A Factory Sim That Works - Dyson Sphere Program Review 2024

Do multiple levels of conveyor belts make you blush? Does the constant hum of several machines, all lined up in a row, make you weak in the knees? Well, even if it's not, there's something about Factory-sim games that keeps people coming back for more. Factory simulation games have been around for years, however, there are only a few that stand out: Factorio and Satis

factory

. However, Dyson Sphere Program, a game still in early access, recently released a new update: rise of the darkfog, and I decided to revisit it. The game has a 97.69% rating on Steam, which is incredibly high, and I'm here to find out why.

I'm Marco from Easy Distracted Games, helping you find new or old games to get lost in, and today I'll be

review

ing the Dyson Sphere and seeing if it's right for you. Let us begin. Dyson Sphere Program takes place in a futuristic science fiction world, where a society exists primarily in a virtual computing space, requiring a large amount of computing power and capacity. To expand on that, they have sent one of their members, you, the player, into the real universe to build a Dyson Sphere from resources in a nearby star cluster that will supply that power. So Dyson Sphere Program is a space simulation strategy game.

Your goal: build the most efficient intergalactic

factory

by harnessing star power, collecting resources, planning and designing production lines, and developing your interstellar factory. Now wait. Production lines? Collecting resources? Interstellar factory? These words may put some to sleep, but here I am. When you hear the term: Dyson Sphere, it conjures up images of, say, The Expanse or Kurzegaht, where they both talk about this big thing that can use the power of a star for energy. Let me reiterate that, something that can harness star power. And   you can create one of those. That gives you an idea of ​​the scale of this game.

Look, Dyson Sphere is still in early access, but don't be fooled. It is currently rated higher than any similar game available right now. I played this game a long time ago, when it was first released, but even then I knew that there was something different about this game, let's say compared to the other two heavy hitters: Factorio and Satisfactory. All of these games appeal to something in your brain, that satisfying, zen feeling of having everything working in sync, building grander, more complex factories the more you understand about the game. It's very addictive, but should you trust an early access game like this?

Well, the Dyson Sphere

program

also recently released a new update: Rise of the Darkfog, in which you face an evil enemy AI. So yes, I wanted to guide you as a viewer in case you are new to factory simulators or are on the fence and not sure if this game is right for you. As for gameplay, it follows a very simple formula: build things that generate other things, use new things to build more complex things, and repeat. However, I like to think of factory simulators as this ever-evolving organism that you're sculpting into something personal, something truly yours.

There's nothing better than stopping every few hours and saying, look, I did that. I'm very proud of myself. My friends and family have no idea why I'm so happy with my efficient energy management, but I am. And that's all that matters. It gives you that zen feeling, even after a few hours of playing. Before you begin, however, choose some gameplay settings that suit your play style, including whether or not you'd like to play against enemy AI. Some people prefer their factory Sims without combat, so it's great that they give you the option here. Other settings such as: resource multiplier can also be adjusted here.

The developers really went above and beyond to give new players the best experience possible, and it shows. As you can see, each new game has a randomly generated seed that builds a unique galaxy, just for you. This really sets it apart from other factory simulators. All stars and planets can change every time you play. Don't worry if you have no idea what all this means; you can start with just the standard configuration if you are new. However, all games generally start with you on an Earth-like planet, which comes with some starting minerals needed to help your factory run.

When the game starts, you see a robot in front of you, Icarus. That's you. It reminds me a bit of the Bumblebee from Transformers, but you can also customize this bad boy if you really want. At first, you can only create a few things. Steel, magnets, coils, etc. all contribute to building better machines. You can connect everything via conveyor belts and voila, your factory lives! Also note that I wouldn't recommend watching any tutorials when you get started. Like most simulation-based games, it's best to go in blind, have no idea what's going on, and just enjoy your spaghetti setup in all its glory.

Only after that you can start watching some online tutorials. Navigating your robot is easy, as are the various UI elements to get items, for example, from your inventory or create new ones. It may seem a little overwhelming at first, but I don't know, everything seems so well thought out. The quality of life aspects of this game are reminiscent of Factorio, and Factorio players will notice that other nuances are clearly added to this game. But I like to think that the developers took what they enjoyed about Stellaris and Factorio and combined it into something that just

works

.

Main navigation becomes easier once you understand the different keyboard shortcuts. But overall I really enjoyed how easy everything is, which also includes the upgrade system. See, to further improve your factory and your robot, you need to upgrade them. You can upgrade or look for new technologies; all options are up to you. Now this tech tree is huge, I mean look at it. Again, somewhat overwhelming, but, as something that will flow more into this

review

, is the aspect of choice and freedom. Some games force you to do what you need to do, but with Dyson Sphere Program, the universe is your oyster.

