Info about Autonauts:

Official game description:
**Autonauts Fully Automated has landed!**  
Free content update for Autonauts available now and includes:  
*   Settlement Mode - A whole new mode that challenges players to build a Metropolis with only 300 Bots!  
*   Countless new Bot scripting abilities and refinement updates as requested by players!  
*   A quick way to share code between Bots with the new-improved Bot Database!  
*   Upgraded storage transporters to help power up production!  
*   A dedicated Signs Tab to help get the most from each and every Bot!
All this and much more!  
Travel the universe colonising uninhabited planets with the sole goal of setting worlds in motion through the power of automation.  
Fresh from your spaceship you must harvest stick and stone and begin your colonisation efforts. Create rudimentary crafting items from blueprints and slowly build a number of workerbots to aid in your efforts. Teach and shape their artificial intelligence with a visual programming language, then instruct them to begin the formation of your colony. Marvel as a planet you’ve shaped becomes home to a civilisation of workerbots, happy to do your bidding!  
Expand further with the creation of colonists; beings that require your assistance to survive. Push your workerbots further by introducing fishing, cooking, housing, and tailoring and help the colonists into a state of transcendence.  
Key Features:  
*   **Playful Programming**  
    Teach your workerbots requisite steps to complete tasks by asking them to repeat actions utilising a visual programming language. Designed to be easy to learn but with added complexity there are numerous possibilities.
*   **Automated Automation**  
    Build an army of bots to automate just about everything in your colony, teach them what to do and expand both their brains and task possibilities with numerous upgrades and options.
*   **Various Ventures**  
    From gathering to building, cooking, fishing, tailoring, farming, animal husbandry and more - the world of Autonauts is vast with limitless opportunities to automate and colonise.
*   **Charming Creativity**  
    The world of Autonauts pops to life with a low-poly art-style married with a consistent and bright colour palette adding depth and scale, creating a relaxing and attractive play space.
Autonauts combines the very best of agriculture, simulation, crafting, building, production-line and resource management titles to create a brand new experience unlike any other. Create the automated world of your dreams! The future is now!

Release date: 17 Oct, 2019

Categories: Automation Game, Programming Logic, Resource Management, Base Building, Factory Building, Management Simulation, Single-player


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging & Rewarding Gameplay (weight 0.88): Players find the game highly enjoyable, addictive, and a great value, often returning to it for its depth and relaxing yet challenging nature. Time flies by due to its engrossing mechanics.
- Accessible Programming Logic (weight 0.56): The game effectively teaches basic coding and logical thinking principles, making programming fun and approachable for both beginners and experienced coders. The system is intuitive, flexible, and well-designed, allowing for both simple and complex automation.
- Unique Robot Automation (weight 0.52): The core gameplay loop of programming and commanding robots to automate production and build a society is highly praised. This unique approach to the automation genre provides a profound sense of accomplishment.
- Relaxed, No-Pressure Gameplay (weight 0.45): The game offers a calm and forgiving experience with no fail states, time limits, or enemies, allowing players to progress at their own pace. This casual approach makes it ideal for de-stressing while still offering depth for those seeking optimization.
- Strong Early Game Appeal (weight 0.14): The initial hours of the game are consistently described as highly enjoyable and engaging, making a very positive first impression. However, some feedback suggests this initial appeal might not always sustain through later tiers.
- Excellent Tutorial System (weight 0.13): The game provides a comprehensive and clear tutorial that effectively introduces new players to its mechanics. It is well-paced, in-depth for beginners, and easily skippable for experienced players.
- Charming Art Style (weight 0.11): The game features simple, low-poly, and cartoony graphics that create a cozy and comfortable atmosphere. This charming visual design contributes positively to the overall player experience.
- Ample Content Hours (weight 0.06): Reviewers note that the game offers many hours of engaging content, providing good value for its price. Players can easily lose themselves in the game for extended periods.

