Seasons in Factorio

[Zuo]

TL;DR

Inspired by other games, like Path of Exile or Diablo... 1, 2 or 3 months long seasons in Factorio combined with community map from reddit.

What ?

Let me explain 'season' for anyone who haven't played PoE or Diablo. Basically it is 2-3 month long event. Every new season developers adding new content to the game. It keeps the game fresh. Makes people to come back to the game and try new stuff, solve different problems, compete against each other because everyone starts from scratch.

How it possibly could work in factorio?

Everyone starts at the same map. By creating the game you have an option to make it singleplayer (SP) or multiplayer (MP). In SP maps no more players are allowed to play, whatever you do must be built by yourself.

Your map is on the list so everyone can join an spectate. You can sort it by amount of rockets launched so it makes it a bit competitive. That's the reason to have SP and MP as a two different categories, to make SP players fair chance.

Spectating.
Everyone can join your game and watch what you are doing. Host can enable/disable an option to communicate with spectators. Spectators can join the game even when you are not playing, it means everything will be frozen. I am not expecting anyone to sit and watch for hours. It is more like to join the game and check different players approach.

Season theme.
Map could be very different. From standard map to death world marathon, one big island, infinite amount of tiny islands with tiny amount of landfill ( or just make landfill very expensive), 20 tiles wide map etc...
We could also add modifiers, like 'hardcore' - game over if you die, x100 science pack, evolution beyond 100. Even twist game a little bit by adding small mods, or make only mixed ore patches etc.
Goals could be very different. Most rocket launched is the most obvious. Would be interesting to see a island map with limited resources and check who was the most resource efficient player. Or biter bitter battles theme map and check who will survive longer.

Why ?

I keeps the game alive? Bring new players looking for a challenge?
I know there was or maybe still is a 'community map' thing on reddit. It was played maybe by 15 players so it wasn't that popular. Same story was in PoE which by default allow players trade between each other. Some people started SSF (Solo Self Found) on reddit. Wasn't very popular by that time until developers decided to implement that feature to the game

[lyvgbfh]

And I was coming here to gush about how cool a visual passage of time would be. I guess the other definition of season is good, too - it would add some replay incentive.

[FuryoftheStars]

I think part of the reason why the "seasons" idea works for Diablo and the like is because they give you rewards - even just cosmetic - for playing. Ultimately, anything other than cosmetic for this game I'm not sure I'd be OK with, but am otherwise indifferent to this suggestion except for this:

Spectating.
Everyone can join your game and watch what you are doing.

Optional only! Unless of course the "reward" for doing these is just doing it and there's nothing else beyond that, in which case I have no opinion as I'll never touch it. I only ever did the seasons in Diablo 3 for the chest slots and pets. Epeen measuring can rot for all I care.

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And I was coming here to gush about how cool a visual passage of time would be.

Me too.

[waitofaiorur]

Some weather along with the seasons would be nice too. I long for some rain on my factory.

[mmmPI]

I think the "adding content" for different season is not really the thing factorio leans toward. Rather it tries to limit the number of existing item and give them several use/configuration to make each piece more versatile/ give new way to use it.

Although what DOES add new content, on a somewhat periodic bases, are mods ! I already had the feeling of playing a "season" when an overhaul mod releases a new version and i make a playthrough of a 100 200 hours enjoying the new things.

The idea of many players starting on similar settings at the same time is interesting to me, and not actually present, maybe sometimes UPS war can act similar, but it's quite technical and not as widespread as something that would be for all players like a league in POE.

Factorio is a game where you can use commands or external software to cheat. To me it isn't cheating if you don't make someone unfairly loses . But in such cases it would create a competition that didn't existed before ,and (i think) it would be very hard to keep it fair or meaningful when players host their own saves with the ability to edit it. The fairness/balance may be the N1 thing expected in competitive game and without means to guarantee it, it would be difficult to create enthusiam, when you see someone with a trillion point after a week, and then after 2 weeks all ranking spots visible have the same maxed out score. Currently the competitive scene i think would be the speedrun scene, where to make sure things are legit, full replay are sent online and only a rare minority of players would do such things. ( and even less for 100 hour long game).

I think a season map/seed could be interesting. Where some (experienced) players actually make the map, either edit the landscape change evolution factor, or alter certain mechanism, select some (light) mods and their settings for it to be consistent and to make it unique every "season". I know i would be interested in the "what's trendy" even just to get inspiration from the "season map" to add a twist to my games, but i don't think i would play a map that forces me into a completly different playstyle than my slow an peaceful one even if it was the theme of the season.

There exist several multiplayer server that play their own scenario, they are not super visible on the official factorio forum but they are in the list of multiplayer game if you sort them by active player, and often have their own website or discord. I find it fun even to just watch, it has some feeling of "finding a strategy for a new problem" rather than "perfecting my solutions" which i found similar to what happens in new "seasons" of games that adds new content that people rush to explore all at the same time. ( especially when the scenario is new and players are still figuring things out). Biter bitter Battle is one of them scenario, which last time i played couldn't be for solo play , but there was "Diggy" at some point and to me it was like a "season" at that time of release as i really enjoyed this one where you had to carve room for your factory that was in a cave where biters could spawn everytime you tried to dig a gallery or a room. I can still play Diggy, but it felt different when it was new and everyone else i felt was also playing it.

Also if there was a winter map, with frozen water or snow, that you need to mine and boil and make sure it doesn't fall on belt from clouds, or automate the cleaning and evaporating that could be both kind of seasons

[adysnook]

Why ? It keeps the game alive? Bring new players looking for a challenge?

I think that at least something "official" should be done in the multiplayer world. At least a COOP server restarting weekly, or an official PvP server, or at least something "official".

Maybe a multiplayer story can be created, rankings etc.

At least start something little with near-zero effort. Today there is nothing.

This is not a free game or an open source one. There should be also new content, apart Factorio 2. At least promote some mod packs using an official server.

The community can be revived and there are lots of smart people who can use some social network in the game.

[Illiander42]

Oh gods no.

Just get into the speedrunning community if you want something like this. They're not going to bite you.

Or Biter Battles. They do exactly what you're talking about.

The modifiers you're talking about already exist.

Factorio isn't an MMO or a MUD. It's a single-player puzzle game with co-op.