I kinda hate Vulcanus

[DeadMG]

Yeah, Vulcanus just.. sucks. I don't understand people who like this planet. The terrain is super annoying. Fulgora also offers you limited space to build, but not in the bad way Vulcanus does. For example, on Vulcanus you can paste a blueprint with undergrounds with no errors, then it doesn't work because you tried to go "under" lava, so the game just doesn't tell you that your print placement is wrong. And the randomass spots of lava in random places just really gets in the way, and they are not visibly distinct enough from lava cracks which are totally buildable/undergroundable. Also I do not like how the planet has nothing to it except "everything metal is super productive now". Thanks, I guess, but this is not particularly interesting. Fulgora executes the limited space much better because the terrain is visually clear and you don't get random spots of oil ocean in the middle of your islands, and the scrap recycling presents at least a nominal challenge.

[aka13]

Vulcanus is the most fun and factorio-spirited planet

[mmmPI]

I prefer Fulgora and Gleba for the differences they introduce but i don't think Vulcanus deserve hates, i feel it's more the megabaser planet rather than puzzle-solving one, if one was to put simplistic labels. If you didn't have those little lava spots and terrain "annoyances" , it'd be even worse i feel, because it could be "too easy", there is this hurdle of fighting worms, necessary, but on your own term supposedly, which i see as an interesting dynamic for the planet in itself, and otherwise i like it integrated in the broader picture, because the fact that you have a planet where "everything metal is super cheap now" creates some large scale logistic puzzle, do you produce your science there ? when ? which one ? and quality ? or are you in a game where the objectives makes it unecessary / overkill , and the way it sit and compare with asteroid mining i like it , this or lava are pseudo realistic way for endless material anyway, so i don't think it breaks anything, it's introduced not as a single mechanism but as an option alongside others.

Also i like throwing stuff into lava, those little lava spots are sometimes pefect places for that one foundry input or output ^^

[Hurkyl]

Fulgora executes the limited space much better because the terrain is visually clear and you don't get random spots of oil ocean in the middle of your islands.

You do, actually. They're less common, but there will sometimes be a random tiny patch of oil someplace I'm not expecting. And (IMO) they are even harder to notice visually.

The lack of visual clarity of terrain -- particularly now that terrain matters -- is pretty much my only gripe with the expansion, but it is a sizeable one.

[zwickau]

Fulgora executes the limited space much better because the terrain is visually clear and you don't get random spots of oil ocean in the middle of your islands.

You do, actually. They're less common, but there will sometimes be a random tiny patch of oil someplace I'm not expecting. And (IMO) they are even harder to notice visually.

The lack of visual clarity of terrain -- particularly now that terrain matters -- is pretty much my only gripe with the expansion, but it is a sizeable one.

True. Try placing landfill on Gleba and see which tiles are "water" and which are "land." It's sometimes impossible for me to tell them apart. That said, it really hasn't affected gameplay, and on the whole, the terrain is really pretty. It's crazy to think it's all just sprites.

[Stargateur]

It's also my less favorite planet, it's too easy and foundry make the game trivial

[coffee-factorio]

It's the good brother who gets too little attention because he actually does his job.

[NineNine]

I like Vulcanus because it is the only new planet that allows for easy mega-basing. If all of the new planets in Space Age restricted size and scope of factories like the other three do, I think that would be a bit boring. I like that there's a big, wide-open planet that allows for massive production (much moreso than even Nauvis). It's the flip side of the other three planets in that way.

[waterBear]

I like Vulcanus because it is the only new planet that allows for easy mega-basing. If all of the new planets in Space Age restricted size and scope of factories like the other three do, I think that would be a bit boring. I like that there's a big, wide-open planet that allows for massive production (much moreso than even Nauvis). It's the flip side of the other three planets in that way.

It is kind of cramped like the others, though. You have cliffs everywhere but more importantly, lava. How do you deal with lava? Foundation. In that sense, it's not easier to pave than Fulgora (also foundation), Gleba (just landfill), or Aquilo (ice platforms).

People just like Vulcanus because there's infinite metal from lava. I think that's the whole reason if we're being honest. And late game, it's not like there isn't infinite metal on Nauvis, too.

