Checked against the August 2026 game information; later patches may change interface labels or logistics behavior.
How Do Production Chains Work?
Direct answer: A production building consumes resources from its input storage and creates goods in its output storage only while it is connected, fully staffed, supplied, and able to store more output.
Think of every chain as a sequence of small inventories rather than one shared pool. An upstream building makes a resource, a Fetcher delivers it, and the next building consumes it. A problem at any link can stop every building after it.
The production progress wheel shows a building's maximum rate, but scarce inputs or long transport routes can keep actual output below that maximum. Use the current building panels and Overview interface to check the chain instead of assuming that every connected building is operating at full speed.
Why Has a Production Building Stopped?
Direct answer: Check the road or path connection, full staffing, input storage, upstream source, Fetcher route, and output space in that order.
Use this checklist:
- Confirm that the building still has a usable connection to its Pirate Camp.
- Make sure it has its full workforce; most production buildings cannot operate with only part of their staff.
- Inspect the input storage for the resource the recipe consumes.
- Open the selected source and confirm that it is producing and has output available.
- Check that the receiving building has a Fetcher assigned to the correct source.
- Inspect the output storage. A building can stop when its finished goods are not being collected.
Pausing another building or construction project can free workers when the island is short on labor. That solves a staffing shortage, but it does not repair a missing input or blocked route.
What Does Drain Mean?
Direct answer: Drain compares a resource's recent production with its consumption and Fetcher pickup, showing whether current output is keeping up with outflow.
If Drain exceeds production, the chain is losing stock over time. Add or improve production, reduce demand, or inspect the route between the producer and its consumers. Drain is a diagnostic signal: it does not by itself identify which downstream building is at fault.
How Do Fetchers Work?
Direct answer: Each Fetcher route moves one selected resource in one direction, from a chosen source to the receiving building, and every route needs its own assigned Fetcher.
Set up the route from the receiving building: select the required input, then choose the source icon. This makes the direction of the link explicit and helps prevent a common mistake—opening the producer and expecting it to push goods automatically to every consumer.
When a building needs several resources or draws from several sources, inspect each link separately. One healthy route does not prove that the other inputs are arriving.
What Does a Red Hourglass Mean?
Direct answer: A red hourglass means a Fetcher is waiting at its selected source because that source is not producing the required resource.
Start at the waiting Fetcher and move upstream. Check whether the source has workers, inputs, output space, and a working connection. The receiving building may be empty, but the cause often sits one or more steps earlier in the chain.
When several red hourglasses appear in the same chain, begin with the earliest stalled source and work forward.
What Do the Route Colors Mean?
Direct answer: Green, yellow, and red route lines indicate high, medium, and low efficiency, respectively.
Select the link icon to highlight a route. A weak route can often be improved by shortening the trip, choosing a nearer source, clearing the connection, or adding an intermediate Warehouse. Terrain and the rest of the network matter, so there is no verified universal distance or layout that fits every island.
How Do Warehouses Work?
Direct answer: A Warehouse stockpiles selected resources and can shorten long transfers, but you must manually assign its Fetchers and collection routes.
A Warehouse can gather chosen goods from production buildings or other Warehouses. This makes it useful as a transfer point between distant production areas, especially when a single Fetcher route would be inefficient.
Choose stored resources deliberately. If you remove the last connection for a resource, the stock already inside remains until it is transported away; deleting the route does not clear the stored goods automatically.
Why Does Pirate Camp Assignment Matter?
Direct answer: Goods can be transported across the island, but a building's workers receive their upkeep through the Pirate Camp assigned to that building.
The Galley and other community services must satisfy needs in the relevant camp. If a workplace is within range of another camp, you can reassign it through the building menu. Reassignment can fix a local supply mismatch, but it does not replace the physical connections and Fetcher routes needed for production inputs.
Production Troubleshooting Checklist
Direct answer: Trace the chain from connection and labor through upstream output, Fetcher links, receiving inputs, and downstream storage.
- Verify the building's connection and assigned Pirate Camp.
- Confirm that it has its full workforce.
- Check the exact missing input.
- Follow that input's Fetcher link to its source.
- If you see a red hourglass, diagnose the source building first.
- Compare production with Drain to see whether supply is falling behind outflow.
- Highlight the route and inspect its color.
- Check whether the producer's output storage is full.
- Use a Warehouse when a long route needs a practical transfer point, then assign its routes manually.
FAQ
Does a Warehouse Collect Resources Automatically?
No. Select the resources to stock and manually assign the Warehouse Fetchers to their sources.
Can Resources Move Between Pirate Camps?
Yes. Resources can travel across the island, but worker upkeep remains tied to each building's assigned Pirate Camp.
Does a Red Hourglass Mean the Receiving Building Is Broken?
No. It indicates that the Fetcher is waiting at a selected source that is not producing the required resource, so inspect the upstream source.
Why Is a Producer's Output Storage Full?
Its goods are not leaving fast enough. Check the receiving buildings, Fetcher assignments, route efficiency, and available downstream storage.
Is There One Best Production Layout?
No verified universal layout fits every island. Use Drain, route colors, terrain, current demand, and available connections to adjust each chain.