Think of it as a steppable debugger for a computer that has modular components. Your goal is to build circuits out of chips that are little blocks of code. Also there is a real pritable manual (which was one of the most celebrated bits from TIS-100).
To get an idea of where the game is going, it helps to have played some of the earlier works, like SpaceChem and TIS-100.
EDIT: You know, looking at some of the other earlier work, he may have been building up to this for a long time. I have n't played it, but Ruckingenur 2 sure looks like a spiritual precursor to this.
It looks like a spiritual sucessor to TIS-100, which Zach himself described as, "kind of a throwback to the kinds of games I used to make, [...] Before I started Zachtronics, before I worked with other people; just these really rough, kind of abusive engineering games."
All of Zach's games are worth playing, but if you're not familiar with his games, this may not be the best introduction. You should probably start with Infiniminer, which is the most inviting of his games, instead. If you're a fan of Zachtronics' work, you're probably opening your wallet already.
Much like From Software, Zachtronics is always making variations on the same game. However, they're the only ones making it, and they're really good at, so they have a dedicated fanbase. Many of these are programmers, because the skills and thought processes required are similar to those required in programmers: if you like one, you'll likely like the other.
HRM doesn't have the devastating difficulty that makes the Zachtronics game what it is. As for Factorio, that actually bares a stronger resembalance to modded Minecraft, particularly the classic BC/IC2 combination, with a hint of other tech mods here and there. And it doesn't have a lua-based robot mod (ComputerCraft), or any of the other really cool mods, so I don't see the point. It's not as puzzle-y as Zachtronics games, though.
> It's not as puzzle-y as Zachtronics games, though.
Factorio has layout and pipelining elements that remind me strongly of Spacechem, but taken up in complexity and scale. I've played Minecraft, but not very many mods, so I can't comment on that, but I can say that Factorio is one of the first games in a while that I can sink hours per day into, treating it as a puzzle game. To me, it's like Spacechem scaled up and with the scenarios chained together seamlessly.
Check out SethBling's let's play of FTB (feed the beast) modded minecraft. If you know who Seth is, you'll know that he's great, and this is him playing with a grab bag of minecraft mods. It's outdated, but it shows the appeal.
Mind, I haven't gotten my hands on factorio yet, so I'm judging by what I can see, but thus far, it seems strictly inferior in capability and capacity for mayhem and interesting mechanisms to minecraft modded.
I understand the appeal of Minecraft mods, and I've read about some of them...I just haven't played any (at least, not any complex ones, and not in a long time).
Let's Plays have never been interesting to me, though. Either they feel like a waste of time because I'd rather be playing, or they feel like a waste of time because the game doesn't interest me enough to want to play it.
For Factorio, I like that there's a progression. There's an end goal to the game (build a rocket and get off the planet). Mechanisms have a purpose (efficiency and multiplication of player effort).
In vanilla Minecraft, I built things like hidden bunkers that would open up holes in the ground when you push a button, just because it was cool, and I imagine I'd have a similar goal if given more tools; maybe I'd build a TNT factory that auto-loads a cannon and blows up big parts of the map. In Factorio, I'll build a huge train network as part of a pipelined production process, with each train programmed for specific routes, conditions under which it leaves specific stations, etc. The goal doesn't feel the same, and it's nice that the game itself doesn't have the same feel as Minecraft.
I've also only played vanilla Factorio, but it has official support for mods, so we'll see how flexible those end up being. I don't know much about the API that's available to developers, so I can't speculate how much they'll eventually be able to change the game.
> HRM doesn't have the devastating difficulty that makes the Zachtronics game what it is
This is true, I should mention I spent probably 2-3 hours and completed the game and most side optimizations. Definitely a solid buy for $5-10 though.
>As for Factorio, that actually bares a stronger resembalance to modded Minecraft, particularly the classic BC/IC2 combination, with a hint of other tech mods here and there.
It reeks strongly of very abstract programming notions. Routing "data", whether to use static typing (inserters) or dynamic typing (smart inserters), inlining production vs modularizing production for more complex recipes. You do have to dig a bit deeper though!
Well, of course. But it feels like there's less of a puzzle there. And it's soo much less cool than automating minecraft, especially using more primitive systems.
If you're wondering about modded minecraft, definitely check out SethBling's (unfortunately brief) let's play of FTB (feed the beast - long story) modded Minecraft. It's not terribly representative of the modern mod scene (it's evolved quite a bit since 1.2.5!) but it captures the appeal quite well.
I won't dissuade you from trying all of them - I like 'em all :)
SpaceChem will introduce the idea of step-test-debug along with the modular piping (a bit); it has been a favorite for years. TIS-100 will introduce the assembler block programming, and is notable in that it manages to be fun!
Personally, I would start with SpaceChem, as it's fun right away and stays that way for a long time. It always feels like a game, while TIS-100 can feel a bit like work sometimes :P
I'd reccomend InfiniFactory, actually. It introduces you to the step-test-debug cycle, the three legs of optimization (if you're competing for leaderboards), and the general Zachtronics design, much like SpaceChem would, minus the modular piping. However, it's much friendlier to the beginner than SpaceChem (Zach agressively playtested the learning curve, and had more experience than he did when he was making SC), while still leading up to some painfully difficult puzzles that you will probably never solve, as is the Zachtronics way.
Speaking of which, did you know that Zach himself never beat the last level of SpaceChem?
Its a game where you program microcontrollers! Basically, you are employed by a chinese company to create circuits/devices which does stuff. It starts out quite simple, making score trackers etc. Then it gets more and more complex. It's similar to TIS-100 with you having to create multiple small assembly 'programs' that communicate to make the device work as a whole. Kind of like stream programming. And then you can optimize your designs to use the least amount of power, the least amount of components etc. It's great and you should try it! :D
It's a game about programming simple hardware with a simple assembly language. It's made by the grandfather of Minecraft. All Zachtronics games are amazingly engrossing. Infinifactory is my 2nd favorite game of all time.
