Sure, but you are not talking about the new players that is what it is done for. A new player after many hours still does not find challenges until the AO, it will take more than 15 hours of boring game and you will find what is avoided that you are 5 hours before, it is absurd ...

To answer to some of your arguments:

A player likely might look at the tech tree, firstly by seeing some yet to researchable techs in the actual tree or the list. Secondly by wondering how to get those cool looking bots (to know about them beforehand by youtube or some other ...

The problem is that what you call oil processing is nothing more than a graphics change, it's like a simple "iron processor". There is a simple extractor (pumpjack) that reaches a "assembler" through a pipe where a simple product comes out.


But that's the point. The product now comes ...

It would be nice if instead of roundtrip mode (visiting all stations in a fixed order) there was a way to set priority on a train station through the circuit network, allowing you to broadcast to trains with this station as a stop to prefer it over stops with a lower priority, or to skip certain ...

Light armor is a cheap means for some extra protection (see above) wich doesn't requires any research. Depending on the map setting it makes a difference at the beginning of the game. Heavy armor adds nicly to the prerequisit of the mil 1 research (boosting your offensive capabilities with the ...

So I tried the Experimental Demo.... by downloading the demo...

This was my results after running away from the biters...

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/353146990302986250/606920782320238592/unknown.png

I think the Bugs won!


they have got me to.

Occured multiple times on the demo ...

TL;DR
Being able to place the Repair tool (1 stack to be more precisely) in the old slot for the pickaxe


What ?
It should be possible zu use it exactly like before, but without opening the inventory or having a link in the hotbar. So to have in effect a extra inventory slot, reserved for the ...

Wouldn't it be quite smart from a development standpoint to try out an alternative, more simple approch like newBOP now and .17 stable and still have the chance for UI changes (and tutorials) and if needed whatever alterations in BOP later, e.g. in .18?


No, you're pushing this as if I'm ...

Presuming not all of them are "unfit" to play factorio, what is the best solution to smooth the spike. As you and most users agreed before, not by simplifying blue science. So oil is the best next candidate to go. It is doubtful a more complex solution (early cracking) or just a UI change is to ...

Actually quite recently. For my .17 playthrough I've first set up an BOP Setup accumulating as much SF and lubricant as possible fore later usage. Then rushed to AOP and cracking and fine tuned it.


You rushed advanced oil processing and cracking, you've missed my point.


So oil is the best ...

and with your initial support you've got how many good hours, days, weeks of gameplay? After all .16 is absolutly playable and will likely be for sometime, if this is more your cup of tea. (Not to mention mods)


My support was of the development process to release, not for a set amount of time ...

It's EA fore a reason.


While I get this, I'm also still a bit conflicted. I paid into EA to support this game because I liked what I saw and the direction it was going at that time. In 0.17, there have been shifts away from that. If it shifts far enough away, can I withdraw my support?


and ...

But that a relevant amount of new players are quitting in early to middle game transition. Presuming not all of them are "unfit" to play factorio, what is the best solution to smooth the spike. As you and most users agreed before, not by simplifying blue science. So oil is the best next ...

By axiomaticly assuming a new player can easily grasp it. Secondly proposing a no circuit-oil setup firstly with BOP only and no cracking (and even like you've suggested with early cracking) is likely to require high maintenance, especially if the new player has to solve it for the first time ...

I didn’t get the impression (modifying blue science) from your post, the question was more of a rhetorical nature.

This is more of something I posted later, and is moreseo a response dev posts on singular specific things they wished to address.


I personally would have preferred some early ...

But oldBOP with only SF to balance (considering mass storing, brute force solution), without use of circuit conditions is quite challenging.


There were some less destructive methods that were suggested: https://mods.factorio.com/mod/SulfurFromOils



yes, with the major disatvatange of ...

But oldBOP with only SF to balance (considering mass storing, brute force solution), without use of circuit conditions is quite challenging.


There were some less destructive methods that were suggested: https://mods.factorio.com/mod/SulfurFromOils



yes, with the major disatvatange of ...

{...}


There are interesting things to do with oil in the green/red period, they're just not mandatory nor starting to get highlighted yet. It also takes making a lot more things to fill up a tank with byproducts than people think, not even accounting for solid fuel, there's far less "spamming ...

As the circuit networks is almost by definition logical, but not often touched by beginners. I agree oil balancing is not only logical, but fun. Therfore practically nobody is suggesting to change AOP significantly. But oldBOP with only SF to balance (considering mass storing, brute force ...

This is quite plausible, after all no everybody wll enjoy the game. But having a (at beginning) convuluted oil on top of that, isn‘t helping the fraction of new players, who might get post Blue science. Also to change BOP is less invasive than to simplify blue science. The jump from linear to ...