Logistics

Logistics is the main replacement for belts. It moves physical resources between separate networks. Within a network, everything is shared (see base-network-and-inventory.md).

Depots Decided

A Depot both builds and dispatches vehicles. No separate factory makes vehicles.
It has slots; vehicles use slots according to size (for example, small Harvester = 1, larger truck = 2). Start with about 3 slots Tentative; larger Depots later (about 8).
Vehicles cost nothing and rebuild automatically after a delay (see units-and-missions.md).
There’s no cap on Depots. More Depots means more fleet.
Persistent slots: missions and loading rules belong to the slot, not the truck. If truck #3 is destroyed, its replacement takes over truck #3’s route.
Losing a vehicle is a short throughput dip. Losing a Depot is a real infrastructure loss, so protect Depots more carefully than trucks.

Outposts / Truck Stops [Decided, name tentative]

A cheap receiving end for truck routes. It doesn’t make trucks.
A small amount of storage: a buffer that delays mismatch problems but doesn’t solve them. Like a Depot, it’s first in, first out: when it’s full, a delivery pushes its oldest stack into the network’s storage (see base-network-and-inventory.md).
Holds one truck at a time, which can cause small traffic jams on purpose.
Unlocked along with trucks.
Its screen lists every depot route that targets it. Routes can be many-to-one (3, 10… Depots serving one Outpost).

Routes Decided

Trucks always run depot to depot (or depot to outpost). They don’t drive into the unknown.
Both ends load. You configure, at each end, what goes onto arriving trucks from that network’s shared pool. A typical route: one stack of Colite out to a Ferrite mine, two stacks of Ferrite back.
Loading is set per slot, with an “all trucks” default. For example, set “all arriving trucks pick up Ferrite” at the Outpost, then override truck #3 to carry surplus Colite back to the main base for a while.
A basic truck has 2 slots Tentative. Each slot holds one stack of one resource. A full slot can’t take more.
Early trucks carry only a few stacks, with no complex mixed loads. More variety means more trucks or more Depots Decided.

Cargo rules Decided

Nothing is ever thrown away. If a truck can’t unload (the destination’s whole network is full, not just the Depot or Outpost; a full one pushes its oldest stack to storage first, see base-network-and-inventory.md), it keeps the cargo and continues its route, loading whatever else fits. Waiting could become a configurable route option later.
Cargo in transit belongs to neither network. If the truck is destroyed, the cargo is lost.
A badly balanced route slowly gets less efficient (partial stacks stuck in truck slots, full output buffers, sleeping drills) instead of failing loudly. Players diagnose it from overlays and the per-minute stats, then fix it with a silo at the mine, different loading, more trucks, or a new route.
The puzzle players should hit: “Why is my Ferrite production unstable?” Then work it out and fix it.

Manual routes come first Decided

Automatic, demand-driven logistics arrives only at a later tier (around “communications”). Until then, players set up trucks by hand: one-off deliveries or fixed repeating loops.

Stage	What exists	Player’s job
Early: basic transport	Small trucks, a few stacks each; one-off and repeating routes	Configure routes and loading
Middle: communications	Depots automatically request resources from other Depots	Set up supply relationships and priorities
Advanced: automation	Construction material requests, ammo resupply, conditional deliveries, automatic truck replacement	Design the network and let it run

Later still: bigger trucks, and trains for long-distance bulk Tentative.

Depots and Barracks as “tentacles” Decided

Forward Depots and Barracks act as tentacles reaching across the map without growing the connected industrial base. They put units closer to where the work is (deposits, hives), and trucks then move the bulk home. A Depot near several deposits and hives becomes a reusable regional hub.

An emergent strategy players can discover on their own: a remote Depot full of Harvesters next to a deposit, plus trucks from the main base’s Depot running to an Outpost there. That splits extraction from transport, teaches logistics, and is mostly already in place when drills unlock.

Construction away from the base Decided

Without an avatar, how do building materials get to a new site? Answer: construction is always carried out by physical units, and the player never controls them directly.

Engineering Crews live in Depots (the first one at the Crashed Ship). They draw materials from their home network, drive to construction ghosts, build, and return home to restock as needed.
Even construction inside the base is done by crews driving around, not instant placement. More crews means faster building. That echoes the satisfying “swarm of construction bots” feeling.
Crews also do repairs and rebuilds: dispatched manually at first, automatic later.
Remote crews can build Depots, walls and turrets (at least) without connecting them to the main base [Tentative list]. A remote ring of walls and turrets can get ammo deliveries by truck from a base Depot.
A common first remote job is a Depot, which gives the new site storage and a way to expand.
Later: blueprints carried out by crews, automatic material requests (place ghosts at an outpost, the game requests materials, the next free truck delivers, and the outpost builds itself), and automatic reconstruction.

Recall and suspension [Decided in concept]

You can temporarily suspend or recall a supply line, for example pulling trucks home before starting the big drill, and resume afterwards.
Rhythm: expand → gather → consolidate → defend → resume.
Later automation could recall supply lines automatically when the drill starts or radar sees a threat Tentative.