Factorio is a game that has been in development for a few years now and as far as I can tell came to Early Access earlier this year. I feel that the trailer video doesn't give a good sense as to what gameplay is like:
So, based on that video, I've looked at the game from time to time, but I've never been intrigued enough to actually give it a try... until recently, when I saw this gameplay video:
Finally I got a better idea of what the game was about, and what it was like. My interest was piqued enough to look deeper into it instead of just dismissing it after viewing the video and remembering that it was an Early Access title. I normally avoid or ignore Early Access games, but when I saw that Factorio had a demo, I decided to give it a try.
I spent a few hours with the demo, playing through the relatively short campaign/tutorial twice. It left me wanting to explore more fully what it had to offer, so I got the full version. That was about 2 weeks ago, and I've become addicted! I've spent nearly all my free time binge-playing Factorio. I have logged almost 40 hours on one save file, trying to perfect my factory and automate all the things. And the crazy thing is that there are still large aspects of the game that I haven't yet (or have barely) touched.
The pattern I've found when playing the game goes something like this:
- See I only have about 2 hours before I should go to bed. Start up Factorio.
- Re-assess where my factory is and what I need to do next, and start working on it.
- Check clock. Cool. Still have 1:45 left until bedtime.
- Add a new production line of a new product to my factory.
- Check clock. Cool. Still have 1:30 left.
- Realize that my new production line has caused a shortage of some other basic material. Figure out what the holdup is and try to restore throughput of source materials.
- Check clock. Cool. Still have 1:00 left.
- While adding more furnaces to increase my iron/copper/steel production, realize I could make better use of the space if I arranged things differently.
- Tear down my smelting area and start rebuilding it to fit my new design.
- Get halfway done with my new design.
- Check clock. Darn. Only have 0:30 left.
- Continue working on my new design.
- Realize I did something wrong or it needs to be tweaked just slightly (OCD-esque tendencies) for "maximum efficiency" in my factory.
- Tear some down and rebuild to fit my new new design.
- Meanwhile, some research has finished and new technologies/products are available.
- Continue working on my new new design.
- Finish my new new design.
- Take a look at new technologies/products and see what products are necessary to create them.
- Create a new production line for the new products.
- Realize this new production line causes a major shortage of other products/materials.
- Figure out what's needed to fix the shortage. This often requires simply producing more of the short material, or increasing iron/copper/steel production so that both (or 3, or 4, or more) products can be produced simultaneously at the maximum frequency.
- Check the clock. Crap! It's 2 hours past bedtime. "I better wrap up this last thing I'm working on and get to bed."
- etc.
- etc.
- etc. and so forth.
- Sun comes up and I realize I've been repeatedly "wrapping up" about 50 different things that will all "only take a couple more minutes and then I am done for the night for sure."
I never would have thought that I'd enjoy dealing with the logistics so much. Dealing with inputs and outputs and coordinating the flow of one thing to another place at a certain rate. And on top of that, having to occasionally set up and maintain defenses to protect your hard work from being destroyed by the aliens (I guess technically you are the alien who crashed on their planet). And then the sweet feeling when you finally get something automated that you used to have to do manually, and that took forever to do. . .
So, again, normally I avoid/ignore Early Access titles because they're a gamble. But I've definitely gotten my money's worth already and expect to get much more out of the game in the future. Try the demo, and if you like it, I definitely recommend buying the game.
Factorio's website.
Factorio on GOG.com.
Factorio on Steam.