[J-H]

I like it for a bunch of reasons, but right now the one that comes to mind is the soothing rhythm of steam engines chugging away and foundries operating at a regular cadence. Great background noise for anything focusing. I wish someone would make a 1 hour loop of it and put it in Youtube for me to listen to while working.

[NineNine]

I wish someone would make a 1 hour loop of it and put it in Youtube for me to listen to while working.

All of the game sounds are stored as simple audio files in /factorio/data/base/sound/. You can just play them in your favorite local music player and play on repeat.

[quineotio]

I think one of the strengths of factorio is the belt and all the cool ways you can use them. All the other planets incentivize different methods of belting. Pipes on the other hand are pretty boring, which makes Vulcanus boring because so much of it is fluids. It's also very easy and forgiving.

The rewards on Vulcanus are also not particularly interesting. A lot of what you get there are things taken from Nauvis, and two big things - foundry and big mining drill - you get very early.

It's also not very interesting visually. Overall it feels like a biome for Nauvis that was stretched into a whole planet.

[ferrybig]

Fulgora executes the limited space much better because the terrain is visually clear and you don't get random spots of oil ocean in the middle of your islands.

You do, actually. They're less common, but there will sometimes be a random tiny patch of oil someplace I'm not expecting. And (IMO) they are even harder to notice visually.

The lack of visual clarity of terrain -- particularly now that terrain matters -- is pretty much my only gripe with the expansion, but it is a sizeable one.

True. Try placing landfill on Gleba and see which tiles are "water" and which are "land." It's sometimes impossible for me to tell them apart. That said, it really hasn't affected gameplay, and on the whole, the terrain is really pretty. It's crazy to think it's all just sprites.

In the late game, on Nauvis, Aquilo, Fulgora, and Gleba, you can at least CTRL+SHIFT stamp down a blueprint an expect it to work.

This doesn't work on vulcanus because of lava blocking transport belts and pipes, so you need another pass stamping down foundations under your newly build blueprint

[zwickau]

Fulgora executes the limited space much better because the terrain is visually clear and you don't get random spots of oil ocean in the middle of your islands.

You do, actually. They're less common, but there will sometimes be a random tiny patch of oil someplace I'm not expecting. And (IMO) they are even harder to notice visually.

The lack of visual clarity of terrain -- particularly now that terrain matters -- is pretty much my only gripe with the expansion, but it is a sizeable one.

True. Try placing landfill on Gleba and see which tiles are "water" and which are "land." It's sometimes impossible for me to tell them apart. That said, it really hasn't affected gameplay, and on the whole, the terrain is really pretty. It's crazy to think it's all just sprites.

In the late game, on Nauvis, Aquilo, Fulgora, and Gleba, you can at least CTRL+SHIFT stamp down a blueprint an expect it to work.

This doesn't work on vulcanus because of lava blocking transport belts and pipes, so you need another pass stamping down foundations under your newly build blueprint

Yeah, I really don't know what the idea was behind introducing another type of foundation and making it super late-game. I suppose they wanted to players to grapple again with building around tricky terrain, and landfill was too easy a solution?

[jackthesmack]

Yeah, I really don't know what the idea was behind introducing another type of foundation and making it super late-game. I suppose they wanted to players to grapple again with building around tricky terrain, and landfill was too easy a solution?

It's basic gameplay progression. Much later in the game you get items that trivialize the early game, but you had to beat the early game challenges to get to that point.

[NineNine]

Yeah, I really don't know what the idea was behind introducing another type of foundation and making it super late-game. I suppose they wanted to players to grapple again with building around tricky terrain, and landfill was too easy a solution?

It's basic gameplay progression. Much later in the game you get items that trivialize the early game, but you had to beat the early game challenges to get to that point.

It's probably 99% that... But, I like to also think that landfill would not work when dumped into lava in the imaginary Factorio Space Age universe. I think you need something more substantial than landfill to resist melting in lava.

[sarge945]

To me, Vulcanus seems like it was designed as a sort of tutorial for the rest of the planets.

It has simpler mechanics than the others, and generally gives the most straightforward rewards.

