In Frostpunk, sometimes players encounter the message "Storage Limit Reached," which can be confusing, especially for newcomers. This guide aims to clarify why this happens and how to resolve it. The information is gathered from various Reddit threads and Steam community discussions.

The "Storage Limit Reached" message usually appears when you have structures like Coal Thumpers, which produce resources that need to be collected. These structures create piles of resources like coal, wood, or steel. If these piles are not collected, they reach their maximum storage limit, and the structure stops producing more resources.

Reasons for Storage Limit Reached

1. Inadequate Number of Gathering Posts: If you have fewer Gathering Posts than needed, the Coal Thumpers will produce coal faster than it can be collected, leading to storage limits being reached.
2. Poor Placement: If Gathering Posts are not within the operational range of Coal Thumpers, they won't be able to collect the coal piles, causing a halt in production.
3. Understaffing: Not having enough workers in either the Coal Thumpers or the Gathering Posts can also lead to inefficiencies and storage limits being reached.

Coal Thumpers and Gathering Posts Relationship

In Frostpunk, Coal Thumpers are specialized buildings designed to extract coal from the ground. They do not mine coal directly but instead create coal piles around them. These coal piles are the primary source of coal that needs to be collected by your citizens or gathering posts.

Gathering Posts are buildings where workers collect resources like coal, wood, and steel. They are essential for collecting the coal piles generated by Coal Thumpers. A single Gathering Post can employ a certain number of workers and has a specific range within which it can collect resources.

Solution

A single Coal Thumper typically requires a minimum of two Gathering Posts to keep up with its output. If your Coal Thumper is upgraded or you have more than one Thumper, you'll need even more Gathering Posts to prevent hitting storage limits.

If you're struggling with the "Storage Limit Reached" issue, have 4 Gathering Posts near every Coal Thumper with 10 workers staffed. Use Extended Shift to increase gathering from 8:00-18:00 (10 hours) to 06:00-20:00 (14 hours) to maximize coal gathering from your Gathering Posts.

The efficiency of your coal production is highly dependent on the symbiotic relationship between Coal Thumpers and Gathering Posts. Here's how they interact:

1. Coal Pile Generation: Coal Thumpers generate coal piles around them. Each coal pile has a maximum storage limit, often capped at 500 for regular Coal Thumpers and 1000 for Steam Coal Thumpers.
2. Resource Collection: Gathering Posts are responsible for collecting these coal piles. If the coal piles reach their maximum limit and are not collected, the Coal Thumper will stop producing more coal, triggering the "Storage Limit Reached" message.
3. Optimal Ratios: One regular Coal Thumper usually requires two Gathering Posts to keep the coal flowing efficiently. For Steam Coal Thumpers, you would need four Gathering Posts.
4. Placement: The Gathering Posts need to be strategically placed near the Coal Thumpers and within their operational range to ensure efficient collection.
5. Workforce: Both Coal Thumpers and Gathering Posts need to be adequately staffed. Understaffing can lead to inefficiencies and may result in reaching storage limits.