Any world settings or mods I should use to enhance gameplay without straying too far from the vanilla experience?

[GCraft]

Hey all! It's been a long time since I've played Factorio (steam says Jun 7th 2019, but the last time I really put time into it was probably between 2016 and 2017), and I just recently became enthralled with some of the FFF updates I've missed, and it's made me really excited to start playing again, and I'm very excited to see what Factorio has in store for the future!

The thing is, this time, I want to do it right. Usually the past few times I've played, I've modified the world settings to give myself a friendlier experience, such as increasing ore vein sizes/capacity, and reducing pollution output to slow down biter evolution. I feel like there's methods in the game to account for these things without having to handicap the game with settings like that.

Furthermore, if I am going to start from the beginning, are there any must-have mods? Something that doesn't provide cheaty ways to evade game systems, and something that's friendly to the vanilla experience. It doesn't have to be mods that add content in the same context of vanilla content, and if you truly think the best vanilla experience is played without any mods, then that's fine!

I'm totally open to starting a new world with default settings with no mods, I'd just rather not get days into a game to find that there is a mod that most people use that would have really been nice to know about before starting the new save, y'know?

Regardless, thanks for taking the time to read, and thanks more if you take the time to respond!

[Amarula]

One of the many great things about Factorio is that there is no one single "Right Way" to play. If you enjoy struggling against overwhelming odds and making heroic efforts to find resources, cool, change the world settings to death match. If you want to challenge yourself to triumph using the hand you were dealt, leave all the settings at default. If you want something a little different, try a rail world or an island, the wiki https://wiki.factorio.com/World_generator describes some preset options. Oh and check out some of the scenarios like transport madness or wave defense https://wiki.factorio.com/Game_modes_and_options.

For myself, I go for what you called the 'friendlier experience' - I turn up the notch on resources, and turn down the biters. I really enjoy building and automating, and those settings provide the kind of game that I enjoy.

As for mods, I enjoy reading about them, and I have a long list of oh that looks cool, I'm going to have to try that! But I still haven't come close to running out of enjoyment of vanilla, so I haven't actually played with any mods yet.

So welcome back, and whatever settings and mods you choose, remember that is the right way for you. Happy automating!

[Xeorm]

If you're only looking for a vanilla game there's nothing at all wrong with using default settings and having fun. The default vanilla experience is easy enough to get into and fun all by itself.

The only mod I generally recommend is RSO (Resource Spawner Overhaul) because it spreads out resources more. More because it makes the maps look nicer than any specific gameplay reason. It will make things slightly more difficult due to needing to go farther for new patches, but it's well worth it for not making the map look like a quilted mess.

The other mod I like is FNEI. It provides a handy little interface that you can use to search for items and fluids to find recipes to craft said item and recipes that use said item. As well it'll tell you which structures can make said item, the speed the item is made in each structure, and the technology needed for the recipes. In general, it's pretty handy for getting acquainted with items you're unfamiliar with.

Besides those two the only mods I use are for adding more stuff like angels and/or bob's mods.

[planetmaker]

I generally do recommend vanilla - and use those mods which solve an itch you have.

For me that recently was like moar-radar and moar-grid which enhance radar range and the number of items which can be placed in the MK2 armour. I "need" that in my endgame to make building larger blueprints easier and getting around quicker.

It's helpful to have a mod with like todo lists or other planning helpers as well.

[Oktokolo]

Furthermore, if I am going to start from the beginning, are there any must-have mods? Something that doesn't provide cheaty ways to evade game systems, and something that's friendly to the vanilla experience. It doesn't have to be mods that add content in the same context of vanilla content, and if you truly think the best vanilla experience is played without any mods, then that's fine!

My essential core mod list:

Non- or slightly- gamechanging mods
- Squeak Through (lets you move more freely inside and outside your factory)
- Auto Deconstruct (marks mined out miners for deconstruction)
- Clean Battery Icon (just a less convoluted icon for batteries)
- NiceFill (landfilled tiles look more like their surrounding)
- Death Markers (Marks your corpse on the map, wich is especially helpfull if you die in a forest)
- VehicleSnap (makes driving cars and tanks less stressfull)
- Picker Pipe Tools (tools for building and maintaining pipe networks)
- Big Brother (lets you increase radar range)

Gamechangers
- Nanobots: Early Bots (makes blueprints usefull much earlier)
- Miniloader (most "this should be vanilla" mod ever)
- Warehousing Mod (big chests wich can have more than four inserters or loaders interact with them)
- DivOresity (mixed ore fields for a small logistic challenge)
- Inserter Fuel Leech (inserters fuel target buildings and themselves with fuel from source buildings), still at 0.17, but will become available for 0.18 soon)
- LTN - Logistic Train Network (for way more flexible train networks)

For a mostly vanilla experience, that's it. But if you feel like trying something more different, you might also add one of the big overhauls like Bob's, Angel's, Pyanodon's, Yuoki Industries...

[Koub]

Furthermore, if I am going to start from the beginning, are there any must-have mods? Something that doesn't provide cheaty ways to evade game systems, and something that's friendly to the vanilla experience. It doesn't have to be mods that add content in the same context of vanilla content, and if you truly think the best vanilla experience is played without any mods, then that's fine!

You may want to skim through this topic.

[GCraft]

Thanks for all your responses! The reason I was asking about this is because when I play, I feel like adjusting factors in the world gen, pollution, and enemy settings is just neglecting in-game features that are designed to deal with this sort of thing, and I end up missing them because I don't need them.

And, thank you guys for mentioning some of the mods you use, and thanks for actually linking to the mod pages so I could look at them myself. NiceFill is a great example of something I had in mind. Something that feels like it should be in the game but isn't, and NiceFill in particular doesn't unbalance things at all, so that's great. I'm sure I'll encounter more things like that as I play. Thanks again!

[Serenity]

Some Quality of Life mods I use:

Bottleneck (see machines that work and are starved at a glance)
Module Inserter (use robots to put modules into machines)
Power Grid Comb (straight out crooked power cables in grids)
Enhanced Map Colors (vanilla improved those lately, but this one also colors belts)
Even Distribution (drag distribution is more even between machines)

Adds new stuff, but nothing drastic:
Long Range Radar (radar with 4 times the range and 4 times the power)
Multiple Unit Train Control (makes both locomotives provide power to the train, not just the forward one)
Dectorio (has several modules for decorative objects. I don't use all of them though. Signals and lamp colors mainly)
Reverse Factory (allows you to disassemble produced goods. Useful for one-offs like armor or when you leave a chest uncapped)
Shuttle Train Continued (personal train you can call to stations)
Vehicle Wagon (allows you put a tank or car on a special train car)
Atomic Artillery (what it says)

And maybe a mod to get rid of wood like Charcoal Burner or Wood Gasification
There is a also good, more simpler alternative to LTN if you want to do more cool stuff with trains: Train Supply Manager