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+++ title = "My favorite Factorio mods" publishDate = 2023-07-24T00:00:00+02:00 lastmod = 2024-09-27T16:00:14+02:00 tags = ["factorio", "mods"] categories = ["videogames"] draft = false toc = true [menu] [menu.posts] weight = 3001 identifier = "my-favorite-factorio-mods" +++

I've been meaning to make a list of Factorio mods that I've really liked, and write a little bit about them. While Factorio is a masterpiece in both game design and quality, there are many mods for it that make the game either more fun, entirely different, or plain ol' QoL.

I know some dislike the idea of using mods that streamline the game, or consider some quality of life mods cheating - I don't. If you're following the tech tree, everything's okay, and saving time by giving yourself a bunch of belts is - in my view - very acceptable, considering that some processes can take a really long time.

Overhaul Mods

Angel & Bob (!Angels Mods, !Bobs Mods)

One of the most expansive mod packs available, A&B expands production processes significantly.

• There are byproducts to nearly every production process.
• These byproducts can and sometimes need to be processed into materials used further down the production trees.
• Instead of pure ores, there are complex minerals to be mined - these can be refined into various ores.
• Unlocking new refining methods leads to gaining new ores from each mineral.
• Different minerals require different refining processes.
• Fluids got a complete overhaul - there are various types of oil, gases, and other fluids that require different types of processing.
• Water has multiple stages of purification, each with its own byproducts.
• New research, including lots of alien life processing (farming!).
• There is voiding options for excess fluids and items as needed.
• Protip: Leave a lot of space between your various factories. As you unlock more sophisticated refining and processing chains, your factories will require more space.

Krastorio 2 (Krastorio 2)

Another 'big' overhaul mod. This one is significantly easier, and much closer to vanilla. Very good for a starter overhaul, if you've finished Factorio and want something new.

• A lot of the recipes have been changed and made more complex.
• Byproducts are largely not an issue.
• New power options.
• New research.
• Ores have been largely left alone.
• TL;DR: It's chill, won't fry your brain.

Individual Mods

Circuit Network

Improved Combinator

Saves space - it's basically a container for multiple decider and arithmetic combinators. Really cool.

Inventory Sensor

A combinator that reads the contents of vehicles and buildings it's placed next to.

Pushbutton

Sends a signal of your choice for one game tick.

Switch Button

Sends a signal of your choice when it's on.

Circuit Network Signals

These add additional signals that you can use in your circuit network. They help remember what your signals stand for. Much easier to remember a check-mark than 'A'.

AAI Signals

Atilla's Signals Mod

Programmable Speaker Sounds

Additional sounds you can play through the programmable speakers.

C&C RedAlert Sounds

Info

418 Industries: Knowledge Base

Adds an in-game wiki (sorta) for storing important information about the base. Really useful for multiplayer.

Ammo Alerts

This shows you a yellow alert (in the alert area on the bottom right) when a turret is close to running out of ammo.

Better Alert Arrows

Just better looking arrows. I like to go into the settings and scale them up a bit. Sometimes I just don't notice them, so it helps a lot.

Bottleneck Lite

Adds status lights to production buildings, so you can see if they're working, stalled, or out of ingredients.

Clock

Adds a clock to the top left of the screen.

ControlTech

Adds Smart Displays you can place down.

Diggs

Adds a timer on top of your mining drills that shows how long it will take for the miner to deplete the ore under it.

GUI Unifyer

Collects all the buttons various mods add into a pretty frame.

Informatron

Lets mods add help pages into the game.

Milestones

Keeps track of your progress and shows achievements.

YARM - Resource Monitor

Shows a pretty table of all the resource patches, and their estimated time to depletion.

Automatic Utilities

Auto Deconstruct

Automatically marks mining drills for deconstruction when they have no more ores available. Really useful.

Automatic Underground Pipe Connectors

Says what it does. If you have underground pipes that can connect with a single overground (regular, normal) pipe, it just places the pipe for you. Really useful when setting up fluid processing, saves a lot of time.

Calculator UI

Adds a calculator, so you don't have to leave Factorio.

Chest Auto Sort

Automatically sorts the contents of a chest when you open it. It makes it much easier to find the items you're looking for when everything is in some kind of order.

