At work right now so can't check out any gameplay, but I have a question for you: is it a tiny bit like Transport Tycoon?
I'd say it's nowhere close to Transport Tycoon. TT is simply getting stuff from A to B and then maybe to C. Factorio is about much more complicated production lines. You start out with simple stuff like getting coal to run a smelter and putting iron ore in that to produce metal plates. Those plates can then be used to build new stuff like transporter belts and other machinery. You start out doing this manually by running around with your character in game. When you have enough materials you can start with automation. Like building a mining drill to get the coal and ore, using transporter belts to bring those to the smelter and then you keep on going from there. Building and researching new materials and stuff you can build. And you need to build all the stuff you need. In the beginning you'll mainly need those plates and some iron gear wheels to build new machinery or stuff like the mining drills.
As you progress in the game things are getting more and more complicated. It's been a while since I've played it, but there are inserters which take stuff from transporter belts and put them into assembly machines (that build stuff). To build one of them you need metal plates, iron wheel gears and a circuitboard. To get a circuit board you build a machine that combines metal plates with copper cables. Those cables are made from copper plates you have to make beforehand. There are shitloads of steps you have to take to get the more advanced stuff in the game and you're supposed to have it all automated, i.e. have a production line where coal and iron ore become metal plates and then those plates are going to various other lines where they are turned into iron gear wheels, circuit boards,...
It is quite an addictive game, but I stopped playing it a while ago as it just seemed to miss a purpose. Building all that stuff and getting new things to play around with is quite entertaining, but after a while it all just didn't feel rewarding anymore. That might change as the game is still in Early Access, but at one point I just couldn't be arsed optimising all my conveyor belts and machinery for the millionth time...
