Automation Empire
- November 19, 2019
- DOG HOGGLER
- 21h median play time
Get on Steam"Automation Empire is a simulation/management game focused on efficiency and expansion. Create and manage a network of factories and machines, using various modes of transportation such as mine carts, drones, and trains to move resources. Design complex systems, optimize production, and expand your industrial empire to new worlds." Less than 300 characters.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a great concept and is visually appealing, with smooth animations and a charming aesthetic.
- It offers a unique challenge with its tax system, encouraging players to optimize their production and resource management.
- The ability to delete buildings for a full refund allows for experimentation and redesigning of factory layouts.
- The game lacks a tutorial, making it difficult for new players to understand mechanics and gameplay.
- There are significant limitations on factory expansion and building placement, leading to frustration when trying to optimize layouts.
- The drone AI is poorly designed, often causing inefficiencies as they cluster around the same tasks instead of distributing work.
- gameplay188 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its unique mechanics and visual appeal, while others criticize its limitations, lack of depth, and frustrating elements such as poorly designed mechanics and a steep learning curve. Many users noted the absence of a tutorial, which makes understanding the gameplay challenging, and highlighted issues with the game's pacing and resource management systems. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects to the gameplay, significant improvements are needed for a more satisfying experience.
“Great game and very well written, and the mechanics are flawless.”
“Very satisfying gameplay and progression loops.”
“Gameplay is smooth and looks great, especially like that you can zoom pretty much into first person view and it looks even better, with all the trucks/conveyors/trains/carts rumbling all around you.”
“Current gameplay is extremely limited.”
“The style is bland and uninteresting, the gameplay is basic and boring, and the mechanics are just not fun to play around with.”
“The gameplay is straightforward if you are experienced in these kinds of games, but if you start fresh you will have a hard time due to the lack of any tutorial or description.”
- graphics116 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive a mixed reception, with many users praising their quality and aesthetic appeal, particularly in comparison to similar titles like Factorio. While some players find the visuals outstanding and immersive, others criticize them as outdated or lacking depth, suggesting that the game relies heavily on its graphics without offering substantial gameplay complexity. Overall, the graphics are generally considered a strong point, though opinions vary on their impact on the overall gaming experience.
“The graphics are outstanding, along with the wonderful and captivating sounds of machinery with noise for every process.”
“It is truly a remarkable game, well thought out, practical and good quality graphics which at 3840 x 2160 look great.”
“The graphics are amazing for this type of game and it's great to be able to zoom in.”
“The maps play mostly the same with different graphics; the scenarios aren't that unique.”
“Too many graphic glitches for a game priced at $22.”
“Full release and $30 for a game with so-so graphics, barren worlds, and very few things to do until you get hopelessly bored.”
- music79 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 85 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's music aspect is largely criticized, with players noting a complete absence of in-game music, as it only features a loud track in the main menu. Many users express disappointment over the lack of ambient sound, which detracts from the overall experience, while some suggest playing their own music as a workaround. Overall, the consensus is that the game feels incomplete without a proper soundtrack to enhance gameplay.
“The menu music will blow you out of your chair, but then for some reason the game has no in-game music-- which is just fine with me, I typically turn game music way down anyway.”
“What makes a lot of these routine play games great is the daze you go into while listening to a great soundtrack.”
“I hope that Dog Hoggler adds some ambient background music in a future patch.”
“But if you're looking for music in-game, this is not for you.”
“The glaring omissions from the game are the lack of full tutorial (other than a hint screen and a table for how to craft and merge items) and no in-game music.”
“However, there is zero music in this game outside of the title screen, which is unacceptable.”
- stability38 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 76 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and lag, particularly during late-game scenarios. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay without issues, a significant number have noted persistent micro-freezes and crashes that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game appears to be unfinished and in need of substantial bug fixes to enhance stability.
“Smooth automation, no glitches that I have found.”
“Seems to be pretty bug-free; I haven't found any issues yet.”
“One of the most polished games to come out in recent years, virtually bug-free.”
“What put me over the edge, though, were the bugs and glitches.”
“The lag is still there, the bugs, the glitches and late game lag still persist and have not been addressed.”
“Before I get into the major gameplay shortfalls, the biggest show stopper is the constant freezes and crashes.”
- replayability36 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a contentious topic among players. Many reviewers note that the lack of randomness in maps and limited gameplay variety significantly restricts replay value, with some stating it feels shallow and repetitive after initial playthroughs. However, a few players find enjoyment in exploring different areas and challenges, suggesting that while replayability is limited, it can still offer substantial hours of gameplay for those who appreciate the experience.
“This has amazing replayability and the difficulty level can be as brutal as you make it for yourself.”
“Lots of different areas to try gives this game tons of replay value.”
“With the possibility of mod support, this game may become better in the future, so maybe in a year I'll have another look at it and see if things get better for replayability.”
