Friday Facts #365 - Future plans

[Kyralessa]

I personally don't want to see Factorio being a 100GB game like World of Warcraft or Call of Duty. If I had the option not to install a 20GB DLC that would be nice.

On my machine, excluding mods and saves, the Factorio 1.1 folder is less than 2 GB.

I think your fears are unfounded.

[catma]

Bosses would be amazing to add to keep players interested and invested into the game.

The kind you fight with violence, or the kind Dilbert's comics are about?

[PunkSkeleton]

As someone already said RTS mode would be great. There is already a way to control units remotely, a map with zoom, autofire on units, multiple units and static defences (and adding more units is not hard at all).
Now the main problem is slow and very long early game. It takes a lot of time before you can build even a car and nobody wants to wait 30 minutes before the interesting action starts.
But why start with empty base? The starting area should be standard so that a player starts a game with pre-designed base in the starting area. And each player designs its own starting base in off-line mode (or many different ones), then saves it and selects the one that will be used in a lobby. Just limit the amount of resources that can be used for this, make it big (like 1 000 000 iron and other basic resources, subject to balancing). Each unlocked technology, each placed entity drains those starting resources. Now you will jump right into action and strategies can be very diverse from the first second of the game .
And no infinite random maps of course. The maps should be small enough that you actually fight for resources. Victory condition could then be pretty standard: destroy all enemy building or launch a rocket.

[aka13]

As someone already said RTS mode would be great. There is already a way to control units remotely, a map with zoom, autofire on units, multiple units and static defences (and adding more units is not hard at all).
Now the main problem is slow and very long early game. It takes a lot of time before you can build even a car and nobody wants to wait 30 minutes before the interesting action starts.
But why start with empty base? The starting area should be standard so that a player starts a game with pre-designed base in the starting area. And each player designs its own starting base in off-line mode (or many different ones), then saves it and selects the one that will be used in a lobby. Just limit the amount of resources that can be used for this, make it big (like 1 000 000 iron and other basic resources, subject to balancing). Each unlocked technology, each placed entity drains those starting resources. Now you will jump right into action and strategies can be very diverse from the first second of the game .
And no infinite random maps of course. The maps should be small enough that you actually fight for resources. Victory condition could then be pretty standard: destroy all enemy building or launch a rocket.

I disagree on absolutely everything, and I am very glad that factorio is not an RTS. I enjoy building and designing bases, not spamming harvesters and doing 3094285 APM micromanaging of attacks on biters.

[BurtonsBeans]

You guys should be proud, this is truly an accomplishment.

Factorio, simple to play, difficult to master - the marks of a truly ingenious game.

I hope this expansion has a bunch of world building, cause ya know, the aesthetic is perfect and I just want more please! Maybe different planets, different creatures.

[Csubee]

I am really happy guys.

Thank you for all of the hours you gave me, when i was playing alone or my friends with this wonderful masterpiece.
I completely understand that you have reached the possibly maximum players and i think you should release a big extension. I have reasons why.

- Don't follow the big mainstream game studios, where you can buy 30+ worthless DLC-s for a 60EUR game, this is just simply not fit your style.

- Nowadays these kind of expansions are almost extinct, because the game studios cant leech the last blood drops from the players with them. I can remember when you bought an expansion pack for you favorite game and you got a whole new game, with REAL content. Not just new skins (God how i hate this word) for you weapon or character, or a "new" map what is totally the same as the previouses. Please be one of the last game studios whom are not soulless money machines.

I promise i will buy the expansion or DLC as you will call it, but stay as you are currently.
And ofcourse.. The factory shall grow.. FOREVER

[immibis]

Someone's probably said it already, but an obvious upgrade would be 3D rendering. Might make the game a lot smaller, too.

[ptx0]

Someone's probably said it already, but an obvious upgrade would be 3D rendering. Might make the game a lot smaller, too.

guess you're too good to read all the rest of the thread, too.

they're not doing a different game. it's going to be the same engine. 2D sprites.

[kirazy]

I also don't think it would necessarily make the game smaller...

[kovarex]

Someone's probably said it already, but an obvious upgrade would be 3D rendering. Might make the game a lot smaller, too.

