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The fantastic Factorio has launched out of early accessWas already great in early access
Was already great in early access
After seven years in early access, factory-building management simFactoriois finally finished enough to launch properly. Update 1.0 arrived today and developers Wube Software have removed that “early access” label, though they’re not done with patches yet.Factoriowas already great in early access, plopping players on an alien planet to slowly build a vast network of mines, conveyor belts, processors, assemblers, defences, trains, cranes, pylons, and drones, until we’ve gone from chopping trees down manually to launching a rocket into space. Now it’s bigger, prettier, and more polished. It has an updated free demo too.
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“Show’s over, building games. It’s time to go home,” our former Alec (RPS in peace)saidafter playing Factorio in 2016. “Seriously: I can’t think where there is left to go after Factorio.”
It really is… a lot. It has the pleasure of slowly teching up and expanding, the satisfaction of automating your processes, then the obsession of optimisation. Destroying a complex system which does work but sloppily so you can build a replacement doing the same job slightly better is such a treat. Especially when you get into splitting, merging, burrowing, and balancing networks of conveyor belts - there’s little more pleasing than good conveyor layout. We’ve since declared Factorio one ofthe best management games.
Then once you’ve seen all the newness, perhaps you’ll fancy trying some of thebest Factorio mods.
Wube have also used v1.0 to remakeFactorio’s 2016 early access launch trailer, which I still think is one of gaming’s greatest trailers. It’s exciting, it reveals the process, progression, scale, and consequences of your industrialisation, and it all wraps up in under two minutes. Here’s the new version, showing off all the art they’ve redone over the years:
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Wube started selling Factorio alpha access in 2013, initially through a crowdfunding campaign, then brought it to Steam Early Access in 2016. This 1.0 launch is coming five weeks earlier than once planned because theywanted to get out Cyberpunk 2077’s way. It seems this bump has consequences.
“We were doing the best we could, to fix all the relevant bugs and issues for the 1.0 release, but we just couldn’t do everything,” Wube said intoday’s launch announcement. “So we had to prioritise just the more critical stuff.” An update 1.1 will follow, focused more on fixing bugs and other minor issues than new content.
Factorio is out nowon Steamfor £21/€25/$30. It is also available onGOGandfrom the developers, though both charge a few quid more than Steam. The 1.0 demo is available from Steam, GOG, and thethe devsif our word isn’t enough.
The game has been a clear influence onSatisfactory, a game best described as a 3D first-person Factorio because, well, it is. It’s pretty good. Our boy Brendy’sSatisfactory early access reviewsaid “when you see those huge assembly lines, encircling mountaintops like a giant sushi conveyor belt, you’ll know they’re your crowning achievement.”
