Factorio Weather and Seasons
Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:40 am
So I've been thinking of ways to make the game a little more interesting and I've come up with a few. First off I want to say that I haven't thought everything through, so if something doesn't make sense I may need to rethink it. I want to let you all know that this is a very early thought and a lot can be adjusted.
First of, lets talk about weather. Weather could be something that just happens as you play. It doesn't have to affect you in anyway, it could just be there to make they world feel more alive. Maybe during a thunderstorm, lightning could catch trees on fire or maybe there could be more fish in lakes/oceans to catch. Maybe in a deserts there could be a dust storm or some other type of weather event. As for transitioning from one biome to another, think like Terraria. This weather would only be there to make the world feel more alive.
Second lets talk about seasons. Now seasons will actually affect the player, but not how you think they will. I'll start off talking about winter since it will lead into the other seasons.
Winter
During winter, biters will become less active or disappear entirely. They could go into hibernation. All their bases will still be there except the biters themselves will not be. If you attack the bases during winter biters will spawn out of the base and attack you. If they win they go back sleep. Also biters would move more slowly and take damage from the cold. Winter will also affect your machines. As the temperature gets colder your machines could become more efficient and use less power.(this could be redesigned heavily to fit better in the game. this is a very early thought.) Also during winter it could snow which will be entirely a visual effect. Now lets talk about spring.
Spring
During spring the biters will come back alive and multiply more than usual. During this time you can expect to find them in bigger numbers, but less inclined to attack you after there long wintery slumber. Nights during spring could be cold so biters will move more slowly and be less aggressive, and during the day they would be somewhat normal. Also during Spring since they will be multiplying this is when evolution takes effect the most. During this time it would be wise not to attack them, so that they don't evolve even faster.( some type of multiplier could be added to there evolution during spring).
Summer
Heading into summer is when things get a little crazy. During summer it gets really hot and your machines and the bitters don't like it. I start with how your machines will be affected. During summer your machines become more inefficient and use more power and produce more pollution. This increase in power usage can cause many problems for your power grid. ( this is as far as I've gotten with summer affected machines, any suggestions are greatly appreciated). As for the bitters they become more aggressive, attack more often, and move faster. Also the bitters could create new bases during this time if the option is turned on. ( again this is as far as I've gotten for summer. a lot could be added to make things more interesting.)
Fall
Fall would be much like spring except everything is getting colder instead off warmer over time. Bitters would attack less frequent. Also something i just thought of is during fall the biters may migrate away from your base, or migrate into giant groups. Just a quick thought.( during spring they could migrate towards your base too.)
Again this is all very early thoughts. We still need to figure out how long seasons would be and other small details. A lot can be changed and added to this idea. Any ideas are welcome and greatly appreciated. This will be my first post ever on this forum and I hope some of these ideas may eventually make it into the game.
Thank you,
Bonzi_the_Great
First of, lets talk about weather. Weather could be something that just happens as you play. It doesn't have to affect you in anyway, it could just be there to make they world feel more alive. Maybe during a thunderstorm, lightning could catch trees on fire or maybe there could be more fish in lakes/oceans to catch. Maybe in a deserts there could be a dust storm or some other type of weather event. As for transitioning from one biome to another, think like Terraria. This weather would only be there to make the world feel more alive.
Second lets talk about seasons. Now seasons will actually affect the player, but not how you think they will. I'll start off talking about winter since it will lead into the other seasons.
Winter
During winter, biters will become less active or disappear entirely. They could go into hibernation. All their bases will still be there except the biters themselves will not be. If you attack the bases during winter biters will spawn out of the base and attack you. If they win they go back sleep. Also biters would move more slowly and take damage from the cold. Winter will also affect your machines. As the temperature gets colder your machines could become more efficient and use less power.(this could be redesigned heavily to fit better in the game. this is a very early thought.) Also during winter it could snow which will be entirely a visual effect. Now lets talk about spring.
Spring
During spring the biters will come back alive and multiply more than usual. During this time you can expect to find them in bigger numbers, but less inclined to attack you after there long wintery slumber. Nights during spring could be cold so biters will move more slowly and be less aggressive, and during the day they would be somewhat normal. Also during Spring since they will be multiplying this is when evolution takes effect the most. During this time it would be wise not to attack them, so that they don't evolve even faster.( some type of multiplier could be added to there evolution during spring).
Summer
Heading into summer is when things get a little crazy. During summer it gets really hot and your machines and the bitters don't like it. I start with how your machines will be affected. During summer your machines become more inefficient and use more power and produce more pollution. This increase in power usage can cause many problems for your power grid. ( this is as far as I've gotten with summer affected machines, any suggestions are greatly appreciated). As for the bitters they become more aggressive, attack more often, and move faster. Also the bitters could create new bases during this time if the option is turned on. ( again this is as far as I've gotten for summer. a lot could be added to make things more interesting.)
Fall
Fall would be much like spring except everything is getting colder instead off warmer over time. Bitters would attack less frequent. Also something i just thought of is during fall the biters may migrate away from your base, or migrate into giant groups. Just a quick thought.( during spring they could migrate towards your base too.)
Again this is all very early thoughts. We still need to figure out how long seasons would be and other small details. A lot can be changed and added to this idea. Any ideas are welcome and greatly appreciated. This will be my first post ever on this forum and I hope some of these ideas may eventually make it into the game.
Thank you,
Bonzi_the_Great