History Main / ApocalypticLogistics

-->-- ''Plan 7 of 9 from Outer Space''

* In ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'' the characters have no real problem getting cars. Food's surprisingly abundant (unless it's [[RunningGag twinkies]],) and even electricity's shown to be pretty easy to rig (at one point they're able to power up an entire theme park and at another they just chill for a bit watching [=HD-DVDs=] in Creator/BillMurray's luxury Hollywood mansion.) Possibly justified in that the survivors we follow are well established as being CrazyPrepared.
** Borders on a CozyCatastrophe, seeing as how the power grid is still up and active almost everywhere they go. Entire city blocks and shopping centers are still powered, which doesn't pass the sanity test for the "must be backup generators" idea.

* As in Literature above, this is addressed in the 1980s ''Literature/TheDayOfTheTriffids'' TV series. Coker says they've got to remember not only how to use and build things, but also how to find and shape the materials used to make them.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
** Ammo and pre-war guns, while rusted out and not in the best of condition, are still common enough to be in the hands of most {{mooks}} and available in many shops. Even more complex energy weapons are still a relatively common find. Despite being over 200 years since the bombs fell, pre-war supplies can still be found in abundance in ruined buildings, in areas with beings that would have had found them and used them long before the game even started. The larger factions have their own manufacturing capabilities, justifying this to some extent, but they (barring the New California Republic and its affiliates, which by the time of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' encompasses California and some areas beyond) have far more resources to produce new supplies than they realistically should, and there are still a lot more usable items just lying around than there should be.
** Actually inverted in another way. If it's been two hundred years since the war, why is most everyone still living in [[ScavengedPunk buildings made of corrugated metal and other junk salvaged from the ruins]], instead of quarrying some stone or finding a pre-war clay pit to make bricks?
*** Why bother with that when you've got plenty of usable material already?
*** A quarry does serve as a side-plot in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the NCR was using the limestone to make fortifications along the Colorado River and The Courier can choose to help get it running again.

* ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', depicts the breakdown of a dystopian near-future America and the struggles of classing successor states based on differing political and cultural ideologies, and is more brutally honest than many such stories about how disastrous such a scenario would be for most of the population. It gets bad enough ''early'' on that one government has to not merely ration, but requisition ''all'' fuel oil and gas for military use. With the basic food supply itself precarious, even senior military figures make sure to have their own farms for private use.

In many cases, this trope is an AcceptableBreakFromReality, as the inclusion of segments purely dedicated to resource gathering and production would considerably slow the pacing of the story, unless the main focus of the work is to look at the hardships people in the aftermath face in getting modern necessities. Can be {{Handwaved}} by having it happen off-screen, or allowing the characters access to an untouched remnant of civilization. Can be justified in the early years of ThePlague stories, in which the population was decimated enough to keep the infrastructure intact, along with any supplies therein. Of course, production of new resources would be another matter.

->''"Gangs roamed the streets like characters in a [[Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior Road Warrior]] rip-off, [[RealityEnsues only to discover it was impossible]] to maintain their gas-guzzling vehicles without a massive support infrastructure."''

-->-- ''Literature/Plan7Of9FromOuterSpace''

However, AfterTheEnd, the loss of the infrastructure that allows for all of this seems to be only an inconvenience for the characters, rather than the huge game changer it would be. While vehicles, weapons, and other goods tend to be [[UsedFuture rusted out]] and made [[ScavengerWorld from all sorts of scrap]], they are only marginally less effective than their pre-apocalypse counter-parts, and finding the resources to maintain them is only a mild inconvenience at worst, or not even a thought at best. Sometimes, the work will even ignore the rusted out part, and pre-apocalypse goods will look no worse for wear than they were before the bombs fell and the dead rose from their graves. [[ArchaeologicalArmsRace Simply digging them out might even be the key to victory]]. This can be even more jarring if the work is set ''generations'' after the fall, and the world is still at rock-bottom, yet finding [[RagnarokProofing functional pre-apocalypse goods]] isn't too much of a hassle, and/or making post-apocalypse equivalents still isn't that difficult, nor are they that worse off compared to the former.

* This would be zig-zagged. [[http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/31/does-gas-go-bad/ Gasoline would go bad before the year is up]], yet canned food would still be edible for many years. However, after ten to fifteen years, this would be on a can-to-can basis depending on the state of ''each individual can''. Some will hold up well, others not - even cans coming from the same factory and same batch. Things made up of stainless steel, glass, and plastic would remain intact (perhaps even usable) for a long time as well. Depending on how long it has been after the end, and the population levels before and after, availability of resources might not be that bad at first. However, the ''production'' and ''transportation'' of said things would be an entirely different matter. So you can expect in a largely depopulated world from a non-physically-destructive apocalypse like a virus, there should be supplies for a small band of 100 survivors to eat comfortably and have necessary medications and vitamins for five years or so in an urban environment. Humans are social animals, so really the only people looting and pillaging actual settlements of people would be those pushed to desperation; very few would do it ForTheEvulz as fiction would have us believe.

* ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', written by professional military theorist William Lind, depicts the breakdown of a dystopian near-future America and the struggles of an emerging successor state, and is more brutally honest than many such stories about how disastrous such a scenario would be for most of the population. It gets bad enough ''early'' on that the government has to not merely ration, but requisition ''all'' fuel oil and gas for military use. With the basic food supply itself precarious, even senior military figures make sure to have their own farms for private use.

->''"Gangs roamed the streets like characters in a [[Film/MadMax Road Warrior]] rip-off, [[RealityEnsues only to discover it was impossible]] to maintain their gas-guzzling vehicles without a massive support infrastructure."''

* The post-apocalyptic setting of ''[[NexusWar Nexus Clash]]'' still has food, fuel and ammo that can be scavenged after years of being looted by other player-character scavengers. Possibly justified since there are a few hundred to a few thousand at most player characters, scavenging goods from cities that according to the lore once housed millions. Some players roleplay out the scarcity of goods anyway.

In many cases, an AcceptableBreakFromReality, because unless the main focus of the work is to look at the hardships the people in the aftermath face in getting modern necessities; it would be quite slowing on the pacing of the story to have to have segments that simply feature resource gathering and production. Can be {{Handwaved}} in having it happen off-screen, or having the characters have access to an untouched remnant of civilization. Can be justified in the early years of ThePlague stories, in which the population was decimated enough to keep the infrastructure intact, along with any supplies therein. Of course, production of new resources would be another matter.

Compare and contrast with ScavengerWorld. Compare with ApocalypseNot. Sister tropes to CosyCatastrophe, as the ability to enjoy the now empty planet would involve not having to worry about obtaining resources to live, however, unlike [=CC=], this trope isn't necessarily enjoyable for the characters.

In RealLife, a lot is needed to produce, distribute, and maintain much of what we take for granted. Cars need someone to mine and process the materials for the parts, someone to pump the oil, and so on. Guns need someone to produce the weapon materials, ammo, and someone to put it together. Refined foods need a large base in order to be accessible to a large number of people. Even an object simple as a wooden ''pencil'' needs all sorts of industry and resources to bring it together. (Someone has to get the wood, someone has to mine or manufacture the graphite, someone has to get the rubber for the eraser, etc.) And of course for all of these, someone needs to ship the finished product from one end of the world to another.

->''"Gangs roamed the streets like characters in a [[Film/MadMax Road Warrior]] rip-off, only to discover it was impossible to maintain their gas-guzzling vehicles without a massive support infrastructure."''

** Discussed in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' where the People Eater complains that Immortan Joe has wasted so many resources, especially fuel, on the pursuit that makes up the plot of the movie. Interestingly, the film averts most of this trope, with the Citadel producing water, food and milk, an active refinery at Gas Town (and a large ''mobile refinery'' used in the pursuit) and a presumably active ammunition factory at the Bullet Farm.

** Ammo and pre-war guns, while rusted out and not in the best of condition, are still common enough to be in the hands of most {{mooks}} and available in many shops. Even more complex energy weapons are still a relatively common find. Despite being over 200 years since the bombs fell, pre-war supplies can still be found in abundance in ruined buildings, in areas with beings that would have had found them and used them long before the game even started. The larger factions have their own manufacturing capabilities, justifying this to some extent, but they (barring the New California Republic and its affiliates, which by the time of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' encompasses California and some areas beyond) have far more resources to produce new supplies than they realistically should, and there are still a lot more useable items just lying around than there should be.

** ''Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior'' and ''Film/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome'': The whole premise behind the films is the collapse of civilization brought on by PostPeakOil, yet one character flies a plane, and some other characters are seen driving cars (that are not powered by methane.) However, more care is taken to avoid this trope than many later imitations:

* ''{{VideoGame/Metro2033}}'' and ''VideoGame/MetroLastLight''. While pre-war ammo is now a currency, and weapons are largely cobbled together from spare parts, in both games there are enough resources to cobble together fully functional train cars that are ''self-propelled''. Though most trains are also shown to be handcars, while the few self-propelled ones belong to one of the three major factions in the Metro. In one level the Rangers ride on a train that is explicitly shown to be fueled by wood. While the fuel could be justified in being methane from pigs, or vodka from mushrooms no remarks are given as to how it would be refined and put to use in vehicles. Weapon mods are also readily available and used quite a bit by {{mooks}} in ''Last Light'', although since the game takes places in and around military installations after the Third World War, could be justified as coming from military stock.

