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Industrial strategy games still aren't dealing with climate change

In Stanisław Lem's classic sci-fi short story collection, The Cyberiad, there is a section called The Seven Sallies of Trurl and Klapaucius, two hyper-advanced robots who are so advanced they can conjure anything from technology. One of my favorite stories involves Trurl searching for a civilisation that has achieved the highest possible level of development (HPLD). To find such a civilisation, it decides it needs to find a 'wonder' or something that exists outside of rational explanation. In the end Trurl finds a cube-shaped star being orbited by a cube-shaped planet with the letters "HPLD" carved into it.


The planet's inhabitants are all laying around doing nothing. Trurl wants to know why, so it builds a computer to simulate the entire universe, and after millions of attempts it gets an answer: they simply have nothing left to achieve.


When I play city-building games, and especially the recent variety of factory simulators like Factorio, Satisfactory, and Dyson Sphere Program, I often think of Trurl's simulation. Each game has its own sort of end goal representing the highest possible level of development - a rocket, a space elevator, a Dyson sphere - but they all leave me feeling a little uneasy about their laser focus on efficiency above all else.


Read the rest of the story...


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Version 1.1.26 released as stable

Bugfixes


  • Fixed that all entity GUIs in the map editor entity-editor and spectator controller were invisible.
  • Fixed Train overview GUI not updating the list remark. more
  • Fixed typos in Construction robot tip. more
  • Fixed a crash when quitting while using the linked-container entity type with power armor in it.
  • Fixed that sounds could sometimes be heard when they shouldn't. more
  • Fixed regenerating tile variations during save migration would not break up old large tiles and would only reset their variations to 0.
  • Fixed "probability" property of size variants in the tile definition was ignored when "weights" property was left out.
  • Fixed searching mod settings tab would leave tabs disabled. more
  • Fixed a crash of transport line migration in some cases of mod removal. more
  • Fixed that train stop gui could indicate more trains than there are when trains are removed or merged while gui is opened. more
  • Fixed a conflict between setting the players cursor through script and holding blueprint library blueprints. more
  • Fixed that building entity with multiple items to place would take unrelated items from inventory. more
Modding


  • Added CustomInputPrototype::include_selected_prototype when true the event will include selected_prototype = {base_type=, derived_type=, name=} when applicable.
Scripting


  • Added LuaCustomInputPrototype::enabled_while_spectating, enabled_while_in_cutscene, include_selected_prototype, and item_to_spawn read.

Version 1.1.25 released as stable

Changes


  • Added shortcut info tooltips to all of the relevant confirm buttons and close buttons.
  • Lowered priority of surface changing shortcut in editor to not be in the way if Control + is used for something. more
  • Changed personal logistic requests for ammo so they don't get delivered to the spidertron you're driving. more
Optimizations


  • Improved performance when building blueprints in multiplayer. more
Bugfixes


  • Fixed Artillery wagon and turret showing wrong tooltip title in deconstruction planner. more
  • Fixed control setting buttons wouldn't have a tooltip when they started without a set value. more
  • Possible fix for multiplayer server crashing when a client tries to connect. more
  • Fixed a crash in multiplayer when upgrading or deconstructing. more
  • Removed and tweaked some hidden locale to hopefully make 100% possible. more
  • Added explicit values to the circuit network range specification in the tips and tricks. more
  • Fixed that the copy and paste tips and tricks simulation wasn't working properly. more
  • Fixed that LuaFlowStatistics::get_flow_count didn't work correctly. more
  • Fixed that instant blueprint building in the map editor didn't work with undo. more
  • Fixed missing status for wall controlling gate by circuit network. more
  • Fixed a crash when saving when using LuaItemStack::create_grid() on stacks with a count > 1. more
  • Fixed that enter to confirm a logistic request count didn't work. more
  • Fixed pole dragging corner case. more
  • Fixed padding in the sync mods with save window when scroll is activated.
  • Fixed invalid "Can't reach" message when using ghost cursor to build rails in the latency state.
  • Fixed wrong status of rail signal next to rail with wrong direction.
  • Fixed that manual rotation of entity with rotation upgrade order didn't clear that order. more
  • Fixed in calculation of required modules when combining real and requested modules during blueprint creation. more
  • Fixed that blueprint containing only entities placeable off grid was built off grid even with snap to grid specified. more
  • Fixed crash caused by scrolling blueprint book in a blueprint shelf that is not yet synchronised. more
  • Fixed that tips & tricks simulation sounds were continuing to play when switched to a tutorial. more
  • Fixed that player could get stuck by entities created in the tutorials. more
  • Fixed some unnecessary error sounds in a special cases when building power poles. more
  • Fixed that exiting high speed moving train could result in a player being stuck. more
  • Fixed mod dependency tooltips in some cases. more
  • Fixed that the upper 1/3 part of the color picker button in the train stop gui didn't work. more
  • Fixed walls would not be buildable on valid positions in some cases. more
  • Fixed crash related to modded underground pipe ghosts with multiple connections with different lengths. more
  • Fixed that it was sometimes possible for an entity to attack an entity on a different surface. more
  • Fixed inaccurate range indicator in spidertron. more
  • Fixed that some sounds that were audible when viewing a certain part of the map in map view wouldn't stop when closing the map view. more
  • Changed defines.flow_precision_index.one_second to five_seconds since that's what it actually is.
  • Fixed crash related to loading that trigger migration to remove invalid upgrades.
  • Fixed that confirming the low value in logistic request didn't update the value. more
Scripting


