How to control pack stations?

[iMatrix7]

So, since my region is out of food, I need berries from another region I own.
After a lot of work, I established everything to set up a trade route between the two region, but after some time, the second region now ran out of food.

How to limit / control these trades?

[MedMax]

I think there is no way you can do it yet. Right now you need to micromanage it

[bugritall]

Trading posts allow you to control minimum and target stock levels at both ends of the route. all without much micromanagement.

[iMatrix7]

Originally posted by bugritall:

Trading posts allow you to control minimum and target stock levels at both ends of the route. all without much micromanagement.

I'm talking about pack stations, not trading posts.

[Jabberwocky]

Originally posted by iMatrix7:

Originally posted by bugritall:

Trading posts allow you to control minimum and target stock levels at both ends of the route. all without much micromanagement.

I'm talking about pack stations, not trading posts.

It's not possible to set limits for pack stations yet. They will keep bartering until one of the bartered resources runs dry.

[[Heretic]Rivga]

Pack stations are a huge pain in the arse, take your eyes of them for a month or two and this will happen.
For a few months mine do next to nothing then a month later they have transported 4 years supply of something. So it seems hard to even predict when you need to look at them.

Add this to the fact these guys just drop the good at the nearest place they can dump them and it is a it is one of the most frustrating aspects of the game.

[bugritall]

Originally posted by iMatrix7:

Originally posted by bugritall:

Trading posts allow you to control minimum and target stock levels at both ends of the route. all without much micromanagement.

I'm talking about pack stations, not trading posts.

Yes, I was well aware of that and I offered you an alternative means of trading that has the features you found lacking with pack stations.

People seem to be very prickly these days, taking offence where none was intended.

[iMatrix7]

Originally posted by HereticRivga:

Pack stations are a huge pain in the arse, take your eyes of them for a month or two and this will happen.
For a few months mine do next to nothing then a month later they have transported 4 years supply of something. So it seems hard to even predict when you need to look at them.

Add this to the fact these guys just drop the good at the nearest place they can dump them and it is a it is one of the most frustrating aspects of the game.

Ugh.. I see. Let's hope this and other things will be fixed/improved soon...
In my current game I really need another food source from another region.. as I'm really struggling.. and the fact that I've to constantly manage this thing (activating, deactivating, etc..) is a bit frustrating....

I also read they will overhaul a few things in the next update, so there is hope and I want to be optimistic. :)

Originally posted by bugritall:

Originally posted by iMatrix7:

I'm talking about pack stations, not trading posts.

Yes, I was well aware of that and I offered you an alternative means of trading that has the features you found lacking with pack stations.

People seem to be very prickly these days, taking offence where none was intended.

No one got offended here, I have no idea what you're talking about

Your solution isn't a valid alternative or solution to my problem, as it is a complete different thing. That's it.

[bugritall]

Originally posted by iMatrix7:

Your solution isn't a valid alternative or solution to my problem, as it is a complete different thing. That's it.

My suggestion was a perfectly valid solution to your problem. Trading posts allow you to set a minimum stock level and exports cease when that level is reached. Therefore, you could have prevented your second region exporting too many of its berries. Isn't that what you wanted?

[iMatrix7]

Originally posted by bugritall:

Originally posted by iMatrix7:

Your solution isn't a valid alternative or solution to my problem, as it is a complete different thing. That's it.

My suggestion was a perfectly valid solution to your problem. Trading posts allow you to set a minimum stock level and exports cease when that level is reached. Therefore, you could have prevented your second region exporting all of its berries. Isn't that what you wanted?

If with this you meant to just import the food I needed for my region, yes. I tried this. I spent a few thousands of coins (maybe not enough?) trying to import several types of food, but that didn't help much (if not for maybe 2-3 months? i didn't pay enough attention but not so much), vanishing all the coins I had left.

Instead, importing berries from another region, gave me almost instantly almost a year worth of food. It's free, and it's a constant flow of food that can be regenerated, without to spend lots of coins.

I know that can be an alternative.. but it's toooooo expensive for me. I don't know in a later stage of the game. So right now.. I would really need that pack station to work. :(

[hawkeye]

As stated in reply post #1 you have to micro-manage. I wouldn't use the trading post suggestion as there usually is a lengthy delay before anything happens in which time you will lose approval. Plus you can't really see or control what is going on regarding deliveries and it can cost a lot.

