Hanzi Factory

Hanzi Factory is a 3D automation game built around the structure of Chinese characters. Extract complete characters from deposits scattered across a procedurally generated landscape. Cut them into reusable components, reshape and position each piece, then assemble them into entirely different characters. Every component moves through the factory like any other item. Route pieces to separate processing lines, keep extras in storage, or feed them straight into another assembly. Characters made by one line can be broken down elsewhere, creating longer production chains and shared supply networks. Build Across the Landscape Your factory will quickly outgrow its starting site. Valuable deposits lie among mountains, lakes and deep rifts, often far from the places where their components are needed. Decide where each stage of production should happen. Break characters apart at the source and ship only the components you need, or move whole characters to a central factory for processing. Elevators carry materials between different heights, while tunnels allow busy routes to cross without getting in each other’s way. Remote production sites gradually become specialized outposts, connected by routes that carry components across the world. Build a Network, Not an Isolated Line A production line may begin with a single purpose. As the factory grows, the same components will be needed by several different characters, and a shortage in one place can stop multiple lines farther downstream. Increase extraction, redirect shared parts, store excess production and duplicate reliable processing modules wherever they are needed. Keep the network compact and organized, or let it spread across the landscape while you chase the next bottleneck. Inspection tools and the in-game dictionary reveal how characters are structured, where their components come from and how they can be used. No knowledge of Chinese is required. Players who know the language can rediscover familiar characters as machines and materials; everyone else can learn the same logic simply by building. Go Beyond the Dictionary Once you understand the system, try combining components in structures the dictionary does not contain. If the construction is plausible, the assembler will produce a new glyph. Deliver it to the Hub and give it a name. From then on, your factory will recognize that structure by the name you chose. The next character off the line might be one the dictionary has no name for—until you give it one.