDOUS amount of market power to p4 factory planets.
Were someone to know how to run 14 p3->p4 factories on a single planet.