Anyone looking to take this game to the next level should check out the Space Exploration mod. I’ve dumped a few hundred hours into it and it’s made the vanilla game feel like nothing more than a tutorial. It’s awesome.
Do note that while Factorio on the Switch is a full game, there is no mod support. It does, however, have cross platform multiplayer.
Kinda, depending on how big factories you build. Right now it has a limitation that makes it like a very large/long demo. From the submission page:
> I'm getting "std::bad_alloc" when trying to load a save file.
> You are trying to load a save file that is too big and the console has run out of memory
Guess at one point, if you keep on expanding the factory, you won't be able to load the savegame anymore. Might get fixed in the future though?
I imagine we'll start seeing a new breed of "UPS saver" alike strategies which optimize for Switch limitations.
That's a crime.
As great as the vanilla game is, mods are half of what makes Factorio worth playing.
You can get "DLC". Theoretically, mods could become DLC, but the road is still pretty long and I'm not aware of anything that has made that leap yet. (Possibly the things in the store for Bedrock Minecraft? I'm not sure how "blessed" the things in the Minecraft store are, nor how deep they can go; do those get to run full code or are they running in some sort of Minecraft-specific VM, which is another layer removed from the CPU code?) Anyone who can name one, I welcome the info.
Your best bet for "Switch + Factorio + Mods" is probably Factorio backporting the controller controls on to the mainline release, then taking that release and running it on a Steam Deck. Which isn't a terrible idea anyhow, as the Deck is substantially more powerful than a Switch (the Deck can mostly emulate a Switch, and emulation generally takes a substantial power delta) so rather than squeezing it on, you should be looking at something that is actually running fairly comfortably.
That is on the roadmap.
> I actually started working on the port for Nintendo Switch before the Steam Deck was even announced, so first I will finish what I started. Currently the controller support is optimized for and built around the Nintendo Switch system, the Joy-Con™ controllers, and their features. There's still more work to be done for generic controller support, such as dealing with the many controller types, handling mods, ability to switch between "keyboard and mouse" and "controller" modes, etc. Also I want to make it a priority to focus on the initial feedback coming from Nintendo Switch players, to make sure any bigger issues are ironed out quickly. So generic controller support is planned, just that like most things, it will take some time.
That said, people are playing Factorio on the deck and liking it as it has enough buttons and additional controls beyond the traditional controller - https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/vz5d96/factorio_...
> ...
> For everything else not in the layout specifically, I have no problems just clicking on the UI buttons for what I need, like Rate Calculator or To-do List, as they are less frequently needed.
> I know that when Wube announced Steam Deck compatibility for Factorio, their blog post somewhat doubted the ability to control the game easily using a controller since the game wasn't designed for it - and I'd agree with them for any other console controller I think. But for the deck - the trackpads, back buttons, and grid menus open up tons of potential.
> ...
I am surprised at how deep the Deck's controller customization goes. It goes deep enough I really need to go seek out a tutorial, I've blundered my way through some advanced config but with a lot of clicking around. (Though isn't that ultimately how most of us learn everything anyhow?) It has some amazingly deep options.
If you have such a Switch you can use a tool that overwrites/unions the content of the game cartridge with content of a folder on your SD card. That means you could add some files (e.G. maps) into the game.
From the top of my head you can definitely mod the Skyrim Switch version as well as the Star Wars Jedi Knight Games (at least these were the two games which I've played around it). But I am pretty sure that there are Mods for the mario games.
This $ invested per hours of good gameplay is extraordinary.
Space Exploration mod
THE FACTORY MUST GROW