Hi!

Like many other people I enjoy playing some freemium games from time to time and, if the game is actually good, I don't mind spending a few bucks here and there. This however got me thinking: Are there any games out there that kinda follow the design principles of freemium games but are paid for up front?

The appeal of these games for me is the gradual build-up of whatever you're playing, improving things and maybe optimizing a few things here and there. Sooner or later however I often hit the "Well, if you want to continue having fun, pay up"-wall. I played Rollercoaster Tycoon Touch extensively, but now it's not fun anymore because in order to progress significantly I'd have to pay. But knowing this kind of game, I'll probably have to pay more and more as time goes on.

Are there any games you could recommend that scratch this "optimizing, building, simulation-ish" (think maybe along the lines of Factorio) itch that I could try out? If the game is actually good I wouldn't mind paying for it - I just don't want to go down the freemium rabbit hole and keep on paying in the future. I did my research but all of these "4324 Best Games of 2020 You Have To Try!"-lists found online are not really helping. Thanks!