I need a new objective. Any suggestions?

[rikkitikki]

So I've had the game for a few months now and have loved every minute of it but I have to say the end game no longer has the rush it used to have like when I launched that first rocket. Consequently after about my 8 or 10th run I've started to feel a little less excited about starting a new game. Sure, learning to get to the launch faster was good for a few games, but I don't find playing for speed alone as enjoyable as having multiple concerns. And while I like the idea of building bigger, I'm not sure I'm up for a megabase as those sprawling, repetitive layouts, while enviable, also seem to me to be tedious to build.

So I'm curious to know what goals other people are setting for themselves and hoping maybe someone can suggest an objective or a list of objectives that would fit my tastes.

Here are things that I would love the objective to have:

1. Being overwhelmed! What I loved as a beginner about the rocket goal is that it forces a nice balance of tech advancement, supply chain management and defense, all of which together overloaded my brain at times in a delightful sort of way. So a single objective is fine if it involves many concerns.

2. Circuits. One of my favorite games involved learning to set up a "smart base" to manage production and train traffic as well as inventing a few fun creations of my own (like a multicolored lighting alarm to let me know which color science was about to run low). I just can't think of a way to codify/quantify that into a game goal.

3. Trains. It took me a while, but I now feel confident in creating any kind of one- or two-way rail system with no deadlocks. Is there a way to "objectivize" this skill?

4. Anticipating demand. The challenge of trying to keep ahead of shortages before they happen.

5. HAVING an objective. I need the pressure of pass/fail. Somehow just playing in the sandbox or just playing for the sake of playing doesn't motivate me.

6. While I like a spinkling of danger, I would rather be building than defending. So not inclined to try death world or to go beyond the default danger level of the vanilla game.

So if you have any ideas for me, please post them here! Thanks so much!

[Xilo The Odd]

you get 100% of the achievements?

if not, see how many achievements you can get in one run. its a fair bit of challenge as that requires planning before you even start building.

[Warlord]

One of the few things that keep the game alive for me is setting research costs to 10x. This GREATLY slows down the game, forcing me to produce a lot more product just to research basic tech. The first hour of each game is pretty dull, since I must sit there and build 100 red science by hand before I even get assemblers. Then another 100 for splitters and UG belts. But beyond that, the speed of science keeps up with my slower style of gameplay. Each research also feels like a much bigger milestone than before.
- This sounds like it will fulfill your first requirement
- 4 as well, because in order for there not to be a lot of downtime you spend research time preparing for the next resource sink (oil production, or next science colors).
- Maybe 5 since the current basics of the game are not so easy to just plow through.

Couple this with me using railworld settings, but keep biter expansion enabled. This encourages you to go out and clear biter bases within a large protectable area. You will hunt for chokepoints and wall/turret off those areas, rather than only clearing out biter bases that get in the way.
- This ought to fulfill 6, since it has an occasional danger of biter attacks, without being too dangerous or constant.
- Also 3, because of course.

Can't help you with 2, as I do not like Circuits/logic. I barely use 2 or so wires in my entire game, and it's just for oil cracking.

[AlexMBrennan]

Circuits [...] I just can't think of a way to codify/quantify that into a game goal.

Sounds like you should have a look at Zachtronics games. Unfortunately, I don't see any way to turn Factorio into a Zachtronics game.

[Silberfuchs]

How about building your mega factory, but without one specific item/building you usually depend on?

That would force you to think outside your box.

Examples: ban one kind of inserter, no chests(!), no solar/nuclear, no trains, etc

[Mara]

Mega Train Logistics:
Rush trains, rely heavily on them. Belts only for a couple yards! Decentralize production, build science outside of main base in little sub bases near phat ore patches and ship with trains to science sub base. Use main base only for initial research and producing basic buildings like inserters and rails.

Get inventive when splitting common ingredients like plates up on multiple trains to multiple locations.
Or use the mod that allows for 'smart' train commands, the one that a train station can call in resources on circuit command with.

Also: All your fluids on rails. No mega pipes! Water trains!
Hardmode: NO Big Poles, no super grid, every sub base it's own power buildings!

[Fel]

My suggestion would be to go for mods, from what you are saying, bob and angel (maybe only bob at first) coupled with LTN (logistics train network) and a few others based around circuit network stuff seem to be what you are asking.
If you want to have to work on defenses, either rampant or natural evolution enemies would fit the bill as well but bob and angel slow your progression speed quite a bit already so enemies can be a bit harder to out-tech.

The reason is that those two mods work well together to add a lot of complexity, including many recipes with side products and a few loops, meaning that you can't blindly place more machines to get more production.
Even getting plates becomes a fairly indepth process.

