Kudos for waiting, but the game is in a very good state. I think it reflects on the ambitions of the devs that they're keeping it EA even at this point. It is certainly improving, but it's really solid.
Even with very big factories, the game performs well. The improvements to be made are really just related to the UI and some game mechanics that could be modified or extended. Generally, there are lots of mods that will hopefully make it into the base game (e.g. rail tanker cars), but good mod support is part of the game.
It's quite different from SimCity, but I agree that both games are enjoyed by a similar audience for similar reasons.
>It's quite different from SimCity, but I agree that both games are enjoyed by a similar audience for similar reasons.
Definitely. Factorio has a crafting system, so that's a major difference.
I'd say the "similar reasons" you mentioned above are twofold:
a) You design systems and observe how they behave. There's kind of an awe or wonderment associated with watching how living, breathing systems behave within a complex simulation.
b) There's also a feedback loop where the player attempts to make their systems more efficient. This kind of massages a specific part of the brain in people with OCD tendencies, generating huge amounts of pleasure.
Even with very big factories, the game performs well. The improvements to be made are really just related to the UI and some game mechanics that could be modified or extended. Generally, there are lots of mods that will hopefully make it into the base game (e.g. rail tanker cars), but good mod support is part of the game.
It's quite different from SimCity, but I agree that both games are enjoyed by a similar audience for similar reasons.