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As city-building enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the release of Cities: Skylines 2, the sequel to the beloved urban planning masterpiece, the promise of an even more immersive experience is on the horizon.
This follow-up to the iconic city-building game is poised to enhance the already successful game, allowing you to craft your dream metropolis amidst breathtaking new graphics. However, it’s important to note that while these advancements will make your city more visually stunning, they won’t magically alleviate the challenges of managing a bustling metropolis.
In the world of Cities: Skylines, where players embrace the role of mayor and city builder extraordinaire, crafting the perfect metropolis is a thrilling endeavor. Yet, even in this virtual realm, the complexities of urban life rear their head.
Among these challenges is the persistent complaints from commercial zones about “Not enough goods to sell.” This vexing issue has left many players frustrated and may even tempt them to start from scratch. But worry not, this article will help you understand why this happens and provide you with practical solutions to restore harmony to your bustling metropolis.
Why does the “Not Enough Goods to Sell” problem happen?
Cities: Skylines is good at replicating the complexities of urban life, and the “Not Enough Goods to Sell” issue is no exception. Treating your in-game city just like how you would govern a real one is key to understanding why this happens and how to fix this problem.
As its name suggests, “Not Enough Goods to Sell” happens when commercial zones fail to receive supplies to conduct their businesses effectively, thereby impeding their functionality in the game. It must be remembered that even though this issue may sound simple, there are multiple possible causes why it happens.
The problem arises due to several factors like traffic flow, local production, and management policies. It could also mean that your industries are running out of resources to produce goods, or there are not enough ways for industrial zones to reach commercial zones on time. Additionally, residential areas may also be too far away from industrial areas and might even lack proper transportation to handle the travel time of the workforce.
Ways to Fix and Avoid “Not Enough Goods to Sell” problem
Improve The City’s Traffic System
Traffic congestion emerges as a prominent culprit triggering the “Not Enough Goods to Sell” notification, mirroring real-life urban challenges. When delivery trucks face inefficiencies in navigating your city, the timely arrival of goods to commercial zones becomes jeopardized. This issue often stems from insufficient road infrastructure, leading to congested traffic conditions. To effectively address this challenge, consider the following strategies:
- Ensure commercial areas have direct access to main roads or highways. Having access to faster and more efficient roads leads to less travel time. While this is true in concept, without proper planning, heavy traffic congestion may occur and the desired result may backfire.
- Redesign your road network for better flow. Crafting a robust transportation system is pivotal for smooth goods flow between generic industries and commercial sectors. Examine and refine your road layout as needed. Deploy strategies like one-way streets, roundabouts, and bypass routes to enhance traffic fluidity. Positioning your generic industrial zones closer to commercial zones practically reduces the travel time of goods to reach their destination, avoiding heaving traffic congestion. Additionally, locating your residential areas closer to industrial areas increases its productivity by giving the workforce less travel time to reach their workplace.
- In addition to roads, explore the use of cargo trains and ships to move goods within and outside your city. Set up cargo train terminals and harbors near industrial areas for efficient goods transfer.
Focus on the City’s Local Industry
Relying too much on imports can make the issue even more troublesome. If your city doesn’t have its own industries, it relies too much on outside suppliers. In Cities: Skylines, it’s crucial to avoid going overboard with imports. This can create delays, chaos, and even overload cargo transportation like trains and ships, making it tough to meet your city’s demands. To fix this:
- Develop your own generic industrial zones by educating your workforce. Thriving businesses rely on a well-educated workforce. Foster higher education by constructing additional schools, universities, and educational institutions. A knowledgeable populace enhances industrial productivity, leading to increased goods supply for commercial zones.
- Tailor your industrial zones to harness available resources effectively. For instance, allocate areas for agriculture, forestry, ore mining, and oil drilling according to your city’s resource potential.
- Encourage the production of goods within your city to reduce dependence on imports. Boosting local goods production streamlines the supply chain for commercial buildings, ensuring they have ready access to the necessary goods for successful operation.
Balance your Supply and Demand
Similarly to the real world, economic principles play a significant role in Cities: Skylines. To successfully tackle this challenge, it’s essential to grasp the intricate dynamics of supply and demand within your city. When your city lacks local industries, it can lead to a shortage of goods, leaving commercial buildings struggling to stock their shelves. Conversely, an overabundance of goods can trigger a different issue. Keep in mind these following tips:
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- Plan your city’s development and infrastructure carefully to meet future demands. Set a balanced ratio of commercial buildings to generic industries. An excess of commercial zones can strain the supply chain leads to the “Not Enough Goods to Sell” problem. Evaluate your city’s commercial demands, and if needed, reduce commercial zoning densities to achieve equilibrium between goods demand and supply.
- Avoid overcompensating on the supply side. A surplus of goods can lead to excess production, leading to another different issue—the “Not Enough Buyers” problem, where production outpaces consumer demand.
- Regularly monitor your industry. No city can function on its own perfectly, especially without its mayor’s regular supervision and influence. Maintaining a regular monitoring routine for both industrial and commercial areas, addressing issues like traffic congestion, workforce shortages, or infrastructure deficiencies promptly to ensure a smooth goods flow and prevent the “Not Enough Goods to Sell” issue from recurring.
