Hello, aquascapers!

We are delighted to share recent refinements to our user interface and user experience (UI/UX) based on valuable insights gleaned from playtesting with our internal team and a circle of alpha testers. Our primary focus has been on improving usability to ensure that your journey into aquascape design is as seamless and engaging as possible. Let's delve into the details!

As developers, we fully grasp the significance of gathering feedback from our players. That's precisely why we conducted extensive playtesting sessions with both our in-house team and a dedicated group of alpha testers who share our passion for aquascaping. Their input has proven invaluable in pinpointing areas where we could enhance the gameplay experience.

One of the pivotal aspects we concentrated on was the user interface (UI). Our objective was to craft an interface that not only boasts a stunning appearance but also facilitates effortless navigation through the game's features. After careful deliberation, we settled on a clean and intuitive design that provides a seamless experience.

The updated UI offers convenient access to essential tools and features, allowing you to explore, gather aquascape materials, and craft your finest aquascapes. We meticulously organized the interface to ensure that every element finds its rightful place, reducing clutter and rendering it a pleasure to use.



In conjunction with the UI, we also directed our efforts toward enhancing the user experience (UX). Our aim was to eliminate potential sources of frustration and offer a gaming experience that immerses you fully in the art of aquascaping. The feedback from playtesting aided us in identifying areas where we could simplify interactions and clarify objectives.

With the upgraded UX, you can anticipate clear and concise prompts that guide you through each stage of your aquascape design process. We've ensured that instructions and objectives are conveyed effectively, empowering you to express your creativity without any ambiguity. Our goal is to minimize the time spent deciphering mechanics, allowing you to invest more time in refining your designs.



The feedback we received from both our internal testers and alpha testers who participated in the playtests has been overwhelmingly positive. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the community for actively contributing to the shaping of Aquascape Simulator. Your feedback has played a pivotal role in guiding our development process and enabling us to create an experience that deeply resonates with aquascape enthusiasts.

Our commitment to delivering an exceptional gaming experience doesn't stop here. We will remain dedicated to listening to our players and diligently implementing further refinements based on your feedback. We believe that a community-driven approach is essential in creating a game that evolves with your needs and desires.

Anticipate to regular updates and exciting new features that will keep Aquascape Simulator fresh and captivating. We are enthusiastic about continuing this journey alongside you and delivering an even more immersive aquascape design experience.

Thank you for being a part of the Aquascape Simulator community. Get ready to unleash your inner aquascaping virtuoso as we dive into the fascinating world of aquascape design together!

Cheers!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2299400?utm_source=steam_devlog&utm_campaign=devlog&utm_medium=web&utm_content=elevating_usability_with_ui_ux_improvements

9/15/2023 Patch Notes

Progression has been reset! Perks, perk slots, stash tabs and secure slots must be unlocked through progression for this test. Those who owned the season booster and/or founders pack will be unaffected by this change.

Cosmetics will begin unequipped but are not lost.

Progression

• Added rewards back to the progression track
• Perk Slots
• Stash Tabs
• Safe Container Slots
• Crafting Tiers
• Objective Keycards

UI

• Show armor rating as well as damage mitigation on the stat panel.

Missions

• Added Agent Missions
• Agent Missions allow the player to complete tasks for different Agents. Doing different missions will unlock various progression items for the player to take advantage of.
• Added missions tab to the top nav bar.
• Missions in match will be marked on their map by a gold mission icon. 
• Missions will be marked on their map. Some missions require players to extract a specific item or kill players.
• Mission rewards can be claimed in the Missions tab.

Vendors and Crafting

• Crafting adjusted
• Added new components required for crafting.
• New Salvage vendor activated.
• Salvaging weapons and armor will drop a new crafting component of equal rarity.
• Weapon and armor vendors now rotate what is available to purchase.

Weapons

• Changed knife color from purple to orange/red.

Abilities

• Some ability cooldowns adjusted.
• Added a deploy animation for healing station, dome shield, motion sensor.
• Disabled self-damage on proximity mine.
• Added a new small camera shake to proximity mine explosion.

Keycard Objectives

• High Security Levels now require a specific objective keycard to enter.
• You earn these keycards by leveling up out of match.

Map Generation

• Reduced the number of Yellow Security Levels.

Cybrids

• Increased difficulty of Cybrids in the Orange Security rooms. 
• Increased Ambush Laser Cybrids health to 1200.
• Increased Phalanx Melee health to 1200.
• Increased Guardian's projectile speed.

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where vendors would not populate after a match
• Fixed an issue where contracts would not progress properly at the end of match screen.
• Fixed an issue where 1P pack VFX would remain on your screen if you respawned while your spectated target was using a health/shield pack.

Known Issues

• Stat panel in match sometimes does not update properly.
• Issue with some missions not displaying properly after completing them. After relaunching they will be fixed.
• Issue with ability and weapon VFX sometimes obscuring the camera.
• Issue with invisible collision missing VFX when entering high security rooms.

