Deactivation and Factory Cost Questions

[benpark]

I'm getting a lot of factories being auto-deactivated in my first year of my USA game. I'm going through the manual to try to understand why. I've kept my spending to a minimum, only building a tobacco field and three smaller military units to fight Indians in the west.

The manual states that (highlighting is mine):

"Most productive structures (factories, farms, and mines) have an operating cost. If this is not paid by the country,the structure will deactivate itself during the turn resolution, as indicated by the lightning symbol on the structure
turning red."

So does the country pay this fee, or does private capital? If it is the country, I'm having a hard time understanding the logic behind it as it would seem that private capital should sustain factories.

So, two main questions:

-How does one keep these factories running?

-Is there a toggle to see all deactivated factories? If not BIG wishlist request for this.

[Aragos]

I'm getting a lot of factories being auto-deactivated in my first year of my USA game. I'm going through the manual to try to understand why. I've kept my spending to a minimum, only building a tobacco field and three smaller military units to fight Indians in the west.

The manual states that (highlighting is mine):

"Most productive structures (factories, farms, and mines) have an operating cost. If this is not paid by the country,the structure will deactivate itself during the turn resolution, as indicated by the lightning symbol on the structure
turning red."

So does the country pay this fee, or does private capital? If it is the country, I'm having a hard time understanding the logic behind it as it would seem that private capital should sustain factories.

So, two main questions:

-How does one keep these factories running?

-Is there a toggle to see all deactivated factories? If not BIG wishlist request for this.

Private Captial pays for factory running. To see deactivated factories, go to the F4 screen, move the mouse over the icon (IIRC, row #3 from top) of the factories. It will have a tool tip--if it is highlighted it is running, if not, it is deactivated. Double click the factory button to restart all facs of that type. Or, use the button (looks like a factory) on the top bar--it will deactivate or activate all factories at once.

My bet is you are running out of a key material/resource. As the USA, most like manufactured goods. To see what factories need to run, click on a factory/city on the main map screen, then move the cursor over the factory pic at the bottom--the tool tip will tell you what need to make it run.


Also, use the B key screen to call up the asset balance sheet. Move the mouse to the large number on the left--the tooltip will tell you what your economy is demading/short of/has an excess of.

[willgamer]

My bet is you are running out of a key material/resource. As the USA, most like manufactured goods. To see what factories need to run, click on a factory/city on the main map screen, then move the cursor over the factory pic at the bottom--the tool tip will tell you what need to make it run.


Also, use the B key screen to call up the asset balance sheet. Move the mouse to the large number on the left--the tooltip will tell you what your economy is demading/short of/has an excess of.

Those are 2 good approaches/tools to avoiding shortages that close factories.

Another one, that I prefer, is to examine all of the goods in the F4 screen to see if there are Structures Expenses on the second row Production Sites balance. Then compare that to the number in the Initial Stocks line above. If the Structural Expenses are greater than the Initial Stocks, then something will be shutdown on the NEXT turn.

I find this is much faster than trying to find out what happened post mortem on the turn a shortage occurs.

[benpark]

Thanks for the help. It's a great game, but certainly has a lot of depth to it to comprehend.

Is the best way to buy what's needed to go through the B screen, and click until the amount is out of the red? Can these items be canceled once I no longer need them? In the meantime, I am also trying to start my own mines and resource producing items.

Also- is the only resource for attaining government funds taxes?

[Pocus]

The first patch will indicate the good missing, when a factory closes.

[benpark]

Thanks, that's a great fix. I really appreciate it!

[Aragos]

I meant to add that some 'factories' (like military acadamies) require State Funds to function. If they do, they will not show up on the F4 ledger but you'll have to go hunt them down.