What are targets?
Targets are a powerful feature in FoxStock that enable intelligent resource management and automated recommendations.
A target is a desired inventory level for a specific item at a specific location (stockpile or network). Targets tell FoxStock how much of each item you want to maintain, which enables the system to:
- Identify stockpiles that need restocking
- Identify stockpiles with excess items
- Generate recommendations for item transfers
- Optimize logistics operations
Think of targets as inventory goals. They define what your ideal stockpile contents should look like, and FoxStock helps you achieve those goals.
Want to see how target achievement is displayed? See our guide on How to use the item display?
Why use targets?
Targets give you and the recommendation system a clear picture of what each location should hold. With targets set, FoxStock can determine what needs to move, where it should come from, where it should go, and how much is required. Instead of reacting to shortages, targets let you define what “healthy” inventory looks like across your network. Officers can express strategic priorities through these values as well.
For example, setting high targets on frontline depots and low or zero targets on distribution hubs. Targets also improve visibility by showing which stockpiles are undersupplied, which are overstocked, and how the overall logistics network is performing.
On stockpile and network pages, especially in Hubs, item quantities will be displayed with color coding to indicate their status relative to targets:
- Green: Above target (healthy stock)
- Yellow: At target (optimal stock)
- Orange: Below target (needs restocking)
- Red: Significantly below target (critical shortage)
Target types
FoxStock supports three kinds of targets: stockpile targets, network-specific targets, and network targets. Each serves a different purpose and offers a different level of control.
Learn more in the dedicated guides for stockpile targets, network targets and network-specific targets.
Stockpile Targets
Deprecation warning: Stockpile targets may be phased out in future updates in favour of more flexible network-specific and network targets. Your feedback on their usage is welcome!
Stockpile targets define how much of a specific item a stockpile should maintain. Officers typically use them to signal to cooks, gatherers, and logistics planners what a location should hold by default. If a stockpile must always contain a fixed amount (such as 300 Basic Materials), this value is best set as a stockpile target or in a dedicated Hub. These targets appear only on the stockpile’s own page and act as its “baseline” requirements.
For most large logistics structures, stockpile targets are not recommended. Few stockpiles have meaningful permanent defaults, and their needs often change based on context. In these cases, broader network-level targets provide better flexibility.
See the stockpile targets guide for more details.
Network-specific targets
Network-specific targets are applied a stockpile to have targets specific to a network. They allow the same stockpile to have different targets depending on the network (hub networks, more specifically) it belongs to. Since Hubs can represent different purposes (BACKLINE, PRODUCTION, or FRONTLINE), a single stockpile may need different quantities of different items depending on how it is being used and where.
For example, a stockpile used by cooks may require 300 Basic Materials when viewed as part of the BACKLINE network, but in a PRODUCTION network, that same stockpile might instead need 120mm shells and no Basic Materials at all. Network-specific targets make this possible by letting officers define targets per stockpile per network.
These targets can be set either from the stockpile page (under Targets, where each network section shows the stockpile’s targets for that network) or from the network page (under Targets, where each stockpile section shows its targets for that network).
See the network-specific targets guide for more details.
Network Targets
Deprecation warning: Network targets may be phased out in future updates in favour of more flexible network-specific and network targets. Your feedback on their usage is welcome!
Network targets apply to the entire network as a whole rather than to individual stockpiles. Instead of specifying targets stockpile by stockpile, you can simply define how much of an item the network should hold in total, regardless of which stockpile provides it. The recommendation system will then treat all stockpiles within the network as one combined pool.
Their usage isn’t as common as stockpile or network-specific targets, but they can be useful for high-level planning or for monitoring. Network targets are ideal when you want to set high-level goals without micromanaging individual locations. They can be configured from the network page under Targets → Entire network.
See the network targets guide for more details.
Flow direction
Flow direction tells the recommendation system how a stockpile or network is expected to behave so that it avoids proposing illogical or backward transfers. It determines whether a location should receive items, send items out, or allow both actions. Setting this correctly is essential to prevent mistakes such as draining a frontline depot or filling a port that should be distributing supplies immediately.
FoxStock provides three flow modes:
- Push Only or Sink (incoming flow) means the system will only bring items into the location, making it ideal for consumption points such as frontline stockpiles or end-destination depots.
- Pull Only or Source (outgoing flow) does the opposite: the system will only take items out of the location, which suits sources like ports, production outputs, and any stockpile intended purely for distribution.
- Push and Pull (default) allows both behaviours and serves as the default; it works well for intermediate depots, transfer hubs, and any stockpile that acts as both a source and a sink depending on circumstances.
Setting flow direction correctly is crucial. If flow direction is incorrect, the system may suggest backwards or highly inefficient movements.
Best practices
- Use network-specific targets whenever possible. They provide the most flexibility and prevent unintended interactions between different parts of your logistics network.
- Prioritize defining targets on Hub networks over other network types. Hubs are the focal points for recommendations and having clear targets there drives better outcomes.
- Set flow direction thoughtfully. Consider the real-world role of each stockpile or network when configuring its flow mode.
- Regularly review and adjust targets. As your logistics needs evolve, so should your targets. Keep them aligned with current strategies and operational realities.
- Avoid overcomplicating with too many targets. Focus on key items and locations that drive your logistics performance.
Recommendation system
Targets are the backbone of the recommendation engine. The system evaluates all targets, compares them with current stock, respects flow direction, and calculates optimal transfers to resolve shortages and avoid excess. It prioritises the most pressing needs and produces clear, actionable suggestions.
To learn more about using recommendations, see Use recommendations and Setup recommendations.
Additional features
As you may have seen on the interface, there are additional buttons we haven’t used nor talked about yet:
- Clear: This one is straightforward. It removes all targets from the current section.
- Copy: This button allows you to copy all targets from the current section. Once copied, you can use the Paste button on another section to paste the copied targets there.
- Paste: This button allows you to paste previously copied targets into the current section.
When you copy targets, your clipboard will receive an array of target objects that you can paste into another section with the “Paste” button, or paste in a notepad or any text editor. The structure of a target object is as follows: { "itemCode": ItemID, "isCrated": boolean, "target": number }.
The ItemID is a unique identifier for the item used by the game engine, isCrated indicates whether the target is for crated items or not, and target is the desired quantity.
- Pull: This button will “pull” all targets of the current section from all other stockpiles. This used in hub networks. By clicking, all other stockpiles within the hub network will receive the same targets as the current stockpile with a quantity of 0. If the receiving stockpiles already have targets for the same items, they will not be overwritten. If the current stockpile has targets that are not crated, the receiving stockpiles will receive targets for both crated and uncrated items both set to 0.
The “Pull” action edits the targets of all stockpiles within the hub network, but does not save them! Do not forget to click the main “Save all” button at the top of the Targets tab to apply all changes made. Do not use the “Save” button as it will only save the active section.