Had to stop for IRL reasons. Was about to build a coal depot but I knew that saving at a blank screen would be confusing.
I don’t. I’m a software developer in my day job and during that I need to keep my ADHD in check with task lists and tickets…
So whenever I play I pick up something that looks fun and roll with it… if I forgot some plans midstream then I just let them go and do something else.
I, specifically, never want a TODO list item that I’m not looking forward to to be hanging over my head - because then I’ll never pick up the save file again.
That’s one way!
You can also add map markers to your map, with an icon and text. I’ve used these to set goals / reminders of what should be worked on in that area.
My general method to remember what I need to do next session is to name my saves that way. Like “start coal depot.sav”, or “finish steel, fr this time, no distractions.sav”.
I’ve been using a signpost mod for many years, along with a todo list. Especially valuable for complex mod plays like an angel and bobs run
Last night my in game alarm went off for low power. I was about to fix it, so I muted it. But then I realized I was done for the night, so I turned it back on, saved, and exited.
So there is no way I forget what my next task is.
In my prime time I had a database of everything (yes it was access and no, it wasn’t good)
I use a kanban, or you can make notes with the in-game displays
Or a Google doc, or just a paper on your desk with notes. :)
That’s a real “factorio teaches you software engineering” kind of moment.
The in-game displays are real nice. Was playing around with them this week.
I’ve often thought that Factorio needs a comment block / sign post / notepad for just such a thing
I often leave my reminder on a post-it note on my monitor. Sometimes those get lost and then I have to depend on my own memory (dubious)
Recently I was in the middle of fixing up a facility that wasn’t working right when opposite sides of my base got hit hard by bugs. They broke through walls while I was travelling to repair the first attack, just a mess all around.
Anyway, I decided I didn’t want to deal with the cleanup right away because it was already getting late, so I left a sticky note. Then it took me a couple days to get back to the game and the note went missing. I remembered to clean up and shore up the defenses, but I forgot that the thing I had been working on before the attack wasn’t quite finished. Came back to it a week later to see why my resources weren’t getting shipped before I realized what happened.
I’ve often thought that Factorio needs a comment block / sign post / notepad for just such a thing
They added a display panel just recently for this! It’s actually pretty nice and can display on the mini-map if you wish. It can even display different things based on circuit conditions, if you want to get fancy!
Oh, “always show the first line” makes the line shown “independently of the mouse being over the device” and not “independently of the logical condition”.
I still think that setting needs a better name.
This is exactly what I’ve been using since 2.0. Right before I close the game, I plop one of these down nearby with text reminding me what I’m gonna do next.
Most games don’t seem to let you name saves anymore, but I used to name my saves after whatever I expected to do next.