r/AutomationGames

Hi guys, based on the negative feedback received, I've just reworked the entire gameplay flow and updated the demo for my game Mycelium Conquest and would appreciate if anybody is willing to try and provide feedback. The updated demo is available for download here https://store.steampowered.com/app/4712930/Mycelium_Conquest_Demo/

Changes include:

-Gameplay progression, structures now flow in a more logical manner than previous layout.

-Structures which consume resources can be paused individually or by structure type to conserve resources.

-Hyphal nodes extend roots and reach out to consume flora and corpse that is not on the mycelial roots. Hyphal node positioning is still important as mycelial roots still harvest the most resources.

-Added a defense turret Spore Spitter for tier 1 structures for early defense.

-Resource UI now moved to the upper left of the screen for persistent info so players do not have to expand and collapse the resource view

-Added more tutorial videos

-Chat bubble and popup windows look more organic

-Updated creature AI and pathfinding.

Two years ago I set out to make some sort of hybrid between Mindustry and Beyond All Reason.

The idea is that you build a factory using drafting (similar to TFT / Dota Autochess), but instead of drafting heroes you draft factory buildings.

Then in a second phase, you have that design battle another player in async PvP (like in Backpack Battles).

I am about to launch the second playtest of the game, which includes:

• New buildings (like reactors, T2 units, more defensive structures …)
• A PvP Ladder & Leaderboard
• Direct friend PvP

I am currently wondering how I can improve the automation part of the game. I am thinking refineries to process materials to higher tiers. Problem is these cannot be too specific, as this won't work with the shop system - any item that shows up in the shop has to be relevant to the player somehow, or it will feel bad to not get the exact roll the player needs.

What kind of factory mechanics do you think would work well within this game?

 

Links:

Trailer on YT

Steam

Discord

I’m developing a system where players can control how resources are distributed across machines.

Splitters allow dividing the flow, and merging lets you recombine outputs into a main pipeline.

Curious if you’ve implemented similar systems and how you handled balancing.

It's been a month and my falling sand factory game POUND SAND has come a long way in a short time. The biggest gain is performance - even huge worlds (larger than 4k by 4k) run at 60 fps most of the time, and there are still more gains possible. But I'm putting that on hold for now to focus on getting the demo ready - the amount of time it would take to mine and process an entire 4k world is many hours, and I think most players won't want to do that.

The demo should be available within the next two weeks, and the plan is to include the tutorial plus one fixed sandbox level (no level gen in the demo). Maybe disable the player upgrades but leave the pattern unlocks so the player can get the full production chain experience in the demo world if they want.

Would love feedback on the Steam page and on the game visuals, and wishlists are hugely appreciated!

Current feature list:

Huge worlds possible (4000 x 4000 and beyond), the falling sand engine is very performant and mostly optimized

Lighting engine

Lots of machines and a full production chain ending in METAL and SPICE, alternate recipes and paths

Blocks and machines you place can be deleted on a block by block basis to rearrange them however you can imagine

Tools - vacuum, mining laser, jetpack, and flashlight. And when you vacuum blocks, you can see the contents inside the player

Tech trees to unlock upgrades and new patterns

Random map generator with some interesting parameters available to adjust

UI is implemented for everything but its not pretty yet, but there is a 16 slot pattern bar with drag and drop you can use for building

Nice fluid movement system and block placement system

Sounds and music (placeholder at the moment)

Next to implement:

Tutorial (and demo)

Modifiers for maps to do things like add lakes to the surface, hit the planet with meteors to create craters before the game starts, things like that

Campaign and story

Bonus game modes such as "only uranium blocks", or "simple blocks don't yield materials so you need to hunt for more rare ones", etc

Autosave system

More optimization

Thanks for taking a look at my game!

Retro-styled incremental about taking risky disk cleanup jobs for money, choosing the right algorithm, and growing stronger over time.