We fix some night time related issues here, as well as many little annoyances people have reported! Keep em coming

• Fixed a bug where 10 entries in the journal would cause a next button to appear in error
  
• Spam clicking a stamina potion will no longer cause the 'default response'
  
• Fixed an errant occurring when you reenter Kinsley's apartment
  
• Fixed a pathing bug in the Loom room
  
• Fixed a glitch where the work day would never end if you had too much money
  
• Fixed some radio related dialog
  
• Assorted typo and formatting fixes
  
• Removed item reminder effect on box 'doodads'
  
• Fixed some proximity lights in the first dungeon
  
• Fixed a bad interaction when handing items to named NPCs who don't need them
  
• Added an escape from the binary code puzzle in the 3rd floor mini dungeon
  
• Fixed some tooltip hover on debug issues
  
• Adjusted the Eye Squid attack pattern
  
• Removed redundant dialog from Aggys apartment concerning yarn ladies

This update features a full pass of all audio in the game. There's new background music, battle music, piece effects, and enemy sounds! In addition, every Artifact Piece now has a custom visual effect!

whuzzah coners, a new update is good to go for cones in space! No this isn't a content update, this is a steam update (Boooooriiiingg)

If you've ever been gaming in cones in space and had a severe case of baby rage from dying, it's understandable to launch your machine into a river of lava, but what about your precious cones in space save files!?!?! WORRY NO MORE!:

CONES IN SPACE NOW OFFERS STEAM CLOUD SUPPORT

this means you can blow up whatever hard disk you want, cones in space will follow you right over to your next one! It's literally free cones everywhere you go!

additionally the new major update for cones in space is nearing completion! This update is gonna be pretty big and will add many more planets! stay tuned

Cones in space on steam! Cones in space steam cloud support! Cones in space major updates!

CONE.
SUME.
NOW.

Version1.0.2

France translation improve

Doorways are not automatically waypoints. Now there are waypoints placed over doorways to fix a bug that was happening with double doors. Also improved AI waypoints and general pathfinding.

Complete list of changes:

-Doorways are no longer automatic AI waypoints (fixes double door pathfinding bug).
-Added waypoints over every door in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, and some extras in narrow corridors.
-Fixed bug where waypoints wouldn't work if destination is immediately south of blocked tile.
-Fixed bug where crates did not have a proper use script (now useExam).
-Improved a couple maps in Chapter 1.
-Updated manuals.

The game wouldn't save due to being a portable executable, so it was changed it to be a full executable.

Greetings Speechbounders!

With the release of the prototype version 0.13.3, we have lots of news and improvements to share with all of you!
We will now offer support through Steam for playtesting! You will be able to ask for keys and then use those keys to get a Playtest version of the game, directly in your Steam library. Through Steam we will be supporting Windows 64 bit, Windows 32 bit, and MacOS with Intel! MacOS Silicon support is under development, but you can still ask for a direct link to play that version if you're on MacOS Silicon!
Android playtesting is being done through the google play store directly, and iOS playtesting is being done through the apple store directly too!
While you can still play the prototype on iOS, we are quite sorry to inform we are having issues with iOS and you won't be able to play the latest version on iOS. We are working on fixing these issues.
For playtesting on mobile, all we will ask for is your email associated with your device account. Remember to send that via DM to Manu, and **not** on a public channel!
Here is a list with the most important updates and fixes, and we will provide even more accurate and extensive update logs for future updates and releases:

Version system:
Due to the nature of the prototype, new versions often require deleting save data because of data incompatibility between versions (don't worry, this won't be the case in the future!). Because of this, we added a small update in which if downloading a new version, all save data should be deleted automatically. If this doesn't happen, _make sure to delete all save data when playing a new version_.

Additions:
- Added support for newer android versions
- Prototype watermark added
- Introductory screens with tutorial for controls added
- New under-development Graphics options menu for some basic graphics adjustments
- Version system implementation
- New improved lighting system with improvements of framerate on the tunnels are of up to a whooping 50%! (of course, your mileage may vary)

Bugfixes:
- Bug where sometimes the game would load the player at a different terminal fixed
- Bugs with first terminal dialogue fixed
- Lots of errors occurring with the arena music not stopping and behaviour not working properly fixed
- Other minor fixes

We appreciate all the feedback and encouragement from all of you, and we'll continue to improve the game in the right direction!


Happy gaming,
The Dev Team.

A decade ago, we began a journey that would lead to the birth of Heart Machine - a game studio committed to crafting immersive, vibrant experiences that resonate with players on a profound level. As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we reflect on our history, achievements, community, and the exciting future that lies ahead.

Glitch City, Kickstarter, and Hyper Light Drifter

In 2013, we took a leap of faith and launched a Kickstarter campaign for our debut project, Hyper Light Drifter. Little did we know that this campaign would not only secure the funds needed to bring our project to life, but also ignite a beautiful connection with supporters, players, and community members who believed in us from the outset.