Fluids

Fluid Must Flow

Adds massive pipes for when you need to push fluids across large distances in quantity.

Flow Control

Adds pipes with set, static connections. This allows you to lay down straight overground pipes next to each other without having them connect. Really nice for saving space.

Flow Control for Bob's Logistics

As above, but adds compatibility for Bob's new types of pipes.

Tools

Wire Shortcuts X

Tap alt-w for circuit wires.

Ultimate Research Queue

Prettier and more usable interface for science research.

Inventory Repair

Uses repair packs from your inventory to fix items you have.

Even Distribution

Lets you control-left-click-drag to place equal amounts of items into buildings. Shift-c automatically cleans your inventory of items that can be inserted into nearby buildings. Really useful.

Editor Extensions

Lets you edit the map, give all items, etc. I like to use it for large-scale building projects, as well as moving factories around. I'll accept it's cheating, but I'm not the kind that's willing to spend an hour moving a factory stack when I can just cut and paste it into place.

Power

Full Power Coverage Redux

Makes power poles supply area match their wire reach. Reduces the wire reach slightly, but prevents the ugly gaps that exist with vanilla power poles.

Bots

No Wall Repair

Keeps bots from repairing walls, so they don't die to biters as much.

Fireproof Bots

Bots get 100% fire resistance. This is useful when biters are setting your base on fire, and bots die while trying to repair burning buildings.

Dynamic Robot Queues

Helps your construction bots be more responsive.

Constructron-Continued

Adds a spidertron that automatically moves and builds blueprints (ghosts) you put down. Requires logistic network. Really helpful when you need to build a lot outside your static logistic network.

Belts

Double Speed Belts

Makes each tier of belt twice as fast to you can use splitters with full throughput.

BeltRouter Lite

1. Shift-click an existing belt that you want to run somewhere.
2. Shift-right-click an existing belt that you want the first belt to connect to.
3. Belts are laid for you.

The mod is configurable in the settings. I find that by default it uses too many underground belts.

Inserters

Bob's Adjustable Inserters mod

I know some consider this cheating, but frankly it allows for much prettier and compact bases, so... yeah. It's excellend. Very recommended. It lets your inserters pick up and place anywhere in a 3 tile radius around them, extending one tile further than long inserters.

Factory Planning/ Design

Task List

For tracking all the things that still need to be done. Really useful when the factory grows large, or in multiplayer.

Recipe Book

Shows all the things about items: properties, how they're made, what they're used for.

Rate Calculator

Select buildings and see what their max input/ output rates are.

Mining Patch Planner

Automatically designs and places a blueprint for your mining patches. You can choose from several different layouts, pick what power poles or belts you want, etc.

P.U.M.P.

Mining Patch Planner but for pumpjacks.

Factory Search

Lets you search your factory for items, assemblers making items, assemblers consuming items, etc. Absolutely critical for large overhaul mods such as AngelBob.

Factory Planner

Automatically calculates the recipes, requirements, and production chains for your factories. Really useful when you need a lot of a thing - saves time on maths.

Factory Building

Show Max Underground Distance

What it says. Helps with planning.

Underground Indicators

Adds visual indicators for easier pipe alignment.

Tapeline

Helps you measure distances.

Power Grid Comb

Cleans up power wires.

Pipe Visualizer

Shows the layout and fluids as an overlay.

Pick It Up

When you pick up an inserter, you'll also pick up what it's holding. Prevents random items falling on the ground.

Mouse-over Construction

Place blueprint, mouse over it, and it gets built. Saves a ton of time when getting furnace stacks up, since you don't have to be clicking anymore. Just make sure you have the items in your inventory.

Laser Lines

Adds placeable lasers you can use to ensure alignment.

Fill4Me

When you put down vehicles or turrets, it automatically places fuel and ammo into them from your inventory.

Cursor Enhancements

Some changes here - the most important for me, and the reason I use this mod, is that when you run out of items in your inventory, it automatically changes your held item to a ghost of what you were placing. Additionally, you can pick ghost items from the crafting menu, which lets you lay down ghosts even for items you have not made yet. Really cool.

