When do you stop specializing industry?

[AusQB]

It seems like non-renewable resources (ore and oil) disappear very quickly, but at what point does it make sense to remove the specialization and replace it with general industry? Even when a thick patch of resources becomes completely white, it feels like I'm still producing a decent amount of resources, but I can't really tell if that's true. I don't really have any reference frame for the units per week.

 

[VaLee]

Yeah I find it it's not worth it. Ore and Oil are depleting really fast and farms and forestry get without workers fast aswell since educated workers wont work there for some reason. They are still producing specialized goods because they import the resources. If you look at your Import/Exports you'll see that you're importing more Ore/Oil goods than you are producing if the resources in the ground are depleted.

 

[Ri0Rdian]

It can still be beneficial to keep some of the specializations, because even if they import the resources, you need the goods for the consumer zones? Wild guess, but sounds reasonable to me.

 

[Sainty]

I dont understand this specialization at all.
I've build farms on very light yellow area. I've place 6 4x4 industry. When you go to the "outside connections" view, it say that 5 of them are importing agriculture goods while 1 of them are not importing, and not exporting.

My question:
These 5 industries: What are they producing? Agruculture products or goods like a normal factory?

 

[Walltar]

I dont understand this specialization at all.
I've build farms on very light yellow area. I've place 6 4x4 industry. When you go to the "outside connections" view, it say that 5 of them are importing agriculture goods while 1 of them are not importing, and not exporting.

My question:
These 5 industries: What are they producing? Agruculture products or goods like a normal factory?

I think that there are different tiers of specialized products ... You first need to mine/grow them and then refine them in factory. Refined products are then used by general industry to produce goods. So it goes like Field -> Agriculture factory -> Normal factory. That way even without anything under them you can still build specialized industry and they will import first tier product and change it to second tier that can be then used to make goods in your general industry.

 

[Sainty]

Seems like you are correct.
I tried it out by changing half of my industry into agriculture. At first they where only importing acgriculture goods but after a while they started to produce enough for export. Unfortunately, it is not profitable compared to regular factories.
I went from an income at +12000 to +2000

 

[Illanair]

I never stop - I consider "normal" industry to be just another type of Industry. I fit all five kinds of industry in my city somewhere. Even if they don't have the resource.

 

[Walltar]

Yeah, best is to have just enough agri/oil/metal/forest industry to supply your main one. Exporting it does not pay off.

 

[Mithkabob]

I keep a little bit of each specialized industry around to supply my generic factories with the specialized materials. It seems to help keep traffic down a little bit.

 

[AusQB]

I keep a little bit of each specialized industry around to supply my generic factories with the specialized materials. It seems to help keep traffic down a little bit.

I didn't really realize the industries worked like that, I thought they were all self-sufficient. So it's not wise to just have all your industry as specializations?

 

[Illanair]

I didn't really realize the industries worked like that, I thought they were all self-sufficient. So it's not wise to just have all your industry as specializations?

Only the generic industry is self sufficient (and offices - But those don't produce goods)

Farms require meadows to produce without importing.
Oil Industry requires Oil in the ground (which drains and eventually dries up)
Ore Industry requires ore (also dies up)
I don't know if lumber dries up as well and needs new trees - I haven't bothered trying to build them on forests.

 

[MN121MN]

Only the generic industry is self sufficient (and offices - But those don't produce goods)

Farms require meadows to produce without importing.
Oil Industry requires Oil in the ground (which drains and eventually dries up)
Ore Industry requires ore (also dies up)
I don't know if lumber dries up as well and needs new trees - I haven't bothered trying to build them on forests.

Coming from a previous interview, I'd say forests are renewable.

 

[Walltar]

Only the generic industry is self sufficient (and offices - But those don't produce goods)

Farms require meadows to produce without importing.
Oil Industry requires Oil in the ground (which drains and eventually dries up)
Ore Industry requires ore (also dies up)
I don't know if lumber dries up as well and needs new trees - I haven't bothered trying to build them on forests.

Well generic industry is not really self sufficient, since it needs raw materials from Farms, Oil Industry, Ore Industry and Forestry. If you do not have those it will import them. It works like when you put Ore industry where there is no ore... It will just import what it needs and then send what it makes to your generic industry.

 

[AusQB]

Well generic industry is not really self sufficient, since it needs raw materials from Farms, Oil Industry, Ore Industry and Forestry. If you do not have those it will import them. It works like when you put Ore industry where there is no ore... It will just import what it needs and then send what it makes to your generic industry.

So in other words if all you have is industry specialized in non-renewable resources, you're not really exporting or producing anything once the resources are expended?

 

[Walltar]

So in other words if all you have is industry specialized in non-renewable resources, you're not really exporting or producing anything once the resources are expended?

You will be producing refined resources, from unrefined ones that are imported.

Your generic industry needs refined resources, and if you look on specialised industry, there always two types of building... Production/mining and refining. So without natural resources there will be only refining buildings.

 

[Sainty]

I keep a little bit of each specialized industry around to supply my generic factories with the specialized materials. It seems to help keep traffic down a little bit.

Hmm, it just struck me; My goal have been to produce goods and lumber for export.
But I might have done it all wrong. Maybe its most economical to do is just produce enough of goods for a city without aiming to produce for export? Instead of creating more industry, the proper way should be to build offices intead?

 

[Rautaa]

I keep a little bit of each specialized industry around to supply my generic factories with the specialized materials. It seems to help keep traffic down a little bit.

I read this, and immediately rezoned my oil and ore regions, which I had previously dezoned. I also moved my incinerators from the tiny bit of farmland I have on the map, and started some agriculture. Will try to see if this will prove useful, thanks!

 

[Walltar]

Hmm, it just struck me; My goal have been to produce goods and lumber for export.
But I might have done it all wrong. Maybe its most economical to do is just produce enough of goods for a city without aiming to produce for export? Instead of creating more industry, the proper way should be to build offices intead?

Yes, I think that is the best way to go about it.

 

[Illanair]

Coming from a previous interview, I'd say forests are renewable.

Good to know.

Well generic industry is not really self sufficient, since it needs raw materials from Farms, Oil Industry, Ore Industry and Forestry. If you do not have those it will import them...

I see - I'll admit I never noticed this. But it makes perfect sense.

 

[Whiplash7x]

Wow, this made me look at Industry way different.