Fueled by a need for camaraderie and knowledge, we spent those early days of Drifter’s development as a part of Glitch City, a then-small collective of independent game developers, artists, and creators all working together out of Alx’s basement. Those early days and (often) sleepless nights vision were critical in defining our design philosophies, studio culture, and grassroots community connections - setting the stage for what was to come.

Our Heartfelt Gratitude to Our Early Contributors

To date, thanks to the incredible support of our community, the Kickstarter for Hyper Light Drifter remains one of the most successful game projects on the platform. It smashed through the initial funding goal of $27,000 and ultimately raised over $600,000.

To our early backers who believed in us and our vision, and those fellow devs who helped us through endless rounds of playtesting and feedback, we extend our deepest gratitude. Your unwavering support enabled us to bring our dreams to life and emboldened us to continually push the boundaries of game design.

Special shout out to core Drifter team members: Alx Preston, Beau Blyth, Teddy Dief, Casey Hunt, Rich Vreeland, Akash Thakkar, Sean Ward, Lisa Brown, and Cosimo Galluzzi.

The critical reception following the release of Hyper Light Drifter was incredible - beyond our wildest expectations. We never could have anticipated the accolades and recognition it received, or the impact it made on players far and wide. It was humbling, and affirmed our dedication to continue to make great games to share with the world.

Moving Into a New Dimension

We started development on Solar Ash about a year before the multi-platform release of Hyper Light Drifter. Early on, we joined forces with Annapurna Interactive, whose expertise and resources facilitated our exploration of 3D game development. Over the next five years, Annapurna's support played a pivotal role in bringing this ambitious project to fruition. The vastness of the game's ethereal landscapes and fluid movement mechanics opened new avenues for worldbuilding and storytelling.

To date, Solar Ash continues to engage new players and inspire returning ones to create beautiful works inspired by the game. It is following in the footsteps of its predecessor and is now available on a a wide array of game platforms for a worldwide audience.

All of the positive reception that followed Solar Ash’s release proved that our community was ready to continue along this new aesthetic path with us. Just as Drifter smashed through its initial Kickstarter goals,  we are poised to once again smash the boundaries of possibility with our upcoming projects.

Reimagining a Familiar World

As we celebrate our 10-year milestone, we're thrilled to now be well underway with our newest title set in the familiar Hyper Light Universe. This new project, Hyper Light Breaker, builds upon the foundations we've laid, evolving our creative vision in unexpected ways.

A Shared Journey

Our journey would not be complete without acknowledging the invaluable contributions of our community. From community leaders who pave the way forward with creativity and kindness, to creators who challenge us with incredible skill and passion,  to modders who continuously breathe new life into our games, to wiki writers who meticulously document every detail, to speedrunners who push the boundaries of possibility – you are the heartbeats that keep our worlds alive.

Over the years, we've had the privilege of connecting with our wonderful community at conventions and events across the digital and physical world. These gatherings allowed us to share our passion, hear your stories, and learn from your insights. Your presence and enthusiasm continue to inspire us.

We’re so grateful to: Polare, Lukas, Durtle, Clark, Yrrzy, CornMayor, Aza, Andreas, Conscy, Perfectly Mediocre, Thunderbrave, Bryonato, Utsu, NicowithaC, Covert Muffin, Sylvi, among many many others who make our work worth doing.

Our Company Vision

At Heart Machine, we've built more than games. We've cultivated a company culture that values kindness, inclusivity, and pushing the envelope. Our mission has always been not only to entertain but also leave a lasting impact. This dedication has enabled us to support and grow a thriving studio of some of the most talented, thoughtful, and fun people in the entire industry.

Our ethos revolves around fostering a work environment that prioritizes professional advancement, mental and physical health, and employee happiness. This commitment takes shape in various dimensions of our culture. We proudly offer Heart Machine University (HMU), a collaborative peer-teaching initiative where we cover everything from how to LARP or make sculptures out of driftwood to environment, concept, and tech art techniques. We also organize activities like group gaming and anime sessions, provide access to networking and learning resources, and support social and charitable initiatives to reinforce our team’s sense of purpose. As a studio, we strive to hang our culture on a framework where each individual can flourish and achieve their own growth and learning goals.

It’s no accident that the trajectory of these past 10 years has led us to forming the team we have now. We have always and will continue to adhere to our culture of high quality standards, emphasis on creative innovation, and heart-first leadership practices.


As we stand at the threshold of the next chapter, we're excited to announce that Hyper Light Breaker will be arriving in Early Access in 2024. This project represents our ongoing commitment to pushing boundaries, taking risks, and creating experiences that captivate and challenge players in our specifically unique ways.

Beyond Hyper Light Breaker, we have other projects currently under wraps that will continue to define us as a studio. We can't wait to share these journeys with you as we forge into this next decade.

Thank you thank you thank you for joining us on this incredible ride. Heart Machine wouldn't be the same without each and every one of you. Here's to the many more adventures that lie ahead!

With love and gratitude,

The Heart Machine Team