"if freedom is < 5, freedom += 2, else: freedom +=0.5"
The formula is correct (but it's 0.2 and not 0.5).
Which leads to...
the idea being you cant just free the whole city with just a coffee shop lol
...not being true.
You'd need 473 days, but you'd get Freedom to 100 with only the Coffee Shop.
The problem is the unstated/hidden passive -2 Freedom/day.
Which means that the Coffee Shop Freedom is pointless (waste of Serum and Suspicion).
Starting from Freedom 0 and turning just the Coffee Shop on will keep the Freedom on 0 forever.
So only Raids & Sabotage will actually increase Freedom (+3).
But after passing 5 Freedom, the Coffee Shop contribution is so paltry (0.2) that it may as well be zero.
The only use of the Coffee Shop Freedom is to get you to 6 Freedom (in combination with Raids) in 2 days, instead of 6.
And given that you'll need around 80 days to get to Freedom 100, do those 4 days difference really matter?
My point is, why introduce such a complicated mechanic as the Coffee Shop Freedom, when it is useless?
(because if a mechanic is useless, then it's only padding (and a waste of both developers and players time and effort))
A couple of scenarios:
- with one agent Raiding and no Coffee Shop Freedom, you'd achieve Freedom 100 in 100 days
- with one agent Raiding and the current Coffee Shop Freedom (0.2 if >5), you'd achieve Freedom 100 in 81 days
- with one agent Raiding and the Coffee Shop Freedom being 0.5 if >5, you'd achieve Freedom 100 in 65 days
In my view, to introduce/code and balance a complex mechanic/formula as the Coffee Shop Freedom, it should provide a meaningful addition (/decrease of grind) to the game. So at least halve the 100 days needed for it. But to achieve that the Coffee Shop Freedom should be +1 if >5.