One trick I use, if you have deer, is to alter the stock level to nearly max level in summer and then lower to 20% or so it in winter. Your hunters will kill off the deer in winter and in summer the numbers will quickly grow back. But again you have to remember to change the stock levels. It might work with fish too.

[bugritall]

Originally posted by iMatrix7:

Originally posted by bugritall:

My suggestion was a perfectly valid solution to your problem. Trading posts allow you to set a minimum stock level and exports cease when that level is reached. Therefore, you could have prevented your second region exporting all of its berries. Isn't that what you wanted?

If with this you meant to just import the food I needed for my region, yes. I tried this. I spent a few thousands of coins (maybe not enough?) trying to import several types of food, but that didn't help much (if not for maybe 2-3 months? i didn't pay enough attention but not so much), vanishing all the coins I had left.

Instead, importing berries from another region, gave me almost instantly almost a year worth of food. It's free, and it's a constant flow of food that can be regenerated, without to spend lots of coins.

I know that can be an alternative.. but it's toooooo expensive for me. I don't know in a later stage of the game. So right now.. I would really need that pack station to work. :(

You need two lots of goods to exchange via pack stations, right? The same two lots of goods can be traded between regions, without buying trade routes, most efficiently when both regions have funds, maybe less efficiently when only one of them is wealthy. Most importantly, note that there is no 10 schilling import levy on either side of the transaction when trading between regions that you own. Your traders might execute single-sided deals requiring significant funds or, often, they will sell one good and buy another so that money transfer is minimal. Either way, you should disable foreign trade when importing so that you avoid the exorbitant trading levy. "Tariffs" isn't the beautiful word that the Donald thinks it is.

All of that aside, I think I'm beginning to grasp the nature of your underlying problem: I suspect that you have been building your population numbers and burgage levels too quickly. Manor Lords is a game that requires careful planning. For example, it takes at least a year to get vegetable plots producing at full capacity, three years for orchards, and those foodstuffs will be two of your staples while you concentrate your efforts on acquiring a region with high fertility so that you can make ale and start upgrading your burgages in, say, game year six or seven. Try taking things slowly and enjoy the lovely scenery.

There are other ways to succeed in Manor Lords but I'll leave those for you to enjoy discovering for yourself.

[philbert.de.zwart]

I haven't really experimented with this, but in Trading posts you can disallow foreign trade, forcing the your products to sell only on the internal market.
In theory if you put food for export in Nusslohe and on import in Waldbrand, then Waldbrand's regional wealth should flow to Nusslohe and your food the other way.

[bugritall]

Originally posted by philbert.de.zwart:

I haven't really experimented with this, but in Trading posts you can disallow foreign trade, forcing the your products to sell only on the internal market.
In theory if you put food for export in Nusslohe and on import in Waldbrand, then Waldbrand's regional wealth should flow to Nusslohe and your food the other way.

Yep! I have experimented with this and your theory is entirely correct. You can even have a wealthy region import goods that it doesn't really need, just to help out an impoverished neighbour.

[Blue Jeans on Fire!!!]

Turning off traveling merchants in the Trading Post forces you to trade within your own regions. As @bugritall mentioned, this makes Pack Stations mostly unnecessary and gives you more control over trade. Pack Stations are hard to manage, especially with multiple regions, and can quickly drain resources. However, they are useful for fast, cheap transfers of food, fuel, or materials. Once you have what you need, pause them and only use them when your village has less than 12 months of food or fuel, or when rushing a Church, Manor, or Burgage to Level 3.

[M'Sharet]

OK, so I'm sure I have a classic growth problem. But I'm not sure if I'm doing things right. My starter region has the manufacturing, but poor farmland. I take over the next door region which has rich farmland. I set up the farms, now I want to send grain, flax and barley to my original settlement in exchange for bread (produced there).
I tried setting up Pack Stations, but I'm confused. Do I need 3 pack stations in the farm land and three stations in the manufacturing region? One each for grain, flax and barley? Or just 3 in the farm region?
Or do I skip all that nonsense and set up non-foreign trade routes between the two regions?