31 votes

Satisfactory is the best automation game ever made and I seriously can't recommend it enough

27 comments

  1. [9]
    OBLIVIATER
    Link
    Ironically Satisfactory is one of my least favorite factory games. The 1st person perspective makes planning elegant factories much more difficult vs games like Dyson Sphere Program and Factorio....

    Ironically Satisfactory is one of my least favorite factory games. The 1st person perspective makes planning elegant factories much more difficult vs games like Dyson Sphere Program and Factorio. There are ways around this but they're all clunky and really hurt the pacing of game. I would probably give Satisfactory the title of one of the most accessible factory building games, but I bounced off it hard when I had much more enjoyment playing even basic factory games like Shapez and Shapez 2.

    32 votes
    1. [5]
      vektor
      Link Parent
      I feel that pain. This only really gets better once you unlock that hover... pack... thingy. Then you can easily fly to the vantage point you need to make the factory look the way you want to....

      The 1st person perspective makes planning elegant factories much more difficult vs games like Dyson Sphere Program and Factorio.

      I feel that pain. This only really gets better once you unlock that hover... pack... thingy. Then you can easily fly to the vantage point you need to make the factory look the way you want to. Standing on the ground floor, it can be very difficult to place a 20m x 10m building the way you want to, because either you're too far away to see the necessary detail, or you're so close the building fills up your screen.

      That said... consider revisiting. They've added a lot of QoL features around building mechanics, it feels a lot smoother now.

      12 votes
      1. [2]
        karsaroth
        Link Parent
        Yes, plus you can toggle on flying without other creative mode options. It might break the natural progression a little bit, but you'll certainly be able to get whatever perspective you want....

        Yes, plus you can toggle on flying without other creative mode options. It might break the natural progression a little bit, but you'll certainly be able to get whatever perspective you want.

        Personally I absolutely love the first person view, especially while walking through a massive, humming hallway of devices, there's something special about that.

        7 votes
        1. NoobFace
          Link Parent
          This is why I loved building data centers. Nothing more satisfying than a row starting to breathe for the first time.

          This is why I loved building data centers. Nothing more satisfying than a row starting to breathe for the first time.

          2 votes
      2. [2]
        Nemoder
        Link Parent
        Thankfully they at least added a lock feature that lets you move around the object you're placing before it's built and 'nudge' it in different directions. Still, it can be tedious to make all the...

        Thankfully they at least added a lock feature that lets you move around the object you're placing before it's built and 'nudge' it in different directions. Still, it can be tedious to make all the connections you need and massively scaling up production runs into some pretty hard limits.

        3 votes
        1. MimicSquid
          Link Parent
          The expanded blueprints help a lot with scaling up.

          The expanded blueprints help a lot with scaling up.

          2 votes
    2. [3]
      kaffo
      Link Parent
      Same here. Though I did have fun I had no interest to go back at 1.0. Another deal breaker for me was the lack of randomness. I never liked how the map was always exactly the same with the same...

      Same here. Though I did have fun I had no interest to go back at 1.0.
      Another deal breaker for me was the lack of randomness. I never liked how the map was always exactly the same with the same resources and the same places to explore.

      7 votes
      1. [2]
        OBLIVIATER
        Link Parent
        That seems to be a big selling point to a lot of people here, guess it goes to show how you can't please everyone. For me I don't really care what the map looks like, I'm just there to make cool...

        That seems to be a big selling point to a lot of people here, guess it goes to show how you can't please everyone. For me I don't really care what the map looks like, I'm just there to make cool factories.

        4 votes
        1. Wolf_359
          Link Parent
          Yeah, I have a hard time enjoying any game with random maps. In fact, it's why I don't enjoy any rogue likes. It all feels so impersonal and unintentional. Games like RDR2 and Elden Ring have...

          Yeah, I have a hard time enjoying any game with random maps. In fact, it's why I don't enjoy any rogue likes. It all feels so impersonal and unintentional.

