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Nauvis is a life-containing planet whose evolutionary path has somehow lead to the only successful species being:

• A collection of hideous giant bugs, with developed defensive mechanisms despite having no natural predators.
• A scattered selection of northern hemisphere deciduous trees + one pine tree species.
• A scattered selection of desert shrubbery.
• Grass, presumably one type.
• A single type of freshwater (assumed) fish.

Oxygen is implied since our hero can breathe. Other inert gasses are also implied (such as nitrogen) since oxygen is toxic -- and also makes everything flammable -- at high concentrations. I assume the CO2 emissions of the bugs are sufficient for the plant life and vice versa with O2.

It seems there must be freshwater oceans as our boilers and chemical plants are chugging away without requiring desalinization.

There is oil so there must have been life or some organic material far in the past; on Earth it takes 50-60 million years for organics to become oil.

It is assumed that our view is of a typical slice of the planet; rather than coincidentally (and unluckily) always landing in the middle of a vast unpopulated area on a planet that, unbeknownst to us, is full of other helpful, intelligent, civilized life (in which case, lol @ all our effort).

Does anybody have any theories about what happened here?

Rumour has it that it was void of life, water, and copper. Then an android landed on the planet and terraformed the entire planet into the Nauvis as we know it today, filled with rich plant life and pesky natives

Stringweasel wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 22, 2022 2:44 pm

... Then an android ... filled with rich plant life ...

I imagine that the android's only exposure to plant life was Christmas + the wikipedia page on deciduous forests, and that it patted itself on the back when it added "rich plant life" by mixing it up a bit and adding a pine tree.

Also we all know it told at least one bot to "bring me a shrubbery" and laughed a little.

Theoretical android wrote: "Ok. Planet checklist: Grass, fish, pine trees and some of those other trees, and uh... bugs. Big ones. Check. Nailed it."

I think Stringweasel is referencing a mod, because I remember one that is exactly that.

That said, honestly, I'm not sure the devs really put a large amount of time and thought into it seems lore is not that deep and heavy in this game, so I'm not sure you're really going to come up with a satisfactory answer to that question without diving off the deep end and suspending multiple disbeliefs.

FuryoftheStars wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 22, 2022 7:03 pm

I think Stringweasel is referencing a mod, because I remember one that is exactly that.

Haha yes, I was referencing the indepth mod Nullius. At the moment there is no official lore for Factorio so it's fun to think of theories.

Wube did at least entertain the idea of having Factorio lore in the early days though. Our engineer was almost called Alden Winters for example. There's a little more informarion in this Alt-F4 article.

FuryoftheStars wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 22, 2022 7:03 pm

I think Stringweasel is referencing a mod, because I remember one that is exactly that.

That said, honestly, I'm not sure the devs really put a large amount of time and thought into it seems lore is not that deep and heavy in this game, so I'm not sure you're really going to come up with a satisfactory answer to that question without diving off the deep end and suspending multiple disbeliefs.

Yup it's up to us for a back story.

JasonC wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 23, 2022 2:46 pm

Yup it's up to us for a back story.

I don't think there "needs" to be a back story. Frankly, I'm liking it without one. Allows me to play however I want and, if I feel the need, come up with my own lame story for my current playthrough, that could be completely different for the next time. *shrug*

FuryoftheStars wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 23, 2022 3:44 pm

JasonC wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 23, 2022 2:46 pm

Yup it's up to us for a back story.

I don't think there "needs" to be a back story. Frankly, I'm liking it without one. Allows me to play however I want and, if I feel the need, come up with my own lame story for my current playthrough, that could be completely different for the next time. *shrug*

Nobody's forcing you to have fun making up stories, jeez... lol. I like world building and wanted to see what creative things other people might have come up with, for the sole reason that I enjoy sharing stories. It sounds like you're trying to convince me that I'm not interested in back stories, and I don't know why, lol. Not suggesting "official" back stories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjwofYhUJEM (relatively SFW, no profanity)

JasonC wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 28, 2022 1:42 pm

FuryoftheStars wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 23, 2022 3:44 pm

JasonC wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 23, 2022 2:46 pm

Yup it's up to us for a back story.

I don't think there "needs" to be a back story. Frankly, I'm liking it without one. Allows me to play however I want and, if I feel the need, come up with my own lame story for my current playthrough, that could be completely different for the next time. *shrug*

Nobody's forcing you to have fun making up stories, jeez... lol. I like world building and wanted to see what creative things other people might have come up with, for the sole reason that I enjoy sharing stories. It sounds like you're trying to convince me that I'm not interested in back stories, and I don't know why, lol. Not suggesting "official" back stories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjwofYhUJEM (relatively SFW, no profanity)

Perhaps you should update your posts to make this clear, then, because as it stands, it is not (to me).

FuryoftheStars wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 28, 2022 2:12 pm

Perhaps you should update your posts to make this clear, then, because as it stands, it is not (to me).

Thanks for your reply!

JasonC wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 22, 2022 1:40 pm

Does anybody have any theories about what happened here?

Open to suggestions for clarity improvements!