Reaching the rocket once again becomes an objective the first few times you play with those, and if it becomes too simple you can replace bob and angel's mods by pyanodon's for something that only those that are a bit into masochism go for (even just automating red science becomes a lengthy process with lots of machines and recipes involved).

[Owl]

Originally posted by Warlord:

One of the few things that keep the game alive for me is setting research costs to 10x. This GREATLY slows down the game, forcing me to produce a lot more product just to research basic tech. The first hour of each game is pretty dull, since I must sit there and build 100 red science by hand before I even get assemblers. Then another 100 for splitters and UG belts. But beyond that, the speed of science keeps up with my slower style of gameplay. Each research also feels like a much bigger milestone than before.
- This sounds like it will fulfill your first requirement
- 4 as well, because in order for there not to be a lot of downtime you spend research time preparing for the next resource sink (oil production, or next science colors).
- Maybe 5 since the current basics of the game are not so easy to just plow through.

Couple this with me using railworld settings, but keep biter expansion enabled. This encourages you to go out and clear biter bases within a large protectable area. You will hunt for chokepoints and wall/turret off those areas, rather than only clearing out biter bases that get in the way.
- This ought to fulfill 6, since it has an occasional danger of biter attacks, without being too dangerous or constant.
- Also 3, because of course.

Can't help you with 2, as I do not like Circuits/logic. I barely use 2 or so wires in my entire game, and it's just for oil cracking.

same can be achieved with just buiding one reasearch lab.

[Warlord]

Originally posted by Owl:

same can be achieved with just buiding one reasearch lab.

Not at all. The resource costs for science is still the same running only one lab.

But 10x costs means you need 10x as much iron, 10x as much copper, 10x as much plastics just to do the same research. It forces you to build bigger than you maybe normally do. Heck, up until I got to logistics, I could make do with 2 lines of iron.
Now, just to research bullet damage 3 at any respectable speed I fully consume 3 iron belts. Once I get to blue science, I need a LOT of circuits to make red circuits, which needs a lot more iron/copper.

[Katitoff]

Install SpaceX mod.

[Fuinril]

Originally posted by rikkitikki:

2. Circuits. One of my favorite games involved learning to set up a "smart base" to manage production and train traffic as well as inventing a few fun creations of my own (like a multicolored lighting alarm to let me know which color science was about to run low). I just can't think of a way to codify/quantify that into a game goal.

If you like circuit why not build a megabase entierly controled by circuits ? One of my funniest playthrough was a base where I just entered how many rocket I wished to launch by cycle (one cycle beeing 1000 ticks - the duration I choosed for the multiplexer loop), all production was automatically computed and managed (including building more if needed - tied to recursive blueprint mod).

[Fel]

Originally posted by Fuinril:

Originally posted by rikkitikki:

2. Circuits. One of my favorite games involved learning to set up a "smart base" to manage production and train traffic as well as inventing a few fun creations of my own (like a multicolored lighting alarm to let me know which color science was about to run low). I just can't think of a way to codify/quantify that into a game goal.

If you like circuit why not build a megabase entierly controled by circuits ? One of my funniest playthrough was a base where I just entered how many rocket I wished to launch by cycle (one cycle beeing 1000 ticks - the duration I choosed for the multiplexer loop), all production was automatically computed and managed (including building more if needed - tied to recursive blueprint mod).

A different but similar challenge is making a base fed by a single looping belt (you could get away with a few specialized belts for ores and similar stuff though).
On top of requiring quite a bit of circuit network logic it's a fun challenge of optimization.

[Unik]

Perhaps a break can help, until new motivation and own ideas for Factorio arise.

Until then you could distract yourself with "similar" games like Factorio, such as:

- Mindustry
- Shapez IO
- Satisfactory

and more (just google it)

I discovered "Space Haven" earlier and found it interesting, it's in the Early Accses and initially on my wish list.

Edit: "Cliff Empire" is also very recommendable!

[Fuinril]

Originally posted by Fel:

A different but similar challenge is making a base fed by a single looping belt (you could get away with a few specialized belts for ores and similar stuff though).
On top of requiring quite a bit of circuit network logic it's a fun challenge of optimization.

Hey I never though of that ! I doubt it's doable with the mods I'm used to play with but it should definitively be in vanilla... maybe enough to make the vanilla game enjoyable again ! :)

[OldWhovian]

There's a couple options:
1. Aim for a goal for a certain amount of Science Per Minute (which means launching more rockets more frequently)
2. Start a Deathworld and try to survive to rocket launch Nvm I see you addressed this
3. Use some mod packs, I'd highly suggest:
Bobs/Angels (together or separate)
SpaceX
Pyanodon
Krastorio
4. Learn a Factorio speedrun (Any%, Fixed Seed, 100%)

[knighttemplar1960]

Have you tried making a mountainous start and having a mess of cliffs to overcome?