Steel stockpiles

[Bulldog69]

(yet another) stupid question:

I am still playing as Great Britain in the 1880 / Scramble for Africa scenario, and am trying to build Battleships.

However, I can never seem to stockpile enough steel (300 units) to do this - I am only in 1883, if that is important.

My steel stocks seem to hang about 250-280 no matter if I sit on my hands and don't build anything.... and, if I so build other warships, the steel stocks immediately return to this level, but never break the magic 300 mark. I imagine that there must therefore be a 'stockpile' setting which I am missing?

Any ideas?

In a related issue, I would build another steel mill, but cannot ever seem to get the 6000+ of private capital needed - as in the above case, it seems to float about at 4000, but will not go higher than that, even if I just sit back and don't spend anything.

[Tuoweit]

Can you not buy any from other countries?

[Jim-NC]

As to the steel, you need to determine what is consuming the steel. In the F4 screen, it tells you (if you hover over a row - not sure which one right now) how much steel you are producing, and how much you are consuming. The issue appears to be that your consumption is very close to your production. If that is the case, you need to look at the factories consuming steel. To do this you open the F11 screen (again, I think, as I don't have the game open in front of me right now). There are a bunch of filters at the top. In the top right is a red x and green check mark next to words. This allows you to look at structures producing or consuming the goods. In the middle is a picture of all the goods available. There is also a button that allows you to quickly grey out all the buttons. If you want to look only at steel, you can gray all the buttons, and click only on steel (you will need to know which icon is steel). This will give you a list of structures that are consuming steel, and the amount they are consuming. You will need to close some of them down.

As to the money, you can look at the F4 screen to know how much you have and are gaining. The biggest issue is probably the "wastage and corruption", also known as business entrepenuers. They take a variable amount based on how much money you have. The easiest way to make money is to sell more (at higher prices if possible). You will need to increase the amount your population consumes of goods (use technologies to do this). The more you sell to your population, the more money you can make. Don't forget to shut down industries if you can get it cheaper on the market (for example, if nitratres are $2, and your mines are losing money, then buy nitrates from others, and close your mines).

[loki100]

to elaborate on Jim's comments.

What I did a few times with this sort of problem was to use F11, look at the factories that use your particular good as an input. Ask yourself, can you buy that good on the market - if so close it down and import. Then look at the stocks for that good, can you run them down for 2-3 months? Then again, close.

You have to be very ruthless in this respect, especially as late game coal and steel are not easy to buy, so you need to manage it on your own. Once you have your shiny new battleships in production (and do this at a naval shipyard, preferably one you have added a few levels to - they will then appear more quickly), then you can rebalance your economy.

Mostly late game, the economy can run itself, but sometimes you need to take a very close interest in the dynamics

[Bulldog69]

Many thanks to all for the replies.

A couple of more (equally stupid) questions:

If my production is very close to my consumption, then I don't see why my stocks of steel would remain about 250 even after I have built other ships? That was why I wondered if it was a stockpile limit issue?

And how does one buy on the open market? Is there a way to (eg) order your people to buy 400 units of steel?

Similarly, is there a way to tell your people to keep a certain product stockpile at a certain level?

Sorry for all this - I am really enjoying the game, but there is so much to it that I am still struggling to get my head around!

[Bulldog69]

Ah - OK - Asset Balance. I should have read the manual more thoroughly.

I notice that this uses private capital to buy the steel though - if I am using it to build battleships, should I not be able to use government money?

[loki100]

Many thanks to all for the replies.

A couple of more (equally stupid) questions:

If my production is very close to my consumption, then I don't see why my stocks of steel would remain about 250 even after I have built other ships? That was why I wondered if it was a stockpile limit issue?

And how does one buy on the open market? Is there a way to (eg) order your people to buy 400 units of steel?

Similarly, is there a way to tell your people to keep a certain product stockpile at a certain level?

Sorry for all this - I am really enjoying the game, but there is so much to it that I am still struggling to get my head around!

for buying, there are two ways to increase your individual chance of being able to obtain the goods. More trading ships in the relevant MBT (so if say its USA you are buying then lots of ships in Cheasepeake) and pay extra (note this is really +50% not +25% but late game that makes little difference) - you will need to do this using the 'T' screen, click on the relevant trade capital and increase both volume and price.

Also keep checking the B-screen, sometimes new sellers appear (for a short while) and be ready to pounce on their stocks.

You can't as such control the stocks (ie order a certain level), stocks are the end point of all your production, imports, exports and domestic usage.

Remember also, everything you see on F4 is what is planned - you've ordered 500 units of steel to be imported etc - hover the mouse over the relevant item and have a look at what has happened in the previous 12 turms - that will give you a better idea as to the likely flows (you may also see it fluctuates a lot). Thats why, for this sort of thing, you tend to come back to the two items you control -domestic production and domestic usage. So if increasing your stock is the most important action, then you need to work on those two (think of it is a form of national investment towards future production - except, of course, you really want to build a battleship)

[Jim-NC]

Is it 250 exactly, or around 250? It makes a difference. As Loki100 says, you can track your levels over the last 12 months by hovering over the F4 screen appropriate symbol (for steel in this case, or maybe money).

Everything is bought/sold using private capital. State funds are only used for government decrees (using F1-F8), certain actions (colonial-development) and buying military units.