Friday Facts #190 - The quiet days

[Hamster]

Personally I would love that we could reset the achievement in steam. I had exactly the problem what the devblog describes:

"When a player joins a multiplayer game, no matter how long he has been on that server, he will earn all the achievements earned in the map. This was especially detrimental to new players, who might just want to have a peek at another factory, before diving in and experiencing the game fully themselves. This could potentially ruin a lot of the fun for achievement hunters"

And that was the first server that I joined. And it's not about simple achievements, some of the harder one:
Computer age 3, Circuit veteran 2 etc.

After this incident, I haven't touched any of the MP game.

[Klonan]

The campaign is a dead branch. I hope it either gets expanded or removed. It just sticks out like a sore thumb.

I am planning to write a completely new campaign, which will replace both current campaigns, have a proper story, and be co-op compatible and fun

[bbgun06]

Combat is still inherently bland, just adding content like spidertron or artillery train won't help its case.

I'd like to re-iterate what I and others have said. This is a puzzle game about automation. Until we can automate combat, it will never really be fun, it will simply be a chore. I'm not sure what form that automation should take, but there are many ideas in the mod portal.

[cheetored20]

Combat is still inherently bland, just adding content like spidertron or artillery train won't help its case.

I'd like to re-iterate what I and others have said. This is a puzzle game about automation. Until we can automate combat, it will never really be fun, it will simply be a chore. I'm not sure what form that automation should take, but there are many ideas in the mod portal.

what if the artillery train had ridiculous range?

[Drury]

Combat is still inherently bland, just adding content like spidertron or artillery train won't help its case.

I'd like to re-iterate what I and others have said. This is a puzzle game about automation. Until we can automate combat, it will never really be fun, it will simply be a chore. I'm not sure what form that automation should take, but there are many ideas in the mod portal.

what if the artillery train had ridiculous range?

Then people would place down stationary artillery trains as base defenses, kinda like they already use wagons as static 2x5 chests with filter slots. They'd also be used for turret creep.

[Drury]

Combat is still inherently bland, just adding content like spidertron or artillery train won't help its case.

I'd like to re-iterate what I and others have said. This is a puzzle game about automation. Until we can automate combat, it will never really be fun, it will simply be a chore. I'm not sure what form that automation should take, but there are many ideas in the mod portal.

We have so many games built around combat that aren't a chore to play, we have a wealth of experience building combat games and a crapton of it is being shared. Even if you're not a combat game designer, there are so many resources going into detail what makes combat in games tick, you can easily learn what's wrong with Factorio.

I've written multiple essays about it already, not feeling like writing another atm. Here's first google result on "how to design a combat system" Here's an entire youtube series on what makes RTS games fun (which Factorio is closest to, mechanically).

[Ohz]

Bye, Blue Cube, and thanks for all you great work !

[cheetored20]

Combat is still inherently bland, just adding content like spidertron or artillery train won't help its case.

I'd like to re-iterate what I and others have said. This is a puzzle game about automation. Until we can automate combat, it will never really be fun, it will simply be a chore. I'm not sure what form that automation should take, but there are many ideas in the mod portal.

what if the artillery train had ridiculous range?

Then people would place down stationary artillery trains as base defenses, kinda like they already use wagons as static 2x5 chests with filter slots. They'd also be used for turret creep.

Not if it took forever/to long to be practical for bases to reload

[tk0421]

wait, shen was medium electric pole nerfed?

it cannot reach diagonally any more without overlap???

[Drury]

Combat is still inherently bland, just adding content like spidertron or artillery train won't help its case.

I'd like to re-iterate what I and others have said. This is a puzzle game about automation. Until we can automate combat, it will never really be fun, it will simply be a chore. I'm not sure what form that automation should take, but there are many ideas in the mod portal.

what if the artillery train had ridiculous range?

Then people would place down stationary artillery trains as base defenses, kinda like they already use wagons as static 2x5 chests with filter slots. They'd also be used for turret creep.

Not if it took forever/to long to be practical for bases to reload

then... where would it be used exactly?

[bobingabout]

If you want to see how an artillery train would work, try my warfare mod with vehicle equipment mod, and build yourself an armored train (needs to be armoured) and outfit them with plasma cannons.

Plasma cannons are artillery.

[kovarex]

Combat is still inherently bland, just adding content like spidertron or artillery train won't help its case.

I'd like to re-iterate what I and others have said. This is a puzzle game about automation. Until we can automate combat, it will never really be fun, it will simply be a chore. I'm not sure what form that automation should take, but there are many ideas in the mod portal.

what if the artillery train had ridiculous range?

