The city management game IXION starts out with just one sector of the spaceship Tiqqun available. However, administrators will eventually need more space and can open up the other five sectors to get it. Each sector starts out with a load of resources, but to keep things going administrators will need to learn how to transfer resources between sectors automatically. IXION has a basic tutorial on the subject, but it can help to have a more detailed understanding of how things work.
Resource Management
Once the administrator opens at least two sectors, the resource management button at the bottom of the screen will open the Stanford Resource Transfer screen. This screen tracks the game's various resources, specifying how much each sector has in stock and how much it can hold. By checking the "Active" box, administrators can choose a sector to be involved in importing and exporting resources.
The "Desired amount in Sector" sets a minimum number to store in the sector. If the sector is creating resources, they will wait until they reach this number before they export. If the sector is importing, they will stop importing once they hit the number. Administrators can type the number in directly, or they can use the buttons around the number to quickly adjust the figure. Finally, the "Export to Sector" buttons let each sector choose one sector or another to get their exports first.
Population Management
Worker population is another important resource. The Klain Population Management screen lets administrators see the total population of each sector, how much of the population are workers, and how much room each sector's housing offers. Administrators can also transfer crew members between sectors, and like with resource management they can use the buttons or type in a number. They can then use the drop-down menus on the right to say where the crew is coming from and going to.
However, crew transfers take time, and administrators can't specify whether the transfers are workers or non-workers. As such, it's useful to send more crew than a sector needs for every job, and to send them early.
Stockpile Tips
- Each stockpile worker can only move one unit within a sector, but they can move up to five units when exporting to another sector.
- A worker who enters a sector gateway on one road can appear on any road in the next sector. Each sector only needs one road that connects to a gateway to export and import.
- A stockpile can only accept one resource at a time, but it can hold multiple resources. Simply toggle a new resource in the stockpile's menu to make it store something new.
- Resources can only move between stockpiles and other locations, so always build them between the buildings that gather and use them.
Juggling resources between sectors can be stressful, but by setting the right priorities and minimums a good IXION administrator can help each sector specialize without letting any of them run out of workers or food.