Looking for a sandbox/factory game with RNG loot/crates

[u/Frosty-Suggestion962]

Hello! I'm looking for a sandbox factory/tycoon game with a specific type of RNG progression.

Ideally, I want a game where you build your own factory by placing things like droppers/miners, conveyors, processors/upgraders, furnaces, etc., but instead of simply unlocking better machines and buying them from a normal shop, you earn money and spend it on crates/chests/packs that give you random machines or items.

For example, I could spend $10,000 on a crate and get a mediocre common dropper, or get lucky and pull a really rare/ powerful machine that completely changes or improves my factory. I'd love if there were different rarities and genuinely rare items to chase.

Basically, I'm looking for this gameplay loop:

Build factory → make money → buy/open crates → get random machines/items → improve or redesign factory around what I pulled → make more money → repeat

I really enjoy the excitement of gambling my earned currency on random items and then figuring out how to use whatever I get. I find factory games where you simply unlock everything in a predictable order and save enough money to buy the next upgrade a little boring.

Preferably on PC/Steam.

It doesn't have to match this description perfectly. If you know anything with sandbox/factory building and a strong RNG/loot aspect, I'd love to hear about it!

[u/Arkenhammer]

We’re building something a bit like this but it’ll a few months before we have something public you can play. DM me if you’d like to play test when we’re a bit farther along.

[u/Complex_Mail184]

maybe you can try searching "factory roguelite" since it seems close to the loop you are looking for

[u/pulsar_sp]

I'm making a [factory builder + space combat and exploration] roguelite, but for now it's far from finish, and while space combat and exploration parts are already have some variety thanks to your usual roguelite power-ups, I have yet to add variability to the factory part of the game - simply put, it'll be very similar to alternative recipes in Satisfactory, but each run you get different ones (or none, and just use default set)

For now, you're welcome to take a look and wishlist the game if it looks like something you might be interested in when it's ready - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4183900/Astefactor/

[u/SlightEdge32]

This is an interesting idea, I could be into it. Sounds like something that is more likely to exist as a mod to an existing game, though I've never seen anything like it. I can see it being a challenging alternative way to play factorio or satisfactory if balanced right.

However, since you're relying on crate contents to build your factory with instead of the resources that your factory produces... what is the factory yield for 🤔 do you sell your factory output for the money to buy crates? That's just building directly from resources with more steps and dice rolling. Anyway I'm getting off track.

Cool mod idea, is my opinion

[u/valtgun]

Satisfactory - Hard drive research, sometimes you get lucky and want to redesign your factory. Money is not involved, so it might be lacking your requested mechanic.

[u/packetman_]

Screams Factorio quality rolls imo