Facteroids
- June 23, 2023
- by Jan Zizka
Get on SteamFacteroids is a space-based factory building game where players mine resources from asteroids and planets to build and manage complex production lines. A fully destructible 3D environment allows for unique factory designs, while colony management and resource allocation are crucial for success. Trade and research options expand gameplay, encouraging players to explore and exploit the entire Solar system.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique 3D twist on the factory genre, allowing players to build on multiple faces of an asteroid, which adds an interesting challenge.
- The developer is responsive to feedback and actively works on improving the game, which shows promise for future updates and enhancements.
- The campaign missions are engaging and provide a variety of puzzles that keep the gameplay fresh and challenging.
- The camera controls are frustrating, often zooming in unexpectedly when rotating the asteroid, making navigation difficult.
- The game feels unpolished, with bugs and unclear mechanics that can lead to confusion and frustration during gameplay.
- Resource scarcity and the need to frequently relocate mines can make the gameplay repetitive and less enjoyable over time.
- story28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story in this factory game is structured around a series of varied missions that provide a clear sense of progression and purpose, keeping gameplay fresh and engaging. Players navigate through increasingly challenging campaigns, with a mix of tutorial and sandbox elements that introduce new technologies without excessive guidance. While some missions may involve waiting and can feel unpolished, the overall experience is described as enjoyable, with opportunities for competition and creativity through a mission editor.
“Facteroids manages to offer missions in the campaign scenarios that introduce technologies without excessive 'hand-holding.' In the tutorial missions, various pieces of tech are introduced, but later on in the campaign, other items are encountered, and the player's initial reaction may well be 'wait.'”
“The graphics are good, and the campaigns so far have introduced something new each time I start a new mission.”
“In campaign mode, you follow a set of objectives to complete, and once completed, you will move on to the next campaign mission.”
“The tutorial part seemed to bug out, and the first mission of the campaign was just sitting and watching a ship being filled up with fuel, completing once it launched after 60 seconds.”
“There is still a lot of sitting around and thumb twiddling though - just waiting for things to finish mining, and the foothold mission still seems frustrating as after the silicon ore is mined, you'll have to find more that you can't seem to access right away without digging through rock first - this just adds to waiting time to get through it very slowly.”
“After doing a few really easy missions that were very ADHD levels of easy and short, I realized this wasn't for me.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay features moderately complex mechanics that are easy to learn, supported by a good tutorial, and allow for both casual play and competitive speedrunning. While the core gameplay loop is enjoyable and the campaign effectively introduces various mechanics through fun puzzles, some elements feel underdeveloped, and the overall experience lacks a cohesive endgame goal. The game has a solid foundation but could benefit from additional mechanics to enhance its factory-building aspects.
“Gameplay is easy and chill, but you can also speedrun missions, so you can compete with other players.”
“The campaign is well thought out to gradually teach the game mechanics, and they're fun puzzles.”
“From the gameplay perspective: the game is a solid base idea.”
“Some mechanics, like flooding to fill lakes, are definitely undercooked.”
“Game is okay, needs more mechanics to make it a full factory-like building game.”
“Like the core of the game is there, the mechanics work, the general structure of the game is there, but the coherency that makes everything play together isn't.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their quality and animation, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Players appreciate the variety introduced in different campaign missions and the customizable graphics settings, which allow for adjustments in terrain graphics, texture quality, and UI scale. However, some users noted a lack of clear graphical options on the interface.
“Nice graphics and animation make it a joy to play.”
“The graphics are good, and the campaigns so far have introduced something new each time I start a new mission.”
“+ Good graphics.”
“In the settings, you will find options for graphics - simple terrain graphics, texture quality, UI scale, full screen, language (English), gameplay - show frames per second, enable 'did you know' tips, display mission time, auto saving.”
“You can get around this by selecting all bots (thanks, loading screen, for the tip) but I don't see a graphical button on the screen for this.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with some puzzles being engaging while others feel trivial or tedious, particularly in the early stages where players may struggle to understand the mechanics. This initial tedium can be off-putting, but many believe it may improve over time or be addressed in future updates.
“Some of the puzzles are interesting, some of them are trivial, and some are downright tedious.”
“One of the first scenarios is very tedious as you don't know what you're doing yet, and you spend a lot of time waiting.”
“The first tedious scenario could put you off the game for good - it almost did for me.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted to be somewhat repetitive, which may detract from the overall experience. Additionally, players have mentioned that the controls for adjusting sound effects and music volume are not very intuitive.
“The music is a bit repetitive, and the controls aren't quite obvious.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users noting the presence of bugs and expressing frustration over the variable item speed on conveyor belts, which may hinder those who prefer precise optimization.
“The game offers a variety of optimization options that allow players to fine-tune their experience to their liking.”
“I appreciate how the developers have focused on optimization, making the gameplay smoother and more enjoyable.”
“The optimization features really enhance the overall performance, allowing for a more seamless gaming experience.”
“It does have a few bugs, and the fact that the belts don't have fixed item speed is going to annoy those who like everything to be optimized.”
