Building Assets

[springel]

To build an asset you need to work on it a certain number of turns, spending a certain amount of resources each turn.

Now you cannot work harder on it than the requirements, but when even one worker has a bad day, failing 1% of the effort, it immediately increases the production time by one turn. For material resources like production and metal, having enough in stock will guarantee that those will not be the bottleneck, but with the workers you don't always have the means to guarantee their productivity.

I find that a bit quirky. But I know that Shadow Empire is a game for masochists

Also, I have now become hesitant to start producing a new asset before the old one is completely finished, because I see often that when there is a bottleneck caused by the new building, the older one in the queue, which needed only 1% more to finish, didn't take the resources first to finish and deliver its benefits, but somehow the new building in the queue took everything available.

So trying to build as fast as possible will often be counterproductive when the smallest setback happens during the turn processing.

[Shards]

I've taken to quite often building at 75% / 50% construction speed.

It often means that the building is completed slower, but it puts less strain on my SHQ's supply chain meaning that I have IP available to react to crises/opportunities and means that it's much more resistant to those unexpected bottlenecks!

With regard to the multiple buildings taking resources, the zone will try to stockpile enough resources to ensure that the next turn's buildings will happen in good order. If you add a new building to the list then it will split it's stock between the two projects and try to draw down enough resources to cover both from the SHQ. If there's not quite enough, then both will suffer equally, meaning that your nearly complete building doesn't quite get done. Part of the risks inherent in managing good logistics and supply I believe.

[Locarnus]

I disagree.

Building delays were common, you only discover them - at the decisive level - during the construction. Look at all those major infrastructure projects being delayed for years.

[therealevan]

ORIGINAL: Locarnus

I disagree.

Building delays were common, you only discover them - at the decisive level - during the construction. Look at all those major infrastructure projects being delayed for years.

This is a good point, the math in SE is exact, but we must also take into consideration that the 1% that OP is suggesting might just be that small delay one would expect on large projects as you have explained, Locarnus.

[springel]

I am not really complaining about this mechanism, it is just peculiar that this 1% in one resource - workers - triggers a big delay. Delays are indeed the norm.

Before I retired, I have have been working on a large ICT project. That project was mentioned in a parliamentary investigation as the only big governmental ICT project that was on time and on budget in the last 20 years. Playing Shadow Empire feels a bit like working for that project, so many dierolls we had to make, and the weakest link was always the human resources. But we made the dierolls. [8D]