Do you want to do everything manually? Forward. Do you want to create a massive base and defeat the enemy? You can do that too. All of these options will help you come back for more, even down to the very machines you're producing. Over time, your factory will need harder-to-reach items and resources. Don't worry, just jump to another planet. Remember, this game is intergalactic, so get ready for some serious space travel. While some factory simulators are limited to a single planet, Dyson Sphere encourages you to use your entire galaxy as a factory, how crazy is that. The freedom you get here is refreshing.

Getting back to the game, most of it will revolve around collecting precious resources, either from the planet or through your production plant. Foundries melted coal, rock, iron and copper, and then assemblers put it all together. You can always view your statistics to see the various inputs and outputs, which will help you stay as efficient as an engineer in Excel. Does it become as complex as, say, Satisfactory? Well, no, but remember that you also need to reach other planets, so the goal here is to build crazy structures to help with that. Satisfactory was created to be more manual, taking a different approach to factory construction.

With Dyson Sphere, for example, you have plans upon plans, so you can easily replicate anything you want. The goal here is to automate everything. Ah my dream. It's a little tricky at first to understand how to create these efficient gigafactories, but once you get the hang of it, it's very beautiful and rewarding. To be honest, I was a little disappointed that the game isn't multiplayer; cries out for something like that, but I understand. Some people just want to be left alone, since yes, getting your friend to build half of your factory can get said friend banned from your Steam account.

Now, if you're wondering how long the game lasts, that's up to you. It can be said that it takes around 60 hours to produce a Dyson Sphere, which isn't actually a prerequisite to finishing the game, it just helps. But obviously it can take a lot longer, especially now with the inclusion of the new enemy AI. As we begin this update, there is something to discuss regarding combat. I played it on normal difficulty and to be honest it wasn't that bad. Yes, it now means you need some additional upgrades, including shields, weapons, and other tools, to keep the dark fog at bay, but the developers didn't implement it as an afterthought.

There's a whole extra game going on here. Look, look at that hive, it's them. Look at that other planet, which is also them, and look, they are updating. Look, it's not just a random appearance of enemies that then disappear. They are on the other side of your world, slowly expanding to the point where your simple turrets will eventually be no match for them. As mentioned, this might put some people off. The very idea of ​​running a factory without it becoming a complete disaster is a challenge in itself, let alone doing it with something that's trying to kill you.

But, as mentioned, you can turn off the combat so you're alone with your spaghetti conveyor belts and confusing layouts that make no sense. It just adds a new element, so if you don't find this in, say, Satisfactory, you'll really enjoy this a little bit, I mean, just look at some of these images. Speaking of enjoying it, if you've made it this far in the video, please like it or even subscribe if you haven't already. You could be the one to help me grow this channel into something that can help more and more people find great games.

PERFORMANCE, GRAPHICS AND SOUNDS In terms of performance, the game runs surprisingly well considering what is happening on the screen. Something about the game engine means that it is highly optimized. So with my i5 laptop and my Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070, I could run most things at high and only had the occasional lag when zooming in and out of the planet. Look, there's practically no pop here, it's amazing. I think one thing that put Factario off is the graphics, so people who want something with more substance will appreciate the Dyson Sphere. I mean, just look at this sunrise, it's beautiful.

And then you get views of the stars, black holes and, of course, your intergalactic empire. The greatness of your galaxy also goes a long way with the sound design. Now, as you know, music plays a big role in my enjoyment of games. It helps build immersion, and this game really knocked it out of the park. For example, this is what you get when you open the game for the first time. The soundtrack follows you throughout the game and is very comforting. I'd switch most games to Spotify, but this soundtrack helps calm you down, even when your factory is a mess.

There are also the sounds of the game, equally pleasing to the ear. You get the hum of all your machines working in unison, along with your little drones helping you and game-quality voice advice, all combined to deliver a sense of harmony in the Dyson Sphere

program

. To be honest, the incredible scale of building a Dyson Sphere really hit me after watching The Expanse. I thought, "Oh wow, the game really does it justice because of the intensity of the operations required to build it." And yes, it's all fiction, but if you're like me and enjoy science fiction, then the idea around a Dyson

sphere

is very interesting, as is the game.

I really enjoyed the Dyson Sphere program. I know, it won't be for everyone, but for anyone who enjoys these types of games, I recommend giving it a try. The overall choice and freedom you get in the game is so rewarding that it's hard to put down once you start. The two-hour steam refund trial? Well, it will take you more than two hours to understand what the hell is going on, but in a good way. The game currently costs $20 on Steam, which isn't too bad considering how many hours you can enjoy this game. How does it compare to Mindustry, Factorio and Satisfactorio?

Well, each one is different in their own way, so if you are a fan of one of these, you will definitely have to try it. Are you a fan of factory sims? What has been your favorite? Let me know in the comments section below! If you liked this video, maybe check out one of my other videos? Who knows, you might find a game you can get lost in. But other than that, here's Marco from Easily Distracted Games and, above all, Don't Do It. Arrest. Gaming.