ChemFactory

ChemFactory...

... is a hobby project for a 2000s-style browsergame about building up the chemical industry through the 20th century and beyond. The goal is a detailed representation of industrial processes from the early industrialization to the modern economy, tracking intermediate materials, by-products and so on, all in a browser window.

(work in progress)

Gameplay: Players build their account over weeks and months (slow game!). The core mechanic is converting input materials into output materials through processes, that live in buildings. Build buildings, install processes, chain them together! Then use the proceeds to research new processes. The key feature is a large portfolio of processes and materials, allowing for custom networks of process chains to produce the material you want. 

This is for you if you: Enjoyed the early to mid-2000s style of slow browsergames. You like spreadsheets and planning out process chains. You enjoyed e.g. Factorio's Bob and Angels mod-pack...

Systems: The entire game logic lives in a database. Players interact through the website. Game is entirely based on lists, text and numerical inputs.

Screenshot 1: Dashboard page with many different materials...

What currently works:

• Player authentification, account creation, many parallel accounts
• Own a theoretically infinite number of different materials.
• Build buildings, install processes, convert materials, sell to NPCs
• Research: Buildings and processes locked behind technology
• Player sell orders: Offer you products to other players for money
• Ingame encyclopedia: browse all processes currently implemented.

Screenshot 2: Processes page of an account configured for sulfuric acid production.

State of the content:

65 materials, 15 buildings and 55 processes in the database

Snapshot:

• Wood chemistry (distillation, byproduct processing)
• Lime chemistry (Limestone, Quicklime, slacked lime)
• Ash chemistry (lye, potash)
• Lead chamber process (Pyrite, SO2, H2SO4)
• Early steel production (Blast furnace, pig iron, Bessemer converter)
• Coal chemistry (unfinished!) (coke, distillation, ammonia, tar distillation)
• Leblanc process (Saltcake, Black ash, Soda ash, causticization)
• Single superphosphate (from bone ash or apatite)

Screenshot 3: Encyclopedia, filtered for "Alkali" processes.

Planned (potential) features:

• Claims: survey for special finite material sources. Maybe even interact with those of other players (e.g. steal, deplete, sell)
• Regions: NPC demand tied to region development. Pool production to build infrastructure (railroad) and satisfy demands to increase region development

Playtesting:

I want to do some early, closed playtesting in the near future to stress test the system. Major changes, wipes and bugs should be expected! Send a message if interested in participating.

Disclaimer:

This is a hobby project. I make heavy use of gen-AI tooling to write my code and make flavor graphics.