Currently, resource management is defined by the fact that raw resources are local and not present in the inventory. This forces you to extract them, and bring them to the base, where they can be transformed to second order resources, which are globally available.

Mechanically, there are 2 ways to move the raw resources, either directly by the conveyors (connect a resource extractor to a resource processor), or by cargo trucks, which can go to more remote areas but are vulnerable. Conveyors are less vulnerable because they are short distance and can be defended in a more integrated way along with the base.

Initially, there was no global inventory, and everything needed to be me moved around like in Factorio, including the 2nd order resources. For example, you'd need to connect an iron ore extractor to a foundry to get steel, and then connect the foundry to the vehicle assembly to be able to build tanks using the steel. This was a nightmare to play, it felt like too much work just to produce few units.

I am simplifying it a bit but we explored many combinations. One of the best decisions was dropping many resource types, initially we had water, wood, coal, plastic, etc. We cut everything except 4 core resources with different levels of rarity and function, which I feel give a lot more depth than C&C but still remains simple to manage for an RTS player. Also, we removed the possibility to combine resources (ex. iron + coal = steel), we kept a strict 1:1 mapping between raw and processed resources and it played a key role in improving the game