Matrix Games Forums

Hey all,

As I am really trying to fully understand and learn the logistics side of things I am unsure of whether there is a "best" way to handle rail depot priorities. I have read the entire manual from front to back and the logistics sections a few times.

Is there a set way of setting priorities that is better than others? I've seen people have a line of priority 4 depots and claim success. In the past I've always tried to have a line that is going 4, 3, 2, 1. Freight flow either way but I am just wondering if there is a best practice to increase the flowing freight.

Is AI management of depots just the best way to do it?

As I have read through things and been thinking I have pondered the thought of having depots along the rail route set to 4 for 1-2 turns to build up freight stockpiles, then changing its priority to 2 or 3 so it can then send that freight forward. Would that make any sense in limited use (Not for everything obviously)?

Derp123 wrote: Sat Sep 05, 2026 1:56 pm Is there a set way of setting priorities that is better than others? I've seen people have a line of priority 4 depots and claim success. In the past I've always tried to have a line that is going 4, 3, 2, 1. Freight flow either way but I am just wondering if there is a best practice to increase the flowing freight.

The supply system is weird, but yeah, the more you demand (aka the more priority 4 depots you have) the more you will usually get. The best supply situation is always being so close to your national supply source (NSS) that you can go directly NSS-4 and get a lot of supply. This is the Soviet experience in 41, but not the German. They will have to use intermediary depots. Nevertheless, anything remotely close to the front will stay at priority 4 (unless there are no units around in a very wide area).

Derp123 wrote: Sat Sep 05, 2026 1:56 pm Is AI management of depots just the best way to do it?

Nope. Never. For a price of 5AP it might create some depots somewhere and even delete existing ones.

Derp123 wrote: Sat Sep 05, 2026 1:56 pm As I have read through things and been thinking I have pondered the thought of having depots along the rail route set to 4 for 1-2 turns to build up freight stockpiles, then changing its priority to 2 or 3 so it can then send that freight forward. Would that make any sense in limited use (Not for everything obviously)?

That is called "pulsing" and it is used semi-regularly by Germans in big depots before the USSR border like Warsaw.

I have used pulsing as Axis with the larger Baltic ports. When put on 4 they accumulate a lot of supplies in 1 turn then I put them on zero and have the captured Russian ports in the Baltic (on import) set at 4. These ports get loaded up quickly. From thee they can be set to zero and pulse out supplies to the various AGN depots (set at higher numbers). I have found that in time this works rather well. HOWEVER, I have read other posts that say that supplies being sent to the ports robs supplies that would normally be sent due east to the overall front. So maybe in the bigger picture this method is not too smart. I will let others in the know comment on the efficacy of this.