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Games Like Factorio

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 10:39 am
by DRBLN
Rim world
Prison Architect
Craft the world

Any other?

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 11:15 am
by sillyfly
Depends how far you wish to go.

World building / sandbox games:
Minecraft
Terraria
SimCity (and almost any other Sim-Something game, like SimHospital, Sim Theme Park, etc.)

Resource collecting / base building:
Almost any RTS. Notable examples are Dune, C&C, Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires/Kings/Mythology, and of course much more (Globulation 2 as well, but the last I heard it was no longer in development :( )

Automation games:
TIM (The Incredible Machine) series (although it's a different approach / view of automation), Minecraft with some mods (or so I've heard), and you may also include Conway's Game of Life :D

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 11:21 am
by Martc

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 11:34 am
by sillyfly
Oh, right! How could I have forgotten Banished? I've played so much of it :)

Also, since you mentioned Gnomoria, Dwarf Fortress is certainly worth mentioning.

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 12:31 pm
by Koub
The funny part is that I came to know Factorio on a suggestion from a Gnomoria player (Kelderek if I'm right) on the Gnomoria forum who said he had a lot of fun on Factorio :mrgreen:. Indeed, that was a good idea to listen to him :D.

And now, I see people on the Factorio Forum doing the exact other way (btw : Gnomoria is also an excellent game, still in development by a team of 1 dev). I'm sure many people who like Factorio could like Gnomoria, they share a comm spirit, even though really distinct.

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 2:50 pm
by Tinyboss
It's not like Factorio in any particular detail, but X3:Albion Prelude is similar in spirit, at least if you play it like I do. It's a universe-scale 3D space trading/combat game where you begin with a single ship (or a few, depending on scenario) and eventually command an empire. Trading is what I like. You start out doing the usual "buy low, sell high" thing in your single manually-piloted freighter. But once you've made enough money, you can buy more freighters and automate them. That's where the real fun comes in.

There is something called a "ST/UT" (sector/universe trader) that completely automates your ship for you, basically turning it into a money machine that you never look at again (as long as you keep it in safe areas of space). But where's the fun in that? The last game I played (which I spent about 500 hours on!) I decided to completely avoid ST/UT and instead focus only on CLS (commercial logistics system) software for all my ships. This is a lower-level software that lets you make simple "programs": the ship will visit predetermined stations and buy/sell specified resources if the price is acceptable. By setting up your own network of CLS routes, you can actually manipulate the economy on a regional or even universal scale by cornering the market in certain resources (energy and food being the best candidates).

Here's a guide that gives a feeling for the delicious complexities involved:
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=334255

It's a somewhat old game (2008), but it's been well maintained and really holds up, and the price is right! But whatever you do, DO NOT buy X:Rebirth, the "sequel". It's a steaming turd, and has none of the complexity that Factorio fans will demand.

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:06 pm
by gullfounder
A new game in town like Factorio plus even the name is similar to factorio too :D

http://store.steampowered.com/app/300570/

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:23 pm
by johng24
I don't see much similarity between Infinifacory and factorio other than they both have conveyor belts. Infinifacory is much more like a 3D version of SpaceChem.
It is a puzzle game where you are given certain inputs and have to create different outputs. I only completed a few so far but am enjoying it quite a bit.

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:24 pm
by hitzu

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 6:43 pm
by tecxx
eve online.
resource gathering and industrial processing at its finest. no automation like factorio though.
(be warned, i lost three years and a relationship in this game. made my decision to never play a game without a pause button again)

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:22 pm
by Koub
I just discovered a greenlit game on Steam today, Farlight Explorers :
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =308422401

Here is the part of the description that convinced me to add it to my favorites in order to keep an eye on it :
This game was inspired in a lot of great sci-fi games, The game is a really well combination of all the cool ideas from games like Space Engineers, Factorio, FTL, StarBound, Moon Base Alpha, 0x10c, Minecraft, InfiniMiner..., I hope you can enjoy the game, Thank you!!
I admit I don't know what the game will be worth once in early access, I'll wait a little before buying it, in case it is another Towns, or Starforge, but if the devs seem to work like Factorio's, then I'll buy it during early access :)

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 11:23 pm
by Nemoricus
Zachtronics is pretty good with the games they develop, with SpaceChem being their previous game in this vein. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I'm confident that they'll do well. They also developed Codex of Alchemical Engineering, Bureau of Steam Engineering, and Manufactoid, all of which cater to the type of design and build a working assembly process that's such a strong part of Factorio.

Other games like that include Manufactoria, a game where you have to develop machines to test and manipulate robots, and Tile Factory where you have to make things to assemble blocks in the correct configuration.

EDIT: Fixed URL tags.