I usually use some mods to make it more complex/interesting, but it's generally fine as it is.

[jackthesmack]

It's probably 99% that... But, I like to also think that landfill would not work when dumped into lava in the imaginary Factorio Space Age universe. I think you need something more substantial than landfill to resist melting in lava.

Absolutely, it's fine to think that. That's how I feel. But when people are critical of the feature, using "well that's how it works in reality" is not a solid rebuttal. This is because there are many rules that break reality put in the game for gameplay reasons. So you need a valid gameplay reason why landfill doesn't fill lava, because in the end that's likely the reason it's there in the first place, and the explanation of "landfill would melt in lava" came later.

[waterBear]

It's also my less favorite planet, it's too easy and foundry make the game trivial

I don't mind the foundry, but I do agree that vulcanus overall doesn't really have a gimmick. That said...

To me, Vulcanus seems like it was designed as a sort of tutorial for the rest of the planets.

It has simpler mechanics than the others, and generally gives the most straightforward rewards.

I usually use some mods to make it more complex/interesting, but it's generally fine as it is.

This is the real reason that it is the way it is. Each planet is like its own little mini-game. Vulcanus is really there to introduce the player to space travel, logistics, and so on. Solar panels work extremely well which makes it easy to reach with a basic space platform. Power production is extremely easy. Demolishers won't attach you unless you aggress first. Etc. The planet is built to introduce you to the whole process of reaching a planet, starting from scratch, finding out what the puzzle is, solving that puzzle, and finally setting up some space logistics to connect it to the rest of your factories. It does that extremely well.

It's a little bit like complaining that level 1-1 of Mario is too easy. I mean of course it is. The people who say Vulcanus is too easy are like people who think they should move their main base off Nauvis and onto Vulcanus - IMHO, these people just don't "get it". I mean why not just replay world 1-1 over and over? It's so much easier than world 8-3.

Are we here to do easy things, or are we here to find and overcome new and interesting challenges?

[Hurkyl]

It's also my less favorite planet, it's too easy and foundry make the game trivial

I don't mind the foundry, but I do agree that vulcanus overall doesn't really have a gimmick. That said...

To me, Vulcanus seems like it was designed as a sort of tutorial for the rest of the planets.

It has simpler mechanics than the others, and generally gives the most straightforward rewards.

I usually use some mods to make it more complex/interesting, but it's generally fine as it is.

This is the real reason that it is the way it is. Each planet is like its own little mini-game. Vulcanus is really there to introduce the player to space travel, logistics, and so on. Solar panels work extremely well which makes it easy to reach with a basic space platform. Power production is extremely easy. Demolishers won't attach you unless you aggress first. Etc. The planet is built to introduce you to the whole process of reaching a planet, starting from scratch, finding out what the puzzle is, solving that puzzle, and finally setting up some space logistics to connect it to the rest of your factories. It does that extremely well.

It's a little bit like complaining that level 1-1 of Mario is too easy. I mean of course it is. The people who say Vulcanus is too easy are like people who think they should move their main base off Nauvis and onto Vulcanus - IMHO, these people just don't "get it". I mean why not just replay world 1-1 over and over? It's so much easier than world 8-3.

Are we here to do easy things, or are we here to find and overcome new and interesting challenges?

The problem is when the thing that is "too easy" winds up being the solution to the challenges, so they turn out not to be challenging or interesting. (unless, I suppose, the easy thing happens to be super interesting)

Sure, people can and do make up their own challenge rules to try and make a trivial game more interesting, but isn't it supposed to be the dev's job to make the game interesting in the first place? And most players aren't going to have the knowledge and skill to actually do game design on the fly anyways, if the game even supports them doing so.

That said, parts of the game becoming too easy isn't necessarily a problem if they aren't the solution to the challenges. For example, in Factorio, bots and blueprints solve the problem of constructing the factory -- but the challenge at that stage of the game is more about coming up with the large scale designs, modular blueprints, infrastructure to enable the automation, and whatnot.

Vulcanus trivializes vast swaths of metal-based industry. The question is whether the game is supposed to be about the things you can do when metals are trivial, or if that was still a large portion of the game and people have to come up with pet rules to keep it interesting.