Common complaints:
- Tedious Robot Programming (weight 0.62): The method of programming robots by "showing" them actions is highly repetitive and cumbersome, especially when managing many bots or making minor adjustments. The lack of features like direct code input, copy-paste functionality, or batch editing makes robot setup and modification extremely tedious and time-consuming.
- Poor Onboarding & UI (weight 0.51): New players are often overwhelmed by the game's complexity due to an insufficient tutorial and a clunky, unintuitive user interface. The awkward controls and lack of clear explanations make the initial experience frustrating and difficult to get into.
- Repetitive Mid/Late Game (weight 0.48): The game's core loop becomes tedious and grindy after the initial tiers, leading to a lack of progression and player disengagement. Players report the game feeling boring and repetitive, especially in later stages, requiring excessive grinding without sufficient new challenges or quality-of-life improvements.
- Robot Limitations & Malfunctions (weight 0.41): Robots suffer from significant limitations, including small memory capacity, low autonomy (requiring frequent recharging), and a tendency to get stuck or malfunction. These issues lead to constant supervision and inefficient operations, hindering large-scale automation.
- Lack of True Automation (weight 0.29): Despite being an automation game, players feel they are constantly performing manual tasks or acting as "tool-persons" for their robots, rather than achieving true hands-off automation. The game fails to free players from repetitive manual labor, requiring them to manage individual bot needs and setups extensively.
- Shallow Programming Depth (weight 0.21): The robot programming system is criticized for its lack of depth and advanced features, such as variables, subroutines, or complex logic. This limits creative problem-solving and makes the programming aspect feel trivial and unrewarding for players seeking a true programming challenge.
- Game Abandoned/Incomplete (weight 0.15): Many players feel the game was abandoned by developers, lacking updates and feeling incomplete despite its potential. This sentiment suggests the game was released prematurely or development ceased before reaching a polished state.
- Inefficient Storage & Inventory (weight 0.12): The game's storage system is often described as small and lackluster, making inventory management tedious, especially in the late game. Players struggle with limited capacity and inefficient ways to store and expand items.
- Bugs & Technical Glitches (weight 0.11): Players report encountering frequent bugs and technical glitches that can hinder progression or disrupt gameplay. While some are minor, others are game-breaking, preventing continued play.
- Performance & Scaling Issues (weight 0.1): The game experiences performance issues, such as freezing and visual glitches, when managing a large number of robots in the late game. The UI for bot teams also proves frustrating and inefficient at scale.
- Tedious Production Chain Management (weight 0.1): Managing complex production chains with numerous robots becomes overwhelming and tedious, making it difficult to track bottlenecks or efficiently reconfigure layouts. The inability to easily move machines or reset workbench commands adds to the frustration.

Gameplay feedback:
- Robot Automation & Colony Building (weight 0.81): The core gameplay involves programming an army of robots to automate resource gathering, crafting, and building, gradually expanding a colony from a barren planet. Players manage complex production chains and logistics to progress.
- Intuitive Visual Programming (weight 0.63): Robots are programmed using a visual, Scratch-like interface where players demonstrate actions, then add simple loops and conditional statements. Programs can be easily copied between robots using floppy disks or the bot database.
- Robot Limitations & Specialization (weight 0.44): Early robots have limited memory and performance, often requiring many specialized bots for simple tasks. While higher tiers improve capabilities, complex operations still frequently necessitate multiple robots or clever programming due to command limits.
- Varied Game Modes & Progression (weight 0.29): The game offers multiple modes with varying difficulty and objectives, from casual settlement building to challenging enlightenment. Progression involves advancing through technology tiers and complex production chains, though the tech tree can feel repetitive.
- Demanding Planning & Time (weight 0.26): The game requires significant patience, strategic planning, and a considerable time investment, especially as the complexity of automation grows. It can become a continuous challenge to optimize and manage the expanding colony.
- Optional Robot Recharging (weight 0.16): Robots originally required manual recharging, which could be automated by other bots. This feature has since been removed or made optional, improving the quality of life and reducing micromanagement.
- Colonist Needs Drive Production (weight 0.12): Colonists have increasing needs for various items like food, shelter, and clothing, which serve as the primary drivers for expanding production chains and technological advancement. Satisfying these needs is a core objective.
- Bot Database for Management (weight 0.1): A "Bot Database" building, unlocked later in the game, allows players to remotely manage, search, and copy/paste programs to and from robots, significantly streamlining automation management.
- Basic Early Game Start (weight 0.08): The game begins with the player manually crafting basic tools like axes and shovels to gather initial resources and build a workbench. This quickly transitions into automating these tasks with robots.

