Different people describe Factorio in different terms, for instance, few call it a management game, and there are other people who call it a strategy game. Yet, there are other people who don’t agree with the previous two viewpoints and have their own opinions, and they think of it as a survival game. It is very difficult to point out which description is wrong because all these descriptions are true to some extent. So let’s consider the game as a multi-orientation game.
Role of Machines
Whatever opinion we might hold about the exact nature of the game, we cannot deny that importance of the strings of machines which continuously convert one thing into another. The whole of the machine process is interconnected in the game, for instance, you make iron plates from iron ores, and these iron plates serve in assembly lines as robo-arms. These robo-arms, in turn, have their own function, that is, they throw coal into boilers. Thus boilers create steam, with the help of steam electricity is created, and the electricity runs the whole city, for more tips checkout this.
That was just one example to show you how iron bars work. To give you another example, these iron plates can also be used as conveyor belts, or you can convert them into steel, and thus railroads can be created from these. Another example is the use of copper; you can use copper in the electronics and automated drills, these drills, in turn, are used to dig coal – the most important source of energy in the game. There are thousands of these interconnected operations that keep on going in the game only with the help of few basic items like iron, copper, wood, and stone.
Attack by Aliens
The game is not as smooth as it seems. Conversion of raw materials into specific products that are used further to gain more raw materials is sometimes hindered by technical problems as well as assault by aliens. If you want to control these aliens, you need some turrets as well as some manual shooting. You might ignore these aliens at initial points because the harm caused by these tiny creatures at early stages is insignificant, but if left unattended, these aliens will remove enough parts from your assembly line that all the process will come to a halt. The shirt of this game can be purchased from Forward.
Ever Expanding Management
The ever expanding management in the game never stops. Once you have established a loop – for instance, coal being automatically fed into the factory which in turn produces iron ores – it will go on forever. But here you will think about expanding your system, and you will have to produce more iron, or perhaps another element – copper, for instance – too. Then you will think about the production of copper, and the process will go on forever.