Copy Assembler Pipe Direction

In vanilla, when you copy-paste a recipe into an assembler, the pipe input direction isn't copied, so often you have to go back and rotate the assemblers manually. This mod saves you that time, by rotating the assemblers automatically.

Trains

Cybersyn Combinator

Adds a combinator for Projcet Cybersyn that lets you set up the signals for your stations easier.

Honk

Makes trains honk.

Project Cybersyn

Automatically coordinates trains based on train station signals.

Rail Signal Planner

Automatically places signals, configurable for nearly any spec.

Stranded Train Fuel Logistics

Refuels trains with construction bots when they run out of fuel.

Train Log

Keeps a record of all the trips trains have made, as well as their cargo.

Train Mode Switcher

Lets you quickly click-and-drag over trains to switch them to automatic mode.

Transportation/ Traversal/ Movement

RitnTeleporter

Adds teleports to the game, very useful when crossing the factory takes minutes, instead of seconds.

Squeak Through

Lets you walk between buildings.

Tree Collision

Makes forests easier to traverse.

User Interface

Placeables

Shows an item picker window for all the buildable things in your inventory. Really useful for overhaul mods that introduce a lot of buildings.

Orphan Finder With UI Button

Adds a toolbox button that highlights underground pipes and belts that don't have a counterpart.

Weapons

Ceisc's Maximum Range Projectiles

This lets you throw grenades at max range when your mouse cursor is outside the green range area. In vanilla Factorio, when you try to throw grenades like that, it just doesn't do anything, and this mod fixes that behavior.

Combat Bot Booster

Combat bots no longer expire on a timer. Instead, they start with some ammo and they expire when the ammo runs out.

Aesthetic Mods

Lights

BIG LIGHT

Increases the size of lights on train stations and other things.

Brighter Lamps

What it says on the tin.

Color Coding

Adds colored lamps and concrete.

Inbuilt Lighting

Makes power poles act like small lamps.

Inlaid Lamps Extended

Adds lamps that can sit in the floor, so you can walk over them.

Larger Lamps

Adds bigger, brighter lamps.

Lightorio

Adds a glow to some buildings, helping visibility at night.

Nicer Fuel Glow but it's 1.1

Adds a glow to burners. Pretty.

Realistic Heat Glow

Prettier heat pipes.

New Art, Reskins, Adjustments

Artisanal Reskins: Angel's Mods and Artisanal Reskins: Bob's Mods

Not much to say, these change the way AngelBob looks, making some items easier to see, and upgrades the overall fidelity.

Automatic Train Painter and Automatic Station Painter Continued

Automatically changes the colors of the trains and the stations they visit based on the train's contents. Just makes the game prettier and more interesting to look at.

Black Rubber Belts

Makes the belts nicer, in my view.

Fluid Wagon Color Mask

Changes the colors of fluid wagons depending on their contents.

Labcore

Makes the labs less boring.

Science pack glow

Science packs glow.

Thicker Power Wires

Makes power and circuit wires more visible by making them thicker.

Tinted Ghosts

Change the tint of ghost items for better visibility.

Signs, Displays

Holographic Signs

Pretty signs you can configure.

Nixie Tubes

Aesthetic tubes for displaying circuit network signals.

Text Plates

Create pretty text labels for your factory.

Tiles

Cleaned Concrete

Removes ground decorations when placing concrete down. Just makes the factory look cleaner.

Dectorio

Lots of things to make your factory look pretty. Also adds a new tab to your crafting menu for them, to keep things tidy.

Even More Text Plates

Adds more text plates, depends on the Text Plates mod.

NiceFill

Makes the landfill match the surrounding tiles.

Character

Gear Girl Character

Imo has better animations than the awkward Factorio Engineer.

Summary

This is a more-or-less complete list of mods that I regularly play Factorio with. I believe that it covers everything I might ever need to help the factory grow.

For most, this is likely to be entirely overkill. The purpose of the vast majority of these mods is to save time and help me focus more on design and process, instead of spending vast amounts of time placing individual inserters, or waiting for sufficient belts to be produced.

In any case! I may revisit this list in the future if I find something worth noting.

Join the FSF.