          Games like RDR2 and Elden Ring have these amazingly detailed elements. Everything was intentionally designed with care in a way that makes exploration so much more fun and meaningful. Nothing like finding a carefully hidden spot or experiencing an encounter that was fine-tuned to create a specific emotion or mood.

          And I think there are a handful of games that blend this well with the idea of emergent gameplay. Like, you can have the masterfully crafted Breath of the Wild map and still have these unique experiences that the devs didn't intend, but rather allowed for.

          3 votes
  2. [2]
    TMarkos
    Link
    Satisfactory holds a special place for me in the world of automation games specifically because you are immersed in the environments, and as a result the world feels huge and real in a way that...

    Satisfactory holds a special place for me in the world of automation games specifically because you are immersed in the environments, and as a result the world feels huge and real in a way that other factory games can't capture. The verticality of it is something different as well, since in games that have it (Dyson Sphere Program, for one) it is a limited thing of level selection on a tileset, whereas in SF it can be several hundred meters of harrowing twists through a monster-infested cave to route belts between a grotto and a plateau.

    The reduction to human scale makes everything sit differently. The larger machines that you use in your factory are bulky, colossal things that have integral ladders and walkways you can traverse. None of it feels like just another tile in the set, because of that.

    It has a decent amount of replay value simply because the map is so huge; on any given playthrough there will be large swathes of the map that you simply never visit (aside from perhaps a single blitz to grab hard drives and slugs) because it would take you an hour to trek through monster-infested jungle to get there, or because there are huge cliffs in the way. Starting in another location is very much like starting in an entirely new map, as a result. I'm eager to see the change that the addition of portals makes to that aspect of gameplay in the 1.0 release.

    15 votes
    1. CptBluebear
      Link Parent
      Portals are super late game. I'm at Phase 3 (tier 7-8) and there's no portals in sight. They've gated the converter and the portal to tier 9 and it's all the better for it. It's more a reward than...

      Portals are super late game. I'm at Phase 3 (tier 7-8) and there's no portals in sight. They've gated the converter and the portal to tier 9 and it's all the better for it. It's more a reward than a method of progression.

      Unlike the dimensional depots, which are a game changer and definitely a good addition that feels true to the universe and doesn't just feel like you're magically pulling items from your ass (which, let's be real, you're still doing that but at least it feels it has an in universe explanation).

      They've cooked with 1.0 and I've been having a great time. The added optimization is clearly working well too and the game is much smoother even later in the game.
      There's some odd bugs and glitches here and there but none game breaking and they'll likely get solved over time.

      Their 140k-180k player count is well deserved.

      9 votes
  3. [5]
    ACEmat
    Link
    I put 120 hours into EA, and now I'm about 20 hours into 1.0. I bounced off both Factorio and DSP. Factorio to me if very drab and gloomy. I don't find the color pallete visually appealing, and...

    I put 120 hours into EA, and now I'm about 20 hours into 1.0.

    I bounced off both Factorio and DSP.

    Factorio to me if very drab and gloomy. I don't find the color pallete visually appealing, and the game is very much centered on logistics. Very little design.

    DSP almost gives me a headache. Everything seems too small. I feel like how (I think) some people do when the FOV is super low in an FPS. I don't know how else to explain it.

    Satisfactory to me has neither of those issues. It's a colorful, big building factory game with a fun world to explore. Some people knock the emphasis the game allows you to have on aesthetics, but it's probably my favorite part of it. The first person element means I get to literally walk through my factories too, which is awesome.

    10 votes
    1. [3]
      chundissimo
      Link Parent
      Have you tried Mindustry? It’s a much simpler, stripped back game comparatively, but I felt similarly about Factorio’s color palette and I felt Mindustry’s is much more vibrant

      Have you tried Mindustry? It’s a much simpler, stripped back game comparatively, but I felt similarly about Factorio’s color palette and I felt Mindustry’s is much more vibrant

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        ACEmat
        Link Parent
        While true, I probably should have also included that I dislike the tower defense component. Satisfactory's combat is something you have to actively seek out when you're ready. Plus your stuff...

        While true, I probably should have also included that I dislike the tower defense component. Satisfactory's combat is something you have to actively seek out when you're ready. Plus your stuff can't be destroyed. Much more chill game.

