Factorio Forums

The supply challenge has independent goals and timers. When the first challenge is met then the next challenge starts anew with a new timer. This creates a meta where the player sacrifices their remaining time to generate points. If a player blows their early objectives too early they get a higher point multiplier, but they also might run out and game over on future objectives. Trying to identify the sweet spot to "next level" creates a silly meta more about playing the timer than building stuff fast.

This can be fixed with a single simple change: Have new objectives add directly to the timer. This creates a fixed amount of time across the entire challenge. The scoring system becomes cumulative, where a strong early start generates bonus points towards future objectives. If a player is really fast they might have 20 minutes to spare on the final stage, and thus get a massive score.