Maybe, but show me a game that can render 30 000 3D objects (instead of sprites) on the same screen.

[PunkSkeleton]

As someone already said RTS mode would be great. There is already a way to control units remotely, a map with zoom, autofire on units, multiple units and static defences (and adding more units is not hard at all).
Now the main problem is slow and very long early game. It takes a lot of time before you can build even a car and nobody wants to wait 30 minutes before the interesting action starts.
But why start with empty base? The starting area should be standard so that a player starts a game with pre-designed base in the starting area. And each player designs its own starting base in off-line mode (or many different ones), then saves it and selects the one that will be used in a lobby. Just limit the amount of resources that can be used for this, make it big (like 1 000 000 iron and other basic resources, subject to balancing). Each unlocked technology, each placed entity drains those starting resources. Now you will jump right into action and strategies can be very diverse from the first second of the game .
And no infinite random maps of course. The maps should be small enough that you actually fight for resources. Victory condition could then be pretty standard: destroy all enemy building or launch a rocket.

I disagree on absolutely everything, and I am very glad that factorio is not an RTS. I enjoy building and designing bases, not spamming harvesters and doing 3094285 APM micromanaging of attacks on biters.

You just pointed out why RTS as a genre is no longer relevant. There is a small group of hardcore fans that admire the fast clicking but most people probably don't. I much more prefer Knights and Merchants style where you don't have to click like crazy. The problem with K&M is that the games take very long (that's why I am proposing template bases to be designed and saved). It is also very hard to attack after certain point in that game.
Anyway you don't have to play the mode you don't enjoy.

[Konogan]

I just hope we can purchase this pack on your site, like Factorio when i supported it.
I have no Steam Account.

[Dixi]

Factorio have two direct competitors: Satisfactory and Dyson Sphere Program. And a few similar looking games that are not so fun to play. As I remember I played at least three 2.5D factorio-like games, but they are quite limited and not so fun to continue in a long run.

Both competitors are 3D, that gives some bonuses to them, but both do not have any copy feature, that seriously limit mega factory building. They also missing in game electronic signals and other logic, that makes resource flow control very limited. So currently both competitors looks somewhat more attractive an a 1st glance, but have less replay ability in a long run.

Most interesting features that are introduced in Factorio mods are composite resources and rare resource deposits. By "composite resources" I mean ores that could be reprocessed to gain more advanced minerals, like in Industrial Revolution 1 mod.

I tried both most downloaded Bob's and Angel mod sets, but never got too far. Angel petrochemical appeared too complicated and boring to me. I build that 7 or 8 factories chain to get little plastics in the end, and decided that this composition is probably very close to realistic chemical processing but too boring for a game.
In Bob's mods I managed to get to pink or yellow potions, but left the game soon after that. Thought that it becomes too complicated.
Most modders also unable to follow Factorio steam punk style in their additional buildings, and their factories looks ugly and not game style.

I dunno why, but more steam achievements looks attractive. At least I completed 35 of 38 for current game. Skipped only 101 hand made item, and both speed runs.

[LostInTheForums]

Other than space exploration, an undergrounds like in Dwarf Fortress would be nice too to have with mine shafts, carts, underground creatures etc. Hell, mining alone could make an expansion pack if it was expanded to what actual mining industry looks alike with all machines involved instead of a single mining drill we have currently.

[LDJ]

When i think of Factorio and what i love about it (the problem solving and development) and then think about what it should do better in a future version, then one thing comes to my mind:

Think about using the game engine, but change the goals the player thrive to achieve.
Currently factorio is like an endlessly growing factory and a devastation to nature. In our world we need to think about solving problems in a limited world, with limited resources that regenerate with a limited rate.

The goals of Factorio could take that in account. Grow your factory, but always keep an eye on the environment. If the player stall the environment it could severly cripple the factory. The challenge could be the use of technology to keep the balance, evolve to a sustainable setup. That would be great!

