The late-game tech really helps with this - you eventually get technologies that all you to blueprint and paste groups of buildings. This doesn't alleviate all

The late-game tech really helps with this - you eventually get technologies that all you to blueprint and paste groups of buildings. This doesn't alleviate all of the issues, but it allows for component re-use and standardization. I do think some of the limits in Factorio are what make it fun, and differentiate it from a pure programming game. I usually struggle to play any game that's too similar to brainteasers, puzzling, or thinking about systems optimization: I would rather spend those hours just programming, which is just as fun, and far more rewarding. But Factorio is sooo much fun... especially if you set up a server and play with friends. I learned Chef getting my Factorio server running :) It's turtles all the way down in automation land.