Wiki / Updated 2026-08-20
Crafting and Production Chains
How raw resources become stored goods and military supplies.
Production is a chain of extraction, processing, storage and delivery. Place each producer near its input or a suitable warehouse, then verify the output has both demand and free storage.
Route
Do this in order
- 1
Identify the final item and list every upstream input.
- 2
Place extraction near the resource and processing near storage or the consumer.
- 3
Assign enough labor without emptying farms and transport jobs.
- 4
Watch one complete delivery cycle before adding a second production line.
Build a chain from the output backwards
Start with the objective item and work upstream. This prevents building extractors or workshops that consume labor without supplying the current task.
- Final consumer: identify the exact item and required quantity.
- Processor: confirm its recipe, worker and output destination.
- Input store: reserve reachable space for every ingredient.
- Extractor: confirm the resource and road are inside the working route.
Balance throughput without exact ratios
Early Access balance can change, so diagnose with inventory behavior rather than copying a permanent building ratio. A growing input pile means processing or delivery is slower; an empty input slot means extraction or hauling is slower.
- Observe several cycles before duplicating a building.
- Change one link at a time so the new bottleneck is visible.
- Keep food and hauling labor protected while tuning industry.
- Stop expanding when finished goods have no current destination.
If it does not work
If inputs exist globally but a machine is empty, the problem is usually range, carrier capacity, road access or storage permissions.
Completion signal
Inputs arrive without manual intervention and finished goods accumulate in the intended store.
Next moves