From the Commissar of Production - Factory Evacuation

[Gris]

Comrades!

A few weeks ago Weasel and I were discussing Factory evacs here in this post.

Factory Evacuation

Remembering how much trouble I had as a new player with factories I put a guide together for new Soviet players. With that said, I want to stress a few points. 

• This is not a strategy guide. It is a training guide aimed at the new Soviet player in an attempt to lessen the learning curve. 
  
• I am not an author by trade. I am just a good looking guy with a Viking Helmet (just sayin'). If you find an error (and I know there are errors), send me a PM instead of posting here to keep the thread clean. All my documents are living documents. From time to time I review them and edit. 
  
• If you have a suggestion for the guide, send a PM as above.
  
• If you have a question concerning the training in the guide, post that here, especially if you think it will help our new comrades.
  
• Feel free to pass this along, but it is best to send the link which is where I will keep the updated version.
  

Many thanks to Weasels for the challenging questions. Well done my friend!

The guide is available here:

Soviet Factories

See you on the Steppe!

Gris

[Weasel]

Gris, that is an awesome document, you taught me many things. I just moved my factories east, never even thought of manpower and rail capacity!! Also I was scrolling the map looking for factories and such, MUCH MUCH easier doing it your way. The Blitz is very fortunate to have you as a member my friend!

I moved my Leningrad factories to Vologda, which has decent manpower but rail capacity of 1. I read the manual and Matrix doing a search for RAIL CAPACITY but nothing is mention how the rail points would affect the factory production (that I found), in other words would a RC of 1 bottle neck the number of KVs moving west as opposed to a KV factory in Moscow with a RC of 34?

**Thanks for the 'shout out', I was worried I was becoming a pain. I always investigate before asking but sometimes even the answer is confusing as hell.**

[Gris]

Gris, that is an awesome document, you taught me many things.  I just moved my factories east, never even thought of manpower and rail capacity!!  Also I was scrolling the map looking for factories and such, MUCH MUCH easier doing it your way.  The Blitz is very fortunate to have you as a member my friend!  

I moved my Leningrad factories to Vologda, which has decent manpower but rail capacity of 1.  I read the manual and Matrix doing a search for RAIL CAPACITY but nothing is mention how the rail points would affect the factory production (that I found), in other words would a RC of 1 bottle neck the number of KVs moving west as opposed to a KV factory in Moscow with a RC of 34?

**Thanks for the 'shout out', I was worried I was becoming a pain.  I always investigate before asking but sometimes even the answer is confusing as hell.**

No pain, no gain my friend!

There were some old post on the Matrix forums and they may be archived now. In the manual the only mention I know  is in rule 21.1.8. I do not think it would bottle neck it so to speak, just not build as "fast". In the next section of the rule it eludes to the math. My impression is the game compensates for this as part of the 50% recommendation to move. Above & beyond if you min/max the system.

21.1.8.1. Build Limit Each type of Aircraft or AFV/combat vehicle ground element equipment has a build limit that will cap expansion at a fixed number of items per factory location per turn. For example, in June 1941, there are three factories that produce the T-34 M1941, which has a build limit of 75 and an expansion rate of one. The current capacities of the factories are 51, 6 and 6. Assuming no damage, the first factory will reach its build limit in 24 turns, while the other two will take 69 turns to reach full capacity. Once all three factories reach their build limit of 75, the maximum number of T-34 M1941 ground elements that can be produced each turn will be 225.

This is part of the reason why you only get one shot to move them. If you could break your 3 factories into 2 location each, you would double your production. So the system is designed to have each factory build up to the max build limit and match wartime production if you evac half of the factories by the historical date. What I do not know is the exact math outside of what it states in the examples the manual provided. The build limit for equipment has changed as listed in the what's new PDF, but I do not recall reading anything else to the effect. So the given I take away is the quicker I reach the build limit the more I produce and possibly even exceed the historical production. So moving your KV-1 factories quickly become a priority for that reason alone. Where you move them helps improve reaching the build limit.

To the best of my knowledge, A rail yard of 34 would build faster than 1 according to rule 21.1.8. However, unless you do not move your factories, the best rail yard you will get is 8 or 9. Take into consideration the 7 cities above 9 rail yard are easily are capturable by the Axis. How fast the build is the question though. 

