My Ideas List

Hello!

I’m enjoying the alpha very very much. So much so that I thought I would throw down a list of ideas for the game! My apologies if these have been mentioned elsewhere or are already in your roadmap. I’m sure you’ve thought of most of these anyways.

  • More control of logistics system using rules to allow more precise ordering and delivery of parts to specific locations. One of the big innovations in automotive manufacturing in the last decades is just-in-time part delivery resulting in lower inventory amounts and costs.
  • Make the advanced factory lines more efficient. Right now it’s best just to build several paint booths, for example. Trading scarce floor space and power for productivity is a fun game choice.
  • Finance options including an option to borrow money. An interesting mechanic would be adjusting the available interest rate based on a simple credit score (debt load, profit margin, WIP inventory, finished inventory)
  • Auto manufacturers make both general inventory and make-to-order cars. You could get cash rewards for processing custom orders in a timely manner.
  • Car manufacturers are deeply tied to their parts suppliers. You could add direct interactions with these entities like volume/price contracts, supply problems (i.e. I agree to buy 1000 hoods at a better price than buying them on spec one at a time.) This provides a game choice between suppliers and making stuff in your factory. A fun game mechanic could be starting out buying everything on spec, then making everything yourself to save money, then in the late game outsourcing all the parts manufacturing and ripping out your own factories to gain floor space and cost efficiency.
  • Subassembly stations that feed into the initial complete assembly stations could cause work time in the final station to be reduced
  • Make the gameplay choice between adding more factory stations and upgrading the efficiency of existing stations more exciting. Factorio is very good at this.
  • Remove power generation plants and replace them with power efficiency upgrades for factory parts.
  • Move research teams off-site and control via sliders. Only factory stuff should be in the factory.
  • Add maintenance costs, breakdowns, maintenance teams
  • Add more detail to employee costs and automate them out as production volume grows. Early stations should be more flexible (like the simple assemblers that do 10 things) but cost a lot of staff and time. Later technologies could allow high volume, high quality, very automated production with a higher initial investment but lower operating costs.
  • One thing Factorio does not do well is encourage layout efficiency so you end up with sprawling megafactories. This hurts the game performance in the endgame and is less fun than it should be.

If we think of this game in terms of a gameplay triangle, we should be able to find fun and profitable gameplay at various points between

   Floor Space

/
Cash - Time

and finally…

My boy Henry wishes we could pick the colour of the cars one at a time.

Thanks for your time,

Dan
Moncton, NB, Canada

uhm wrong game. and if you need some encouragment without layout efficiency in factorio try a deathworld.