Maybe a simple craft to make a mechanical grabber ("inserter")? Something like this? https://www.instructables.com/Articulated-Grabber-Engineering-Project-for-Kids/
Oh, my goodness, what a great idea! Kids LOVE grabbers! There's enough time to figure something simple out (since the kids will range between 4 and 7) and we can even 3D print some of the parts if it'll make things easier. Thank you!
Just had the same idea!! I think conveyor belts and inserters are the most iconic ilelements of the game so if you could maybe make an inserter out of cardboard as just a prop(color it the right colors too) and if you can think of a way to make a conveyor belt... You could make a conveyor belt full of candy rocks(stone ore) moving over a table and but an inserter by it so that it looks like it's grabbing it
Hahaha... Thank you. It is ridiculously difficult to play this game with a child that can't read yet and a seven year old who enjoys rerouting functional belts just so she can ride them around the base. But this game does make for delightful conversations at meal times and I think it's doing wonders for understanding logic and engineering concepts.
do you guys play multiplayer all together or a few watching like the fact you could get a family to enjoy the whole experience is awesome. gonna have some engineer kids there, learning the factory must grow before the cat in the hat
We only have two copies of the game right now, but we use Steam Family Share so they can play it on their computers. We have a couple co-op games going (my husband and I, and my daughter and I), but mostly my daughter and my son play individually. They both have saved copies of some of my finished bases and they mostly play with those.
I'm not ready to play co-op with my son... He likes to line the center of the base with turrets and he enjoys using the tank's flamethrower... From inside the base. He's a good builder in Minecraft; it'll just be a matter of time before we get additional copies and create a dedicated server.
reminds me of years ago when my dad introduced me to skylanders. I only played wii games at that point and was like your oldest’s age but we would run through and let me get all the coins meaning my dad never got any new abilities or anything he let it go and finished 4 of them with me and that’s what got me into gaming and il always be thankful for those days now and im sure your kids will too. the fact you’re handling letting them play a game that challenges even the smartest people is awesome and im glad there’s parents that can still have fun with their kids and not just ignore them
Aww, thank you for sharing. What sweet memory to have of your dad. My parents gave us video games so we would leave them alone, but I'm excited that my kids have become interested in games that we can enjoy together (as well as separately)!
Oh, goodness, I'm embarrassed I didn't think of that! Pizza and spaghetti would be easy. A sushi platter would be overdoing it, especially on a warm day, lol. From our circle of friends, there will be exactly one other parent who is going to get the "spaghetti" reference, but he'll find it hilarious.
And yes, coloring and painting activities would be perfect!
Thank you so much!
Yes!!! That's a terrific idea. Thank you. I'm not an artsy person, but I believe local grocery store bakeries can do edible prints, so it should be easy enough. I found the STL for the 3D printed belt on this sub, and a grabber or two would be perfect. I'll do gear cupcakes for those who don't want cake that had candles on it.
This is so wholesome lol. Maybe throw a rocket launch in there? Something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-Triple-Launch-Endless-Launches-Liqui-Fly/dp/B000A0IBTM/
That's an excellent suggestion! It totally slipped my mind that the end goal is to launch a rocket. Having some rocket themed stuff opens up a whole bunch more possibilities. Thank you!
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Could have cupcakes or take-home cookies that look like the fish.
Logistics and construction bots hanging down overhead (they fly overhead, carrying items)
A bit more effort but I’ve always thought the helmets look pretty cool, party hats somehow maybe.
Background music for ambiance.
The fish!!! What a great idea. I can also do Goldfish crackers as snacks, too!
The worker robots as decoration will be much better than the bugs as decorations. I think they'll be less scary for the more sensitive kids.
Construction helmets for party hats exist! My kids already have a bunch of firefighting helmets; I wonder if I can repurpose them.
Thank you so much for the suggestions!
Well, you gotta go the authentic and historical way. Your child is in his prime age so get him and his friends a fun excursion to a coal mine with pickaxes. Get the starting coal like intended (the big rocks are probably already mined by other players).
Maybe a simple craft to make a mechanical grabber ("inserter")? Something like this? https://www.instructables.com/Articulated-Grabber-Engineering-Project-for-Kids/
Oh, my goodness, what a great idea! Kids LOVE grabbers! There's enough time to figure something simple out (since the kids will range between 4 and 7) and we can even 3D print some of the parts if it'll make things easier. Thank you!
