Field Manual

Tips & Troubleshooting

Something's not working and the customers are getting loud. Find your symptom below. The game also watches for these problems: if one lasts a few days you'll get an [ADVISORY] hint, and if it drags on, a fuller explanation.

Supply problems

A customer is connected but arriving just short

That's distance. Every conduit loses 0.2 mana per hex, so 15 mana sent down a 10-hex line arrives as 13. Send surplus rather than exact amounts, shorten the route, or put a Relay Station on it: a leg ending at a relay loses nothing.

Conduits lose 0.2 per hex. Branches need surplus, not exact amounts.

[ADVISORY] hint

My source makes 30 mana but only 15 is going anywhere

A basic conduit carries 15 mana. A source with one conduit wastes the other half. Give it a second conduit, or upgrade the one it has to carry 30.

I can't draw a third conduit from a source

Sources feed at most two conduits. Run one of them to a Splitter and branch from there.

The big customer is short but the small one has extra

Splits are always even, whatever each building needs. A Splitter sends half each way even if one side needs 10 mana and the other needs 3. Give big consumers their own conduit, or rearrange branches so the shares line up with demand.

Nothing on the map produces the type I need

Make it. A Transformer converts one type into another (see the conversion chart), and hybrids produce gas or fire when they're fed.

A hybrid stopped producing

Hybrids only produce while all of their own needs are met. Hover over it to see which input is short. A Battery downstream can cover a hybrid's occasional hiccups.

The game won't let me connect a conduit to a customer

Every conduit must end at a customer that uses what it carries. Dispatch tells you which rule you hit:

• [GRID.TYPE] … doesn't use … energy. The customer doesn't need that type at all.
• [MIXED] … doesn't use both … A raw line from a mixed source needs a customer that uses both of its types. Filter it at the source instead.
• [MERGED] … doesn't use both … The same rule for a conduit leaving a merging Splitter.

A conduit's tooltip says "Destination doesn't use …"

The conduit is delivering nothing. This happens when you change what flows into an existing line, usually by cycling a Transformer or Filter upstream, and the customer at the end doesn't use the new type. Cycle back, or tear the line down and reroute.

"Raw mixed energy can't go into components"

Lines straight out of a mixed source carry two types and can't feed a Relay, Splitter, Transformer or Battery. Put a Filter on the hex next to the source to send out a single type, then route that wherever you like.

My Transformer isn't putting anything out

Not every type converts to every other. If you see [TRANSFORMER] No conversion path, the output you picked can't be made from that input and everything sent in is lost. Shift+Click it to cycle to a type that works.

My Transformer skipped a type, or "can't switch"

Cycling a Transformer or Filter skips any type that would meet a different type at a Splitter further down the line, because that would quietly turn the Splitter into a merge. The notice names the type and what the Splitter is already carrying. See merged conduits.

My Splitter won't take a second type

• Conduit upgrades aren't available in this operation. A merged conduit is always upgraded, so merging only works once upgrades are unlocked.
• Two energy types only merge into an upgraded conduit. Upgrading the Splitter's output would take you past your credit limit.
• A Splitter that splits can't also merge two types. Remove one of its two outputs first.
• … doesn't use both … The Splitter's output already runs to a customer that doesn't need both types.

My Battery isn't helping

• The supply is steady. A Battery only pays out when its input drops below its usual level, or stops. On a steady line it just banks charge.
• It's empty. A new Battery starts at zero and banks 30% of what passes through each day. Give it time to charge before you need it.
• The drop is permanent. A Battery covers a lasting drop for a few days, then treats the lower input as normal. Fix the supply itself.

Hover over the Battery to see its charge, its usual input, and whether it's banking or covering.

Money problems

I'm losing money every day

• Angry and Furious customers pay nothing, and each Furious one costs 50gc per day on top. Fix them first.
• Upkeep adds up. Every component charges daily. Remove ones you no longer need; you'll get the full price back.
• Partial supply means partial pay. A customer at half supply pays half.

How far into debt can I go?

Down to the credit limit shown in the briefing. You can keep building on credit until then, but if your balance reaches the limit the operation ends on the spot. Don't spend right up to it: upkeep and penalties can push you over without you building anything.

Enchanted Flames isn't giving me any extra fire

The boost is real, but basic conduits are capped at 15 mana. A boosted Fire Geyser making 36 still sends 15 down each of its two basic conduits. Upgrade them to carry the extra.

Winning problems

The win timer keeps resetting

The streak needs every customer fully supplied and Content on the same days. One Annoyed customer, or one that's a fraction short, sets it back to zero. Common culprits:

• A new customer just came online and isn't connected yet. Customers keep arriving every 5 days until they've all appeared.
• An eruption knocked a line down for a day.
• A customer is Content but receiving slightly less than its need. Hover over it and look for !! next to a type.

Everyone's happy but the operation won't end

More customers may still be on their way; you can't win until they've all appeared and been supplied. Check the goal at the top of the screen, too. Some operations need a streak of several days, and some later ones add extra conditions listed in the briefing.

My lines keep erupting

• Keep fire and gas at least two hexes apart, and earth and fire too if the eruptions bother you more than the Forge bonus helps.
• Never run a raw Flare Pit line or a merged fire + gas line any distance; every hex is a separate roll.
• Filter one side so it's insulated, or upgrade the exposed lines to halve the loss.
• Check your Dwarven Forges. A fed Forge has Magma Vents and an Explosion Risk on its own hex.
• Put a Battery on lines that must never dip. It covers an eruption from its charge.

General strategy

• Pause to plan. You can build while paused. Lay out a whole network before the clock starts.
• Hover over everything. Tooltips show exactly what each conduit is delivering, what it's losing to distance, and what each customer is short.
• Fix frustration early. Frustration falls only 3 per day once a customer is fully supplied. A Furious customer takes weeks to calm down.
• Save for latecomers. Customers keep appearing every 5 days. Keep budget in reserve and leave room in your routes.
• Mind the touchy ones. Wizard Academies and Dragon Lairs sour fast. Feed them first and with surplus.
• Put good interactions to work. Earth + water near a Farming Village, or a few separate earth + gas crossings, are free money. Passive income pays once per separate crossing, so several short crossings beat one long one.
• Merge where space is tight. A merged conduit carries two types to one customer on a single trunk. Pick a pair that doesn't react badly.
• Tear up and redo. Everything you build refunds in full. Experiment freely.

Saves and bug reports

Where are my saves?

Careers are saved in the game's save folder. In-progress operations go in a saves folder inside it.

The game autosaves every 5 days by default, when you press F1, and when you quit. A failed operation is saved as failed, so quitting won't undo it.

Can I play on more than one computer?

Yes. Steam Cloud syncs your careers. If you've played on two machines, Steam may ask once which copy to keep. Operations in progress stay on the machine you were playing on, so finish or save out of an operation before you switch.

The game crashed

The game writes two files to the save folder that help track down the problem: a crash_<date>.txt report and a session log, agw.log. Please attach both when you report a bug.