[InSinR8or]

A new large expansion is very exciting and I along with the whole community would love to see what is added and how the differences change the structure and overall function of our new factories. The potential is really boundless at the moment, a page out of Astroneers book could see us building smaller factories with defined purposes on multiple planets then long range logistics becomes the tune of scalability of the overall machine or maybe environmental changes such as toxic atmosphere sees us building air purifiers and making safe zones where we can expand into. Maybe even rival factories that spread similar to biters but eat up available resources as they spread.
One thing I am wondering about is if all versions of Factorio will be kept accessible. I personally play my favourite and most time spent factory on 1.0, a newer Factory and an island map on 1.1 and have a few smaller projects on 17 and 18 versions of the game. Including a Krastorio legacy map on 17. At the moment it is very easy to switch between versions of the game depending on what map I'd like to play. However a change to the beta version menu either from steam or from Wube would see those maps inaccessible without some workarounding. Is there a any way we as players can ensure that we are still able to access the older versions of the game other than the library currently on the steam beta menu.
the inclusion of the older game versions that can be selected within the game itself, perhaps through either the options or the mod menu and can be changed and reloaded like mod content is loaded currently would preserve all versions factorio's journey over the years while however raising the file size of the game.
Factorio is a game that be appreciated and enjoyed in different ways depending on what version your playing on

[Kyralessa]

One thing I am wondering about is if all versions of Factorio will be kept accessible. I personally play my favourite and most time spent factory on 1.0, a newer Factory and an island map on 1.1 and have a few smaller projects on 17 and 18 versions of the game. Including a Krastorio legacy map on 17. At the moment it is very easy to switch between versions of the game depending on what map I'd like to play. However a change to the beta version menu either from steam or from Wube would see those maps inaccessible without some workarounding. Is there a any way we as players can ensure that we are still able to access the older versions of the game other than the library currently on the steam beta menu.

Wherever you bought the game from, you're entitled to an account on factorio.com, and there you can download versions of the game going all the way back to 0.6.4.

With that account, you can download any given version as a .zip file and install it in its own folder, so that you can have any number of game versions installed simultaneously, including any mods compatible with those versions.

[czarnoczarny23]

Paid extension to Factorio ..... "shut up and take my money".

In my opinion, this is the best option, the vision of automation remains in the sphere of dreams to a degree that allows the exploitation of entire planets or solar systems. But it's just a wet dream of a guy who oscillates around 2k h in factorio. Best regards from Poland, you are doing a great job, keep it up.

PS: sorry for the google translation;)

[InSinR8or]

One thing I am wondering about is if all versions of Factorio will be kept accessible. I personally play my favourite and most time spent factory on 1.0, a newer Factory and an island map on 1.1 and have a few smaller projects on 17 and 18 versions of the game. Including a Krastorio legacy map on 17. At the moment it is very easy to switch between versions of the game depending on what map I'd like to play. However a change to the beta version menu either from steam or from Wube would see those maps inaccessible without some workarounding. Is there a any way we as players can ensure that we are still able to access the older versions of the game other than the library currently on the steam beta menu.

Wherever you bought the game from, you're entitled to an account on factorio.com, and there you can download versions of the game going all the way back to 0.6.4.

With that account, you can download any given version as a .zip file and install it in its own folder, so that you can have any number of game versions installed simultaneously, including any mods compatible with those versions.

Thanks for telling me this, For years I have thought I only had access to the steam version.

[catma]

big DLC suggestion:

Farming (or bioproduction of some sort). Due to randomly or seasonally changing ratios, the factory must be designed with bulk storage in mind, shutting down power or other expensive input in seasons where it is a waste to keep it active, and systems monitoring animals for changes in needs(because you don't need the expensive antibiotics often, but when you do...).

Also juggle composite changing production such as 1 animal -> 7 meat and 3 leather this time, then 6 meat and 4 leather a minute later because random or seasonal change(1 random or seasonal change per minute = no big computer lag generated on each tick on each machine for randomization and the related belt inefficiency), so you have to do something to balance production between various animals to plan efficiently against alternating between "too much leather per meat" and "too much meat per leather" forever. Similar with dealing with uranium processing random results, but more complex!

Farming of course would fit as a subtheme to most big DLC scenarios.

P.S.: how do you get the animals? Same ways the first farmers got cattle. Explore and capture some!!!