        6 votes
        1. chundissimo
          Link Parent
          Yeah I agree to an extent; it does take away from the zen of constructing elaborate factories I think. I’ll have to give Satisfactory a try!

          Yeah I agree to an extent; it does take away from the zen of constructing elaborate factories I think. I’ll have to give Satisfactory a try!

          2 votes
    2. OBLIVIATER
      Link Parent
      DSP is a special game that takes a special type of person I think. The POV didn't bother me at all but I can see why it would bother some others (though maybe something has changed since you last...

      DSP is a special game that takes a special type of person I think. The POV didn't bother me at all but I can see why it would bother some others (though maybe something has changed since you last played, since it was fairly similar to factorio.) The level of complexity and scale of DSP is unmatched in any game I've ever played, and the draw of starting from scratch to building galaxy scale dyson sphere networks in real time is unparalleled.

      3 votes
  4. [2]
    thearrow
    Link
    Amazed at the negative sentiment here. Starting a new 1.0 factory has been one of the most enjoyable PC gaming experiences I've had in quite a while. The first-person view is what makes it unique,...

    Amazed at the negative sentiment here. Starting a new 1.0 factory has been one of the most enjoyable PC gaming experiences I've had in quite a while. The first-person view is what makes it unique, challenging, and charming - would a pioneer on an alien planet really build a factory from a static eye-in-the-sky viewpoint? You can still build amazingly elegant factories, and it makes it that much more rewarding when you manage to do so despite having to walk around them like a pleb. Maybe I'm just "too casual" to get the criticism, but if you haven't tried Satisfactory yourself yet and it looks even remotely interesting to you, don't let this thread scare you away.

    7 votes
    1. thecakeisalime
      Link Parent
      They wouldn't build it from the sky, but they'd certainly design it that way. We don't draw blueprints for buildings by standing on the open site and drawing the next floor as each floor is...

      would a pioneer on an alien planet really build a factory from a static eye-in-the-sky viewpoint

      They wouldn't build it from the sky, but they'd certainly design it that way.

      We don't draw blueprints for buildings by standing on the open site and drawing the next floor as each floor is constructed. We take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Same when designing cities (when the option is available), or laying out public transit routes. Obviously the construction has to take place in first-person, but the design is almost always eye-in-the-sky.

      I haven't tried 1.0 yet, but Satisfactory was just not my cup of tea, largely due to the first-person view. I can play Factorio for hours without stopping, but I just kept getting frustrated at building placements and lining up components properly in Satisfactory (others have mentioned some QOL improvements have been implemented to deal with some of this). I think it comes down to whether you want to be a designer, a builder, or both. Factorio has a huge emphasis on the design of the factory, which is the whole reason I play the game, and the first-person view of Satisfactory just makes it harder without providing any benefit (to me).

      That said, even in EA, it was a decently polished game, and I think it's still a good game; it's just not a good game for me.

      4 votes
  5. [8]
    Eji1700
    Link
    My only question: Do biomes matter? I've always felt that the problem with most factory games is that it's basically just "find resource, hook up resource, repeat", with some finicky work hooking...

    My only question:

    Do biomes matter?

    I've always felt that the problem with most factory games is that it's basically just "find resource, hook up resource, repeat", with some finicky work hooking it all up.

    Satisfactory looked like it might actually have different environments, and thus more logic to where you're gathering, and building, your resources than "wherever proc gen decided to place it".

    6 votes
    1. Weldawadyathink
      Link Parent
      If I remember correctly, satisfactory does not use procedural generation. I haven’t played in a long time, so this may have changed. It has one set world which is gigantic. The starting options...

      If I remember correctly, satisfactory does not use procedural generation. I haven’t played in a long time, so this may have changed. It has one set world which is gigantic. The starting options are just different locations on the map. This gives the benefit of a custom handcrafted world.

      8 votes
    2. [6]
      MimicSquid
      Link Parent
      Resources aren't evenly distributed. So the biomes themselves don't change the gameplay, but you will need to explore and expand your factories across the map. There's no proc gen at all.

