1. Introduction
I want to express my gratitude to the developers for an amazing game. I really enjoyed playing and exploring it. I finished the game recently, but I started back in 2019 and have logged nearly 13,000 hours. I have all the achievements that can be obtained without starting a new game.
2. My Factory and Links
My factory is very old and huge:
https://factorio.com/galaxy/Iron%20I:%20Alpha5-7.D7X1
It’s so old that there’s hardly anything left near the starting area. Due to the 1000-screenshot limit, only a small portion of the main Nauvis base is visible.
I kindly ask the developers to fix this inconvenience so that large factories can be properly uploaded to the “Galaxy of Fame.”
I also wrote about my factory on the forum here:
viewtopic.php?f=204&t=109072
3. The Hi-End Content Problem
3.1. Impossible to Keep the Factory Running Autonomously for Long
At the late stage of the game, I discovered that I cannot leave my factory running overnight or for a week without intervention.
- The main issue is Gleba science packs, which expire after a certain time (e.g., Legendary packs last about 2.5 hours).
- If the current research doesn’t require these packs, they go to waste.
- To avoid losing them, I have to manually switch research every hour or two or hire someone to do it. But Factorio is about automation, and I dislike such micromanagement.
- A combinator that lets you select the current research.
- Allow us to set research in the biolab via the circuit network (at least for infinite researches, so it doesn’t break the balance).
- Give us the option to run different researches in different labs, so we can plan around the short lifetime of Gleba packs (e.g., keep one lab busy with those packs while another lab works on something else).
They are now much more interesting and varied than before, and essentially remain the only end-game content, as before.
- Having a large factory made it easier to explore space and planets — which was a very positive experience.
- A negative point: some infinite upgrades got reset to zero. Please don’t do that in the future. If you need to rebalance, it’s better to increase the “cost” of upgrades than to take away players’ existing bonuses.
Here is a personal summary of my journey and impressions.
5.1. Dismantling Part of the Base to Improve UPS
- My UPS dropped to 6, which was painful. I had to dismantle half of my enormous base (reducing drones from 25 million to 10 million), which got UPS up to 30.
- Taking apart such a huge setup was quite the challenge. Using nuclear rockets causes heavy lag, so I dismantled it piece by piece.
- I fed chest contents into recycling chains using Fulgora resources, which was another interesting task.
- I built a “flying square” to travel around, fully autonomous in logistics.
- I unlocked Fulgora, quickly set up mining, then moved on to Vulcan and Gleba.
- I really enjoyed the asteroid mechanic — you can create entire autonomous systems for complex logistics challenges.
- I didn’t make white science packs (I already have 10 million in storage). Instead, I focused on Legendary Asteroids to produce Legendary Rockets and Railgun ammo.
- I enjoyed using a second rail layer as a concept for higher transport density.
- On Nauvis, my system is that each facility produces only one product at maximum efficiency; trains are 4 wagons + 1 locomotive. I avoid enabling/disabling stations, so trains don’t get stuck.
- On Fulgora, the islands are too small for my usual design. I tried two-way trains, but it was inefficient. I had to enable/disable stations, and every 10 hours or so a train would get stuck.
- On Vulcan, I’m testing a system of separate depots with 1-wagon-1-loco trains. The problem is that we can’t transmit two different signals via radar, e.g., “where to deliver” plus “what cargo.”
- For a huge base, multiple depots are needed. It’s unclear how to make trains leave the nearest depot rather than a random one. There may be a solution, but I haven’t bothered yet because Gleba packs still require manual research switching anyway.
- I killed small worms with 20 turrets in the worm’s “tail”, thanks to my high-level upgrades.
- The medium worm went down just as easily.
- The large worm got one-shot by my Legendary handheld railgun, though apparently even a blue shell would suffice.
- Spiders and biters on Gleba are no threat with my advanced upgrades. One artillery in the center of my base is enough to prevent them from nesting.
- If shell deliveries fail, the base can still get wrecked at night.
- On Nauvis, once I removed water artillery, I had to bring back thousands of turrets and shells, while the bugs kept breeding at the map’s edge.
- A very interesting mechanic: I set up production and reached 700k Legendary plastic.
- It’s hard and forces a major shift in usual strategies — quite a deep engineering challenge.
- Traveling there feels somewhat unfinished, but potentially a good spot for Promethean Meteorite farming.
- I could make a platform that flies there, encounters random events, and returns to produce black science packs.
- Building such an autonomous system is a cool challenge for automation.
Below are ideas that I believe could make Factorio’s hi-end content even more exciting:
- More DLC
I’m willing to buy additional content that doesn’t break the balance but extends the game — like a 5th planet with a different combination of existing resources. - Fully Autonomous Factory Without Manual Research Switching
Recall the issue of “rotting” Gleba packs. I’d like to leave my factory for a week and have it run without constant micromanagement. - Trains Getting Stuck
When stations are disabled, trains lose their routes and freeze. This mechanic could be improved. - Planet Diversity
Add mountains, deserts, polar caps, oceans, and alternate versions of existing planets (e.g., multiple types of Vulcan or Gleba). - Travel to Other Star Systems
A warp drive allowing us to leave the solar system could reveal binary stars, black holes, unique asteroids, and exotic resources. - Deep Drilling
Expand resource mining under the surface or beneath oceans. Consider gas giants with “cloud cities”. - Higher-Quality Rails
Let upgraded rails increase train speed, providing another motivation to build them. - Electric Trains
An alternative to diesel locomotives — maybe requiring different infrastructure but offering variety. - Isotopes
A more realistic approach to uranium-235/238, half-life decay, helium-3 for fusion reactors, etc., adding complex production chains. - Expand Calcite Mechanics
Introduce reagents that boost old recipes, offering explosive increases in productivity or unique products. - Extended Turret Arsenal
Tank-shell or grenade turrets. We have rocket turrets for space — why not broaden the lineup?
Spidertron became less relevant with powerful power armor — maybe it needs a unique ability? - Moving Resources Between Platforms
Why can’t we transfer cargo if two platforms orbit the same planet? - Variety of Rockets
Why only one single-use rocket? It’d be logical to have small or large rockets, including reusable ones. Different planets could have different gravity levels, changing launch difficulty. - Competitive Events, Rankings, Rewards
Multiplayer events, ranked servers, periodic challenges, and prizes. Factorio is about automation, so it’d be fun to compete on who can build certain projects the fastest. - Unique Planets & Special Conditions
For example, a planet with a rare material for “flying saucers” that simplify orbital launches. Or a gas giant with destructive storms requiring special defenses. Or a radioactive planet demanding shield modules in every building.
I absolutely love Factorio and appreciate any new content. The ideas introduced in Space Age (item quality, asteroids, planets) greatly expand the gameplay, making it deeper and more engaging.
However, there are a couple of major pain points, particularly:
- “Rotting” Gleba packs and the need for manual research switching.
- Trains getting stuck when stations are disabled.
Original text before chatgpt translate is in attach.