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About

"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.

Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
Automation Empire screenshot
+10

66%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,958 reviews
gameplay76 positive mentions
music16 negative mentions

  • The game has a great concept and is visually appealing, with smooth animations and a well-designed interface.
  • It offers a unique challenge with its tax system, encouraging players to optimize their production and efficiency.
  • The ability to delete and receive a full refund for built structures allows for experimentation and creativity in factory design.
  • The game lacks a tutorial, making it difficult for new players to understand mechanics and gameplay.
  • There are significant limitations in 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 effectively.
  • gameplay
    376 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its unique mechanics and engaging progression loops, 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 game challenging, and highlighted issues with the user interface and certain gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the game shows potential and has appealing visuals, it feels incomplete and in need of further refinement to fully satisfy players.

    • “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.”
    • “Just don't like it, feels like the game mechanics work against you, no tutorial, massive learning curve, slow progression, very easy to make mistakes, very irritating material transport system.”
  • graphics
    232 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received a mixed reception, with many players praising their quality and aesthetic appeal, particularly in comparison to similar titles like Factorio. While some users highlight the vibrant 3D environments and detailed animations, others criticize the lack of graphic settings and occasional performance issues. Overall, the visuals are generally considered a strong point, though they are sometimes overshadowed by gameplay concerns and technical limitations.

    • “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 fact that it's done in a gorgeous 3D environment with great graphics adds icing to the cake of a truly entertaining game.”
    • “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.”
  • music
    158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features music only in the main menu, with no in-game soundtrack, which has drawn significant criticism from players who find the absence of background music during gameplay disappointing. Many users noted that the sound effects are minimal and lack variety, leading to a quiet and somewhat dull experience. While some players prefer to listen to their own music, the general consensus is that the game would benefit greatly from an engaging soundtrack to enhance the overall experience.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “But if you're looking for music in-game, this is not for you.”
    • “However, there is zero music in this game outside of the title screen, which is unacceptable.”
    • “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.”
  • stability
    76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability 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 unfinished and in need of substantial fixes to improve its stability.

    • “One of the most polished games to come out in recent years, virtually bug free.”
    • “It's bug free at launch, appears to be well optimized as I've never had a single issue playing it and it's clearly about using automation to expand your empire.”
    • “So far only played this game a few hours and unlike other more expensive games, I have had no glitches, no land rendering issues, and no lag at all.”
    • “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.”
  • replayability
    72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is a contentious topic among players. Many reviewers note that the fixed maps and lack of randomness significantly limit 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 mechanics.

    • “This has amazing replayability and the difficulty level can be as brutal as you make it for yourself.”
    • “Learning curve is pretty steep, but once you work out how it all combines, it's a fun challenge with lots of replay value.”
    • “Lots of different areas to try gives this game tons of replay value...”
    • “The maps are all fixed with no randomness, limiting replay value.”
    • “This game has next to zero replayability.”
    • “The bottom line is that this is a shallow game with little replayability.”
  • optimization
    70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance and enjoyable gameplay, many others experience significant issues, particularly with large factories and complex builds, leading to stuttering and slowdowns even on high-end systems. There are calls for serious improvements in optimization, especially regarding game loads and AI efficiency, to enhance the overall experience. 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.”
    • “It is fun to grow through the various stages of factory optimization as research is done and new things are unlocked.”
    • “Yes, lots of fun if you like managing systems and optimization and such.”
    • “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.”
    • “I've played dozens of hours of Oxygen Not Included, Factorio, and Satisfactory, and none of the single-player performances of those games has been anywhere near noteworthy.”
  • grinding
    70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its tediousness, primarily due to the lack of features like bulk deletion, blueprints, and the inability to modify existing factory layouts without starting over. Players find the repetitive nature of rebuilding and resource management to be a significant drawback, making the gameplay feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience. While some appreciate the complexity and potential fun once familiar with the mechanics, many agree that the overall experience can become frustratingly grindy.

    • “Most games like this 'build over' and extend existing setup, but 'Automation Empire' favors razing most of your build and starting things anew. This can become really tedious, especially since you can't copy a whole factory even if you need multiple identical ones, and you can't remove things like tracks in bulk; you have to remove one thing at a time.”
    • “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.”
  • story
    64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and narrative structure, with players noting that it primarily consists of repetitive missions without a compelling plot or clear objectives. Many reviewers express a desire for a more engaging storyline and varied mission types, suggesting that the game feels incomplete and could benefit from a campaign mode to provide context for the gameplay. Overall, while the game is enjoyable for its mechanics, the absence of a meaningful story detracts from the overall experience.

    • “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?' 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 create robot limbs for constructing a whole robot and weapons for some kind of space war, which would be an amazing game.”
    • “At first, I thought it would have no plot and you just build stuff and then it's over. 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 also would like a campaign, but I always want a campaign or story mode.”
    • “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.”
    • “As mentioned by someone else, the game is not finished; it is pretty, not buggy, but it lacks a story or other objectives.”
  • monetization
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users labeling it a "cash grab" due to perceived abandonment by the developers and lack of ongoing support. While some players appreciate the game's quality and mechanics, the overwhelming sentiment suggests disappointment in its development trajectory and concerns about its long-term viability. Notably, there are no microtransactions, which some players view positively amidst the criticism.

    • “There are no microtransactions in this game, which is a refreshing change.”
    • “I really appreciate that there are no microtransactions; it makes the experience much more enjoyable.”
    • “The absence of microtransactions allows players to fully immerse themselves in the game without distractions.”
    • “Cash grab garbage, was looking forward to the continued development but appears to be abandoned!”
    • “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.”
  • humor
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 many appreciate the game's potential for humor, they also express disappointment over its shallow objectives and lack of depth compared to similar titles, leading to mixed feelings about its overall comedic value.

    • “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 haven't 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... if you play Factorio or Oxygen Not Included, you see how this game is light years behind.”
    • “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... Factorio - 500 hours, ONI 600 hours... and that can be a good parameter on how much worse this game is in relation to those.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a sense of heartbreak, particularly due to the perception that it has been abandoned, leaving players with a poignant feeling of loss.

Buy Automation Empire

21h Median play time
63h Average play time
10-43h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 64 analyzed playthroughs

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