Storage and resources

Gather what you need

Use Architect > Orders to chop trees, mine rock and harvest plants. Mature trees yield wood; ore yields resources such as steel or jade. Stone chunks can be cut into blocks at a stonecutter.

A designation asks a colonist to do the work. It does not immediately create the item. Enable the appropriate work and leave access to the target.

Set up a stockpile

1. Paint a Stockpile zone near where supplies will be used.
2. Select the zone and configure which items it accepts.
3. Enable Haul work.
4. Leave empty storage cells, or room in compatible stacks, and a route to them.

Haulers consolidate matching stacks and can collect nearby items on the same trip. A full or filtered stockpile cannot receive everything. Clicking the same cell again cycles through its contents, including the zone under items or floors.

Select the stockpile to edit its accepted items and Priority. Higher-priority storage is filled before lower-priority storage. View full screenshot

Protect supplies

Store vulnerable items under a roof. Rain accelerates deterioration outdoors; clothing and weapons also wear through use. Food ages wherever it lies: putting old food in a new stack or carrying it does not make it fresh.

Build a freezer for perishable food. Keep animal feed accessible within the animal area. Keep medicine close to patients and production ingredients close to their workstations.

Select the food itself to check its condition. Frozen confirms that this meal is cold enough to stop rotting; a stockpile alone does not preserve it. View full screenshot

Forbid and allow

A forbidden item is left alone by normal jobs. Check its state if an ingredient or weapon seems to be ignored. Group selection lets you apply actions to several matching things.

Reuse materials

Deconstruction returns part of building costs. At a tailoring bench, unravelling can reclaim textiles; an electric smelter recovers steel from suitable gear. These use bills and filters. See production and the recipe catalog.