Need help (harder than ATM but not GTNH/Gravitas-level grind?)
Hey all,
Me and my group have been playing a lot of ATM-style packs and we really enjoy them, especially the freedom and building side of things. But honestly, after a while ATM gets kind of trivial — once automation kicks in you can basically steamroll everything and it loses the challenge pretty fast.
On the other hand, we’ve also tried Gravitas 2 / TerraFirmaGreg-style packs, and while we loved the idea and early-game survival pressure, it gets way too grindy and overwhelming, especially early on. A few of us tend to drop off because there’s just so much to juggle at once.
So we’re kind of looking for a sweet spot:
- Harder and more progression-based than ATM
- But less punishing / grindy than GTNH or Gravitas-style packs
- Still good for builders (we like building bases, automation setups, aesthetics, etc.)
- Preferably not “1000-step crafting chains = the entire game”
We haven’t done a ton of research yet, but two packs we’ve been looking at are:
- MeatballCraft
- TerraFirmaGreg: Modern
…but we honestly don’t know if those are what we’re looking for or if they’ll just swing too far into the hardcore grind side again.
Would really appreciate any recommendations or opinions on those, or any other packs that hit that middle ground between “too easy ATM” and “GTNH pain simulator.”
Thanks