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This is super cool! Will never not upvote a post about factorio. If anyone is reading this and into programming you should try the game, it's incredible source

This is super cool! Will never not upvote a post about factorio. If anyone is reading this and into programming you should try the game, it's incredible source: 3000 hours+ on the game :)

zeroonetwothree 3y ago
To me it feels like programming with an awkward IDE.
- elbear 3y ago
  So ... not enjoyable? I have yet to try it, but I was thinking of giving it a shot after reading so many positive comments.
  - falcolas 3y ago
    IMO, it's more like circuit design than programming. Similar mindset, slightly different method of solving issues. And personally, if you're a fan of puzzles and optimization, I think you'll love it. There's an amazing amount of gameplay for the price. Worst case, you're out $35 and supporting an amazing developer.
  - jl6 3y ago
    You can play it in many different ways. One advanced playstyle is to use combinators heavily, but you don't need to. A lot of people get hooked on optimizing their factories, which leads down a rabbit hole of ratio calculation, but that's also not required. It's perfectly enjoyable without doing anything extremely technical.
    - rgoulter 3y ago
      I'd say "feels like programming" applies to even a vanilla playstyle. Broadly, the game is about building up systems. Even in a disorganised first playthrough, you'll naturally find 'systems' for solving things. (They'll just be hard to change, and hard to scale up, and hard to build upon). Which is somewhat similar to how a someone who just learned to program might be able to complete a task, but probably in a way a more experienced dev wouldn't.
  - shepherdjerred 3y ago
    There's a free demo on Steam. Like anything, you're going to find people in both camps. The only way to know is to try it yourself.
  - dexwiz 3y ago
    You can do a lot of programming activities but different than web standards. It leans more into process engineering concepts. You can program. But it’s ladder logic and expressions instead of text. You can build dependency injection but it’s a rail network instead of annotation. Many similar concepts but expressed in a different form.
  - rgoulter 3y ago
    I like how someone described it: - I feel the same engagement as programming, but I don't have to be reliable or be told what to do: amazing. - I feel the same engagement as programming, but I don't get anything out of doing it: this feels like work.
    - elbear 3y ago
      Yeah, the first one sounds good.
- noqc 3y ago
  Yeah, you got it.
- shepherdjerred 3y ago
  I get the same vibe, but it does make me wonder if text-based IDEs could somehow be replaced with something more intuitive like Factorio.
  - taeric 3y ago
    Domain specific tools do exist. :D Easy example is level editors for video games. Rarely are those made by editing source code. Other examples would be stuff like the kitchen designer in Ikea. Or, really, most any CAD tool.
    - shepherdjerred 3y ago
      Totally! I was wondering if those domain-specific tools would ever become more general, e.g. imagine writing general purpose programs in a 3D environment. In particular, I was wondering if this could be a fantastic application of VR/Apple's Vision headset -- a 3D IDE of some sort, where you could organize code spatially, or where the code is (are?) objects that you manipulate instead of plaintext.
      - taeric 3y ago
        I don't think spatially laying out symbolic code is likely to get that useful. We already heavily resist significant whitespace. I am fond of "ascii art" for tests and any code where it can help, but I get the impression I'm in the minority there. That said, expanding a palette to "things" that are placed in a very physical way makes sense. I'd suggest not thinking of it in terms of IDE, though. It is very common in CAD and other "editor" environments. Has been, for a long time, even.
  - __alexs 3y ago
    Yes it's called LabView. Has only slightly better usability than Factorio IME.
- calamari4065 3y ago
  I've been tinkering with a custom programming language that compiles into a blueprint of Factorio logic pieces. Apparently normal Factorio doesn't cause me enough suffering. I have to invent a problem to solve in the most absurdly complex way possible. (Un)fortunately, wube has saved me from myself. They posted previews of new in game logic pieces that render most of what I was doing obsolete. I might pick it back up after the update, not sure yet.
nindalf 3y ago
Completely agree with this. For people interested, I wrote about why software folks would enjoy Factorio (https://blog.nindalf.com/posts/factorio-and-software-engineering/ https://blog.nindalf.com/posts/factorio-and-software-enginee...).
Marthinwurer 3y ago
Alternatively, you should avoid it like you would crack cocaine or heroin, because it's that addicting.
- Izikiel43 3y ago
  Yeah, that's my issue with the game, I know if I start playing I won't stop for a few days
- snapcaster 3y ago
  Yes fair enough, I should probably be a little more cautious about recommending it to people on this forum :)
tmtvl 3y ago
I bought the game a few years ago and have about 20 hours in it. That's like 5 or so attempts of me trying my damnedest to get into it and bouncing off. I thitk GregTech just ruined me and my expectations for a crafting game.

