Tiers and Progression: Do they diminish the joy of factory building?

[Charlemagne]

I've played about 140 hours during Update 8, which was my first world. I've decided to start a new world for version 1.0, and I just realized that all the tiers and Space Elevator requirements take away the joy of playing the game.

Isn't building factories supposed to be the main point of the game? Why should I care about tiers and progression? I'm new to the Satisfactory community, so I'm curious if I'm the only one who feels this way.

Do you play in "Creative mode" with everything unlocked, or do you actually enjoy progressing through the tiers with limited building capabilities?

[Captain Oveur]

I like the struggle of having to work my way up the tiers. Working within the limits given to you is half the fun. It also isn’t like it’s holding you back *that* much. Take oil for example. Kinda sucks you can’t build a fuel generator right out of the gate, but at the same time, building the entire system requires materials from the tiers before it. If you have the materials to build the system, then you (probably) already have the materials needed to unlock the tier anyway.

[Charlemagne]

Originally posted by Captain Oveur:

I like the struggle of having to work my way up the tiers. Working within the limits given to you is half the fun. It also isn’t like it’s holding you back *that* much. Take oil for example. Kinda sucks you can’t build a fuel generator right out of the gate, but at the same time, building the entire system requires materials from the tiers before it. If you have the materials to build the system, then you (probably) already have the materials needed to unlock the tier anyway.

I feel like it's realistic to have the company requiring you to mine your own resources to build your factory but locking you out of technology makes no sense for me. Unless it's something alien that needs to be discovered on the planet

[Plagues]

just play creative mode, its what its there for. Go nuts and build whatever you want with no constraints.

[Lawn-Mower]

Steam reckon's I've got 179hrs on the 1.0 save, minus time afk due to RL stuff, I'd estimate 95-100hrs engaged play time. I'm only at the start of phase 2. I'm fully building out a facility before moving on.

I've unlocked everything I can for phase 2, but really only just started in terms of factory. All available alts unlocked for best planning the current production line (if in the distant future I need more of this product I'll make another facility using future alt recipes with refineries or blenders or whatever), self-contained off-grid satellite mini-facilities set up solely for dimentional depot refilling (yes, I even have geo-thermal already). 4x power augmenters already. Everything in the Awesome Shop, except 1 or two things I'm not up to yet have been unlocked. I have all building/architectural materials unlocked. Start of phase 2 only.

The facilities are set up in such a way that all I'll need to do when I return later is a) upgrade miner and belts, b) fill machines with powershards - I know what's coming, so planning for this is second nature.

I'm expecting completing all phases will take me >1000hrs, perhaps 2000.. Though it's possible that facility building will be quicker with all the background work I've done. This is by far the most enjoyable playthrough I've had so far; even more than the first and the giant learning curve and in-world and game mechanic exploration that it brought. I'm really getting into micro-building and micro-progression.

So yes I play creatively. No I don't play 'creative mode'. Progression tiers enhance, not diminish the experience for me. I don't focus on them until I'm ready - they're the overarching goal, but play little role in factory building focus. Because I can only make simple iron copper and steel items that's what I'm focused on. Knowing full well I'll be needing them and also will need to build a new facility for new products in the next phase. Progression tiers provide simple broad structure to the experience, kind of bringing it all together. Yes, I can create my own goals and strive towards them, and will do once all tiers are unlocked. But in the mean time they actually provide a certain overall immersion factor that I'm having trouble communicating..

But, if you don't have the time, feel like striving for the tiers is work, or don't want that full immersion then go creative mode.

[Maconijnr]

! last comment before i best go bed, it's 3:50am for me lol and just finishing for the night, i have started 2 saves 1 is my main save and will be played pure vanilla with no mods or creative mode, i am upto tier 7 on that save and enjoying the slower progression, not over thinking the next steps ahead and not getting side tracked just building stuff :)

my second save is my creative save that save has free build,fly mode and god mode enabled and was started at Tier 0 that save I will also use mods, when they are working again :)
This save is my just for fun save that i go on to test build stuff for my main save and just to scratch my creative itch when i just want to build and chill out :)

[Darth[SW]]

Originally posted by Omnissiah:

I've played about 140 hours during Update 8, which was my first world. I've decided to start a new world for version 1.0, and I just realized that all the tiers and Space Elevator requirements take away the joy of playing the game.

Isn't building factories supposed to be the main point of the game? Why should I care about tiers and progression? I'm new to the Satisfactory community, so I'm curious if I'm the only one who feels this way.

