Depot

[TROXTER]

What are the 3 color blue, red, green. I know black is the capacity of the depot.

And where in the manual they talk about those color.

Thank you.

[jabgamer]

Green is what was received, blue is what is stored there at the moment, and red is what was used.

[loki1006]

Originally posted by TROXTER:

What are the 3 color blue, red, green. I know black is the capacity of the depot.

And where in the manual they talk about those color.

Thank you.

look at the one page guides (#7), its both in the manual in chapter 4 but maybe easier to read as a stand alone document - you'll find the complete set in the /manuals sub-folder of your game set up

[flyersfan18]

Another depot tip is press the number 8 to see which depot is supply each combat unit.

[flyersfan18]

well I am far from the expert, but I do know that a depot will never ship to another depot at the same priority, so you want to chain them from factory to front (0 - 4) to get the freight flowing, and a depot can only transfer 30 hexes to another depot.

however I am sure the play testers have looked at this issue closely already and the current system is balanced.

Recommend starategygaming dojo on youtube, he did a number of tutorials just on the logistics.

[flyersfan18]

true I end up watch on 1.5x speed - but if you brand new to the series I would still recommend

[loki1006]

Originally posted by TROXTER:

I was wondering if instead of having only 1 to 5 as the deposit level. If it wouldn't be better to have 1 to 10. It would be much easier to manage the deposits. Only 5 level of deposit restricts the progress no?

the best way (I think) to manage the depot priorities is to batch them geographically. There is also a key difference between layout for the axis player in 1941 (as you advance rapidly) and both players for the rest of the game.

1) use geography. I've come to a model where I use pri 4 for depots within about 8 hexes of the current front (this tends to give you 2 tiers)
2) as an aside, once admin pts become relatively freely available I put a depot on every captured railyard hex
3) I then use pri #2 or #3 back about another 10 hexes, #3 if its supplying an airbase, #2 otherwise
4) - what I'm doing here is basically holding as much freight as i can near the front and have an intermediate secondary store, these depots mostly receive and allocate freight on a hand to mouth basis
5) about 15 hexes I have a few big depots that I shift between pri 4 and pri 1/2. As the axis player I typically use say Minsk, Kiev maybe Pskov - key is some distance from the front and a big railyard
6) this act like dams, they slowly fill up with freight that can't reach the front and they store it (too far from the front to do much direct unit supply)
7) when I want/need more freight at the front I drop these to pri 2 and the freight flows forward - this can give me a build up for a big offensive or supply freshly created depots as I renew an advance (say the Axis in 1942, or the Soviets once they are back on the offensive)
8) behind this I have most on 0 or 1. The 1 are there to put freight in an exporting port or where I have say OKH located (it needs freight as it probably holds a lot of support units that are refitting)

This describes the pattern say for the Axis from March 42 or the Soviets all game.

For the Axis in 1941 you can use a pared down version. So accepting you mostly have single repaired rails running east at the eastern end I have a couple of pri #4s (sometimes these are 3 if I have abandoned active operations on that spur), then I layer back #3 and then #2. If I can I will use the Minsk/Kiev trick above so there maybe a variable #4/#2 some distance back. Then 0 and 1 reaching back to the 1941 borders.

You'll note I don't (now) make that much use of super depots, i find the #4/#2 trick compensates well but I do as the Soviets in the late war. You have spare rail repair units (usually) and its a quick way to pump prime a sector

[jabgamer]

They move elsewhere.

[jabgamer]

I don't remember, but I think it tries to get rid of them quickly. You might want to test it out sometime when you are playing. On the turn after you disband a depot, create it again, and it should list out whatever's left there. Then you can reload your save and continue. Try that for several turns in a row and you should get an idea of how fast they will get rid of their freight. I think it is often on the next logistics phase after disbanding, that all of the freight will be relocated, but I could be wrong.

[HB]

Originally posted by TROXTER:

To tell the truth.

I hesitate to use artificial intelligence to manage my depot. But what I would like to know is when the first time you use it. In the first round in the second in the third. When you use the computer to manage your depot.

In addition I would like to know if there is a nice nice player who could take a picture and post it to roughly judge how to properly manage our deposits.

Thank you so much.

