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> speaking as someone who has played the game for an embarrassing number of hours I enjoyed reading that line - made me chuckle :) Would you mind sharing what

> speaking as someone who has played the game for an embarrassing number of hours I enjoyed reading that line - made me chuckle :) Would you mind sharing what it is that keeps bringing you back to play? I'm a grey beard programmer, husband, father, and vanilla Linux kinda guy - and I've seen Factorio being mentioned on this forum quite a bit over the years. The chatter here today has once again piqued my interest to say the least. I was once an avid gamer in my youth, but these days I have little free time - so if I were to pick up a game, it would have to be the sort of experience that I can play for a few minutes here and there (and / or immerse myself in for several hours at a time when the opportunity arises). It would also need to run smoothly on Linux, and be relatively easy on computing resources. I tried Minecraft for a bit - and it ticked most of the above boxes - but I didn't much enjoy the interface and lack of "systems" if that makes sense. I love building things, but I also just enjoy sitting back and watching systems work. I prefer top-down planning / building games like the Sim City of old but that got boring pretty quickly. Anyhow I think I oughta just install Factorio and check it out - but I'm deeply curious what it is that keeps bringing you back for more.

shakow 6y ago
> I love building things > I tried Minecraft [...] but I didn't much enjoy the [...] lack of "systems" > I also just enjoy sitting back and watching systems work > I prefer top-down planning Yeah, you should love Factorio!
munchbunny 6y ago
> Anyhow I think I oughta just install Factorio and check it out - but I'm deeply curious what it is that keeps bringing you back for more. There's a demo version which gives you a pretty good idea of how Factorio feels. I forget whether the demo runs on Linux, but the full game is straightforward to run on Linux, by which I mean I forget whether you need an emulation layer. > Would you mind sharing what it is that keeps bringing you back to play? To be fair, I did reach the "I'm done with Factorio" point. I have one last hurrah of getting one last accomplishment in progress, and then I'm realistically done with the game. But to answer your question: it's because Factorio's systems are extremely deep, where the nature of the puzzles and the way you think about them keep evolving. And as you solve those problems you get the satisfaction of seeing those systems working. It's the same high I get from seeing my code work, but in video game form. > it would have to be the sort of experience that I can play for a few minutes here and there (and / or immerse myself in for several hours at a time when the opportunity arises). Factorio isn't the type of game you can play for a few minutes at a time. For me, Factorio relies on the same kind of flow state I use for other focused work. So I play it when I opportunistically have long blocks of time. Most of my hours put into Factorio were from earlier years of my life when I had fewer responsibilities and obligations.

shakow 6y ago

> I love building things > I tried Minecraft [...] but I didn't much enjoy the [...] lack of "systems" > I also just enjoy sitting back and watching systems work > I prefer top-down planning Yeah, you should love Factorio!

munchbunny 6y ago

> Anyhow I think I oughta just install Factorio and check it out - but I'm deeply curious what it is that keeps bringing you back for more. There's a demo version which gives you a pretty good idea of how Factorio feels. I forget whether the demo runs on Linux, but the full game is straightforward to run on Linux, by which I mean I forget whether you need an emulation layer. > Would you mind sharing what it is that keeps bringing you back to play? To be fair, I did reach the "I'm done with Factorio" point. I have one last hurrah of getting one last accomplishment in progress, and then I'm realistically done with the game. But to answer your question: it's because Factorio's systems are extremely deep, where the nature of the puzzles and the way you think about them keep evolving. And as you solve those problems you get the satisfaction of seeing those systems working. It's the same high I get from seeing my code work, but in video game form. > it would have to be the sort of experience that I can play for a few minutes here and there (and / or immerse myself in for several hours at a time when the opportunity arises). Factorio isn't the type of game you can play for a few minutes at a time. For me, Factorio relies on the same kind of flow state I use for other focused work. So I play it when I opportunistically have long blocks of time. Most of my hours put into Factorio were from earlier years of my life when I had fewer responsibilities and obligations.