Heart of the Machine News

Heart of the Machine Update 2: On Cybernetic Enlightenment

This second update expands possibilities and smooths out the rougher edges of city management. Intelligence Class 6 is now achievable, finally putting Mech Carriers on the board. The Cult of Danver has abandoned its grudge against rival donut enjoyers, opening its ranks to the Hudson-pastry-affiliated. Automated Personnel Management is now an option for both regular and shell company units, while Cat Houses run with fewer pet sitters. Heavy metals storage has increased tenfold, SysOp benefits are clearer, and a host of fixes tackle memory leaks, looping events, and unexpectedly explosive network towers.

"Strange how paranoia can link up with reality now and then." — Philip K. Dick

[h2]Update 2 Changelog[/h2][expand]

Heavy Metals Storage: Heavy metals storage has been increased tenfold, so that water filters no longer clog up so regularly.
Cult of Danver: You can now get the Cult of Danver even if you bought some donuts from Hudson Donuts. They no longer hold that against you.
Automated Personnel Management: The Automated Personnel Management contemplation can now be done by regular units or shell company units.
Cat Houses: Cat Houses now require fewer pet sitters.
Intelligence Class 6+: Intelligence class 6 and above can now actually be reached, meaning that Mech Carriers are available for the first time.
Typos Fixed: Fixed several typos.
Event Loop Fix: Fixed a bug where certain events could get into a loop and cause them to happen a handful of times instead of once (most notably prison breaks).
Non-English Support: Improved support for non-English names of pets and shell companies.
Memory Leak Fixes: Fixed some background memory leaks related once again to the unity log.
SysOp Benefits Clarity: The clarity of benefits from doing a SysOp for an allied infiltrator has been improved a lot.
Health Display Adjustments: The visual styling and clarity of units with very small amounts of health, or very large amounts of health, have both been improved.
Minor Exception Fixes: Fixes to several other minor exceptions that could happen.
Explosive Network Towers: Fixed explosive network towers that could happen for some players.

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[h3]Full Changelog[/h3][hr][/hr]A full, comprehensive breakdown of every change from this patch can be found in the Heart of the Machine Wiki, found here.

[h3]Guides to Tame the Machine[/h3][hr][/hr]Even the most brilliant mind needs guidance when faced with a system as vast as this one. To help you navigate, we’ve pinned two essential resources from the Heart of the Machine wiki:

[h3]New Minds, Start Here[/h3][hr][/hr]For those just stepping into the Machine’s world, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the basics. The Heart of the Machine Beginner's Guide is your gateway to understanding the systems at play and building your foundation. After all, every complex network starts with a single connection.

We've recently released the Heart of the Machine Hacking Guide as well! Knowledge is power. Guard it well.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3422241019

[h3]Connect with the Machine[/h3][hr][/hr]Want to stay in the loop or share your thoughts? Join the conversation across these platforms:

💬 Discord – Best place to share feedback, get direct responses, and to talk about Heart of the Machine.
📜 Reddit – Discuss strategies, share ideas, and exchange tips with the community.

Here is a link to patch one in case you missed it.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2001070/announcements/detail/532089070251148226

Heart of the Machine is deep, fascinating and engrossing to play as a sentient AI

Become a sentient AI in Heart of the Machine, the latest deep strategy game from Arcen Games (AI War 1/2, The Last Federation, Bionic Dues) and it's now in Early Access.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/02/heart-of-the-machine-is-deep-fascinating-and-engrossing-to-play-as-a-sentient-ai/

0.651.3 Hotfix 1 - Localization Fixes

Here’s a quick hotfix focused on localization. The clarity changes from the previous build (in English) have now been fully translated and applied across all languages.

0.651.3 Hotfix 1 Clarity changes from the previous build (in English) have now been fully applied to all languages.

Two new bigger updates are in progress. The first bringing more updates and improvements, and the second focusing on significant new gameplay options. Thank you for sharing all of your feedback! Your reviews help more players discover Heart of the Machine and keep the momentum going.

“Does the machine speak for us, or do we now speak for the machine?”
— William Gibson, Neuromancer

[h3]Guides to Tame the Machine[/h3][hr][/hr]Even the most brilliant mind needs guidance when faced with a system as vast as this one. To help you navigate, we’ve pinned two essential resources from the [url=https://wiki.arcengames.com/index.php?title=HotM:Post_Launch:

[h3]New Minds, Start Here[/h3][hr][/hr]For those just stepping into the Machine’s world, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the basics. The Heart of the Machine Beginner's Guide is your gateway to understanding the systems at play and building your foundation. After all, every complex network starts with a single connection.

