Variation in recipes

[JoeSchmoe]

I would like to see some randomness in the hard coded factors from game to game.

Maybe upon map creation factorio can modify the recipes by changing the input quantities / time / output / impact of module / speed of inserter / etc. by a random amount say +/- 25%.


This would mean instead of always falling back on a tried and true factory setup each time, we would have to "wing it" each time through the game. No more calculate the optimal setup once, and re-implement it over and over.

[boro]

I'd like semi-random ingredients for the research packs as a freeplay option

[robhol]

Only for certain recipes, I think, and only the items - the total cost should stay roughly the same. If I generated a new world and everything cost 25% more than it should "just because", I'd reroll. :p

[muzzy]

I don't think the recipes should be altered, but multiple progression paths would be nice.

[JoeSchmoe]

My idea is not to scale everything by the same amount, but to scale every individual thing by a different randomly generated number, any where between +25% and -25%.

There are enough things that overall the general cost for things on the planet would even out to the same, thus keeping general balance. But enough variation that you need to tweak your stuff differently than before. Maybe mining is faster but furnaces are slower. Red science becomes 25% faster and takes 10% less copper and 5% less gears, but green becomes 20% slower and takes more belts and inserters. Now you may only need 1 red science assembler, to 3 green science assemblers. Next game it could be flipped the other direction.

[robhol]

Sure. That was me adding a bit of exaggeration - though it's definitely possible both to luck out (everything -25%) and the opposite (everything +25%). The thing is, I don't really see how this adds anything to the game that outweighs the annoyance.
If the change were "let's see what the research vial Flavor-of-the-day is", that might be a better way of adding some change. After all, you do create a few of those over the course of the game. :p

Even then, I don't think this should be forced on anybody, but it might be a nice idea for an optional change - or a mod.

[Schmendrick]

This is a mod I want to do, actually. I'm anxious to see how the changes go when they make entity and tech modifications available post-load.