If you mean when do you think i need a depot at x on the map, and when will it be up and ready to use, then consider your expected rate of advance and the time for the depot to become operational and stocked, you may out run it!. More generally this is still solid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7XUZQk58Ps

[HB]

This is the bit you ( well me because i dont see in game a way to do this) mostly you cant control estimate of influence as it all gets done behind the screens in the logistics phase, Freight goes by the hex capacity, which iir is maxed 30,000 t( so double track 30k or single track 12k, etc, effects of any damage interdiction, weather special rules for Axis etc) and its theoretical 200 strategic movement points ( SMP) it gets to move these SMP from level 2 rail heads ( these provide 10k of rolling stock for freight movement, these rolling stock pushes pulls freight along the logistics chain, once rail hex capacity is reached, it cost iirc double in SMP and rolling stock to go on) within 30 hexes, it could in theory go a very large number of hexes if hex capacity is never reached and rolling stock is available from a chain of level 2 rail heads, until its 200 SMP are consumed, or the worst case, hex capacity gets maxed out and it consumes more SMPs and goes far less in the number of hexes as diminishing returns from hex being maxed out or lack of rolling stock kicks in. At the start its 1 SMP a hex, using 1 t of rolling stock from within 30 hexes, and goes up in SMP cost per hex, as hex capacity gets used up. You can make a depot a priority location for freight movement , by having a RR repair sit on it for a turn and if you have a HQ you increase the t that can come in so the two generally go together.

Its something you get a feel for rather than can plan or interact with, as replacements also get done at the same time and eat into the freight hex capacity. Dont forget units can pull from up to 5 depots within a max of 30 hexes but the best is to be within 3 so as to use horses.

[tommy.w]

Ok crazy question - why have level 2 & 3 depots at all if a player is on the offensive?

Could you just have level 4 depots near the front line and let all your resources flow directly from factory to where they are needed?

Surely more depots just adds more 'friction' between where the products originate to where they are needed?

[HB]

Originally posted by tommy.w:

Ok crazy question - why have level 2 & 3 depots at all if a player is on the offensive?

Could you just have level 4 depots near the front line and let all your resources flow directly from factory to where they are needed?

Surely more depots just adds more 'friction' between where the products originate to where they are needed?

Level 4 request means send me freight so i end up with over 100%, graded down to the lowest request iirc make sure i have 30%. So yes, you generally want the most freight at the fronts that are active, and lower behind, but you also want them to hold freight to a high % so you can call on it from there rather than further back, this way you can pulse freight forward from depot to depot thats holding more freight stocks, rather than straight line from a NSS to all front line all at 4 calling equally each turn to be over 100% and ignore those intermediate depots not calling for it. Both methods can be made to work well enough.

As Axis the further you are from a NSS the less freight you can straight line to the front line level 4s in a single turn. As SU in early game you pushed closer to NSS so its less of a problem till your the one moving away from NSS.

[HB]

Originally posted by TROXTER:

Can we erase the depot to the west and southwest of the NSS main depot.

Are they of any importance?

Because we just need resources on the east.

So forget the south and the west.

Yes a hex with a depot, and a named location i think, means you can disband/add a depot, i dont recall if i ever have tried to funnel freight like that, i only ever build more!.

[HB]

I get your point, i have never considered it before, ( feels kinda gamey for SP, i would just drop it to 0 demand )have you looked at production, manpower etc, in a hex to see what removing a depot does from say Dresden, does it impact the movement of production or resources ?, its not just about moving freight east that depots do, they stop/reduce isolation, how will supplies go to Theatre boxes if you rationalise to the extreme?.
When you disband all the freight in the depot gets on trucks and trains and goes off looking for a home, or is lost if no means to move it exists as i understand it, so there is that to consider.

[trooperrob]

not sure if correct, but I set level 1 depots near airfields etc.
There is something in the manual that says autorepair to factories etc only happens within 5 hex of a depot ? so a depot near towns and oilfields etc will help if they don't get a repair unit.

There is a max distance for a depot to get supply - does that include from national source. If so then you will have to have intermediate supply dumps and or use the pulse method.

Still annoyed that if you take Crimea (as russia ) from south the AI will not deploy railway units to repair the railways. Even with units attached to lower level HQ.