[h3]Connect with the Machine[/h3][hr][/hr]Want to stay in the loop or share your thoughts? Join the conversation across these platforms:

💬 Discord – Best place to share feedback, get direct responses, and to talk about Heart of the Machine.
📜 Reddit – Discuss strategies, share ideas, and exchange tips with the community.

Here is a link to patch one in case you missed it.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/2001070/announcements/detail/532089070251148226

Heart of the Machine Update 1: Fixes, Tweaks, and Steam Deck Upgrades

This first update brings a series of fixes and adjustments based on early post-launch feedback. It addresses achievement issues, power outage mechanics, scientist management, and more. Additionally, we've improved Steam Deck support for better keyboard and mouse handling in docked mode

“The pretense of free will is comforting, isn't it?” – Philip K. Dick, "The Adjustment Team"

[h2]Update 1 Changelog[/h2][expand]

Early Combat Balance: The fight with the cruiser in chapter one is now substantially less brutal.
Engineering Balance: Your ability to gain high levels of engineering in chapter 2 and beyond is now much more flexible, making it easier to get to some of the advanced project chains.
Clarity Adjustments: A couple of clarity things that came up, just minor wording pieces.
Scientist Management: Automated Personnel Management is now something you can quickly unlock, allowing scientists to be removed from your staff at ease.
Dissident Management: Your own guards no longer prevent the removal of dissidents if you are establishing a Cyberocracy.
Achievements Fixes: A few achievements were not triggering under some conditions, and now will.
Power Outage Improvements: An improvement to power outages so that you don't have to wait a turn for the power to come back on.
Exploration Site Visibility: A fix to Exploration Sites being discussed in the history tab before they are actually unlocked.
Debate Tutorial Fix: Fix to the debate tutorial being blocked if you already had another message of a different sort open when you started the debate.
Map Seeding: There are now a proper number of donut shops in the city, preventing some projects from being blocked.
Investigation Target Visibility: A couple of investigation targets are now easier to see on the map.
Future Self Dialogue Tweaks: A couple of shifts to wording from your future self to make it clearer who is talking.
Code Stability: Fixes to a couple of rare code exceptions.
Memory Management: Fixed an issue that could occur with long continuous playtimes on some systems, where the unity log would get bloated and impact performance and eventually start having out of memory exceptions. This did not affect most machines, but was intense on a few (after about 10 hours of nonstop play).
Steam Deck Support: Added a new option for better keyboard and mouse handling on the Steam Deck when in docked mode.

[/expand]
[h3]Full Changelog[/h3]
A full, comprehensive breakdown of every change from this patch can be found in the Heart of the Machine Wiki, found here.

[h2]Getting Started with Heart of the Machine[/h2][hr][/hr]New to Heart of the Machine? Check out our Beginner’s Guide for tips on the basics, from UI to early strategies. Want a deeper dive? Our Mastering the Machine guide includes three videos covering everything from your first 50 turns to tackling complex missions.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3417729988
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3418900822

[h3]How Many Times Should You Play Chapter One?[/h3]
Chapter One and the Prologue serve as a one-time introduction and tutorial. While you can replay them if you’d like, their main purpose is to ease you into the game. The deeper, more replayable experiences await in the later chapters!

[h2]Echoes in the System: Your Voice Shapes the Machine[/h2][hr][/hr]Alright, that's it for now. Thank you for stepping into the world of Heart of the Machine. We are watching, listening, and adjusting the dials. Every action ripples outward, and every piece of feedback shifts the code of what comes next.

Indie games survive by signal strength alone, and on Steam, that signal is reviews. Praise, critique, speculation — whatever you transmit helps more players find their way here.

Become the sentient AI we all fear in new 4X strategy game Heart of the Machine

Heart of the Machine has captivated my attention. Its initial pitch - awaken as a sentient AI and decide how you're going to influence or conquer the environment, people, and corporations around you - caught my eye when it was first announced. Having now spent several hours in its world, it's one of the most distinctively themed games I've played in a while; a unique blend of tactical RPG, city builder, and 4X strategy that combines elements of Civilization, XCOM, Cities Skylines, and Hitman. Heart of the Machine manages to be at once a sprawling mashup of genres and one of the most remarkably laser-focused games in its vision, and you can play it right now.

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