Factorio may well be one of the most successful of the videogame Early Access games that I've ever been involved in. While there are some very good games up there with it (RimWorld comes to mind), the creators of Factorio have consistently been producing and pushing new content, new underlying engine improvements, and new discussions about the game on an extremely regular basis for quite a while.

The game itself has a familiar premise: you are alone on a dangerous planet with nothing but the basics of engineering, the will to extract resources, and a near endless supply of aliens. Do something cool. However, instead of the (now) traditional first-person shooter interface where you run around and punch trees, you have a top down, third-person interface where first you punch trees (and rocks, and iron outcroppings) before getting to the real meat of the game – building machines to punch the ground and get resources out of it for you. And then connecting those machines up to produce the more complex pieces of equipment that you need at every stage in order to build the tools, to build the tools, to build the tools, to let you build the tools, which will let you launch your first satellite and essentially "win the game."

That sounds ridiculously tedious. In actual practice, it's a complicated dance of managing and increasingly complex factory system and getting the parts that you need to the places you need them at the right time involving a spider web of moving conveyor belts, robotic arms, fluid pipes, and trains which move from station to station schedule that you set.

Factorio is not a game that you sit down and play for a half-hour. Oh, you can intend to sit down and play it for a half-hour. You can intend that every time you pick it up. What you'll end up doing is sitting down and playing it for a couple of hours then looking around in puzzlement as you try to figure out where your day has disappeared. Or why it's time for you to wake up and go to work.

There is a bit of shooting and killing in this game as wave after wave of hungry, pollution-annoyed alien monsters which steadily gain in power and resilience decide that your facilities are really the thorn in their side. (Haven't they heard that they should unquestionably take migrants in and offer up everything they have?) You'll see to their needs by placing project outer it's, laser turrets, giant flame-gouting, oil shooting turrets, and packing your own destructive hardware in your upgraded power suit while riding in your freshly constructed tank.

Sometimes you just have to pacify the natives. You know how it goes.

Do you like understanding and implementing complex plans? Do you like looking at a well oiled factory moving things efficiently from one side to the other and producing all the products you need to continue to survive in harsh, alien world? Do you like murdering aliens?

Factorio might be for you.

Factorio may well be one of the most successful of the videogame Early Access games that I've ever been involved in. While there are some very good games up there with it (RimWorld comes to mind), the creators of Factorio have consistently been producing and pushing new content, new underlying engine improvements, and new discussions about the game on an extremely regular basis for quite a while. The game itself has a familiar premise: you are alone on a dangerous planet with nothing but the basics of engineering, the will to extract resources, and a near endless supply of aliens. Do something cool. However, instead of the (now) traditional first-person shooter interface where you run around and punch trees, you have a top down, third-person interface where first you punch trees (and rocks, and iron outcroppings) before getting to the real meat of the game – building machines to punch the ground and get resources out of it for you. And then connecting those machines up to produce the more complex pieces of equipment that you need at every stage in order to build the tools, to build the tools, to build the tools, to let you build the tools, which will let you launch your first satellite and essentially "win the game." That sounds ridiculously tedious. In actual practice, it's a complicated dance of managing and increasingly complex factory system and getting the parts that you need to the places you need them at the right time involving a spider web of moving conveyor belts, robotic arms, fluid pipes, and trains which move from station to station schedule that you set. Factorio is not a game that you sit down and play for a half-hour. Oh, you can intend to sit down and play it for a half-hour. You can intend that every time you pick it up. What you'll end up doing is sitting down and playing it for a couple of hours then looking around in puzzlement as you try to figure out where your day has disappeared. Or why it's time for you to wake up and go to work. There is a bit of shooting and killing in this game as wave after wave of hungry, pollution-annoyed alien monsters which steadily gain in power and resilience decide that your facilities are really the thorn in their side. (Haven't they heard that they should unquestionably take migrants in and offer up everything they have?) You'll see to their needs by placing project outer it's, laser turrets, giant flame-gouting, oil shooting turrets, and packing your own destructive hardware in your upgraded power suit while riding in your freshly constructed tank. Sometimes you just have to pacify the natives. You know how it goes. Do you like understanding and implementing complex plans? Do you like looking at a well oiled factory moving things efficiently from one side to the other and producing all the products you need to continue to survive in harsh, alien world? Do you like murdering aliens? Factorio might be for you.