Factorio is a game bound to challenge the player with problems like base layout and defense. As the game continues, more complicated manufacturing is needed, sometimes requiring nearly every raw material available. Though some tasks may seem daunting to the player, there is nothing quite as satisfying as seeing a sprawling factory running at its maximum efficiency.
Every Factorio player will need to re-design while expanding their factory and automating things like the notorious and equally necessary electronic circuits. There are two primary schools of thought for expanding a Factorio base: Get as much running as possible in the shortest amount of time and build where you can, or use what’s called a main bus and other organization methods. Before the player begins on defenses and expanding their base, they should have iron and copper plates automated and a couple of other things. View this guide if they aren’t already.
Preparations for Expansion in Factorio
At this point, the player will tend to attract the attention of the locals with their pollution. Automation is critical to a player’s preparation for inevitable attacks. Begin by automating ammunition; it only requires iron plates and can be a temporary installment into the player’s production line. While doing so, begin researching stone walls in research and begin to automate them. It is critical to have a surplus of walls to create a hardy defensive perimeter. After completing the research for walls, complete the first military research, the player should then craft the submachine gun and equip it using “Tab.” Finally, research “Gun turrets” and handcraft them for the time being. It is highly beneficial to place all excess automated items in storage to maintain a surplus of materials at this stage. This can be done directly from an assembler, or more conveniently, from a belt containing multiple assemblers’ output.
Once the player has ammunition and walls automated, they should begin assessing their most valuable assets in their facility, very similar to 7 Days to Die. Typically an excellent place to set up some turrets is at the player’s coal mine and power generators. Spitters and biters tend to attack what’s closest to their spawn, so outfitting the base’s parts closest to enemies with turrets is also recommended.
Expanding Automation in Factorio
The immediate instinct is to pull a line of iron plates somewhere random off the output of the player’s iron or copper plates and place the production line there, but this method is almost guaranteed to cause problems in the future. Remember, Factorio is procedurally generated just like Minecraft, allotting the player an infinite amount of space to build in, so there is no need to build compactly. The player should use as much space as they see fit to build, leaving room for convenient expansion.
If the player can discern a “most needed” item, they should begin their automation process with it. Typically, a good place to start automation is with electronic circuits, but the same following process will apply to other items crafted in an assembler. Electronic circuits require three copper cable and one iron plate to build. To start, decide where to build the electronic circuit assembly line. The more space, the easier expansion will be down the line. Unlike building in Satisfactory, the player is building in two dimensions instead of having the option to build vertical, with the exception of underground belts.
To begin building their electronic circuit assembly line, the player should place nine assemblers in a row and set them to craft copper cable. Begin by placing one inserter going into each assembler, with the inserters’ output going into the assemblers. Create a conveyor belt bringing copper plates to the belt leading to the inserters’ inputs. There should be a line of belts, inserters, and assemblers all parallel to each other. On the opposite side of the assemblers, place inserters to grab the copper cable from the assemblers. Build a conveyor belt for the inserters to place the cable on. Use electric poles or medium poles to power everything. Directly next to the section of belt built for the output, run iron plates directly next to and parallel to the output belt for copper cables. Finally, build one the assembler for electronic circuits per three copper cable assemblers in a line one space away from the iron plates. The player should now use long inserters and regular inserters to grab iron plates and copper cables and place them into the assemblers for the electronic circuits. Again, the player should build a belt for the green circuit assemblers’ output.
Even More Expanding in Factorio
Repeat the process above for everything that needs to be automated. Assembly lines are bound to become more complex, so it is recommended to organize the most used items, like green circuits, iron plates, copper plates, and coal, into a “main bus” for easy access. This bus will transport the materials down the player’s factory, making it easy to pull from the bus to assemble any component the player needs. To keep the bus manageable, the player should limit the items in the bus to what the player considers to be the most useful. The player can also add new components on the bus further down the assembly line or build small segments on the bus to move something like inserters over to their green science pack assembly area.
Setting up Defenses in Factorio
By now, the player is bound to have had their first run-in with the locals. To make things more challenging, they’re going to need more space and resources for their factory soon. Use repair kits to fix anything the Biters may have damaged. It’s also advised that the player keeps the highest available level of armor equipped and a full stack of ammunition for their weapon on hand. Food is much easier to find than in Rust, head to any water body and right-click on the fish to collect them. Check the map to see where the nearest colony of enemies are, and look for some small land areas between large bodies of water. Enemies can’t travel over water, so these will act as an extension of the player’s wall. The longer the player spends looking for ideal choke points to set up a border, the less time the player will need to place walls. This is also an excellent time to scout for more resources, especially oil. Once the player has selected choke points to build walls and turrets, they should begin eliminating any colonies of enemies within the desired area. Be sure to eliminate all of them! If one is left behind, they will begin to multiply!
Once the player has cleared out all the enemies, they should set their walls up and place turrets to cover the walls, filling them up with ammo and surrounding them with walls as they’re placed. As the game goes on, fortify any choke points the enemies are particularly fond of. It’s also a good idea to have some chests set up with an inserter and ammo to keep your turrets stocked.
As the game continues, the player will gain access to stronger armor, weapons, and defenses. But the enemies will become far more deadly. Carefully planning choke points helps the player expand their base, and careful planning of production lines will make expansion much more manageable. Good luck!
Factorio is currently available on PC, Mac, and Linux through Steam and the Factorio website.
