In one of the happiest endings to happen in gaming this week, an incredibly huge resource management sim, Factorio, has just released its last major update – version 2.1 – on its stable branch. As previously advocated by developers Wube Software, version 2.1 does not bring major new additions to its planets or tech trees, but introduces over 30 quality of life improvements and minor new features for the base game and its Space Age expansion. Including, they say, “things we wanted to do for 2.0 but didn’t have time for.” It’s good to get a few last pieces out before it closes, huh.
There’s also an updated trailer, if you want to watch promotional footage for a game that may well have enveloped your every waking moment since 2016.
Here are some of these changes that I chose at random. “Mixed rockets: Rockets can now carry several different objects in a single launch, so no more sending up a full stack of everything just to build a small platform.” Good! “Landmines can be used as tripwires and enemy detectors.” Sneaky! “Asteroid damage now depends on the asteroid’s remaining health rather than its speed, so it is much more predictable.” Practical! Not to mention you always get hit by an asteroid. It’s also now possible to play Space Age without the controversial quality mechanic, as well as the ability to flip burner pumps and miners instead of just spinning them, like some losers.
Update 2.1 also gives Factorio one final graphical tweak, including a handful of new models and a “new pump rendering system that can connect to fluid wagons no matter how cursed your station is.” I’m just pretending to be a Factorio expert for the purposes of publishing this article, although I will say – based on my experience building pipelines in Deep Rock Galactic – that a set of pipes is just one thing. Really cursed if it still functions, despite itself, to transport liquids. Otherwise you just have a bunch of broken pipes, again, like a loser.
This is not the END-end of Factorio, which Wube Software says will continue to receive bug fixes and support level updates while largely moving on to “other game prototypes/experiences.” Even if it did, it had an admirable and thriving run, starting with four years of early access – successful enough to make it the de facto basis for later automation builders like Satisfactory and Dyson Sphere Program – and continuing to delight aspiring industrial managers into the present. Ollie has over 1,000 hours of work. Maybe I am the loser for making fun of it.