      Resources aren't evenly distributed. So the biomes themselves don't change the gameplay, but you will need to explore and expand your factories across the map. There's no proc gen at all.

      5 votes
      1. [5]
        Eji1700
        Link Parent
        But that's basically the standard factorio model then right? Biomes are just set dressing? No major gameplay implications like resource availability/ecology/weather?

        But that's basically the standard factorio model then right? Biomes are just set dressing? No major gameplay implications like resource availability/ecology/weather?

        3 votes
        1. OBLIVIATER
          Link Parent
          I think Satisfactory is trying to appeal more to people who care less about making the perfect factory and more about being immersed in the game itself, at least from my experience with it. People...

          I think Satisfactory is trying to appeal more to people who care less about making the perfect factory and more about being immersed in the game itself, at least from my experience with it. People like us who only care about the logistics of setting up an elegant system are better served by games like DSP, Factorio, Shapez, etc.

          6 votes
        2. MimicSquid
          Link Parent
          I think you're discounting the experience of being in first person mode in a 3d world. Is a biome of steep cliffs the same to build in as a grassy plains? Is an archipelago the same as rolling...

          I think you're discounting the experience of being in first person mode in a 3d world. Is a biome of steep cliffs the same to build in as a grassy plains? Is an archipelago the same as rolling hills consumed by jungle?

          There are no explicit mechanical effects, but the terrain matters a good deal even if you don't care about the view.

          5 votes
        3. CptBluebear
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          Sure, some biomes have fewer levels of, let's say, sulfur available and you'll either have to ferry things over by truck/train/drone, or make do with an impure node giving you fewer resources than...

          Sure, some biomes have fewer levels of, let's say, sulfur available and you'll either have to ferry things over by truck/train/drone, or make do with an impure node giving you fewer resources than a pure node elsewhere. Others may be rich in iron while not providing any oil. It may be a little difficult to parse, but here's an interactive map overview: https://satisfactory-calculator.com/en/interactive-map

          I frequently look at the map to find the required resource nodes for a particular product chain. I had to move to an entirely different biome to get six of the required resources in close proximity which I couldn't really find anywhere else. So my choices were moving certain resources or products long distance, or move and set up elsewhere for that specific product.

          Nothing major, you can start in any of the biomes, but the distribution of resources does change how you approach your product lines. Weather effects were removed early in the development, it didn't really add much. Additionally, what @MimicSquid said rings true too. The environment itself really impacts how you approach your build. When you're in a biome with a lot of cliffs, gorges, and hills you may look into more verticality, while a dense jungle may mean it's easier to route products over belt/road/train to a more open place rather than build there.
          They are keen to let player choice matter too. If you do not want to deal with that you simply build foundations high enough so you can create a flat surface anywhere. Do you play purely for building the biggest factory ever? Sure thing dude! Ignore your surroundings to your heart's content. Do you like feeling immersed? Hell yeah, build your stuff within caves, build bridges, or snake your conveyors through the dense jungle. They'll even let you put all the (already easy to deal with) monsters on passive if you really don't want any of the combat.

          Satisfactory allows you to roam free and aggressively exploit the planet's resources play as you like to play.

          5 votes
        4. compsciwizkid
          Link Parent
          Some biomes have more dangerous monsters, more perilous terrain, but offer richer resource nodes.

          Some biomes have more dangerous monsters, more perilous terrain, but offer richer resource nodes.

          3 votes
  6. Pavouk106
    Link
    I love Factorio for it's kinda simplicity (which is rather bold thing to say!) but I also love Satisfactory for the 1st person view and being able to perceive the world differently. Each has it's...

    I love Factorio for it's kinda simplicity (which is rather bold thing to say!) but I also love Satisfactory for the 1st person view and being able to perceive the world differently. Each has it's own and I didn't play any of them long enough. Veterans would probably still call me newbie. I play them as kinda sandbox to just chill, not with any goal in mind.

    I still have to play Satisfactory after the 1.0 came out, played just the early access a few times.

    5 votes