Factorio Forums

Hello there,

I'd like to suggest that a new subforum dedicated to "scientific accuracy" is added, where players can voice their concerns regarding various aspects of the game that are seemingly not representing reality well enough, and cannot usually be considered as flat-out bugs or feature requests. The developers would then be able to take this into consideration when working on the game. The way it seems to work at the moment is: modders add content => developers are possibly inspired => content makes it into the game in one form or another... So I believe this suggestion would help streamline the inspiration process a bit.

Here are some examples of "concerns" that could go there:

• The correct color of uranium deposits.
• It's useless to provide a "pump" with anything but a liquid input. For gasses one uses a compressor (I'm talking about you - steam).
• All fluids in the game allow themselves to be heated to arbitrary temperatures (using the nuclear power plant), although in reality some would evaporate or explode by then.
• Iron pipes cannot be used to transport acid, or even sea water.
• Nuclear fuel shouldn't become "used" instantly, but only after its energy has been exhausted. It's not like we're dumping a bucket of uranium into a reactor and the bucket is now empty and can be reused.

And here is a suggestion:

• With heat exchangers, it's now possible to heat fluid to a temperature of several hundred °C, which means it can be used on crude oil to provide a new processing path in late-game, using cooling towers that would output petroleum gas, light and/or heavy oil, lubricant and even asphalt (to be used as another tier of floors for increased mobility and aesthetics), with no associated pollution.
  

I'm in support of this.

I think it doesn't make much sense, cause Factorio is not a simulation, it's main target is about the simulation of the logistics and to have fun with that. Games do unrealistic things to have fun, and not to be physically (or whatever) correct. I think for example to the liquid system: It's just not possible to make that realistic. While other things are just a misconception, when I think for the colors of the liquids for example.

So I don't see the need for an extra board. If it is just such a simple stuff like colors and so on: The right place is here.
Other things are nothing which can be "suggested" to be implemented, but - well - of course it can be discussed and those discussions are happening most times in the General board.

To the suggestion itself: That has already been suggested and there are also kind of mods around that idea. But I didn't find it. Searched around "refinery, temperature, stages..." - perhaps other have more luck.

ssilk wrote:I think it doesn't make much sense, cause Factorio is not a simulation, it's main target is about the simulation of the logistics and to have fun with that. Games do unrealistic things to have fun, and not to be physically (or whatever) correct. I think for example to the liquid system: It's just not possible to make that realistic. While other things are just a misconception, when I think for the colors of the liquids for example.

So I don't see the need for an extra board. If it is just such a simple stuff like colors and so on: The right place is here.
Other things are nothing which can be "suggested" to be implemented, but - well - of course it can be discussed and those discussions are happening most times in the General board.

Yeah you're probably right. Usually if I think my "realism" idea should be implemented into the game it always fits in either balancing or ideas/suggestions, otherwise general is the place. I guess I just wanted a dedicated subforum so there could be a rule at the top stating don't post "it's just a video game"

Thanks for your reply @ssilk. It seems that the point of my post didn't really get through - so let me clarify:
I'm well aware of the official "fun beats realism" stance, and I wasn't bringing that discussion up - in case this was the gist you got. My suggestion is about the better organization of discussions. The reason why I think there should be some categorization within the suggestions forum, is because currently it's a complete mess made of various topics like realism, quality-of-life, balancing (even though a separate subforum exists for it), game mechanics etc., spread over more than 4600 discussions - making it the largest forum after bug reports (which is extremely well-categorized)! If this is not a giant red flag saying that it is time to create subforums, I honestly don't know what is.

ssilk wrote:those discussions are happening most times in the General board.

This only shows there's a problem, because the tag of that forum says "Post all other topics which do not belong to any other category." - we are attempting to solve the "not belonging" issue of some posts. Add these topics to the 4600+ already-existing suggestions.

ssilk wrote:To the suggestion itself:

My suggestion was the extra board, that "suggestion itself" was an example for demonstrative purposes, much like the other "bugs/features" I mentioned (some of which I've read around). I wasn't looking for comments on the specific ideas, but rather to show that there are frequent discussions that can be categorized as "realism-related", and now it is a question of whether their volume is large enough to warrant a separate board/forum.

I move this to This Forum and keep a link.

Dev-iL wrote:currently it's a complete mess made of various topics like realism, quality-of-life, balancing (even though a separate subforum exists for it), game mechanics etc., spread over more than 4600 discussions - making it the largest forum after bug reports (which is extremely well-categorized)!

Well, that is not an excuse, but fact: this is just currently so messy. After any release the forum is full. Since 2 weeks I try to keep up just with the suggestions-board. Not to speak about the whole forum.
Two weeks before I managed the suggestions one or two times a week... So by adding just many new subboard is not a good idea, if there is just one post per week.

When I compare that with the first two years: I could come in here and it was often so, that there was no suggestion for days.

If this is not a giant red flag saying that it is time to create subforums, I honestly don't know what is.

Of course. On the long terms we need to change something. There is always change. And important: "we" is the community, cause the forum is community driven. And I'm really open to discuss any changes. But when I think back it was not always the best idea to make quick changes.


Hm. One (more or less) good example is the Show your Creations. That changed last autumn. In that case I counted the number of threads, that could be sorted into a own category. Plus some thumb-magic, for example I added the power subboard, cause I knew about the nuclear processing.
But it was a long process: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=28032

Measuring over some days before v0.15 release and after 0.15 release and the result could look like so
125 threads about quality-of-life
12 realism,
55 about game mechanics
...

Think also that the current suggestions must keep a - like with the Show your Creations. And that it all needs searchable, as now.

And I really need help to count threads, cause I have currently no time for that.
So if someone likes to prepare this discussion with reliable data: Again, this is a community driven forum.


PS: And think about this: Even if we have an own Game-help-board, there is in average 2-5 posts about simple questions on Factorio in the General board. The human factor should not be underestimated.

I changed my mind a bit.

Related to this viewtopic.php?f=6&t=47891 and seeing the current discussions in General (like viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47759 , viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47056 etc.) I think about adding a "Discussion Board" under "Factorio Direction".

I see also there discussions about "realism" there.

So my current list of what subboards I would create looks like so:

- Factorio Direction/Discussions
Discuss anything about the DEVELOPMENT of Factorio; Discuss ideas that are not ready to make a suggestion out of it.

That's all what I would change yet. I would like to hear opinions.

ssilk wrote:- Factorio Direction/Discussions
Discuss anything about the DEVELOPMENT of Factorio; Discuss ideas that are not ready to make a suggestion out of it..

Either that subboard or allow discussions about suggestions that are not themselves suggestions to be posted to the suggestions forum, I would accept either option but I'd prefer simply altering the rules for two reasons:
1.) fewer subboards keeps the forum easier to navigate, and it seems more lively when there are more people active in a given forum or board
2.) I may be alone in this but I often like to discuss the way people propose ideas, and I really want the people proposing ideas or reading proposed ideas to be the ones who read and respond to my topic. If it's hidden in a subboard many of them won't check there and won't see it. Then I'd just be talking to other people who talk the way I talk.