Factorio - opinions - review - ideas - mad rambling

[Overread]

So been playing on and off with the game for a while now and thought I'd jump in to say a little bit about my experiences and thoughts. And instead of starting 10 threads that all sort of link together I thought I'd just make one massive wall of text to get it all out at once (sorry but there's a cookie in it for anyone who makes it all the way through!)

So my thoughts:

1) First up this is a fun game. Most important part of a game is that its fun and entertaining to play and this game has it! Even more so in my view as the artistic direction gets more focused and is taking on a more steam-punk inspired visual approach (since steam punk in itself is so terribly overlooked). Though with fuel and such one can argue it also builds toward the far lesser known diesel punk as well).
All in all gameplay and visuals provide a fun and entertaining challenge with a great atmosphere!

2) Tech tree advance. In most games you start at level one - then you progress up a level and the previous level becomes mostly useless - advance up a few more and the first level is totally useless. Thus in factorio I'm very glad that the game lets you stick to a tech level that you wish to. Players who want to can stick with a basic conveyor belt system - or they can advance up to a more complex hoverbot system. In my view I hope that Factorio can keep this open approach to the game, it creates a game that can attract a wider variety of players as a result without even needing to have 3rd party mods change the core elements to suit.

3)

Future ideas (one I know there is a lot of talk on).

1) End-game - I'm aware this a hotly debated and discussed topic which pleases me that there is work on adding more to the end of the game once the research tree is advanced along and the player is looking toward continuing the game they've invested hours into already.

2) Expansion. At present game expansion is focused upon resource harvesting - find a resource - defend and harvest it and then move on. However whilst this favours building up a network its a very dynamic network and whilst distances increase and trains get more importance at transporting there isn't any real reason to leave old networks intact. Further a player need only have so many out-layer points to support what they need - so once you've got one up-and-running you just tear-down and move when it runs out.
What would be interesting is to see more map resources or key points that are important to hold long-term. Something that contributes toward the player, but which they have to hold onto in the long term. Thus promoting expansion and increased complexity of that expansion because now you've got to maintain multiple long-distance bases. This might require new resource types (and uses for said resources).

3) Map topography - mountains, pits, gorges - introducing more impassable terrain thus making game expansion more interesting. Bases might be easier to defend if you're up to a wall of a mountain, but at the same time its blocking you from other resources - and providing opportunities for new buildings to cover those restrictions.

4) Water (I'm sure I read a thread on this but I'll throw it in) - water monsters - water threats - water resources and water buildings. It even introduces the potential for a near-water-world map type. Swapping trains for shipping lanes or extensive rail bridges. Also could introduce terraforming elements - players required to build platforms (wood and dirt - steel and metal) so that they can expand their factory.

5) Combat - it would be interesting (though might be impractical) if bug bodies could have a physical impact on the game. Forcing bugs to climb over their dead. Whilst that might sound a bonus for defence if it were possible it also leaves open the option for buildings to also have a height value - thus letting bugs clamber over the top of walls and structures. Suddenly mas waves of bugs become a lot harder to defend against when a wall isn't going to be quite enough to stop them out-right before the guns.

6) Home/shelter - Neat way to expand the building tree is to consider the other side of the coin. Whilst I'm not sure if introducing things like a food mechanic would benefit the game; certainly the introduction (even if its just interactive decoration) of a home and shelter series of structures would be an interesting aspect to consider. It also gives the player more to visually work with to improve immersion. IF this is attached to something like food - air - terraforming etc... then all the better for improving complexity and also providing long-term needs that have to be met even if the research tree is completed.


In closing (well part closing I'm sure more ideas or thoughts will appear) this is great start-up game. Updates form the dev-team have been regular and reliable; content added well designed and generally stable (considering its point of development) and its overall progress very positive. A great early-access game and one with huge potential still to come!


And now for wading all through that you get your cookie (unless you just scrolled to it!)

