Demand Bar doubt

[finnigan]

And what of the utilization bars? That is what I focus on in my playstyle not the "supply and "demand" bars which i agree with rogue are less objective. I'm trying not to be difficult or to confuse this topic more than it allready is, but if the aformentioed sales unit is indeed empty of blue boxes i.e. "supply" how then is it being utilized at 60-70%??

I also use a 3:4:2 farm system as mentioned in basic layouts and the posted screenshot is dead on to what I use. However, if I find the supply in retail is lagging demand, I add another farm and warehouse/distribution center. That is the reason why there is inventory units in the game, to help streemline production and sales. I strongly feel that 3:4:2 is the best farm layout, because it allows four fully supplied processing units and in turn supplies two sales with as much processed livestock as efficently as possible.

[Cassius]

In my opinion, the bars play an important role because after I have lots of RS, Factories, farms, etc, i mainly concentrate on the bars to optimize my firms and identify any problem.

To me there isn't a link between supply/sales and utilization bars. The utilization bar show me how efective i'm using that unit and in a situation of supply lackage i can have sales unit on my RS with 0% utilization bar (the purchasing unit never gets supplies to sell).

Exoteric show the point where i have doubt. I normally play with 281% difficulty level and use the 3:4:2 configuration (it gives a good utilization bar on the processing units), but i put 2 eggs/ 2 chickens (don't know if i think it right, but i think raising units has limitation by type, making 2 eggs with 3 raising and 2 chicken with 3 raising better than 4 eggs with 3 raising). To me on the situation of the figure, the supply bar musn't be full, the sales bar must be full and the utilization bar can or can't be full, depending of how many purchasing units that sales unit can supply.

[finnigan]

In my opinion, the bars play an important role because after I have lots of RS, Factories, farms, etc, i mainly concentrate on the bars to optimize my firms and identify any problem.

I agree, that's what I use them for too. However, I use all four, the blue boxes, supply bar, demand bar, and the utilization bar linked together to form an opinion whether a unit is performing as it should. I do not agree with rogue that supply showing 100% is false. I did two simplified tests of my own to better understand the linkage.

1. Egg Undersupply.
In this test I'm trying to drive the yellow supply bar down. I built one farm with one raising unit linked to one processing unit linked to one sales unit. Then built two high traffic retail stores both with four purchasing linked to four sales units all selling eggs priced at below cost and local competion.
Result, in retail demand and sales rise to full orange bar, and the yellow supply bar remains constant at 50-60%. At the farm, the sales unit's yellow supply bar also stays constant at 50-60%, orange demand bar is 100% and HERE IS THE INTERESTING PART the utilization bar is at zero and only rises when blue boxes move from processing to sales and out. Showing that when there IS something to sell they get utilized. After awile, I added two more high traffic stores, same layout, both buying eggs from my one farm. The yellow bar in the sales unit at the farm fell even lower staying constant at 20-30%.

2. Egg Oversupply.
In this test I'm trying to keep a full supply of blue boxes in farm sales unit. I built one farm with three raising units linked to three processing units linked to two inventory units and one sales unit. Then build one low trafic retail store, four purchasing units and four sales units selling eggs at small profit margins.
Result. in retail demand and sales rise slowly, the yellow supply is 100%. At the farm, the sales unit's orange demand bar is 30% riseing slowly, supply is 100%. Inventory is filling up to max capacity and again the utilization bars only rise when the blue boxes move from inventory to sales and out. HERE IS THE INTERESTING PART the sales unit does not sit with full blue boxes even though it has two full inventory units from which it can draw from. The sales unit will and does sit with 50% blue boxes for days or weeks at a time.

My conclusion is that even though sometimes there are no blue boxes to see moving through a units sales, if you have a active utilization bar there IS a supply. In my opinion you have to use all four bars as INDICATORS as to what is happening in a unit.

[Felgard]

i think thats what he means why this happens seems to me because the demand bar only updates during the time the unit is active (ie selling stuff) therefore when demand suddenly outstrips the production in a firm that takes a long time between each output the sales unit enters hibernation before the demand bar reaches it top