“The maps are all fixed with no randomness, limiting replay value.”
“This game has next to zero replayability.”
“The game does not provide too much for replayability and there is almost no reason to play again after you launched a rocket.”
- optimization35 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance and enjoyable gameplay, particularly in late-game scenarios, many others experience significant performance issues, especially with large factories and complex builds. Users have noted that the game could benefit from further optimization to address stuttering frame rates and loading times, particularly on high-end PCs. Despite these concerns, the core mechanics of factory and resource optimization remain engaging for players who enjoy strategic management.
“This is definitely one of the most fun-to-play games I’ve ever played, absolutely recommended for everyone who likes construction and optimization, although it has some minor quirks due to which it doesn’t feel completely finished.”
“The game does look very good and has a well-optimized world thread, so late game FPS isn't always atrocious.”
“It is fun to grow through the various stages of factory optimization as research is done and new things are unlocked.”
“Naw, it is what it is, a chopped down memory pig version of Factorio, with less content and no optimization.”
“There needs to be some serious optimization done to this game, especially on game loads.”
“Just built my new computer yesterday with a X670 TUF Gaming motherboard and a Ryzen 5 CPU, and it won't even run without stuttering on simple graphics... hands down needs optimization.”
- grinding35 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently criticized for its tediousness, stemming from a clumsy user interface and a lack of essential features like bulk deletion and blueprinting. Players find the need to constantly rebuild factories and manage resources to be repetitive and time-consuming, detracting from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the complexity and challenge, many feel that the game becomes a slog, especially as they progress through the tech tree.
“Not to mention the lack of a copy and paste function and the ability to expand a factory without tearing the whole building down makes the game rather repetitive and tedious at times.”
“The ux decisions about not being able to modify the factory once in place, and the inability to blueprint makes the game a tedious slog.”
“In general, I liked the game but after several hours it becomes tedious and a bit of a grind.”
- story32 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and narrative, with many players expressing a desire for a more compelling storyline or campaign mode. While the gameplay offers enjoyable factory-building mechanics, it is often described as repetitive and lacking clear objectives, leaving players wishing for a richer context to their missions. Overall, the absence of a meaningful plot detracts from the experience, leading to calls for a sequel that could address these narrative gaps.
“Realy fun game and honestly I feel like a second game could be fantastic as it could close up a lot of holes in the plot or more like a game more for plot to explain why we're doing this stuff. For example, 'where are all these trucks coming from?' or 'where are all these different things going?' like I'm delivering thousands of kg of golden plates but we never see what they're used for. Honestly, a second game could be cool, maybe making it about ordering all these things to construct a whole robot and weapons for some kind of space war, which would be an amazing game.”
“As such, I wish there was a more compelling storyline around the (singular) objective and I find myself wishing for a deeper leveling/tech tree.”
“I would have liked a deeper or more varied mission structure for each planet as they're the same for each one by the looks of it.”
“This game offers no tutorials or help or quests of any kind so you can learn how to make the game work.”
“It makes no pretense of having any kind of a story and things just warp in from one side and go to the other in a shallow attempt to make bigger numbers.”
“There are no real goals, no story, no achievements.”
- monetization9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -22 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many users labeling it a "cash grab" due to perceived abandonment by the developers and a lack of meaningful content. While some players appreciate the game's quality, the overall sentiment leans towards disappointment, suggesting that the monetization strategy may not align with player expectations for ongoing support and development.
“There are no microtransactions, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.”
“I appreciate that the game doesn't have any microtransactions; it feels fair and balanced.”
“The absence of microtransactions allows me to fully immerse myself in the game without distractions.”
“Look, I really wanted to like this game as the YouTube advertising campaign using YouTubers was a great publicity move, but the game, when you actually get it, is an empty featureless mess.”
“Had potential, but the developer stopped development (apparently) and just a cash grab.”
“Read all the negative reviews recently, very accurate, and this game is clearly a cash grab.”
- humor7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as both entertaining and frustrating, with players finding the chaotic interactions of drones amusing yet ultimately unhelpful. While some appreciate the game's potential for humor, others feel that the overall experience is marred by shallow objectives and gameplay mechanics that detract from the fun. Overall, the humor is a mixed bag, eliciting laughter but also frustration due to gameplay issues.
“Potential to be a great game, but I get the distinct feeling that the devs are sitting behind me laughing maniacally whilst I play.”
“They bunch up and push each other around... it's kinda funny at first...”
“Addictive and very funny game; even though I've not played much yet, I see the potential and it's huge!”
“The objectives are all very shallow, as is the game... not funny at all.”
“Developers have complicated a lot the way to do the most simple stuff, in a cry to make you play it longer... not funny at all.”
“I've played it for a total of 17 hours and that's it, no more fun.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a sense of heartbreak, particularly due to its perceived abandonment, which resonates deeply with players.
