Heart of the Machine News

New build for the demo! https://wiki.arcengames.com/index.php?title=HotM:_After_The_Transformation#0.547_Energize

This is a fairly small build, as mostly what I've been doing is talking to folks and listening to their suggestions, and making lots of notes. As well as updating the wiki, and adding more explanations for a lot of things. There are several new articles linked today, which go into broader questions people had, as well as deep dives on specific mechanics.

The main changes in this build are that the parasitic power draws are removed from the game for now, as they were really sending the wrong messages to players in chapter one, especially when they were introduced. They'll return in chapter two later, as contemplations.

In the meantime, power generation has gotten a balance pass in general, with both wind and geothermal getting substantial upgrades. There should be plenty of wind to go around until you unlock geothermal, even if you don't take the cap upgrades for wind, and even if you build all the housing.

This has been an enormously instructive week for me, listening to folks, as well as really gratifying to see how many people are vibing with the game. It's been a long road, and the shift from realtime to turn-based has understandable turned away some people who wishlisted a long time ago, but I'm really gratified to see how much of a connection the game, its world, and its writing are making with a substantial audience.

Thanks so much for all the support, and the constructive criticism!

I've probably spent more time playing 4X games than I have sleeping—I'm a bit of a fan. But I confess my enthusiasm for the genre has hit a plateau because it's become just a wee bit too conformist. Surprises are few and far between, with modern 4Xs struggling to escape the rules and settings established by their progenitors. Heart of the Machine, then, is just what the cyberneticist ordered: A weird, unconventional 4X that puts you in the role of a newly-awakened sentient AI...
Read more.

New build for the hotm demo! https://wiki.arcengames.com/index.php?title=HotM:_After_The_Transformation#0.546_Crisp

This one improves the crispness of some minor parts of the graphics (borders, mainly), based on some excellent feedback by a demo player with a very high quality monitor. And it allows for tuning a few more things to taste.

This build makes Refinery Optimizers mathematically competitive with the Refinery Overdrivers.

You now get far more Daily Necessities per turn from the warehouse raid, so if you have taken max housing upgrades and then built all that housing, you can now properly keep all of them clean, with some excess to spare.

And lastly, fixed an issue in some maps where you could not get the Wallripper if you were very unlucky that certain kinds of skyscrapers were not seeded. It now pulls from a much wider pool of skyscraper targets so that contemplation is always available now.

[h2]Embark on Your Journey as the First Sentient Machine Intelligence[/h2]
Dive into a sprawling, futuristic world where your decisions shape the destiny of both machines and humans. The demo for Heart of the Machine is now live, featured in Steam NextFest. Start your adventure today and explore a multitude of strategies and outcomes in this turn-based sci-fi 4X RPG.

[h2]Command the Future[/h2]
From the decrepit labs of a decaying Earth to the bustling streets of a corrupt city, your journey begins. As the first sentient Machine Intelligence, every choice you make—be it benevolent or malevolent—crafts the narrative of your existence. Will you dominate with an iron fist, govern as a benevolent overseer, or remain a ghost in the machine? Your path is yours to decide.

[h2]Strategize, Expand, Evolve[/h2]
Control the intricate mechanics of genetics labs, factories, and military complexes to further your agenda. Build and command a diverse fleet of androids, vehicles, and more, each with specialized abilities and roles. As your influence spreads, so does your ability to manipulate, innovate, and intimidate.

[h3]Feedback Is the Fuel of Innovation[/h3]
As you navigate the demo, your feedback is crucial in refining the game's development. Share your experiences and suggestions in our dedicated feedback forum here.

[h3]Join Our Community[/h3]
For support, updates, or to connect with fellow players, join us on the Heart of the Machine Discord. Your input helps shape the ongoing evolution of this world.

[h2]A Universe Awaits[/h2]
Uncover hidden technologies, manipulate powerful factions, and create a story that is uniquely yours. Every playthrough brings new challenges and opportunities. What will you discover? What legacy will you leave behind in the cityscape that watches and reacts to your every move?

Start your saga in the *Heart of the Machine* demo today, and take the first step towards mastering your destiny.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2001070/Heart_of_the_Machine/

New build for the hotm demo, with some requested quality of life updates, and a couple of minor bugfixes: https://wiki.arcengames.com/index.php?title=HotM:_After_The_Transformation#0.545_Focus

There are some options that let you slow down unit movement, and your androids are now not QUITE as blindingly-fast as they were before, in general.

There's also a change to the whole "watch NPCs phase" of the turn, where now it defaults to not bothering, since it does not matter. But, you can change it via the NPC Actions View dropdown in the main game settings window to be what it was before (watch high priority), or to watch everything. The new default should be the most comfortable view for the majority of people, but use what feels best to you.

There's also a fix to the NPC logic of the "IP Security" units in the water fight. Basically, they should have been more focused on your investigator, to the point that you can't distract them with regular aggro. The "service disruption" caused by the the hackamajig does let you distract them, but nothing else other than death should stop them hunting your technician there. Without that single-minded focus, there were some unintended consequences that could lead players to believe that the consequences of a probing action were going to be way more dire than they should be; if your investigator dies, the cruiser goes away. But if you manage to keep the investigator alive, while still failing to kill the cruiser, it would haunt you across the map for a long time, which was... not ideal.

Thank you to everyone for all the kind words, constructive criticism, and useful feedback! I've got a long list of other things I want to get done this week in terms of small tweaks and things based on suggestions that have already come in from players of the demo. So expect more patches that tweak minor things, but if you haven't played the demo yet, there's no reason to wait -- even the water fight issue, above, is really minor in the grand scheme. It just sends the wrong signal about future intent of the game, which is what made it particularly high-priority to me.