Does this work for Challenges (e.g. Techs are autmatically researched when enough Alloys are available)?

All the auto stuff should work for challenges, so it will auto smelt on challenges. I dont think there is an auto tech upgrade yet, so the techs themselves will not be unlocked.

Yes auto-smelt works in challenges and battles. My only concern with it is it actually does what it says it does. Meaning it changes the recipe when the resources have run out. Meaning (again) you have to start a smelter or crafter manually. And that is a problem in challenges because it never starts therefore it can never run out of resources so it does not produce anything.

If tehs do not upgrade, what do you need alloys for in challenge?

Sell the stuff and upgrade army camps.

@Nemo - Techs can be upgraded in challenges. You just have to click them and choose upgrade manually.

Techs can be upgraded in challenges. You just have to click them and choose upgrade manually.

Do you know how to start smelters then?

Playing challenges on Android, I cannot upgrade tech (got the alloys from resource caches), is there an advancement I have to purchase?
Also, I cannot start my smelters.
Are you sure you can use smelters/techs in challenges?

Do you know how to start smelters then?

With the auto smelt advancement

@DJ Storm, can you see the smelter tab and just can't click the button? I have no problems starting smelters/crafters from android. They do take up an "action" and so you have to wait a few seconds each time.

Folks, he's talking about the CHALLENGE LEVELS (ChL), not WZIB.

You can't take any manual actions whatsoever in ChL. Think this is oversight tbh. If you can't start it, you can't auto-switch it ... so the biggest use case for the AP Adv which some be ChL, isn't.

Actually I shall modify my statement: auto-smelt is useless in ChL.

Because:
(1) You can't auto-sell alloys
(2) You can't auto-upgrade Techs

So smelting alloys gets you nothing. You get neither money nor Techs for it, so there's no point in making bars at all.

Edited 12/7/2020 16:15:53

If you can't start it, you can't auto-switch it ... so the biggest use case for the AP Adv which some be ChL, isn't.

I suppose the big idea behind auto advancements is to make normal levels easier, but I doubt the time saved will compensate for the AP spend. An upgrade like more or cheaper mercs is probably more AP efficient.

If a smelter or crafter is unable to work due to lack of resources, 120 minutes later it will auto change its recipe to the most expensive recipe it can work on.

Its kinda silly it needs to lack resources to work, rather than just be unable to work (either lack of resources or no recipe set)

Its kinda silly it needs to lack resources to work, rather than just be unable to work (either lack of resources or no recipe set)

The problem with this AP Adv is that it needs some mechanism of control currently not present. You're right that it should be able to start on its own, not wait for an insufficiency - but it also needs some kind of "stop" criteria, or "don't progress to this" criteria, to avoid completely consuming valuable resources needed for other purposes.

Auto-Smelt
If a smelter or crafter is unable to work due to lack of resources, 120 minutes later this will automatically change its recipe to the most expensive recipe that it can work on. Upgradable to 10 minutes in -10 increments. Can be enabled or disabled at will.

So for example if you're saving up for Gold bars with needs Tin ore, or Titanium bars that needs Silver ore, or Thorium bars which need Zinc orc (and same for Chromium/Neodymium/Samarium/Lanthanum/Unobtanium/etc) which each need more of the 'cheaper' ore than the native alloy bar itself, could be starved to never complete if the "most expensive recipe" uses up all the ore.

So let's say you try to create a Titanium bar, and you have 4 hrs Idle time, and you calculate that in 3 hrs, you'll have enough Titanium ore, so when you come back in 4 hrs, you'll have a Titanium bar. Auto-smelt will actually kick in after 120 mins of not having enough Titanium ore, and could start smelting Silver bars (if it's the most expensive bar you're able to smelt) and use up all the silver ore. Thus, you'll never make Titanium in this case, and having spent AP for Auto-smelting could actually hamper your play. And "upgrading" this AP Adv just moves this danger forward in time, so bad things could start happening in less than 120 mins of starved smelters.

@krinid

I guess the auto-smelt/craft advancement concept was created/implemented when this WZI game was still just a newborn baby and has not been touched since. If I remember correctly in the early days the most valuable ore was gold and that was it. It needs reworking. It is still useful in battles though.

Funny thing is that the wiki page about Challenges
https://www.warzone.com/wiki/Challenge_Levels
implies smelters/crafters should be working. The text was edited in mid August the last time so maybe in that time they somehow worked. I do not know because I did not own that advancement then.

By the way why are there any techs in CHL if they are unobtainable?
Maybe when I get to see the advancements from phase 3 and 4 the previous question will be answered.

By the way why are there any techs in CHL if they are unobtainable?

since CHL are just an addition to WZI, using the same base engine, which gives you the exact same features you have in normal levels (you just cant interact with them).

By the way why are there any techs in CHL if they are unobtainable?
since CHL are just an addition to WZI, using the same base engine, which gives you the exact same features you have in normal levels (you just cant interact with them).

Can't interact with them ... yet. All that's required is an "auto-tech upgrade" AP adv in phase 4 (don't think anyone has unlocked it yet) or a net new addition to another phase, and those Techs suddenly become relevant.

Actually already even in phase 3, I think there is an AP Adv after upgraded that gets you 1 Tech for free - but I think it's only Drafting right now which will give you 0 zero benefit in ChL (currently) but once that or another AP Adv is expanded to enable the other Techs to auto-upgrade in some manner, and this facet will be opened up.

Before unlocking level 2 advancements, I was expecting auto smelt to work like this:
1. Smelter temporarily runs out of resources and is idle -> smelter smelts another alloy (the most expensive is OK) -> smelter checks to see if original resources replenished and switch back to it.
-OR-
2. Set smelter to work 2 recipes (upgradable to more). Smelter auto switches between selected recipes, based on resource availability.

The current implementation is not worth pursuing for me.
Scenario I was looking for auto help: two smelters, three recipes (copper, tin and iron). Copper supply is enough to keep 1 smelter busy, tin supply keeps 1 smelter 60% busy, iron 40%. Micromanaging is needed to keep both smelters busy. Currently auto smelt doesn't help, since the second smelter will be idle only for a few seconds after every bar, and will never switch.