Airport Problem

[Valerie.o2005]

So why does the airport require items from factories that I have that still have 16 hours of building time before I can use them but the plane takes off in 14 hours? I have a perfect record with my airport send offs but now I'll lose that because I can't make ice cream and don't have cash to purchase the township cash to speed up the building. Seems like a huge flaw or obvious money grab for me to keep my record. Perhaps the build times should be shortened or the airport could better sense when the factories are actually useable.

[Alex Croson]

Without having more detail, to me this signifies that you may be focusing too much on fulfilling heli and plane orders vs. trains. Trains provide the building materials needed to finish a community building. A community building (CB) cannot be bought until enough population is reached and population is built through purchase of houses which are unlocked through completion of CB's. So they're all tied together you see. I didn't realize this until I was pretty far into the game (saw that other players at same level as me had a much higher pop) and now am trying to catch up and build more CB's so that I can build the factories that I need according to the level I am at even though game says I cannot purchase them yet as my pop. is not big enough since I don't have all of the necessary CB's built. It is a vicious circle but once recognized can be worked with. If I was to start over I would focus on my trains and not just on sending heli orders and making as many coins as possible, or in your case, not focus so much on airplanes and work on expanding town through CB's and houses to unlock the needed factories.

[Garvamatic]

So why does the airport require items from factories that I have that still have 16 hours of building time before I can use them but the plane takes off in 14 hours? I have a perfect record with my airport send offs but now I'll lose that because I can't make ice cream and don't have cash to purchase the township cash to speed up the building. Seems like a huge flaw or obvious money grab for me to keep my record. Perhaps the build times should be shortened or the airport could better sense when the factories are actually useable.

First off ask for help on the ice cream crates, and your friends list and total strangers may wander by and fill them for you.

But if that doesn't work and You have already passed the 15 planes in a row achievement you won't lose anything by sending this plane only partially full or even completely empty. I used to dread having a plane I couldn't fill, but now I send them away empty if they look like more trouble than they are worth.

Township: Pixelsticks

[Graylady]

Without having more detail, to me this signifies that you may be focusing too much on fulfilling heli and plane orders vs. trains. Trains provide the building materials needed to finish a community building. A community building (CB) cannot be bought until enough population is reached and population is built through purchase of houses which are unlocked through completion of CB's. So they're all tied together you see. I didn't realize this until I was pretty far into the game (saw that other players at same level as me had a much higher pop) and now am trying to catch up and build more CB's so that I can build the factories that I need according to the level I am at even though game says I cannot purchase them yet as my pop. is not big enough since I don't have all of the necessary CB's built. It is a vicious circle but once recognized can be worked with. If I was to start over I would focus on my trains and not just on sending heli orders and making as many coins as possible, or in your case, not focus so much on airplanes and work on expanding town through CB's and houses to unlock the needed factories.

Sorry Alex, but the problem has nothing to do with community building or materials. The problem is an unfinished factory which do not need building material.

[Laurel Cove]

Hi Valerie! Once you complete the reliable wings achievement, having a perfect record for your airport will serve you no purpose. I routinely send off empty planes ...several times a day...that aren't practical to fill. Once you reach the level where you can build a certain factory, you will start to see requests for items from that factory, even if you haven't built it yet. I am able to build the doll factory but have chosen not to. I get requests for dolls all the time with planes and heli orders. I handle it one of 3 ways...trash the order or use the market to fill or ask for help. I know it can be frustrating, but it will get easier as you move up.

[2crazy4u]

Laurel, you get better rewards if you actually fill your planes every time.

I am curious though. Why bother sending an empty plane at all?

[Laurel Cove]

Laurel, you get better rewards if you actually fill your planes every time.

I am curious though. Why bother sending an empty plane at all?

I haven't noticed a difference in rewards by filling my plane every time. I have received better rewards by sending planes faster. I send empty planes because I'll get a new plane faster. For example, a plane arrives and I will decided if I am going to fill it. If I choose not to fill it and send it off right away, I get a new plane in 4 hours (I think that's the time span between planes). If I just ignore the plane, it will sit on the runway for 14 or so hours before flying off empty and I still have to wait 4 hours before the next plane arrives. I usually focus on planes that have only 6 crates to fill rather than nine and that only ask for a reasonable amount of items. No, I am not filling an order asking for 24 boxes of popcorn. I also don't send partially filled planes...it's either all or nothing for me.

[Stacy Anderson]

Sending an empty plane means that I will get another one more quickly. Hopefully one which is easier to fill. When my planes start asking for ridiculous amounts of items I will send them off empty until I get better plane requests. I never have to send off more than two empty planes in a row before I get more practical plane requests. Ignoring them will do the same but then I have to wait 15 hours to see if I get a better plane request. That is impractical especially if I am filling planes for my regatta.

[Alex Croson]

Sorry Alex, but the problem has nothing to do with community building or materials. The problem is an unfinished factory which do not need building material.

I understand building materials are not needed to complete factories, however, the factory cannot even be purchased until the appropriate population level is reached. Population is increased through the purchase of houses, those houses are unlocked through the building of CB's, which in turn unlocks factories. They are all tied together. As I explained in my original post, when I first started the game I didn't fully understand how it all worked and placed unnecessary importance on heli orders to gain coins not realizing that I needed to be focusing on my trains too if not more so, so as to get more materials - to build more CB's - to buy more houses - to unlock more factories. Phew that last sentence was a mouthful! LOL Valerie seems to be at the level in the game where the ice cream factory is unlocked but it hasn't finished building time yet so its sort of like cart before the horse for her since plane is requesting ice cream. Laurel touches on this as well, except she is purposely not building the doll factory; "Once you reach the level where you can build a certain factory, you will start to see requests for items from that factory, even if you haven't built it yet.". Unless Valerie built the ice cream factory instantly after leveling up the game is technically doing what it is supposed to do. I'm sure there is some sort of algorithm behind the plane orders to ensure the needed products aren't those that cannot possibly be made, at least one would hope.

[2crazy4u]

If you send a plane empty, what do you get?
If I send it full I get:
Coins for the 1st row
Coins for the 2nd row
Materials, gems and coins/cash for the 3rd row
For each row you fill you also get travel points - which are just for bragging rights.

My understanding is you get nothing if you send the plane empty.

But why would you let it sit empty? I spend the 5 hours until the next plane to start making the things it needs, even if I already have them so that I can still have some left when the plane is sent.