Planning
Deficits, Reserves & Recovery
A shortage rarely affects only one number. Because resources fund connected production chains, a small deficit can cascade through power, industry, research, construction, and fleet readiness.
Essential costs are funded first
Partial funding means partial output
Reserves absorb shocks
01
How it works
- The economy funds recurring essentials before discretionary queues. When any required essential input is scarce, affected consumption and output scale proportionally.
- Construction and research then share what remains according to priorities and reserve policy. Fractional production and spending are retained between ticks rather than discarded.
- Combat losses, occupation, disabled infrastructure, new wages, and route disruption can all turn a narrow surplus into a cascading shortage.
02
Command advice
- Diagnose upstream: restore power and fuel before expecting factories, mines, or services to recover.
- Pause discretionary projects, deactivate nonessential buildings, keep local ships stationed, and use markets for the narrowest immediate gap.
- After stabilization, rebuild a multi-tick reserve before returning every queue and fleet to full activity.