With a game as complex as Factorio, new players may need some guidance when starting out. Here are some tips that’ll help newcomers out.
The indie production management simulator Factorio invites players to construct increasingly complex factories in an infinitely generated world. Fans of games similar to Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon who wish those titles had elements similar to industrial-themed Minecraft mods should give Factorio a look. The game has tons of resource management, base defense and production optimization gameplay that’s both enjoyable but potentially overwhelming for new players. Here are some tips, tricks and strategies to help new players overcome Factorio‘s steep learning curve.
Check Out the Official Guide
Factorio has an official wiki that’s full of useful information. Much like other game wikis, new players can use this to find information on the game’s many materials, recipes and mechanics. Brand new players to the game should check out the tutorials section, which leads to useful pages, including a quick start guide.
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The official wiki is great at sorting information and keeping things categorized, which helps players navigate the massive amount of content in Factorio. One way that the wiki sorts this information is by complexity. There’s a section for beginners, advanced players and expert players who might be diving into the highest levels of automation.
Peaceful Mode
Factorio keeps players on their toes with the inclusion of Biters, enemies that attack the player’s factory as it begins to produce more pollution. The more pollution a player produces, the harder these Biter attacks become. This can sometimes be a lot for newer players when they’re learning the basics of the game.
Luckily, there’s an easy fix for players who just want to focus on figuring out the building mechanics. When starting a new world, players set it to Peaceful Mode. This won’t prevent Biters from spawning, but it will change their AI so that they’ll only attack players if they attack them first. This is a great way to tone down the self-balancing nature of pollution without completely removing a part of the game.
Plan Ahead
Planning builds ahead of time is a great way to avoid some major hiccups in the future. A few things to keep in mind when planning factory builds is that the generated world is infinite, so players shouldn’t feel like they need to cramp all of their builds together. Spreading out also helps prevent players from having to move or rebuild when they inevitably have to add on to already existing structures.
Another way that planning helps new players is by keeping their minds set on the goals they set for themselves. The only real goal in Factorio is to escape the planet in a rocket. Getting there is entirely up to the player, so having self-implemented goals that’ll make progress towards the rocket is always a good idea. Like any open-ended game, a lot of the fun in Factorio is created by the player.
Power Management
Power is a vital resource in Factorio that the player will need to manage. Much like in the real world, there are both renewable and non-renewable energy sources. Starting out with non-renewable energy will probably be the easiest way to get a factory started, but transitioning to renewable sources will eventually be essential to keep a factory running.
The wiki is a great place to check things like the different energy types and how much power certain machines use. One thing to keep in mind when reading up on the different energy sources is ratios, which is effectively how much of a certain item is needed for it to work at peak performance. Understanding how power production works will help newcomers progress in the game.
Other Tips
Something to strive for early on is to get a car, which is the earliest vehicle that players can produce. Cars greatly increases the amount of space a player can cover, which in turn helps expand bases. A car can also help combat Biters, though turrets are a more reliable way to defend a base from them.
On the topic of Biters, players shouldn’t get too comfortable around them and their nests. Even if a base can easily defend itself from its attacks at first, it will eventually start to falter as the Biters get more powerful. As the player continues to progress and evolve their factory, Biters will begin to grow and develop into new types that will be harder to defend against. Biters should always be considered a threat.
Treadmills are also important when it comes to moving and transporting goods. A common beginner mistake is not utilizing both sides of a belt. A fairly simple use for the two sides is to have one transport coal and the other transport iron to a furnace. Another tip for belts is to make sure that they’re able to expand alongside a base. That’ll help keep different parts of a player’s base connected on a single transport line.
New players may be tempted to use manual construction instead of assemblers. Manual construction is faster than assemblers in the early game, but players can have multiple assemblers running at a time to construct things. Finding a balance between how much the player themselves is constructing and getting an early assembler setup is vital to keeping the game’s moving at a quick pace. Don’t be afraid of automation, as it’s one of Factorio‘s central gameplay mechanics.
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