Do you play in "Creative mode" with everything unlocked, or do you actually enjoy progressing through the tiers with limited building capabilities?

I started again in 1.0 along side a group of around 12 online friends. I am furthest along at mid tier 9. The game has a lot to be desired around building the same production lines over and over and limited size blueprints. Out of the 12 friends only 1 other is still playing but he is a die hard fan of the game. All the rest had similar complaints and quit around the phase 3 mark. The tools that most other factory games give you to avoid some of the tedium associated with this genre are just lacking in this game. Blueprints not connecting power, belts, train lines between snapped prints is one of the issues they had with the game. Having a hand crafted beautiful world and then just building everything 100 meters in the air above it all so that it snaps nicely was another concern. I myself am sticking it out to completion but I find a lot of issues with snapping and building are starting to annoy me a lot. Power lines for example while using the hover pack if I don't wait long enough for movement to stabilize it will end up building a pole right next to the pole I am trying to snap the line to. Anyway I could go on but from what I have observed from the gamers around me a lot of them gave up due to the games limitations even the ones playing in creative mode.

[Captain Oveur]

Originally posted by Omnissiah:

I feel like it's realistic to have the company requiring you to mine your own resources to build your factory but locking you out of technology makes no sense for me. Unless it's something alien that needs to be discovered on the planet

Don’t get me wrong here. I get what you’re saying and I do agree with it, but to me, from a gameplay perspective, it’s more of a way of self-checking your progress while simultaneously keeping things from being too overwhelming for new players (and even some more experienced players) as opposed to being an actual limiting factor.

[Nu_Gundam]

You can't have the ups without the downs...

The struggle makes the dopamine hit that much harder!

[Dwane Dibbley]

Originally posted by Omnissiah:

Do you play in "Creative mode" with everything unlocked, or do you actually enjoy progressing through the tiers with limited building capabilities?

Whats the point in building factory, if you already got unlimited resources? Like why you need to make things when you already got an infinite amount of them?

[Charlemagne]

Originally posted by Dwane Dibbley:

Originally posted by Omnissiah:

Do you play in "Creative mode" with everything unlocked, or do you actually enjoy progressing through the tiers with limited building capabilities?

Whats the point in building factory, if you already got unlimited resources? Like why you need to make things when you already got an infinite amount of them?

Solving a logistical problem of going from a single iron node to making hundreds of items across the map. The story should have been something like: "We are sending you to a planet, and your mission is to exploit every resource to its maximum potential in order to create the most valuable items in the galaxy."

The joy of this game is the journey, not the destination

[Aranador]

It sounds like Creative Build Mode is what the OP wants - and that is fine - play the game the way you enjoy.

[Dwane Dibbley]

Originally posted by Omnissiah:

Originally posted by Dwane Dibbley:

Whats the point in building factory, if you already got unlimited resources? Like why you need to make things when you already got an infinite amount of them?

Solving a logistical problem of going from a single iron node to making hundreds of items across the map. The story should have been something like: "We are sending you to a planet, and your mission is to exploit every resource to its maximum potential in order to create the most valuable items in the galaxy."

The joy of this game is the journey, not the destination

But there is no problem at first place. YOU are creating that problem for no reason. If you have infinite resources already in your pocket, theres no need for anything you have mentioned. Your "journey" is purely artifical.

[Charlemagne]

Originally posted by Dwane Dibbley:

Originally posted by Omnissiah:

Solving a logistical problem of going from a single iron node to making hundreds of items across the map. The story should have been something like: "We are sending you to a planet, and your mission is to exploit every resource to its maximum potential in order to create the most valuable items in the galaxy."

The joy of this game is the journey, not the destination

But there is no problem at first place. YOU are creating that problem for no reason. If you have infinite resources already in your pocket, theres no need for anything you have mentioned. Your "journey" is purely artifical.

It's not about having infinite resources, it's about having all the tech unlocked when you start the game. Didn't you see my comment?

Originally posted by Omnissiah:

I feel like it's realistic to have the company requiring you to mine your own resources to build your factory but locking you out of technology makes no sense for me. Unless it's something alien that needs to be discovered on the planet

[Dwane Dibbley]

Sorry, not fan of edited posts. Its cheating whole discussion after it didnt went your way. bb

[Charlemagne]

Originally posted by Dwane Dibbley:

Sorry, not fan of edited posts. Its cheating whole discussion after it didnt went your way. bb

What are you talking about? It's my second comment in this thread after someone pointed out the same thing as you