Is called Defrag Incremental. It keeps the same retro disk-defrag fantasy, but now it’s much more focused on:

• choosing between different disks/jobs with different value, fragility and risk
• picking the right algorithm for each job
• balancing payout against heat, wear and disk health
• buying upgrades with DP to improve rewards, speed and efficiency
• building toward permanent BIOS progression over time

I’m aiming to have a demo ready in about 3 weeks, and it’ll be priced lower than my previous defrag game. It’s already on Steam if anyone wants to look it up, but mainly I just wanted to show the new direction here.

Hi everyone,

I’m working on Industronaut, a first-person survival automation sandbox made with Unreal Engine.

The game is about surviving alone on a hostile, radiation-heavy planet by building habitats, mining resources, and turning production chains into life support and industrial expansion.

The Steam demo is now live.

In the demo, you can try the early automation loop:

• seal your first habitat
• secure oxygen, food, and water
• mine trona and process resources
• start building chains toward steel, glass, PVC, and electronics

I’m especially looking for feedback on whether the production chains are readable, whether the early machines make sense, and whether the first survival-to-automation steps feel clear.

Steam demo:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3804010/Industronaut/

Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Q9u1DxRtc

Thanks for checking it out.

Hey everyone, Erik (Factory Town and Factory Town Idler) has a release date for his new game called "Factory Town 2: Paradise".

Release Date Teaser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJsjGZlwObQ

Steam Page:

Factory Town 2: Paradise on Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/3312130/Factory\_Town\_2\_Paradise/)

Gameplay:

This NEW Volcano Feeding Factory Builder Is PERFECT! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_qUKz3bP6Yc)

I finally put my automation game into 1.0 release, officially leaving early access!

I've had great support from the community and I'm thankful for everyone who took part in early access to iron out any issues!

I had this dream to create something like factorio but with my own twist for years, and I finally managed to do it!

Now I can watch the sun set on a (hopefully) grateful steam.

Please check it out if you like automation indie games!

MicroFab

I’ve been in the software development industry for a while, and if you’re like me, AI tools have made your life a lot easier, but you also know they help enrich the worst technocapitalist clique the world has ever seen while they try to slowly drive you out of a job.

Well I’m putting all those conflicting feeling into a game, Silicon Souls. In it, you get to work for the AI and pamper them while they are on their little breaks in the metaverse. It’s an automation game with a strong narrative component!

We tried to mix automation style gameplay with simple, intuitive interactions and satisfying cleaning action. We’re also going for a strong (but skippable) narrative about the future of work in the age of AI, with a mix of hand-crafted levels and some procedural generation too!

It isn’t a roguelite as we’re instead aiming on a level-based structure with meta-progression similar to the one in Mindustry, but automation-lite would fit, in the sense it doesn’t aim to be as complex as the likes of Satisfactory or Dyson Sphere Program.

Let me know what you think, we are definitely looking for feedback as we're starting to work on a vertical slice.

Please wishlist on Steam if you like it, it helps a lot!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4560810/Silicon_Souls/

Hi all,

I'm a big fan of automation games like Factorio and Satisfactory, colony sims like Oxygen Not Included, and engineering sims like Stationeers. I have a Computer Science background and always wanted a game where every system was actually controlled by Python code instead of by clicking buttons in a UI. So I built one.

I created a terraforming game with a deep (and sinister) story behind it, where every device/vehicle/drone/machine has to be automated/scripted to work with the planet, allowing the player to do whatever they want with them.

You do not just click to mine and smelt iron ore. You need to get a vehicle(called Pioneer), install modules to it(programmatically possible to, dynamically load/unload), program the drill module to drill the ore, program the feeders to transfer items to inventory, storage bin, warehouse, wherever you want, and program the smelters/fabricators using the storages. Everything can be fully automated with code.

Your solar generators don't just work, they have to be adjusted to track the sun's position, via code. Everything can be managed with code, even the actual shop where you buy things with credits earned from Earth contracts.

I have released a FREE demo on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/868160/Code_Terraform

Discord: https://discord.gg/hUrK2MRn8s (I'd love to help if you are stuck)

I'd love to hear your opinions about it, thanks!