Performance notes:
- Accessible graphics, good performance (weight 0.1): The game's simple or average graphics enable it to run smoothly on a wide range of PCs, including entry-level and mid-range machines. Some players report good performance even with a high number of robots on older hardware.
- Late-game performance drops (weight 0.07): Despite generally good performance, the game can experience significant framerate drops (e.g., to 20-30 FPS) when managing a very large number of robots (around 500). This leads some players to find the game "surprisingly heavy" and recommend higher-spec PCs for optimal late-game play.
- Generic audio quality (weight 0.04): The game's audio and sound effects are described as generic or merely "okay," leading some players to prefer playing with the sound muted. This suggests the audio design does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience.
- Workbench interaction bug (weight 0.02): A specific bug occurs when moving a workbench or storage unit while a bot is actively working on it, causing the bot to cease its current task. This disrupts workflow and requires player intervention.
- Item data reset bug (weight 0.02): Players have reported a bug where item durability and data, particularly for items like buckets or floppy disks, are incorrectly reset after being placed into and then removed from a cart. This can lead to loss of progress or resources.
- Chinese localization available (weight 0.02): The game includes Chinese localization, making it accessible to a broader international audience. This is a positive feature for non-English speaking players.
- Faster saves via setting (weight 0.02): Players can significantly improve save times by disabling the "record" function within the planet scan screen. This provides a user-configurable option to optimize game performance.

Recommendations:
- Conditional Recommendation/Value (weight 0.46): The game receives mixed recommendations, often depending on whether it's on sale or if the player is a dedicated fan of specific genres like automation or resource management. It may not appeal to everyone, especially beginners, and some find it tedious or not worth full price.
- Recommended for Automation Fans (weight 0.32): The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy automation, factory building, city-building, resource management, and programming logic games, especially those familiar with titles like Factorio or Satisfactory. It's also suggested as a tool for learning programming concepts.
- Requires Patience & Management (weight 0.28): The game may require patience due to potentially annoying details, a feeling of being an unfinished 'Early Access' title, and the need to closely monitor and manage robots. Some players also noted it can be buggy, demanding on hardware, or tedious.
- Addictive Time Sink (weight 0.12): Players frequently report that the game is highly addictive, leading to significant time investment and often causing 'time to fly.' Many spend dozens or even hundreds of hours, with some returning repeatedly or aiming for full completion.

