What is a Trade Post
A trade post is a specialized building for remote resource allocation. You set transport routes between trade posts to auto-move resources from production sites to consumption sites.
Local Supply & Remote Demand
Trade-post logistics runs on a local-supply / remote-demand mechanism:
Local Supply (items you send out): In the Supply tab, set the item types you want to export. Set a local retention — the trade post keeps this many; only the surplus is shipped.
Remote Demand (items you receive): In the Demand tab, set the item types you want imported. Set a local demand — the desired stock level.
Minimum shipment: Each trade post can set a minimum shipment — below this quantity no cart is dispatched, avoiding frequent small shipments and improving efficiency.
How Routes Form
Routes form automatically — no manual start/end configuration:
- 1Trade Post A sets an item as 'local supply' with stock above retention.
- 2Trade Post B sets that item as 'remote demand'.
- 3A and B are within each other's working range.
- 4The system auto-dispatches ox carts from A to B.
The demand panel shows: in-transit carts, each cart's item type/quantity/progress, and estimated arrival time.
Trade-post transport consumes Transport Carts and Fuel. Lack of either is shown in the building. New trade posts start with some carts to bootstrap initial routes.
Relay Station
Transport capacity is the core limiting factor for resource exchange.
- Relay stations are logistics-specialized buildings.
- Laborers assigned to a relay station prioritize transport tasks.
- Relay-station laborers carry 10× the normal load per trip.
- Building relay stations significantly boosts transport capacity.
Range Circles & Item Exchange
Buildings exchange items in two ways. Range Circle: every building has a resource-acquisition range (the range circle). A building only tries to obtain needed items from within its own circle. Click a building to see its range (the white circle).