Artillery is planned to be automated offense. The idea is, that you reload the artillery with some kind of ammo in the base, and then you make it go to some station, where it can just bombard/kill/remove all the enemy bases in quite a big radius. As it is part of train that can be automated, it can be used to clear the biter nests around all the expansions periodically.

[Redoneter]

Personally, I'm glad for a fairly benign friday facts. You guys deserve the break!

Aye, take an extra break every now and then. This is definitely not influenced by a Kit-Kat commercial.

Bye, Blue Cube, and thanks for all you great work !

I may not know who are or were Blue Cube, but I will still both wish you luck in your endeavors and miss you. Sorta.

Artillery is planned to be automated offense. The idea is, that you reload the artillery with some kind of ammo in the base, and then you make it go to some station, where it can just bombard/kill/remove all the enemy bases in quite a big radius. As it is part of train that can be automated, it can be used to clear the biter nests around all the expansions periodically.

So it would basically be a semi automated 2D topdown version of train combat in Zelda: Spirit Tracks? Or for a more obscure reference, a semi automated version of Rails of War?

[skyx700]

I like that there's this whole separate system of buildings and formulas used only for uranium and I would love to see more of this, not necessarily for just uranium. For example perhaps mining new metals that aren't in the game that are more durable than steel and putting them through separate refinements to build special buildings or items, like tougher walls or more advanced vehicles. I would additionally love to see more enemy AI for late game, like a gigantic titan that looks similar in design to spitters and biters but neither of them. It would be large and taller than walls, so if new walls were introduced with new resources, they could be used to keep it from getting in the factory. Just an idea. I'm always excited about your updates and when new things are added <3

[cheetored20]

Combat is still inherently bland, just adding content like spidertron or artillery train won't help its case.

I'd like to re-iterate what I and others have said. This is a puzzle game about automation. Until we can automate combat, it will never really be fun, it will simply be a chore. I'm not sure what form that automation should take, but there are many ideas in the mod portal.

what if the artillery train had ridiculous range?

Artillery is planned to be automated offense. The idea is, that you reload the artillery with some kind of ammo in the base, and then you make it go to some station, where it can just bombard/kill/remove all the enemy bases in quite a big radius. As it is part of train that can be automated, it can be used to clear the biter nests around all the expansions periodically.

That sounds AWSOME

[iznano4nik]

What about space platform in 1.0? For research endgame weapons for kill tons of mobs in dangeon bc now kiling mobs useless part of the game

[Linosaurus]

As it is part of train that can be automated, it can be used to clear the biter nests around all the expansions periodically.

That sounds AWSOME

Yes. It really does. This is something I was hoping for, a better way to combat enemy expansion without turning it off. Also. Artillery train just sounds cool.

Though I'd prefer not to have it available too soon. I don't want to remove the incentive to drive around in my tank for a while. Maybe put it somewhere around fusion reactors or power armor mk2, research and cost wise.

[Zool]

Artillery is planned to be automated offense. The idea is, that you reload the artillery with some kind of ammo in the base, and then you make it go to some station, where it can just bombard/kill/remove all the enemy bases in quite a big radius. As it is part of train that can be automated, it can be used to clear the biter nests around all the expansions periodically.

Really awesome idea, just make the costs and required research high enough that it doesn't kill the other ways of combat too early - in the endgame, you usually have simply insane amounts of ressources available anyways.

[hoho]

I've been trying to do some "intelligent" things with the new nuclear power production and found that there is no way to get electrical grid information into the circuit network.

Pretty sure you can get some information from accumulators. E.g plug one to network and if its power drops <90%, you'll know that all your current power production isn't enough.

Differentiating between steam engines vs solar is a bit more tricky and you'd probably have to do something like count the amount of fuel moving towards boilers or something like that to figure out under how big load steam engines are.

The idea is, that you reload the artillery with some kind of ammo in the base, and then you make it go to some station, where it can just bombard/kill/remove all the enemy bases in quite a big radius

I hope there would be a short-range defense trains as well. That way you could have biters trigger attacks against the artillery when it hits their bases so that the train will have to defend itself from close-range attacks. If the artillery fire causes no real aggression then it's somewhat boring in my opinion.

[DreadIron]

I really like idea of automated combat. This is what this game needs to be complete. Assembly lines for robots fighting back with biters.
The idea is that you will designate the area on radar where newly assembled robots would march. Let's say they will attack in groups of several units (this can look like wave in MOBA game). After assembly group of robots spaw and attack designated square on strategic map (radar). If there is nothing to attack, they despawn. Robots will have same lifespan of a few minutes to limit range... I can image this can be expanded later for automated train transportation and more What do you think?