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Its all about finding creative solutions to problems while still producing the materials you need to unlock the next steps and Tiers of tech.
It's in the name OP. Creating a factory that uses all of a resource optimally is deeply satisfying when it all comes together. It is very much about making something that looks cool just for the fun of it.
It's not a base builder, it's a factory builder. The combat only gets easier - late game you have plenty of ways to kill/destroy things from a distance so there is basically no combat by that stage.
You summed the game up perfectly, mine the stuff to build the parts to make the things, and optimise everything to be as efficient as possible. The reviews are great because it's a great game, but if the genre isn't for you then you're not going to enjoy it.
I have over 1700 in and this is my favourite game. My friend played for 15 minutes and hated it, pretty much for the reasons you're having misgivings. Get a refund if it's not too late. And remember that life would be boring if we all liked the same things.
I watched some YouTube videos to try and find inspiration, and there was a lot of cool stuff, but still nothing and no one really resonated with me. Until I found WhatDarrenPlays - there is something about his style that gave me the rest of the hook into the game. He shows you how to create road networks and big factories, how to detail everything so it looks good. He shows you how he plans things out. He teaches how to use blueprints, and unlike other creators he just gives his away. These things really changed the game for me and the game got its hooks into me. Perhaps he can be an inspiration for you too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxA0JJJ5LTI&list=PLCmmkwcxcfMiZgRyuqxN2vqGkcqFWChXh
He is also currently doing 1.0 livestreams.
Anywhoo... you start by building your HUB and yeah: that part doesn't seem very rewarding, but that's because it's not meant to be. This is basically your "training" or tutorial stage where you become more familiar with the basic mechanics: being able to collect raw materials using your tool only, being able to deploy an auto miner to get your materials semi-automatically, and being able to automate the basic first steps: get a smelter going, and optionally a builder to, well, build stuff.
For FICSIT this is the part where they verify that you're still being able to perform basic tasks and can be profitable for them in the longer run.
But after the HUB is complete you'll get access to the good stuff. Just keep in mind that this good stuff is all about making your factory better and more productive. But you may not be able to put everything to good use. For example I barely use jumppads so I make sure to pick those last.
That is indeed basically the game in a nutshell... Automate the processing of raw materials and use them to make basic components, then use those components to make new machinery and other components and then use all those to build even more.
Where your main task is the space elevator and supplying FICSIT with the materials they request.
The satisfaction, for me anyway, comes from optimizing this process and making things work for me and also better over time. But I do that in a way which I think is fun and best for me. I think a good indication of whether you're going to like this game or not is sometimes having the urge to just look at the overview of your factory while you just think about all the stuff going on, and how you'd never be able to do all of that with just your hub ("crafting bench") and handheld tools.
But also becoming better... During the early stages I'd often run into "you lack the required materials" like iron plates, wire or cable. But now I just run up to a storage unit and I can grab as much as I need.
Of course now I need to keep power consumption in mind ;)
But then also finding new ways to get better yourself as well... while my factory is producing I can use that time to do some exploring and maybe, well... a little "landscaping" perhaps? ;)
I guess it also heavily depends on what you consider fun.
Back in the day I had a hard time coping with the extended tiers of items and how much slower everything became. Having to fully re-design parts also didn't sit right with me, which is when I became somewhat bored. But that has now been accounted for as well with the blueprint designer; this allows you to redesign sections in a modular and thus also hopefully re-usable way.
And sometimes... it's best to tear some things down and re-do them, but this time using all your new knowledge, experiences and optionally unlocked new mechanics.
It's also about becoming more creative with the ways to use all that.
I never cared much about foundations and what not, but fact of the matter is that these can help out a lot to make things even more productive. For example by being able to stack machinery on top of each other, thus saving you some extra space but also making things more manageable.
IMO the most important thing here is to take it one step at a time. Don't try to mimic YouTubers, building guides and what not. Just do things one step at a time in a way which is most comfortbale for you.
I hope this could give you some impressions.
Hope you all have fun!
The hub is NOT your only source of progression, both the AWESOME SHOP and the MAM research station are just as important.
New players only engage with 1/3rd of the progression and get frustrated when the game stagnates because the content is in the trees they think are optional.
Secondly, this is not a fighting game. The developers have been clear that fighting is not the main draw here, this isnt factorio where you must defend the base. This is a game about building and optimizing factories and making it look nice.
The creatures are only there as a way to gate progression, the factory you build makes you stronger and eventually there is nothing on the map you cant handle.
The combat is definitely not mean to be a big thing, which I'm glad about because I hated that about Factorio due to the factory being attacked and destroyed.
Setting down the space elevator is still very early game, and there is much to discover, with fun transportation options to get around the map (which is HUGE). There are various ways to research things through different research buildings, some research will require exploration to unlock more research and technological advances.
I hope you'll be able to give it another look, with the new knowledge of what the game is and is not.
When I first started exploring, I had a sinking feeling that the world was very "samey" everywhere and there wasn't going to be much actual exploration other than looking for mines. But the truth is that each biome is fairly large because you need the space to build factories.
Just keep at it. At a certain point you will stumble across something interesting that expands the game. You will get new traversal tools that allow you to get to places you couldn't before.
And of course, all along the way, you need to slowly begin to expand from a redneck factory into a real factory. That process is quite involved. If you don't like that part of the game though, you might struggle a bit.
Finally, as far as I know, the enemies in this game are not its strong point. There are somewhat more challenging enemies later, but I wouldn't consider them to be on par with something like a dedicated first or third-person action game. The combat is maybe a little better than Ark, but not by much. And there isn't nearly as much creature variety. But there are some surprises out there waiting for you. You just have to explore farther and look in every corner because you might find something you overlooked. The map is not packed with stuff like an Ubisoft game, so you do have to be thorough.