-->-- ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace''

* ''Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior'' and ''Film/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome'': The whole premise behind the films is the collapse of civilization brought on by PostPeakOil, yet one character flies a plane, and some other characters are seen driving cars (that are not powered by methane.) However, more care is taken to avoid this trope than many later imitations:

* ''Series/{{Jeremiah}}''. Crops up a few times. In an early episode, the characters briefly talk about how 'farming' is starting up again 'down south.' Not mechanized and industrial farming surely. Nor would such farms be of any use to Jeremiah or his friends as there is no transportation system, or systems of any kind period to transport food in any event. In the second season, Jeremiah meets a man whose life ambition is to be a 'baker.' Needless to say, any bakeries he came across equipment would all be electrically powered (no grid,) rusted, and seized, and it's never discussed where the wheat (flour,) yeast, clean water, sugar, salt, etc. would come from to supply his would-be bakery. Even worse, there is no formal 'economy' of any kind, besides barter and salvage in the town he lives in-no money and everyone is still more or less permanently hungry. If he did manage to overcome the (many) logistical hurdles, his fellow townspeople would likely simply rob him of all his food and not feel bad about it later.
** The second season did mention the revival of regional trade routes, as well as law and order on the community level.

* ''{{VideoGame/Metro2033}}'' and ''VideoGame/MetroLastLight''. While pre-war ammo is now a currency, and weapons are largely cobbled together from spare parts, in both games there are enough resources to cobble together fully functional tanks, and train cars that are ''self-propelled''. While the fuel could be justified in being methane from pigs, or vodka from mushrooms no remarks are given as to how it would be refined and put to use in vehicles. Weapon mods are also readily available and used quite a bit by {{mooks}} in ''Last Light'', although since the game takes places in and around military installations after the Third World War, could be justified as coming from military stock.
** It should be noted that these "tanks" are basically just railcars with welded metal plates, armed with a machine gun and a makeshift cannon. Most trains are also shown to be handcars, while the few self-propelled ones belong to one of the three major factions in the Metro. In one level the Rangers ride on a train that is explicitly shown to be fueled by wood.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'': Ammo and pre-war guns, while rusted out and not in the best of condition, are still common enough to be in the hands of most {{mooks}} and available in many shops. Even more complex energy weapons are still a relatively common find. Despite being over 200 years since the bombs fell, pre-war supplies can still be found in abundance in ruined buildings, in areas with beings that would have had found them and used them long before the game even started. The larger factions have their own manufacturing capabilities, justifying this to some extent, but they (barring the New California Republic and its affiliates, which by the time of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' encompasses California and some areas beyond) have far more resources to produce new supplies than they realistically should, and there are still a lot more useable items just lying around than there should be.

* This would be zig-zagged. [[http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/31/does-gas-go-bad/ Gasoline would go bad before the year is up]], yet canned food would still be edible for many years[[note]]however after ten to fifteen years, this would be on a can-to-can basis depending on the state of ''each individual can'' some will hold up well, others not - even cans coming from the same factory and same batch.[[/note]]. Things made up of stainless steel, glass, and plastic would remain intact (perhaps even usable) for a long time as well. Depending on how long it has been after the end, and the population levels before and after, availability of resources might not be that bad at first. However, the ''production'' and ''transportation'' of said things would be an entirely different matter. So you can expect in a largely depopulated world from a non-physically-destructive apocalypse like a virus, there should be supplies for a small band of 100 survivors to eat comfortably and have necessary medications and vitamins for five years or so in an urban environment. Humans are social animals, so really the only people looting and pillaging actual settlements of people would be those pushed to desperation; very few would do it ForTheEvulz as fiction would have us believe.

* ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Days of Ruin]]'' states that most of the human population was killed off in the Apocalypse, and the earth itself is mostly just a barren wasteland full of destruction and desolation. However, there's still plenty of machine tool factories and workers who know how to build tanks and artillery, and train infantry for battle. Granted, the story takes place in two former military superpowers who had just spent decades at war with each other.

** It should be noted that these "tanks" are basically just railcars with metal welded on as armor and mounted machine guns as weapons. Most trains are also shown to be handcars, while the few self-propelled ones belong to one of the three major factions in the Metro. In one level the Rangers ride on a train that is explicitly shown to be fueled by wood.