  • Added move_stuck_players bool parameter (false by default) to the create_entity method.

Version 1.1.21 released as stable

Changes


  • Added hotkey (default O) to toggle the train overview GUI.
Bugfixes


  • Fixed that gates would open for spidertron. more
  • Fixed tank weapon cooldown rendering. more
  • Fixed that changing the force of a player or spidertron would lose logistic requests. more
  • Fixed that deleting the last scenario didn't correctly clear name, description and preview in the new game gui. more
  • Fixed that it wasn't possible to manually merge trains in chests. more
  • Fixed a crash when rendering rich text tooltips in some cases. more
  • Fixed the Trains/Train stop GUI showing trains on other surfaces. more
  • Fixed player dying in a scenario inside simulation widget would end currently running scenario. more
  • Fixed that create_entities_from_blueprint_string didn't insert train fuel. more
  • Fixed that building blueprints in the game next to uncharted areas didn't work as expected. more
  • Fixed biters and groups in Wave defense overloading the pathfinder. more
  • Building gets interrupted when moving between map and game view. more
  • Fixed building error message spam when building transport belts over obstacle. more
  • Fixed that undoing deconstruction of building with modules created extra module request. more
  • Fixed inconsistency related to building out of reach and moving. more
  • Fixed that the selected map generator preset was not correctly saved when generating a map for multiplayer or map editor. more
  • Fixed that the map generator GUI would only save it's state when pressing Next/Play. more
  • Fixed that dropping single items into machines using modules didn't clear the module requests. more
  • Fixed that the stations list wasn't sorted using natural sort order. more
  • Fixed the blueprint import with odd odd grid offsets. more
  • Fixed that the game didn't show name of the item in the request slot tooltip when it is disabled for being already set. more
  • Fixed that the undo button tooltip didn't update when clicked. more
  • Fixed bad tooltip indentation when instruction can't fit one line. more
  • Fixed overbuilding underground pipe ghosts with real pipes underground pipes. more
  • Fixed inconsistency in direction selection when being a client in a multiplayer game. more
  • Fixed that overbuilding pole out of reach didn't consider the pole to be part of the drag buliding logic. more
  • Fixed that the "Continue" button wouldn't remember whether the last game was single-player or multi-player when non-blocking saving was enabled. more
  • Fixed rare electric network migration error related to loading save without all the related mods. more
  • Fixed crash related to using belt traversing in latency state. more
  • Fixed crash triggered by desync while entities are marked for upgrade in latency state.
  • Fixed non precise belt traversing behviour in latency state.
  • Fixed a desync related to upgrading entities in the latency state.
  • Fixed upgrading unpair underground belt by smart ghost building.
Scripting


  • Added on_research_reversed.

Factorio to get a big expansion pack now the full game is done, developer jobs going

Wube Software have written up their plans for the future of Factorio and it sounds exciting, with it confirmed that they're looking to work on a big expansion.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/02/factorio-to-get-a-big-expansion-pack-now-the-full-game-is-done-developer-jobs-going