I'd love a mod that actually respected the true materials/engineering recipes in real life.

Obviously, you can't recreate the complete complexity of all global supply chains, but it would be nice for a mod to get a little closer.

Standard factorio glosses over way too much to be considered educational, which is what i need before I get my son addicted with me. (Yes, i know standard Factorio still has a lot to offer - i just want more detail)

Fair but id offer that having more "realistic" recipies and those details would still offer far less than understanding and practicing the engineering process. Finding efficient solutions to your problems and engineering them over and over again for efficiency teaches excellent problem solving and engineering skills that would be hugely beneficial, imo more important than learning the specific materials that make each item irl.

[delayed]

Most of the overhaul mods get closer, more or less depending on the mod :

https://youtu.be/dY2nxVNBHQs?&t=3m41s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyldichlorosilane

There are also mods that make it more realistic in a different way :

https://mods.factorio.com/mod/belt-overflow

There's Unfunny Science overhaul mod which is quite new ;)

https://mods.factorio.com/mod/un-science

Warptorio is to be noted, for the way it radically changes what the game is about, closer to the Factorio scenarios, and even somewhat compatible with the overhaul mods !

https://mods.factorio.com/mod/warptorio2

> Factorio but you build your factory in a restricted space that teleports yourself, the platform, and everything on it to a new and uncharted planet in an unknown corner of space, time and the universe while constantly under attack from enemies. This mod increases the difficulty of factorio by making construction harder and making biters a more significant threat, resulting in a unique experience of factorio'ing in a tight space and under pressure, almost like a tower defence game.

Speaking of scenarios, let's not forget that Factorio has a PvP mode ! (Better use a PvP balance mod though...)

https://youtu.be/DBn9IQTxIvY