Dirty Business Order Planner

Timed contracts make Dirty Business feel like Schedule I at rush hour: every minute spent walking an empty corridor is a minute you are not processing. The order planner maps steps, dependencies, and buffers so you accept bundles you can actually finish �?especially important after Early Access began July 22, 2026 and Plan Dirty started the ~one-year EA balance treadmill.

Pair this tool with the profit calculator so fast plans are also profitable plans.

What order planning solves

Failed orders usually come from bad sequencing, not slow clicking:

• Starting step C before intermediate B exists
• Accepting two orders that conflict on one machine
• Underestimating stash round-trips
• Ignoring warmup time on cold machines

The planner forces explicit ordering: what runs parallel, what runs serial, where idle gaps appear.

Building a plan �?recommended method

1. List all outputs the contract demands with quantities
2. Backwards chain ingredients to raw inputs
3. Assign machines to each transform with durations from in-game UI
4. Add human time �?walk, loot, deposit �?often 20�?0% on early bases
5. Insert buffer before deadline for heat delays or one mistake

Cross-check profit only after the plan fits time-wise �?speed without margin is charity work.

Batching overlapping orders

Advanced EA play stacks orders sharing intermediates. In the planner:

• Highlight shared nodes (same semi-finished product)
• Run shared steps once at combined batch size
• Split final packaging steps per contract

If shared steps collide on one machine, stagger or skip an order �?use walkthrough routing tips to minimize backtracking.

Demo skills vs EA complexity

Demo teaches single-order pressure. EA adds concurrent contracts, upgrades, and larger bases. Planner value scales with EA �?demo players should still learn the UI here before night-one EA juggling. Read demo vs EA before assuming demo timings.

When not to trust the plan blindly

Random events, patrol timing, machine jams, or patch changes can blow buffers. Replan when:

• Updates note timing or movement changes
• You relocate stations �?walking times shift
• You buy faster machines �?rebatch everything

Integration with walkthroughs

Suggested reading order:

1. Demo levels for single-order rhythm
2. Early Access start for sustainable loops
3. This planner when accepting second concurrent contract
4. Profit calculator before buying capacity for planned routes

Schedule I players �?mindset shift

Schedule I veterans often optimize map travel between deals. Dirty Business adds station critical paths inside your base. Planner focus is interior logistics first, exterior second �?genre cousins, different bottlenecks.

Tool limitations

Fan wiki utility; not official. May not model every EA edge case on day one. Co-op or async features �?if added mid-roadmap per roadmap �?might need planner updates.

After you plan �?execute cleanly

Print or screenshot the plan for first run. Adjust estimates versus actuals in a notes file �?your personal dataset beats generic guides after a week of play.

Critical path vocabulary

Critical path �?longest dependent chain; shortening it is the only way to finish faster without buying new machines. Slack �?time a non-critical step can slip without missing deadline. Conflict �?two orders needing the same machine at the same timestamp. Mark conflicts in red when drafting; resolve by staggering, skipping, or upgrading �?upgrades go through profit calculator first.

Launch week scenario (July 2026)

Two contracts arrive: one simple single-output job, one twin-output job sharing an intermediate. New EA players often take both because payout text looks larger on the second. Planner math frequently shows the shared intermediate forces serial machine use �?finishing both late loses more reputation (or cash) than skipping the smaller job. That discipline separates demo veterans from players who treat EA like an endless side-mission board.

Long EA horizon reminder

Plan Dirty’s stated ~one-year Early Access means order deadlines and batching meta may tighten or loosen multiple times. Revisit this planner after any roadmap milestone adding automation, NPC helpers, or fast-travel �?each reduces human-time overhead and changes optimal batching. Walkthrough routes on walkthrough hub update when those systems ship.

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Also see: Profit calculator · Tools hub · Review · Updates