This is super cool! Will never not upvote a post about factorio. If anyone is reading this and into programming you should try the game, it's incredible source: 3000 hours+ on the game :)

zeroonetwothree 3y ago

To me it feels like programming with an awkward IDE.

elbear 3y ago
So ... not enjoyable? I have yet to try it, but I was thinking of giving it a shot after reading so many positive comments.
- falcolas 3y ago
  IMO, it's more like circuit design than programming. Similar mindset, slightly different method of solving issues. And personally, if you're a fan of puzzles and optimization, I think you'll love it. There's an amazing amount of gameplay for the price. Worst case, you're out $35 and supporting an amazing developer.
- jl6 3y ago
  You can play it in many different ways. One advanced playstyle is to use combinators heavily, but you don't need to. A lot of people get hooked on optimizing their factories, which leads down a rabbit hole of ratio calculation, but that's also not required. It's perfectly enjoyable without doing anything extremely technical.
  - rgoulter 3y ago
    I'd say "feels like programming" applies to even a vanilla playstyle. Broadly, the game is about building up systems. Even in a disorganised first playthrough, you'll naturally find 'systems' for solving things. (They'll just be hard to change, and hard to scale up, and hard to build upon). Which is somewhat similar to how a someone who just learned to program might be able to complete a task, but probably in a way a more experienced dev wouldn't.
- shepherdjerred 3y ago
  There's a free demo on Steam. Like anything, you're going to find people in both camps. The only way to know is to try it yourself.
- dexwiz 3y ago
  You can do a lot of programming activities but different than web standards. It leans more into process engineering concepts. You can program. But it’s ladder logic and expressions instead of text. You can build dependency injection but it’s a rail network instead of annotation. Many similar concepts but expressed in a different form.
- rgoulter 3y ago
  I like how someone described it: - I feel the same engagement as programming, but I don't have to be reliable or be told what to do: amazing. - I feel the same engagement as programming, but I don't get anything out of doing it: this feels like work.
  - elbear 3y ago
    Yeah, the first one sounds good.
noqc 3y ago
Yeah, you got it.
shepherdjerred 3y ago
I get the same vibe, but it does make me wonder if text-based IDEs could somehow be replaced with something more intuitive like Factorio.
- taeric 3y ago
  Domain specific tools do exist. :D Easy example is level editors for video games. Rarely are those made by editing source code. Other examples would be stuff like the kitchen designer in Ikea. Or, really, most any CAD tool.
  - shepherdjerred 3y ago
    Totally! I was wondering if those domain-specific tools would ever become more general, e.g. imagine writing general purpose programs in a 3D environment. In particular, I was wondering if this could be a fantastic application of VR/Apple's Vision headset -- a 3D IDE of some sort, where you could organize code spatially, or where the code is (are?) objects that you manipulate instead of plaintext.
    - taeric 3y ago
      I don't think spatially laying out symbolic code is likely to get that useful. We already heavily resist significant whitespace. I am fond of "ascii art" for tests and any code where it can help, but I get the impression I'm in the minority there. That said, expanding a palette to "things" that are placed in a very physical way makes sense. I'd suggest not thinking of it in terms of IDE, though. It is very common in CAD and other "editor" environments. Has been, for a long time, even.
- __alexs 3y ago
  Yes it's called LabView. Has only slightly better usability than Factorio IME.
calamari4065 3y ago
I've been tinkering with a custom programming language that compiles into a blueprint of Factorio logic pieces. Apparently normal Factorio doesn't cause me enough suffering. I have to invent a problem to solve in the most absurdly complex way possible. (Un)fortunately, wube has saved me from myself. They posted previews of new in game logic pieces that render most of what I was doing obsolete. I might pick it back up after the update, not sure yet.

nindalf 3y ago

Completely agree with this. For people interested, I wrote about why software folks would enjoy Factorio (https://blog.nindalf.com/posts/factorio-and-software-engineering/ https://blog.nindalf.com/posts/factorio-and-software-enginee...).

Marthinwurer 3y ago

Alternatively, you should avoid it like you would crack cocaine or heroin, because it's that addicting.

Izikiel43 3y ago
Yeah, that's my issue with the game, I know if I start playing I won't stop for a few days
snapcaster 3y ago
Yes fair enough, I should probably be a little more cautious about recommending it to people on this forum :)

tmtvl 3y ago

I bought the game a few years ago and have about 20 hours in it. That's like 5 or so attempts of me trying my damnedest to get into it and bouncing off. I thitk GregTech just ruined me and my expectations for a crafting game.