Like anything in the game, it is testable. Take the Factory save, move some factories and just end turn for 20 times in a row and see how great the effect is. It should give a general idea, just take in consideration there really is no telling for sure without looking at the code. Remember also the factories do not build until all damage is repaired, that is the first variable that can randomize results.

I really do not think getting the factories out is the hard part, believe or not. It is the manpower centers and how long the Axis can hold them that really hurt you. Historically the Soviet for all their men had problems rounding out infantry divisions with replacements. If you take a greater loss in manpower, your in trouble. You will take Berlin, but not in time.

Hope this helps, the numbers are tough to wrap my head around sometimes. I am a bit better at the best practice than the under the hood details.

*If there is an expert who knows the number, let's us know. I would like to know the details just for discussion's sake at the least.*

See you on the Steppe!

[Weasel]

Thanks. I have read that rule at least 4 times before asking you, to me it says really nothing at all. The manual reminds me of The Queens Rules and Regulations, you have to be a lawyer to understand them. Even with your explanation that stupid paragraph is still encrypted.

As you said, easiest just to run turns and see what happens.

[Weasel]

Doing some more reading, searching for RAILYARD (sic) instead, it seems that the more rail in a hex the larger the chance for a factory to expand (21.1.8). So Vologda with a RC of 1 will provide a smaller chance of expansion to the undamaged factory than say Moscow with a RC of 30. I guess that is the effect as I cannot see anything that says it bottle necks production. It doesn't say how much each RC point affects the chance, but I will take it as a 1 meaning 1% for now.

I guess that is what you intent was?

I am currently running a test game for the factories per your suggestion.

[Gris]

Doing some more reading, searching for RAILYARD (sic) instead, it seems that the more rail in a hex the larger the chance for a factory to expand (21.1.8).  So Vologda with a RC of 1 will provide a smaller chance of expansion to the undamaged factory than say Moscow with a RC of 30.  I guess that is the effect as I cannot see anything that says it bottle necks production.  It doesn't say how much each RC point affects the chance, but I will take it as a 1 meaning 1% for now.

I guess that is what you intent was?

I am currently running a test game for the factories per your suggestion.

Yes, agree. It will be interesting to see the results.

[Weasel]

So ran the test. With the KV factory out of production I was building an average of 23 per turn, by turn 22 I had 336 KVs. On turn 23 my Vologda factory started up although it still had 15% damage, each turn the number of KVs built there increased by one; so with the two factories the production was:

Turn 23: 359 (23 built)
T24: 397 (38 built, Vologda now producing but at 15% damage)
T25: 436 (39)
T26: 476 (40)
T27: 517 (41)
T28: 559 (42)
T30: 601 (43, Vologda now fully repaired)

From T30 each turn produced 43 KVs, so it would seem that for each 3% of factory damage you lose the production of 1 KV. This doesn't have anything to do with rail capacity at all, so RC only affects factory expansion chances, if you move a factory to a RC 1 then most likely your factory won't expand production as opposed to moved to Moscow with RC 30.

[Gris]

So ran the test.  With the KV factory out of production I was building an average of 23 per turn, by turn 22 I had 336 KVs.  On turn 23 my Vologda factory started up although it still had 15% damage, each turn the number of KVs built there increased by one; so with the two factories the production was:

Turn 23: 359 (23 built)
T24: 397 (38 built, Vologda now producing but at 15% damage)
T25: 436 (39)
T26: 476 (40)
T27: 517 (41)
T28: 559 (42)
T30: 601 (43, Vologda now fully repaired)

From T30 each turn produced 43 KVs, so it would seem that for each 3% of factory damage you lose the production of 1 KV.  This doesn't have anything to do with rail capacity at all, so RC only affects factory expansion chances, if you move a factory to a RC 1 then most likely your factory won't expand production as opposed to moved to Moscow with RC 30.

That was my understanding from the rule, that it only effected expansion directly. Indirectly over the long haul it gets you to the build limit quicker giving you more production, barring some other cap we don't know about. 

Interesting test. Right on.