Factory Input

[Some Guy]

Something about this game I can't figure out. No matter what I do, my factory input is always zero. What do I have to do to get input? Do I need to wait a certain time after my mine has produced before input will appear? Is my factory to far away from my mine? Just how does my mine material get to my factory?

[El Meck]

Welcome to Cafe tropico  "Some Guy"

So i'll try to help you. 

You got a Teamster office?
What kind of material you mine?
What kind of factory is it?

[Coconut Kid]

"Got Teamsters?" is the most important question.

All goods are moved by Teamsters! (And the producers in a pinch.) This game is very different from those where goods just magically move from building to building.

What version are you playing and have you tried the "Tutorial" ??

[Some Guy]

I have two teamster's offices, both of which are near the docks. I have a mine that is a moderate distance away from either office, and a jewelry factory which is right next to one of the offices.

Is my problem that I'm just underestimating how many teamsters I need?

[Farmer Juan]

It sounds like you have enough teamsters to get some raw goods to your factory.  You have to be mining gold to make jewelry so make sure you are mining the right thing.

FJ

[El Meck]

I think it isnt the cause of understaffment.

Is the mine set on gold production? (maybe you build an Iron mine?!)
[nearly the same Juan has suggested  ]

Is the factory staffed? (dont know whether it have any effect on the input   )

It would be easyer to analyze the situation of your Isle if you could Attach the savegame ( YOURNAME.GM2 ) or a pic.
Would be nice.  

[Farmer Juan]

El Meck,

It is kind of funny this came up because the game I am playing currently I ran into the exact scenario you suggested.  I was building factories (cigar, in this case) far faster than I could staff them.  Anyway, I discovered that raw goods will be delivered to an unstaffed factory.  It seems there is a limit of the amount of raw goods delivered, but some will be.

FJ

[Coconut Kid]

I have two teamster's offices, both of which are near the docks. ... Is my problem that I'm just underestimating how many teamsters I need?

You probably are not under estimating the number of individual Teamsters ; but rather the placement of the Offices.

The placement of buildings at the start of random games totally miss-informs the new player. This placement is not at all an efficient or optimal set-up!

Teamster Offices need to be placed close to buildings producing goods, NOT close to where they are to be delivered. So, one of your two should be close to the mine to move the ore to the factory, and the second should be close to the factory to move the jewelry to the Port.

The Teamster Office close to the Port/dock is the scorge of 'Tropico'.

This is not to disparage the questioner. But the question has been answered many times. If the game were actively supported, a useful "game guide" would leap to confront "newbie" eyes.

 

[heebo]

This may be a stoopid reply, but worth considering.

Does your factory have output quantity?  I find that one gold mine is rarely sufficient to supply a fully staffed jewelry factory.  And if you have lots of teamsters and only rarely check the factory input, you may be missing the brief periods when the gold/jewelry is stocked at the factory.

Perhaps check the top exports on the economy tab on the almanac and see how much jewelry you are exporting, if there are some jewelry income the above may be the case.  Consider building more gold mines if possible, reducing the number of teamsters/factory workers (to save money) or putting them on 'easy does it' mode (to make them happier before an election, then fire them).

[Coconut Kid]

Excellent points!

If you are getting some jewelry out and exported at the Port, then the factory is getting input even if nothing shows in the input queue.

While estimating the quantity of gold (or other mineral) in a particular load takes a bit of experience, none-the-less players need to remember that there is nothing in the game that limits the number of mines which may be built to work a particular ore load to one.

Remembering that the mine building "foot-print" blocks use of the ore there, it is possible to build several mines to exploit one ore location.

Further, if there are mixed minerals at that location, building several mines all set to the "all metals" option may be the best way to speed exploitation.

But then you have to remember that the lode eventually will be exausted. Since then, it has been discovered that "Lode Exaustion" is not tracked in the ground -- rather it is tracked by the Mine building(s). Therefore, when a mine building stops producing - bulldoze it and build another to continue production.

[Coconut Kid]

Important Point!

..., I discovered that raw goods will be delivered to an unstaffed factory.  It seems there is a limit of the amount of raw goods delivered, but some will be.

In other words -- Although input queues have a maximum limit, goods will be delivered up to that limit without regard to other conditions.