[FAQ] Factorio 0.16 (experimental)

[daniel0674]

Factorio 0.16.0, the first experimental version of the 0.16 branch, has been released on Wednesday, December 13. This topic will cover some of the most asked questions to prevent repeat threads, it will be expanded continuously as needed.

If you have any questions about the update process or the new version in general then post them here. For gameplay questions ask in the New Players & Game Help subforum. If you have technical problems then post in the Technical Help subforum (or here[forums.factorio.com] on the official forums). If you encountered a bug then see the last paragraph.

How do I update to 0.16?

0.16 is an experimental release of an early access game, so bugs are to be expected. Steam doesn't automatically update to 0.16 because the first few experimental versions can be unstable and in the worst case contain game-breaking bugs.

To update to 0.16 you need to opt-in by right-clicking on Factorio in the Steam library, select Properties, then go to the Betas tab and select 0.16.x - Latest 0.16 Experimental from the dropdown. You don't need to enter any unlock code. After closing the window Factorio will update the game, it's a 440 MB update.

What are the new features?

These are some of the new features:

• Cliffs (see FFF #219[factorio.com])
  
• Logistic Buffer chest (see FFF #203[www.factorio.com])
  
• Artillery wagon and artillery turret (see FFF #220[www.factorio.com])
  
• Fast replacing of belts, underground belts and splitters with each other
  
• Main inventory can be filtered
  
• New terrain and new terrain generation
  
• All terrains have transitions with water
  
• Map generation dialog contains map preview
  
• New mini-tutorials

There are many more small features, changes and bugfixes, you can see the complete list in the 0.16.0 release thread[forums.factorio.com] on the official forums.

Issues on Linux

The linux build currently has an issue where it doesn't load on some configurations, if you are unable to launch Factorio on Linux then please wait for the next experimental release, 0.16.1, which should be released later today.

Can I continue playing my old saves?

Yes, but because the map generation has been changed only newly discovered chunks of the map will be generated with the new algorithm. If you explore several chunks after the update then you can clearly see where the transition happened because of the sudden terrain changes.

I'm using mods

None of the 0.15 mods will work, all mods will need to be updated by their authors to work with 0.16. This means that all currently installed mods won't work and will be marked red in the Mods dialog. You'll have to wait until they are updated, for small mods this won't be very long (hours/days depending on the author), for bigger mods this can take more time.

For smaller mods you can try to update them yourself by extracting the .zip archive, then open the info.json file and change the version number. Afterwards re-zip the archive.

Can I unlock achievements in 0.16 experimental?

Yes, achievements can be obtained the same as in 0.15, with the same restrictions (no mods and console commands allowed).

I found a bug, what should I do?

Since 0.16 has a lot of new features and changes it is recommended to only report bugs in the Bug Reports[forums.factorio.com] section of the official forums, this ensures that the bug is noticed and solved as soon as possible. Also make sure the bug hasn't already been reported, duplicate bug reports just add additional work.

[Mr Burnham]

Approximately how long do we need to wait for addition 0.16 to main branch?

[ShutEye_DK]

Originally posted by Mr Burnham:

Approximately how long do we need to wait for addition 0.16 to main branch?

Depends of the amount of bugs found. IIRC a month or two usually.
But no one can really tell.

[daniel0674]

Originally posted by Mr Burnham:

Approximately how long do we need to wait for addition 0.16 to main branch?

Somewhere between a few weeks to a few months, the devs don't know themselves. It depends on e.g. the number of bugs found and minor features they decide to include in 0.16.

For reference, 0.15 took about 3 months before it was declared stable, and 0.16 (in my opinion) has slightly less new features, so 2-3 months would be my guess.

[Rubi]

IMHO, Factorio's experimental builds are more stable than most games' stable builds :)

[daniel0674]

Issues on Linux

The linux build currently has an issue where it doesn't load on some configurations, if you are unable to launch Factorio on Linux then please wait for the next experimental release, 0.16.1, which should be released later today.

[Raphael]

Programmable speakers reset after you leave the menu

[daniel0674]

Originally posted by OfficerSauer:

Programmable speakers reset after you leave the menu

Thanks for the report. This is fixed for the next release (0.16.1).

[Speedbird]

I had a crash when the first loading screen reached 32 percent.

I'm on Windows 7 and my entire computer froze.

[daniel0674]

Originally posted by Not so Perfectly made cornbread:

I had a crash when the first loading screen reached 32 percent.

I'm on Windows 7 and my entire computer froze.

Please paste the contents of your factorio-current.log file in the Bugs & Technical Help subforum, or (even better) in the Bugs[forums.factorio.com] or Technical Help[forums.factorio.com] of the official forums.

[Speedbird]

Originally posted by daniel0674:

Originally posted by Not so Perfectly made cornbread:

I had a crash when the first loading screen reached 32 percent.

I'm on Windows 7 and my entire computer froze.

Please paste the contents of your factorio-current.log file in the Bugs & Technical Help subforum, or (even better) in the Bugs[forums.factorio.com] or Technical Help[forums.factorio.com] of the official forums.

I had to restart my computer and it didn't get a chance to make one of those.

[daniel0674]

Originally posted by Not so Perfectly made cornbread:

I had to restart my computer and it didn't get a chance to make one of those.

Does it work now? (Also make sure that you are running 0.16.1)

[Speedbird]

Originally posted by daniel0674:

Originally posted by Not so Perfectly made cornbread:

I had to restart my computer and it didn't get a chance to make one of those.

Does it work now? (Also make sure that you are running 0.16.1)

I don't really want to try.

[amax3002]

0.16.1 wont start for me (or 0.16.0). Anyone running into this issue. I am on a Mac

[daniel0674]

Originally posted by amax3002:

0.16.1 wont start for me (or 0.16.0). Anyone running into this issue. I am on a Mac

This issue is known: [HanziQ][16.0][macOS 10] Crash on start: EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT); DYLD, [0x4] Symbol missing[forums.factorio.com]

You'll have to wait for the devs to release a functioning Mac release.

[Elusive]

I am happy with pretty much everything added and/or changed in 0.16.x. The Artilary is lots of fun, and im especially happy that it also comes in a turret form (I was a little worried it would be train only).

My only problem is that the area of effect for the artilary shells is rather small, especially considering how expensive each single shell is to produce. While im not asking for the ability to kill 20 spawners with a single shot, I do consider it counter intuitive that the blast from a huge artilary shell is smaller then a hand held rocket launcher.
Personally, I would have set the blast size to about 8 to 10, even if it means upping the cost of produceing the shells a little.