FACTORIO ...!

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FACTORIO. It doesn't help itself, does it. It doesn't sound fun like Rollercoaster
Tycoon. The name doesn't conjure up majestic structures like Cities: Skylines does. Even
a simple exclamation mark would have helped. Yet despite the name, and the bleakly coloured
2D scenery, and the fact that it's still in 'Early Access'… Factorio is a remarkably
good game. You start with just a pickaxe and some raw
materials and must some how launch a rocket to end the campaign. This requires tens of
thousands of raw materials. Your character's surprisingly capable of doing stuff by hand,
but it would still take years to achieve this manually. Instead, you must find ways of automating
the process. I can best describe it as Age of Empires crossed with Minecraft.
I'm wary of classing it as a procedurally generated survival game since I hate that
kind of 'game'. But whereas most of those generate the world and expect you to find
some gameplay, Factorio is very much pure gameplay, thinly veiled as a generated world.
There's a steep learning curve- you start knowing nothing. You're given a seemingly
impossible objective. You eventually manage it… and then you're given an even bigger
task and you start the whole process again. I've been playing for dozens of hours. Heck-
I've BEATEN the game! And yet I still feel I know nothing.
Jon Snow. Factorio is such a great concept and so well
executed. You string factories together, slowly turning raw materials into increasingly complex
products until you're constructing a rocket out of advanced fuels, chipsets and plastics.
A large part of the challenge is in researching new technologies. These research centres are
fuelled by 6 different 'potions', each requiring significantly more raw materials
and production steps to produce than the one before. The logistics involved in fully automating
the system are overwhelming- it's all too tempting to use your character to run about,
plugging holes in your production lines. Eventually you'll come up with an automated alternative,
leaving your character free to focus on the next, even bigger challenge the game chooses
to throw at you. Yet, no matter how well you plan it, there's
always a bottleneck somewhere. Your entire factory is a never-ending work-in-progress,
with you running about identifying weak-spots and coming up with botched and imaginative
solutions. You have to choose whether it's worth the time to fix and if so, how best
to do it within the limited space you've given yourself.
I mean, I've beaten the game- that should at least give me some sort of confidence.
And yet it doesn't! My whole world was falling apart by the end. I limped to the finish-line,
well aware that my supply lines were becoming increasingly resource-starved and bottlenecked.
Simply getting by with such a system is an exhilarating experience.
No matter the problem, there's always a solution- somewhere- if you look hard enough.
Even in early access, every single item and gameplay mechanic is so versatile and well
planned it puts most finished games to shame. This game was nominated for the 'Haunts
my Dreams' Steam Award, and while CS:GO won- likely due to its larger userbase and
stuff- Factorio was the game that deserved it.
I was warned about it even before I started playing and yet it still took over my thoughts
and invaded my dreams. When tired I'd get flashes of gameplay in my mind, over and over
again. I haven't suffered the Tetris-Effect this badly since the 'Solitaire Incident':
A dark era from my teenage years. But I can't complain. My production-line-d dreams are
testament to this game's addictive concept and refined execution.
There are several short campaigns which I STRONGLY recommend you play before the sandbox.
The difficulty curve is still ridiculous, I was on these for weeks, replaying them until
I had mastered their mechanics before advancing to the next lesson. After this, there's
a cool puzzle mode that gives you limited space to try and link up all of the conveyor
belts in increasingly imaginative and challenging ways. Then, when you're done with this,
you can throw yourself in the deep end with a free-style sandbox and try to build the
rocket on your own. I'll admit: I beat the game with the enemies
disabled. I really think having to deal with an ever-attacking and evolving alien threat
on top of everything else would have sent me insane on my first playthrough. I have
barely scratched the surface of what this game has to offer- glancing at screenshots
and videos from other users it makes me and my supply lines feel so inadequate. I didn't
dabble with automated robots. I didn't even touch the green glowing stuff. I just spent
a few dozen hours alone, with only the whir of machines and the subdued background music
for company. That was enough for me to fall in love with Factorio.
It's an atmospheric game that's happy to be as challenging as you dare have it.
It has hooked me in a way like no other game has managed in years. I was excited to get
up, just to spend full days grinding away in the sandbox until I had beaten it. It was
exhausting, repetitive yet always rewarding and advancing. And I swear that once I've
got the factory building down, I'll attempt it with enemies. Some day. It's a terrifying
prospect right now. Factorio- what a game. Shame about the name.
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FACTORIO ...!

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