Food distribution logistics & assigning multiple canteens/nurseries to a single kitchen

[KocLobster]

I attempted to search google and the PA forums, but have come up empty on how you're supposed to do this, only that you're able to. I don't understand how one is supposed to assign a kitchen to multiple canteens and/or nurseries. When you first make a kitchen and multiple canteens, or before you have unlocked Micromanagement, the kitchen is automatically assigned to serve all of your canteens/nurseries. However, once you mess around with it in any way, there does not seem to be a way to get it back to normal.

Whenever I click a kitchen in the food distribution and then select a canteen/nursery, it assigns a yellow line to indicate that it will serve food to that location (good, that's normal). However, if I then go ahead and try and repeat the process for a second canteen or nursery, it eliminates the first yellow line, and will only serve food to the newly selected canteen/nursery (bad). I don't understand how you're supposed to assign a kitchen to serve food to multiple locations. I get the error of "There are no kitchens capable of sending food to this canteen.' Here is a picture to help explain the problem.

http://imgur.com/a/mOubJ

In the past I've always just accepted that I have to make a new kitchen for every single canteen, and be forced to make small kitchens because of it. However, I am no giving the female prisoners prison a shot, and I really don't want to have to make a 2nd kitchen just to serve food to a nursery (and like 10 mothers).

Can someone please explain exactly how you're supposed to assign a kitchen to multiple canteens? I would of assumed that you could make a yellow line to multiple canteens/nurseries, but it doesn't work like that for me in my game.

[TheXev]

To get it to work in my own prison, I had to move my cursor over the kitchen I wanted to reassign, and right click to get rid of the solid yellow line , it then auto assigns that kitchen to multiple canteens nearby (looking like several dotted yellow lines).

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=687222611 You can checkout my prison to see how that looks after doing so.

[KocLobster]

Appreciate the quick reply and solution, thank you. I don't know how I forgot about this..I have used it a number of times with laundry. Worked like a charm. :)

[lissa_981]

shift+ click will allow you to designate more then 1 canteen to a kitchen

[TheXev]

Originally posted by lissa_981:

shift+ click will allow you to designate more then 1 canteen to a kitchen

I am mind blown right now. O_O How would you even know to try that?

[lillemingo]

Originally posted by TheXev:

Originally posted by lissa_981:

shift+ click will allow you to designate more then 1 canteen to a kitchen

I am mind blown right now. O_O How would you even know to try that?

It was mentioned in the old videos publishes by the game creators. And it is a common function to assign multiple things to something in most games. :)

[bellwoody]

I used to put kitchens next to the canteens or nuseries to prevent the auto distribution "getting crazy". I also prefer to use big canteens to allow all prisoners(with same security level) have their meals together. That's could simplifying for the distribution and save times for cooks at walking. Of course, a big canteen for max security inmates means have to pay for the risk on inmates' fighting or killing each other.

Some of my big canteen have 3 (or more) kitchens to support, also I've put nusery in family cells area (my family cells had always diveded from other dormitaries) with it's own kitchen. I used to concentrate mothers in 1 or 2 nusery, the kitchens may not need facing the trouble from multi distribution.(before I've know the "shift" from here.....)

The "shift key" for multi distribution had shocked me too..........there have no tips been showing on the interface or description. Maybe I could gain more ideas from this "hidden command", thanks for this hint.

[Holysniper]

just came by to say how surprised i am that so many people DONT know that "shift+" anything ALWAYS either splits a stack in your inventory, or adds more to your selection. Even shift+drag-box-selection works in most games as well(its mostly a strategy game thing tho come to think of it).


using shift+left click = cherrypicking = selecting only the units/items you really want, or deselecting units/items by single unit/item.
You can even shift+double click, which im sure you can figure out by now what that does.



To put it simply,

shift + left clicking adds single units to your selection one by one instead of having to try and draw a box and end up selecting things you dont want/need.

It allows you to pick and choose what you select





bottom line _ shift + clicking is the greatest thing invented since bottom lines

[Holysniper]

only surprised because i use it EVERYDAY multi selecting files and such on my PC. Its not just a game thing, it comes standard with all Windows's PC's and is honestly one of the features i use the most, in everything PC related i do.

using shift+ is like having a keyboard with double the amount of keys.
shift + most keys activates a separate function than their marked letter/symbol similar to the "fn" key on a lot of laptops.

here, take this...
https://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/keys_general.mspx?mfr=true
memorize it, its awesome, will save you time, and is totally worth it.