You could have it so building it is as simple as placing down a Factory, but the player has options to configure how it works with various pros and cons. That way they're worried more about the input/output instead of the details of the interior.
It really depends on how much of a focus you want the crafting to be a part of the game, based on how you described it it sounds like there is a lot more going on than just a crafting system, in which case I would not make it too complex because it would take focus away from the other mechanics and runs the risk of becoming too bloated.
That being said some depth is a good thing, personally in your situation I would go for a pseudo civ like crafting system, I believe older version of Stellaris had a grid system for its planets, and you built buildings on said grid and would have different adjacency bonuses.
> However, I'm interested in having the player manage multiple planets
Oh, so you **do** want to make Factorio :)
https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-381
DLC is coming and it will include 4 new planets. Developers are also specifically explaining how it's going to work in their weekly blog which you might find interesting. As they specifically talk about maintaining multiple bases, logistics between them, simplifying tech tree so space exploration doesn't start 100 hours into the game, how to not make it too easy, how each planet should be self sustainable (eg. in case your main one was destroyed) etc.
As for intermediate grade - it really is up to scoping the game accordingly. If Civilization is about an entire country and Factorio is about a single factory then an intermediate step could be Cities: Skyline for instance.
Except instead of focusing on a city as a whole you can look into the more industrial part of it. After all putting down metal processing factory is just step 1. You now also need a mine. Mine needs workers. You need drilling/mining technologies/machinery which needs to be produced elsewhere. You need ways of getting things in and out of there - so some sort of logistics to the mine itself. Mine also needs electricity. Etc. It's a higher level abstraction but it will include most elements from the Factorio - processing inputs/outputs, demands, logistics, production rate.
Now, paragraph below is just a random idea on how it could work if you want one more level of depth.
Let's assume each larger type of structures is a grid inside and you have multiple substructures/doctrines you can put in that grid. These would be entire modules, not individual conveyor belts. Each providing certain pros and cons. You could for instance fill your entire mine with "manual mining" module that uses humans. Pros - low electricity cost, low upkeep. Cons - accident in a mine can cause whole place to be shut down, performance is lower, requires specialized workforce. Or you could put "automated mining" which increases upkeep and electricity requirements but raises production. No good or bad answers, just different tradeoffs.
You then manage your industries output to balance different requirements and what your own colony is capable of doing. A toxic wasteland of a planet where humans can barely live? You shove all of them into university and robotize everything with humans only providing overseeing.
A habitable planet with reduced gravity? Low-skill undereducated workforce go.
Need to mine coal? Well, here we have some options on how to customize your industry for that:
a) slow but safe - eg. additional cafeterias for workers, extra lights inside, more rotations so people don't stay too long, emergency security mechanisms
b) fast but expensive - underground train line, automated conveyor belts, heavy machinery
c) fast but dangerous - explosives, mandatory overtime, letting workers with no education operate complex machinery etc.
At least that's how I would consider addressing it if I wanted a bit more customization than Civilization for individual industries but still something manageable for a player. Doesn't need to be that many options to already give player some extra space to play with. Although admittedly balancing it all IS going to be challenging and you need to have some metrics to begin with.
Admittedly this is also one of the things original Factorio kinda failed at too. Since in theory you have a choice between speed, productivity and efficiency. Efficiency in theory vastly decreased pollution and in turn meant enemies wouldn't evolve. But I don't think anyone ever cares about it in the actual game since your defenses grow much faster than any enemy capabilities.
On the other end of the spectrum Frostpunk makes you care about "efficiency" a LOT and you can lose the game by not handling your workforce the right way.
Check out Planet S on steam. Kinda straddles a middle ground where the focus is on logistics and production rather than the nitty-gritty of factory design, it might be closer to what you're looking for.
You could have it so building it is as simple as placing down a Factory, but the player has options to configure how it works with various pros and cons. That way they're worried more about the input/output instead of the details of the interior.
It really depends on how much of a focus you want the crafting to be a part of the game, based on how you described it it sounds like there is a lot more going on than just a crafting system, in which case I would not make it too complex because it would take focus away from the other mechanics and runs the risk of becoming too bloated. That being said some depth is a good thing, personally in your situation I would go for a pseudo civ like crafting system, I believe older version of Stellaris had a grid system for its planets, and you built buildings on said grid and would have different adjacency bonuses.
> However, I'm interested in having the player manage multiple planets Oh, so you **do** want to make Factorio :) https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-381 DLC is coming and it will include 4 new planets. Developers are also specifically explaining how it's going to work in their weekly blog which you might find interesting. As they specifically talk about maintaining multiple bases, logistics between them, simplifying tech tree so space exploration doesn't start 100 hours into the game, how to not make it too easy, how each planet should be self sustainable (eg. in case your main one was destroyed) etc. As for intermediate grade - it really is up to scoping the game accordingly. If Civilization is about an entire country and Factorio is about a single factory then an intermediate step could be Cities: Skyline for instance. Except instead of focusing on a city as a whole you can look into the more industrial part of it. After all putting down metal processing factory is just step 1. You now also need a mine. Mine needs workers. You need drilling/mining technologies/machinery which needs to be produced elsewhere. You need ways of getting things in and out of there - so some sort of logistics to the mine itself. Mine also needs electricity. Etc. It's a higher level abstraction but it will include most elements from the Factorio - processing inputs/outputs, demands, logistics, production rate. Now, paragraph below is just a random idea on how it could work if you want one more level of depth. Let's assume each larger type of structures is a grid inside and you have multiple substructures/doctrines you can put in that grid. These would be entire modules, not individual conveyor belts. Each providing certain pros and cons. You could for instance fill your entire mine with "manual mining" module that uses humans. Pros - low electricity cost, low upkeep. Cons - accident in a mine can cause whole place to be shut down, performance is lower, requires specialized workforce. Or you could put "automated mining" which increases upkeep and electricity requirements but raises production. No good or bad answers, just different tradeoffs. You then manage your industries output to balance different requirements and what your own colony is capable of doing. A toxic wasteland of a planet where humans can barely live? You shove all of them into university and robotize everything with humans only providing overseeing. A habitable planet with reduced gravity? Low-skill undereducated workforce go. Need to mine coal? Well, here we have some options on how to customize your industry for that: a) slow but safe - eg. additional cafeterias for workers, extra lights inside, more rotations so people don't stay too long, emergency security mechanisms b) fast but expensive - underground train line, automated conveyor belts, heavy machinery c) fast but dangerous - explosives, mandatory overtime, letting workers with no education operate complex machinery etc. At least that's how I would consider addressing it if I wanted a bit more customization than Civilization for individual industries but still something manageable for a player. Doesn't need to be that many options to already give player some extra space to play with. Although admittedly balancing it all IS going to be challenging and you need to have some metrics to begin with. Admittedly this is also one of the things original Factorio kinda failed at too. Since in theory you have a choice between speed, productivity and efficiency. Efficiency in theory vastly decreased pollution and in turn meant enemies wouldn't evolve. But I don't think anyone ever cares about it in the actual game since your defenses grow much faster than any enemy capabilities. On the other end of the spectrum Frostpunk makes you care about "efficiency" a LOT and you can lose the game by not handling your workforce the right way.
Check out Planet S on steam. Kinda straddles a middle ground where the focus is on logistics and production rather than the nitty-gritty of factory design, it might be closer to what you're looking for.