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 6:56 am
by Koub
Yeah I have had great pleasure playing spacechem - even if the puzzles get so tough for me at one point that I couldn't finish it :( -.

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 8:47 am
by Xecutor
Nemoricus wrote: Other games like that include [url=http://pleasingfungus.com/Manufactoria/]Manufactoria[/url.
Manufactoria is more like lite programming puzzle, put still very very good one. I enjoyed it a lot.

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 9:08 am
by Nemoricus
Actually, Manufactoria and Factorio have a lot in common. While Factorio's objects don't have internal states like Manufactoria's robots do, smart inserters can respond to the state of the network. The only question is if you could make a queue that acts a lot like the one in Manufactoria, and with some work I think it might very well be possible.

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 5:03 pm
by Wolfwaffe
I don't know how to put it... Well i want a game where you build factories in buildings, as is this building is filled with blast furnaces and produces metals, that building has workshops that make construction components, that one makes expendable materials, etc... And you can connect them via railroads, both above grounds and under ground. And mining machines.
Never thought i'd say that, but i want to play a game where you cause industrial apocalypse. You build these factories, with huge smokestacks spewing dark smoke, destroy forests, and generally turn the world around you into lifeless wasteland of concrete and steel, with sinister red lights atop of smokestacks and tall buildings antennae, warm glow of factory buildings windows, and dim lightning of factory roadwork, sometimes lit brightly by passing trains/trucks...
So, yeah, any advise?

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 6:37 pm
by Gandalf
Caesar III and all the other parts of Sierra's series

Common aspects
  • construction & production based games
  • isometric view
  • wide variety of resources and intermediate products
  • focus on building and balancing, fighting is a secondary challenge
Main differences
  • In Caesar III (and all the other games from the series) you use money to pay for buildings. You earn money through taxes and trading.
  • There are people living in your city. Most of the game's goals are based on providing those people with resources and services.
  • No avatar / guy you steer around. It's basically like factorio's free play mode.
The games acutally have a lot in common as far as playing style goes. I recommend checking them out, although they are kinda old now.
Caesar III and Emperor (the one set in China) are the best versions as far as balance goes.

There are actually two features in the series that I miss in factorio so far:
  • Rotating the map (90° steps)
  • Speed control (I know it's possible via the lua console but there is no GUI for it)

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 2:21 pm
by gullfounder
tecxx wrote:eve online.
resource gathering and industrial processing at its finest. no automation like factorio though.
(be warned, i lost three years and a relationship in this game. made my decision to never play a game without a pause button again)
Spent 2 years in EVE online. Ended it with my first self made Carrier Archon :D

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 3:42 pm
by Drury
The main and core inspiration for Factorio was industrial mods for Minecraft (such as buildcraft). Try that out.

If you like trains in Factorio, check out OpenTTD and Chris Sawyer's Locomotion (direct inspiration for train systems in Factorio). The former is flat out the better game, but the latter might be more familiar what with curved rails and absence of advanced signal types.

If you like invention and optimization of automated process, try Spacechem or it's brand new spiritual successor, Infinifactory. We have a thread about it here.

Factorio currently lacks RTS elements but I'm pretty sure any Factorio player would enjoy a game of the genre. Classics include Warcraft, Starcraft, Dune and Command and Conquer. Those are pretty basic and pretty much anyone is guaranteed to enjoy. Then we have slight derivations from the formula such as Warzone 2100 where you design your own units out of modular parts that you research in a gargantuan tech tree (Factorio tech tree is more like a tech bush in comparison) or Earth 2140/50/60 with some rather unorthodox design approach to each faction (recently released Grey Goo RTS received praise for it's "innovative" goo faction with unique approach to base building; Earth 2160 did the same thing nearly 10 years prior). Then there's a more large-scale RTS sub-genre of Supreme Commander or Total Annihilation. I don't have any experience with these myself, but they deserve a mention as well, what with the scale at which Factorio players operate.

Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 have a similar artstyle (there's also power armor!).

Caesar 3 or Simcity 2000 are nice for simply building your city and solving the issues that spring up as it grows bigger. Not much different from Factorio in that regard.
Gandalf wrote:There are actually two features in the series that I miss in factorio so far:
  • Rotating the map (90° steps)
Image

Re: Games Like Factorio

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 11:44 am
by Snowpig
Drury wrote:Then there's a more large-scale RTS sub-genre of Supreme Commander or Total Annihilation. I don't have any experience with these myself, but they deserve a mention as well, what with the scale at which Factorio players operate.
When released in 1997 Total Annihilation had a quite unique approach on the RTS gerne by using infinite resources (similar to the oil wells in factorio), recyclable wrecks of buildings and units and a true 3D terrain map (you could hide from enemy artillery behind elevations / in depressions or under water. ) IMHO it is a very nice RTS gem - despite of its age.