Firstly, if you have any doubts, play the demo. If you have concerns about buying an early access game, 1.0 is coming out soon, and the devs post updates every week.

Factorio is a game that wears what it is on its sleeve. With the release of 1.0 coming up, consider checking out one of the best-reviewed games on Steam. If you look at the promotional material, it's clear: Factorio is a game about building a factory. Many speak of it's addicting reward loop: solve one small problem, spot another, solve that, maybe you have to solve a few problems to really solve that one -- the name of the game is increasing throughput across the board. You (and anyone you play with via multiplayer) exist only to expand the factory, to nurture it, to deal with its enemies and obstacles (like trees). There are some hostile natives, who grow stronger as you pollute/attack/stay on the planet, and will attack sources of pollution. The game is what it appears to be.

The devs show early access done right, harnessing the playerbase both in order to grow from a small team to a full studio, as well as to identify crashes and bugs that require increasingly specific situations. Despite being in early access, stability is clearly a high priority: I don't think I've ever experienced a crash or other bug. They post "factorio friday facts" every week, and recently celebrated their 300th one. These are usually full of insight into what they have been working on this week, from bugs fixed to fundamental gameplay reworks under consideration. Ultimately, this game is early access not because it doesn't meet the standards of a finished product, but because the devs haven't quite finalized gameplay and balance.

The policy against sales may be somewhat confusing. This is part of the devs' "ethical pricing" approach: a consistent, clear price (no .99) that doesn't change (there was a semi-recent price increase to match the growing size of the studio). Many will tell you to simply compare their playtime to the cost, and calculate the price per hour of entertainment. While that is certainly a favorable calculation in my case as well, I consider the cost to be justified even if it wasn't so addicting; to me, the studio and therefore the game represent something pure about game development. Going from a good idea of an untapped desire to a high-polish game purely off the quality of the idea and game is the game development dream. The devs have a huge amount of respect from the playerbase because they always valued and engaged with feedback in a thoughtful way. The friday facts mentioned before don't merely set out what they do, but why they do it, and what they think about it.

If I had the disposable income, I would happily buy and give away copies of Factorio -- not only is it a good game, the devs deserve it.

Firstly, if you have any doubts, play the demo. If you have concerns about buying an early access game, 1.0 is coming out soon, and the devs post updates every week. Factorio is a game that wears what it is on its sleeve. With the release of 1.0 coming up, consider checking out one of the best-reviewed games on Steam. If you look at the promotional material, it's clear: Factorio is a game about building a factory. Many speak of it's addicting reward loop: solve one small problem, spot another, solve that, maybe you have to solve a few problems to really solve that one -- the name of the game is increasing throughput across the board. You (and anyone you play with via multiplayer) exist only to expand the factory, to nurture it, to deal with its enemies and obstacles (like trees). There are some hostile natives, who grow stronger as you pollute/attack/stay on the planet, and will attack sources of pollution. The game is what it appears to be. The devs show early access done right, harnessing the playerbase both in order to grow from a small team to a full studio, as well as to identify crashes and bugs that require increasingly specific situations. Despite being in early access, stability is clearly a high priority: I don't think I've ever experienced a crash or other bug. They post "factorio friday facts" every week, and recently celebrated their 300th one. These are usually full of insight into what they have been working on this week, from bugs fixed to fundamental gameplay reworks under consideration. Ultimately, this game is early access not because it doesn't meet the standards of a finished product, but because the devs haven't quite finalized gameplay and balance. The policy against sales may be somewhat confusing. This is part of the devs' "ethical pricing" approach: a consistent, clear price (no .99) that doesn't change (there was a semi-recent price increase to match the growing size of the studio). Many will tell you to simply compare their playtime to the cost, and calculate the price per hour of entertainment. While that is certainly a favorable calculation in my case as well, I consider the cost to be justified even if it wasn't so addicting; to me, the studio and therefore the game represent something pure about game development. Going from a good idea of an untapped desire to a high-polish game purely off the quality of the idea and game is the game development dream. The devs have a huge amount of respect from the playerbase because they always valued and engaged with feedback in a thoughtful way. The friday facts mentioned before don't merely set out what they do, but why they do it, and what they think about it. If I had the disposable income, I would happily buy and give away copies of Factorio -- not only is it a good game, the devs deserve it.