Chapter 4 tools tip

[Frost]

For the main campaign, chapter 4, they want you to create so much steel and deliver tools to Austin I think. This may have already been pointed out, but I didn't see it.

Make sure you BUY the business that creates steel, so that you get credit for making steel "from your business." You don't get credit for using steel, but for making steel - and you need to own the business for that to happen.

You'll need wood on top of the steel to make tools - easy to overlook needing wood.

The city that tool factory is in also consumes 1 tool per month. The tool factory makes less than that, so every time it makes a tool, that city immediately consumes it and you'll never see tools accumulate in that city waiting to be delivered. So you need to BUY the tool factory so you can upgrade it to MORE than 1 a month. Upgrade it at least to level 3. Now it's making more than that city consumes so you'll have extra accumulate in the city to transport it to the required city.

Make sure at least one freight train PRIORITIZES tools between where it's produced and where it's needed, otherwise you run the risk that it never "gets around" to deciding to pick tools if it's behind on transporting freight in general.

That should be it. It's not obvious that the city that creates tools ALSO consumes them, and you might have wondered why "no tools are being created even though it's acting like it is".

Happy Gaming!

[Mudfog]

Thanks for sharing this helpful information.

[Dray Prescot]

If you keep the City of Houston smaller than 85,000 population, it will not consume tools, i.e. the tools being produced that you need to deliver 12 units of Tools to Austin.

You WILL need to grow the City of Austin to at least 85,000 population so that they demand Tools, other wise there will be no demand for Tools and therefore no demand for Steel.

Later in Chapter 4 there will be Required Tasks to deliver 12 loads of Steel to Beaumont and 12 loads of Steel to New Orleans.

You can build or buy a Steel Industry in various Cities. IIRC there will/may be a city (probably Austin) on the map that already has a Steel Industry, when that Required Task to produce 13 loads of Steel gets added to your Task List. ( I could be wrong about the existing Steel Industry, since it has been a long time since I played Chapter 4 (Sept of last Year, in that game I expanded the Steel Industry in Austin to level 3 producing 5.6 per week) ). IIRC Houston will have an existing Tool Industry without you needing to build it.

Since you are going to need a total of 24 loads of Steel delivered to Beaumont and New Orleans in addition to the 12 Steel that you have to deliver Houston, it is a good idea to Expand your Steel Industry or build a 2nd Steel Industry in another City, to increase your production rate of Steel from 1 per week to 2 per week (or even more). You do not want to take 36 weeks to produce those 36 (12 + 24) Loads of Steel to complete those Tasks.

The Steel Industry that you own does not have to in Austin, but in my game that is where I had it located. BUT if you own it then you can increase it's size and production rate. A level 3 Steel Industry will produce 5.6 Steel per week.

The 24 Steel that you HAVE to deliver to Beaumont and New Orleans does NOT have to be produced in your own Industries, but it is easier if you do own the Industry producing it.

[Majickthyse]

I've just hit the stage you are talking about. Luckily the steel mill is cheap to buy.

So I have to

1/ Produce the steel.
2/ Make and deliver the tools.
3/ Buy 20% of stock in the General's company.
4/ Make a link to Memphis and transport passengers.

All in 18 months, this seems like a pretty tall order.... I'm tempted to abandon the campaign for a while and do some free format play instead!

As far as I can see there is no objective yet to provide material for the bridge. I'm guessing this follows after.

[Mudfog]

"As far as I can see there is no objective yet to provide material for the bridge. I'm guessing this follows after."

No need to guess.

Spoiler alert>
This guide by "Riku" lists all the tasks for the Campaign Chapters and the Scenarios.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2981238758

[Dray Prescot]

Spoiler Alert

The whole point of the scenario is connecting New Orleans (and stuff to the East off the Map in the USA) to the South West USA. The 12 Steel and 24 Wood Planks to each of Beaumont and New Orleans (by June 1880) are to provide the materials needed to build the rail line across the swampland West of New Orleans, instead of having to build a wide circle to avoid the swampland.

It is the very last Required Task in Chapter 4: build a rail connection (part of a Transcontinental Connection) between Beaumont and New Orleans that is shorter than 430 km by Dec 1881.

You can not do this until after Beaumont and New Orleans both get their 12 Steel and 24 Wood Planks. You do not get the final set of Required Tasks (A Transcontinental Connection Set of Tasks) until after you deliver the Steel and Wood Planks (plus other Tasks) (Negotiating the Swamp Set of Tasks) to Beaumont and New Orleans.

Just like in several other Campaigns and Scenarios you have to provide Steel and Wood (or Planks) to build other rail connections to link Cities and regions together.

By the way, you have to deliver Wood Planks and not just Wood/Timber.

In my Chapter 4 Game I finished this Chapter in April 1877, and I did not even reach the score needed for CEO.