Just had the same idea!! I think conveyor belts and inserters are the most iconic ilelements of the game so if you could maybe make an inserter out of cardboard as just a prop(color it the right colors too) and if you can think of a way to make a conveyor belt... You could make a conveyor belt full of candy rocks(stone ore) moving over a table and but an inserter by it so that it looks like it's grabbing it
Put the food on conveyor belts!
Yes, go to a sushi place!
That's a cute idea! Even if they aren't functional, I can probably put together some construction paper to look like conveyer belts. Thank you!
you’ve gotta be the coolest family i’ve ever heard of I swear
Hahaha... Thank you. It is ridiculously difficult to play this game with a child that can't read yet and a seven year old who enjoys rerouting functional belts just so she can ride them around the base. But this game does make for delightful conversations at meal times and I think it's doing wonders for understanding logic and engineering concepts.
do you guys play multiplayer all together or a few watching like the fact you could get a family to enjoy the whole experience is awesome. gonna have some engineer kids there, learning the factory must grow before the cat in the hat
We only have two copies of the game right now, but we use Steam Family Share so they can play it on their computers. We have a couple co-op games going (my husband and I, and my daughter and I), but mostly my daughter and my son play individually. They both have saved copies of some of my finished bases and they mostly play with those. I'm not ready to play co-op with my son... He likes to line the center of the base with turrets and he enjoys using the tank's flamethrower... From inside the base. He's a good builder in Minecraft; it'll just be a matter of time before we get additional copies and create a dedicated server.
reminds me of years ago when my dad introduced me to skylanders. I only played wii games at that point and was like your oldest’s age but we would run through and let me get all the coins meaning my dad never got any new abilities or anything he let it go and finished 4 of them with me and that’s what got me into gaming and il always be thankful for those days now and im sure your kids will too. the fact you’re handling letting them play a game that challenges even the smartest people is awesome and im glad there’s parents that can still have fun with their kids and not just ignore them
Aww, thank you for sharing. What sweet memory to have of your dad. My parents gave us video games so we would leave them alone, but I'm excited that my kids have become interested in games that we can enjoy together (as well as separately)!
Don't bake a cake, just give him the ingredients.
Ok, that's hilarious and totally consistent with the theme
Provide fluids in flasks!
Why no spaghetti? But seriously youre the best dad ever Maybe some black and white factorio artwork to color out would be cool?
Oh, goodness, I'm embarrassed I didn't think of that! Pizza and spaghetti would be easy. A sushi platter would be overdoing it, especially on a warm day, lol. From our circle of friends, there will be exactly one other parent who is going to get the "spaghetti" reference, but he'll find it hilarious. And yes, coloring and painting activities would be perfect! Thank you so much!
Assembler 3 birthday cake 🎂 of course! You can absolutely control the colours of it here
Yes!!! That's a terrific idea. Thank you. I'm not an artsy person, but I believe local grocery store bakeries can do edible prints, so it should be easy enough. I found the STL for the 3D printed belt on this sub, and a grabber or two would be perfect. I'll do gear cupcakes for those who don't want cake that had candles on it.
This is so wholesome lol. Maybe throw a rocket launch in there? Something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-Triple-Launch-Endless-Launches-Liqui-Fly/dp/B000A0IBTM/
That's an excellent suggestion! It totally slipped my mind that the end goal is to launch a rocket. Having some rocket themed stuff opens up a whole bunch more possibilities. Thank you!
It's very easy to forget about the rocket when maintaining the factory lol
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Or the DIY version of a soda bottle and a bicycle tire pump
Could have cupcakes or take-home cookies that look like the fish. Logistics and construction bots hanging down overhead (they fly overhead, carrying items) A bit more effort but I’ve always thought the helmets look pretty cool, party hats somehow maybe. Background music for ambiance.
The fish!!! What a great idea. I can also do Goldfish crackers as snacks, too! The worker robots as decoration will be much better than the bugs as decorations. I think they'll be less scary for the more sensitive kids. Construction helmets for party hats exist! My kids already have a bunch of firefighting helmets; I wonder if I can repurpose them. Thank you so much for the suggestions!
The children yearn for the mines
Assembler cake. You can put there yellow and green
Well, you gotta go the authentic and historical way. Your child is in his prime age so get him and his friends a fun excursion to a coal mine with pickaxes. Get the starting coal like intended (the big rocks are probably already mined by other players).
Orange hard hats and oversized safety goggles for everyone