[OBAMA MCLAMA]

What would be interesting is to see more map resources or key points that are important to hold long-term. Something that contributes toward the player

Regarding key points....
theres tons of idea's and concepts out there for peaceful aliens. Something I thought about is...

Statues/totem poles every now and then. (not hard to find, but definitely rare)
You can associate the totem poles as a tribe or clan. All biter nests in xxx radius around the totem are part of this tribe.
If you bring some kind of item and give it to the totem pole, something the biters and spitters love. The totem pole changes and every xxx time it will distribute xxx amount of alien artifacts. (just lay on the ground up to a maximum of xxx)
To automate picking up the artifacts, just have a belt where the artifacts are placed around the totem.
Its up to the devs if They will still be hostile to you, and your defenses would still attack them.

You could increase the rate/quantity by finding and destroying more totem poles, and adding it to your friendly totem pole. (probably to a maximum)

This would be a way to get alien artifacts for peaceful players, and even people that want to kill biters as a steady supply of not needing to go kill for more.

[Xterminator]

Out of everything you said, I liked 2 ideas the most. First is idea of having points or objects that you need to actually hold on to long term. One idea is perhaps implenting like crashes ships or asteroids that you can find (again, fairly rare but not impossible to come across), and you can harvest like special resources from them or even just get items that are already in the game, so like processing units and modules and stuff from the spaceships. But you would have to protect it for a long time, as it would be a slow process trying to harvest the things.

Second thing I liked, and something I have been wanting for a long time, is Actual terrain differences, like mountains/hills, and valleys etc... Would be cool to have to build like bridges over valleys for your trains and conveyers to run over. And could perhaps have some way of mining out hills and mountains automat, like the mining dril, but actually mines out the terrain to make it buidable. There is honestly so Mich potential for the game, I can't wait to see what the devs come up with. And I do hope to see terrain like mentioned above being added at some point in the future.

[Lee_newsum]

Out of everything you said, I liked 2 ideas the most. First is idea of having points or objects that you need to actually hold on to long term. One idea is perhaps implenting like crashes ships or asteroids that you can find (again, fairly rare but not impossible to come across), and you can harvest like special resources from them or even just get items that are already in the game, so like processing units and modules and stuff from the spaceships. But you would have to protect it for a long time, as it would be a slow process trying to harvest the things.

this is "oil"

[Overread]

True but oil is only one resource -a few more would add variety into the game itself.

There's also the element that oil is a giving resource - points of importance might require resources to be brought to them long term not just provide resources themselves.

[Sisaroth]

To continue the mad rambling:

Maybe one thing for the persistent resource could be "Ancient Alien" buildings scattered around the world. When powered up they generate some new kind of resource "Ancient Alien Artifact" for example. But the powered ancient buildings could maybe generate a lot of polution to make it more challenging to protect it, along with the added power cost possibly increasing pollution in your main base if you are still on steam tech.

More water technology i would also like.

For combat i would like more enemy variety. I think atm that's the biggest problem with the aliens.
Combat wise i would also like modular tanks, not the exact way as power armor but maybe with slots, a weapon slot, an armor slot, an engine slot, a battery slot (for more advanced electical weapons/engines). Tanks with more than one main gun are BS imo, so that's why i would prefer slots over a completely modular grid (i like realistic-ish fantasy worlds :p). And then have a load limit on the tank so you have to make a choice between mobility/firepower/armor.

Another thing that could be added to make the game more complex is different voltage between power producing and power consuming structures and add (electrical) transformers to the game. Along with that you could also add impedance to power poles as an incentive to increase voltage to transport electricity long distances, because with higher voltages you have less energy lost in the copper (that's how it works irl).

[Lee_newsum]

Another thing that could be added to make the game more complex is different voltage between power producing and power consuming structures and add (electrical) transformers to the game. Along with that you could also add impedance to power poles as an incentive to increase voltage to transport electricity long distances, because with higher voltages you have less energy lost in the copper (that's how it works irl).

this has bin poted befor and bin by devs