Welcome to Development Log 4!

The game places strong emphasis on the concept of “production chains,” as they realistically reflect how a nation’s economic and wartime industrial foundations shape the eventual course of a war.

In a city’s inventory panel, you can view the stockpiles of all products, their current trends, and the ways in which they are produced.

Generally speaking, products further downstream in the production chain require more complex combinations of materials. Artillery production, for example, consumes tungsten, tools, and steel, while the production of those materials in turn depends on iron ore extraction.

As you can see, expanding the consumer goods factory has created shortages in both tools and textiles. A larger consumer goods industry consumes more of these products. However, when you attempt to resolve the shortage by expanding tool production, the city’s iron ore stockpile begins to decline. This is why prioritising basic industries is encouraged.

Because stockpiles act as a buffer, a production deficit may not cause factories to stop operating immediately. However, you must resolve the shortage before the reserves are exhausted. Alternatively, you can transport the required products from other cities, or ship the final products directly to wherever they are needed.

Transportation and logistics will be explained in greater detail in a future development log.