It calculates item combinations of a given size that maximize the number of covered tracks.
No. Unlike in the Ticket Optimizer, courses are considered in a vacuum and not part of a specific tour. If a course
appears multiple times in the loop, sometimes with a boost and sometimes without, it's not clear how the optimizer should
look at it. For the few courses that are always boosted, I'll probably do something in the future.
In general, the runtime increases with the size of the combination. As of the 3rd Anniversary Tour, each combination of size 7 takes
around 10 seconds to calculate. Adding more enforced items reduces the calculation time.
The free server I'm using allows only one calculation at each moment. This means that if 2 people start a calculation at roughly the same time,
the second one will have to wait for the first one to finish. If the tool is being slow for you, it might be because other people are using it, so try again
later. This will be a problem mostly if many people use the app immediately after the announcement of a new update.
Additionally, calculations are limited by the server to 5 min. If your calculation is too long, you'll get a timeout.
Usually within a few hours of the new tour's start.
The optimization engine in both is exactly the same, as I collaborated with Sam78it to integrate my code in the
MKT Toolbox.
The possible settings and tweaks, however, are different. For example:
If you already use the Toolbox (as you should!), it knows your inventory, no need to upload it.
In addition to the optimization mode in the Coverage Optimizer (maximize coverage for a given combination size),
the Toolbox has 3 optimization modes. In particular, it lets you
minimize the combination size needed for a target coverage.
The Toolbox has an optional setting to prioritize plus-skills.
The Toolbox has no limitation on the combination size.
The Toolbox lets you filter out cities, the Coverage Optimizer lets you filter out nitro tracks (See question above).
The Toolbox remembers the settings you used before, in particular the enforced and excluded items.
The Coverage Optimizer returns all combinations with optimal coverage, instead of just one.
The Coverage Optimizer lets you filter tracks by recency.
The preferred point of contact is my Discord server, which is also used
for the Ticket Optimizer and the MKT Toolbox. That's also where I announce updates.
Alternatively, you can DM me on Discord (aturtledude) or Reddit (u/aturtledude).