From Swarm to Factory (And Back Again)

I want to dive deep into the core loop of Botlings and talk about how the automation here completely flips the standard genre formulas on their head.

The Core Loop: Everything is a Botling

You start a game with 100 Botlings and a couple of basic structures that you will recognize from most automation games: a mine and a research facility. The initial goal is simple. You order your botlings to enter the mine, dig up ore, and transport it to the research facility to unlock new technology. But here is the massive catch: all your buildings are made of Botlings.

When you want to process ore into ingots, you need a Processor. When you want to turn those ingots into steel plates, you need a Constructor. Every single structure you place literally swallows your workforce. If you are not careful, you will overextend and suddenly realize you have run out of workers to actually move the freight.

Forget Conveyor Belts: Master the Pathfinding

Here is the second catch: Botlings can only walk forward. To get them where they need to go, you have to manage their movement using redirectors like turners, splitters, and catapults. And yes, these redirectors cost Botlings to build too. In other factory games, you can lay down endless conveyor belts without a second thought because resources are ubiquitous. Not here.

In Botlings, you have to carefully calculate how to achieve maximum throughput with the tightest layout possible. It forces you to think completely differently and challenges your spatial logic in a brand-new way. Layout efficiency is everything.

Check out how this looks in action:

Iterate and Expand

The good news? You are never locked into a bad design. You can rethink your layout at any time without losing a single unit. Just destroy your existing buildings, guide your Botlings to a new spot, and set up a better loop.

And of course, as you optimize your lines, you can always manufacture more Botlings to scale up the factory and conquer more complex tech trees.

Let me know what you think of this mechanic! How many units do you think you will accidentally trap in your first setup?

Play the demo on Steam and share your thoughts! JOIN DISCORD