What do I need?

Factorio 2.1. Space Age is optional: with it, units use the Gleba pentapod graphics, rail lines can cross water on bridges and food spoils. Without it, units are built from the spidertron and food keeps. The mod does not load on Factorio 2.0.

How do I start a match?

Start a new game with the Freeplay scenario. The RTS lobby opens as soon as you join: pick Skirmish or Nation, the opponents, the difficulty and the map, and press Start match. F11 explains the controls and rules at any time.

Can I add it to my existing factory save?

No. The mod takes over the session: there is no character, and matches run on their own surfaces. Use a new game.

Skirmish or Nation?

Skirmish is a classic RTS match of 15 to 30 minutes on an arena: one base, expansions, hubs and haulers, research, a hero and abilities against 1 to 3 AI commanders. Nation is a one-to-three-hour game on a world of up to 4096 tiles: several cities, people and labor, rails, a treasury and trade, diplomacy, three ages and wars won by capturing cities. Start with Skirmish on Easy to learn the controls and the economy; everything from Skirmish carries over into Nation.

Does it work in multiplayer?

Yes, cooperatively: every human joins the player's side against the AI, and only an admin can change the lobby. There is no player-versus-player mode yet. Multiplayer determinism was checked with a dedicated server and clients joining mid-match, but only one client at a time; two humans at once have not been tested yet.

Does it work with other mods?

It is designed to run alone. Other mods are untested, and mods that change the character, freeplay or map generation are likely to conflict.

Windows and Linux?

The mod is pure Lua and uses only the game's own graphics, so it should work everywhere Factorio 2.1 runs. It was developed and played on macOS. On Linux, the automated tests pass on the official headless server for x86-64 and ARM64, with and without Space Age, and the matches play out exactly as on macOS; the Linux game client has not been tried yet. Windows is untested. Reports from Windows and Linux players are very welcome.

Is it heavy on performance?

A 4-nation Nation match with 16 cities, about 600 units and 40 trains runs at 60 updates per second on the development Mac (Apple silicon). Huge worlds generate in the background while you play; a 4096 world with 6 nations pauses for about 5 seconds at the start.

What are the known issues?

• The Nation AI reaches Age III and links its cities by rail later than designed.
• The Nation AI fields no interceptors, bombers or artillery trains within a 60-minute match: Air Force needs Age III, Aviation and a war at once.
• AI nations keep a cash reserve and seldom go into debt, so money pressure on them is light.
• The engine draws a thin line from every driving hauler to its next stop on the map, which Factorio 2.1 cannot switch off.
• Map labels crowd around the capital at some zoom levels, and most build-menu buttons are icons with tooltips.

The full list is in the README on GitHub.

Which languages?

English and Russian. The Russian text had a full review in 0.1.1.

Is there a tutorial?

Guided objectives (0.1.1) walk your first Skirmish match and your first Nation match through seven steps each, in a strip at the top right. The "Guided objectives" switch in the lobby turns them on or off. F11 has the full rules and keys.

Where do I report a bug?

On GitHub: https://github.com/Kealman/factorio-rts/issues. Please include the Factorio version, Space Age on or off, the mode and lobby settings, the map seed (type /seed in the console) and the [rts] lines of factorio-current.log.