Production Changing? (Help please)

[Mmarchi]

I recently have been trying to get back into this game, so I started as a rather peaceful nation (brazil) in the 1914 start date to add some challenges. I have been working on getting my industrial goods up so I can build more. One thing I noticed was that my industrial goods production is fluctuating (going up and down) even though I am not building more factories. Can someone please explain the reason for this?

[Maryondo]

I do not know your reason, but industrial goods get used by various things - f.e. unit production(?); just check out in the production tab, what's using industrial goods.

If you are speaking about the production amount itself: It may be depending on the available resources and supply line.

[Mmarchi]

Yes I think I figured it out, I think it was the level of supply my factories were getting. Brazil has the worst infrastructure so that's probably why

[Grimlich]

A great number of factors will have an influence, the two main factors are supply level and public approval. Minor factors include : total pop number, road or rail, some later tech effect, damaged facilities, offline facilities, ... and depending on your current game version the infamous economic cap and the fact that your whole production will slowly (over many years, decades) go down forcing you to build additionnal facilities only to maintain the current rate of production.

The supply level may be improved in many ways : Building mil supply facilities, you can check using the supply filter and see where your supply coverage is low but once the facility is built it takes a while to supply the surroundings. I see supply level as being modeled on a hydrologic pattern. Zoom out, put out the suppy filter, get the spped on fastest and see your supply level acting exactly as a sea, look at your frontier and you'll see tidal waves. Each supply facility is like a water source so the water will then spout out and spread across the land, impeded by land cuts as rivers and high ground will always be less under supply than a adjacent flatland hex. The '14 scenario has a bizarre feature where rail is more efficient as a supply transport than roads. In other scenario roads are better. You can delete the roads going sepentine and rebuild a straight rail after the old roads has been deleted. Your infrastructure social program funding level is basically the faucet.As many troops reordering are usually necessary at start ; usually players will max out infrastructure funding at start.

Depending on the setting you've put on at start of the game for approval effects (limit or not, strenght of effect) the public approval is the factor that can change the production level the most. In the diplomacy tab, you can see your public approval jump or drop mainly with a war declaration. I won't get into how to get the approval higher, answers are numerous and infinitely complex.

I also began, with Brasil ('36), making the same exact assumption that Brasil is safe out of the war areas and had a lot of potential thus giving a lot of opportunities to test and try stuff while not being in a critical situation. War elsewhere open up many export opportunities and it's good for diplo relations. Only Argentina will declare war around '30 for the platinuum war apart from that, brasil can easily be played forever without conflicts or is in THE position to take up the whole continent and rival the US later. War is easy and short (on capital) as almost all capitals in S-Am are easy to reach from a naval landing.

I played Brasil, 3 to 4 times for each scen era, eveytime the build/version of the game changed ... just realised I got to do it again witout the economic cap ... If you'd like a more detailed talk about playing Brasil ( my fav) just add and contact me.