Megaproject sink

Owns one or more megaprojects, each a sequence of phases with large delivery requirements (item types and quantities, or energy), the deliveries accumulated so far, and the reward for each phase or the whole project (unlocks, power, a victory, or an ending). Delivered goods are consumed, so the project converts factory throughput into progress and gives an open-ended economy both a target and an outlet. Satisfactory's Space Elevator takes five Project Assembly phases, from 50 Smart Plating in phase 1 to Nuclear Pasta, Biochemical Sculptors, AI Expansion Servers, and Ballistic Warp Drives in phase 5, and its phases unlock tiers. Dyson Sphere Program builds its sphere from solar sails fired by EM-Rail Ejectors and frames carried by rockets, and sails expire after 5,400 seconds unless a completed shell absorbs them. shapez 2 operator goal lines grow exponentially in cost per level. Factorio's rocket silo is a similar sink for rocket parts. It differs from milestone-unlocks, which tests thresholds without consuming goods, and from goods-consumption, which feeds a population's recurring needs rather than a one-off structure.

A monument to throughput. The player reads the bill of materials, works backward through the factory to supply it, and watches a structure fill phase by phase. It turns an endless sandbox into a campaign with a finish line, or in endless versions a scoreboard of scale.

• number of phases and the quantity curve across them (linear, geometric, exponential)
• which goods are required and how deep in the production chain they sit
• reward per phase (unlocks, power, cosmetics, an ending)
• whether deliveries persist or expire, as Dyson sphere sails do
• whether play continues after completion
• shared versus individual progress in multiplayer

• A finale that ends the game abruptly leaves large factories without purpose.
• Requirements that only scale quantity turn the endgame into waiting rather than designing.
• A phase gated on one bottleneck good stalls the whole project.
• A sink too small to matter fails to absorb late-game surplus, so production has no outlet.

• Players design factories backward from the project's bill of materials, so it organizes the layout.
• Exponential requirements push players to rebuild for throughput rather than add variety, as with shapez 2 operator levels.
• Completed phases unlock technology that raises throughput for the next phase, a reinforcing ramp.

• Can megaproject requirements adapt to the player's factory so the finale tests its weak points rather than a fixed list?
• Does an endless exponential sink keep factory games engaging longer than a fixed finale, or does it reduce play to scaling?