Other player notes:
- Advanced Automation QoL (weight 0.23): Players suggest numerous quality-of-life improvements for bot programming and automation. These include features like copy-pasting robot instructions, group management, advanced logic networks, debugging tools, and new transport options like trains and more vehicles.
- Helpful Gameplay Tips (weight 0.16): Reviewers provide various practical tips for players, covering early-game setup, bot management, resource gathering, and automation strategies. These include advice on map selection, bot naming, and utilizing specific game features.
- Desired Multiplayer Mode (weight 0.14): A significant number of players hope for the addition of a multiplayer feature. This would enable cooperative gameplay and enhance the social aspect of the game.
- Steep Learning Curve (weight 0.13): Players report a significant learning curve, requiring dedicated time to understand game mechanics. While an extensive tutorial exists, some find it challenging to grasp, suggesting a need for clearer guidance or more intuitive onboarding.
- More Replayability & Modes (weight 0.12): Players express a strong desire for additional game modes and content to extend replayability beyond a single playthrough. There is anticipation for future updates, including a survival mode, and a general hope for continued expansion.
- Factorio-like Automation (weight 0.07): The game is frequently compared to Factorio, emphasizing complex automation and factory building rather than open-ended crafting like Minecraft. Players should anticipate a similar focus on intricate production lines.
- UI & Localization Feedback (weight 0.06): The user interface is generally praised for being intuitive and visually appealing. However, a specific issue was noted where Korean naming causes error messages, and the availability of French translation is mentioned.
- Continuous Game Improvements (weight 0.05): The game has consistently received improvements over time, including simplified mechanics and quality-of-life updates. Recent patches have made the game easier to play, demonstrating active developer support.
- Significant Time Commitment (weight 0.05): The game requires a substantial time investment to fully explore and progress through its content. Players note that there is a lot to discover, indicating a deep but time-consuming experience.
- Enjoyable Audio & Community (weight 0.04): Players appreciate the game's chill and pleasant soundtrack. The Discord community is also highlighted as a valuable resource for advanced ideas and support.
- Unclear Developer Vision (weight 0.02): Some players express uncertainty regarding the developers' long-term direction for the game. They question whether the focus will remain on a cute/casual experience or evolve towards more complex assembly and automation.
- Awesome Developers (weight 0.02): Players generally express positive sentiment towards the developers, acknowledging their efforts and support for the game.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.27): Players derive satisfaction from the game's core automation and programming mechanics, finding joy in designing efficient robot systems, optimizing production lines, and watching their automated towns grow. The game's blend of puzzle-solving, strategic depth, and a relaxing atmosphere, coupled with its educational value in logical thinking, contributes to a highly engaging and rewarding experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.22): Players experience frustration primarily due to the repetitive and tedious nature of programming individual robots, exacerbated by a clunky user interface and a lack of essential quality-of-life features like copy-paste functionality for bot programs. Issues with bot management, including limited memory, difficulty in re-organizing layouts, and frequent re-optimization needs, along with late-game grind and occasional bugs, significantly detract from the gameplay experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Disappointment stems from the game's failure to maintain engagement in the long term, often due to repetitive late-game grind and a perceived lack of depth or advanced programming challenges. Players feel let down by unfulfilled expectations regarding content, polish, and the overall execution of the core concept, leading to a sense of the game being incomplete or underdeveloped.
- Excitement (weight 0.06): Excitement is generated by the game's deep and engaging automation mechanics, offering endless possibilities for creative problem-solving and optimization. Players are thrilled by the challenge of designing complex logistics systems, discovering new features, and the overall addictive nature of the gameplay loop that makes time fly by.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players experience enjoyment from the game's accessible and chill nature, particularly appreciating the core automation mechanics and the satisfying process of optimizing production lines. The game's bite-sized problems and addictive gameplay loop allow players to easily lose themselves for hours, finding fun in programming robots and watching their systems come to life.
- Joy (weight 0.05): Joy is derived from the game's accessible programming and satisfying automation, complemented by its charming art style, cute design, and relaxing atmosphere. The excellent tutorial and the playful presentation contribute to an overall engaging and enjoyable experience, particularly for players who appreciate puzzle-solving and a non-threatening environment.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Boredom sets in when the gameplay becomes overly repetitive, particularly in the mid to late game, as players encounter tedious manual actions and repetitive scripting tasks. The core mechanic of programming robots, initially engaging, can become monotonous due to a lack of variety or direct programming options, leading to a slow and uninspired progression.
- Addiction (weight 0.02): Players describe the game as highly addictive, often losing track of time due to its engaging gameplay loop. The compelling nature of the core mechanics makes it difficult to stop playing, even despite any perceived flaws.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's educational value, particularly its ability to foster logical thinking and problem-solving through its deep and iterative automation loop. The creative freedom it offers, combined with a relaxed environment free of timers or enemies, and its charming art style, enhances the overall positive experience.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Annoyance arises from tedious manual steps required to update linked bots and manage them, coupled with a cumbersome programming interface. Minor bugs causing bots to stall and an annoying music track also contribute to player frustration.
- Engagement (weight 0.02): Engagement is experienced when players overcome initial hurdles and become deeply engrossed in the game's mechanics. The compelling gameplay serves as an effective introduction to the genre, drawing players in for extended periods.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players express love for the game, often stemming from a deep appreciation for its entire journey since early versions and its appealing graphics. This indicates a strong, overarching positive sentiment towards the game.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Players express hope for the game's future, specifically desiring the implementation of a multiplayer feature and various quality-of-life improvements. This indicates a belief in the game's potential for further development and enhancement.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): Relaxation is achieved through watching the smooth operation of automated processes and the game's flexible progression system. The overall atmosphere and design contribute to a calming and stress-free experience.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the unexpected depth and complexity of the game's mechanics, especially given its often cutesy or simple initial appearance. This reveals a positive discovery of hidden layers within the gameplay.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement is derived from the game's humorous premise and specific in-game elements, such as the playful descriptions of bot chains or "insolent colonists." This indicates an appreciation for the game's lighthearted tone and charm.
- Exhaustion (weight 0.01): Exhaustion is caused by tedious manual crafting due to low tool durability, combined with the increasing complexity and tedium of automation processes. Bugs and rising difficulty also contribute to a feeling of being overwhelmed.
- Calmness (weight 0.01): Calmness is fostered by the game's meditative nature, pleasant gameplay, and overall serene atmosphere. This allows players to relax and enjoy a tranquil experience.
- Nostalgia (weight 0): Nostalgia is triggered by reflecting on initial struggles within the game and drawing comparisons to positive childhood experiences, such as playing with Lego. This connects the game to fond personal memories.
- Curiosity (weight 0): Curiosity is sparked by the introduction of new tools and features at different stages of the game, as well as the game's unique approach to its genre. This encourages players to explore and discover more.}