As is customary in the genre, there is no lack of production chains in Patron. For those "not in the loop" on the topic, this means you have to construct several buildings and produce goods to get to "the final product". Let's check out a concrete example.
Tools
Tools are a resource used by many higher "level" buildings, but to get to an efficient production of tools, there are several steps you need to take.
Build a coal mine
You can't place this everywhere. The area must be suitable, or to say it better, there has to be "coal to mine" in the first place. Convenient overlays provide the information on this.
Build an iron mine
As is the case with coal, check the ore overlay once again to see where to best place an iron mine.
Build a toolsmith
The final step is to actually construct the building which uses the coal to heat up the iron so it can be molded into tools.
Sounds simple? That's because it is, but there are a couple of other things you should consider.
- All the buildings noted above require workers. Which means you have to have an "attractive" town so more people will come live in it. This is your workforce. There can be no progress without them.
- And secondly, consider the fact that it takes time for resources to be delivered around the town and its various buildings. It takes "time" for the coal and the iron to be brought to the toolsmith. He cannot work without resources. This is where warehouses and depots come into play so let's explore those a bit.
Warehouses & depots
In Patron, you town's stockpile, the inventory, is "global". This means that when a resources is deposited/dropped off in any warehouse or depot, it is available for pickup from any other warehouse or depot. This naturally simplifies things, but keep in mind that the resources still need to arrive at a drop-of point first, before they can be taken out and used in another location/building. It is important to cover your town, especially your resource buildings with depots and warehouses. This will keep everything running smoothly.
