- The Anatomy of a Strike: What Triggers Bot Rebellions and How to Prevent Them - 18 September 2026
Botlings are curious buggers by nature, and you need to manage that curiosity. Give them too much work or too much fun, and you will start to see schenanigans... Botlings has a unique feature among automation games: the dissidence system. This system collects data from all over the map and distills it to two variables: how much do Botlings do research (=fun) and how much theyd do work (=boring!). This is measured over a period of time, and if they do too much of either they are more likely to grow restless and start acting on it. The dissidence system is only enabled once you've researched your first ten technologies, so plan accordingly. It's usually not a good idea to postpone much of your development, but it is a pretty good idea to prioritize technologies that grant key buildings or grant access to key resources. You can see that the dissidence system is enabled when the meter pops…
- Building the logic - designing efficient routing - 8 September 2026
Botlings move in one direction and keep on moving until you turn them. Because they are born from a simple source, this tends to make lanes of the botlings. These lanes have similarities to conveyor belts in classic automation games, but have some key differences. Lanes are not static and you don't have to delete and reposition them like conveyor belts. You just need to reposition the botlings. Since Botlings are required to do all the work in buildings, you can have working botlings in addition to carrier botlings with these two being different types. This makes more sense in late game, when only certain types of botlings can do certain kind of work (ie. work with radioactivity) and because more advanced botlings work faster.There are several buildings that have an effect on botling routing: Turners turn botlings to one or many directions. Splitters split a lane of botling to multiple…
- Playtest round 1 has concluded! 🛠️ - 11 July 2026
Hey everyone! The playtest got us quite a few players and we got what we needed via your great feedback using the ingame forms and some data points (anonymized of course). A couple of core things I found: The research menu needs a complete overhaul. The tutorial (which was toggled off for the playtest) really needs to be in there as well. Thanks everyone for playing, it really helps me go forward with the game.Now it's time to step back into the shadows and work on improving the game! And if you'd like to share even more feedback, catch me on Discord! Stay tuned for the next iteration of the playtest (coming in a month or so)! JOIN DISCORD
- How Botlings Twists the Classic Factory Formula - 9 July 2026
Today I want to talk about logistics and layout design.At first glance, botlings move a lot like traditional conveyor belts. You plan their routes and they transport goods from point A to point B. However, the way you manipulate these lines is where the fun (and the brain-melting logic) truly begins.Instead of standard splitters and underground belts, you’ll be mastering three main routing tools:Turners: These combine the function of a splitter and a turn. In addition to splitting botlings to different directions, they also allow you to merge botlings from two directions into one. They are all about managing directions.Splitters: These are used to divide and combine different lanes of Botlings.Catapults: The ultimate traffic-jam fixers! They let botlings jump over lanes or hop up to the next build level. Think of them as the cousins to conveyor tunnels or bridges, though in a perfectly…
- Playtest is NOW LIVE! 🛠️ - 25 June 2026
Hey everyone!The countdown has officially begun. Early Access is approaching, but to make sure it’s a truly GREAT, highly playable, and polished experience right from day one, I need your help. Your raw, honest, unfiltered help.The Botlings Playtest is NOW LIVE!All you have to do is head over to the main Botlings Steam Page and click the "Request Playtest". Boom, you're in.What I need you to hunt down on the first iteration:I'm looking to test the first 30-60 minutes of gameplay (don't worry, you can play the full game for hours if you wish!). This playtest is for automation players. There are no tutorials, no handholding, just botlings walking and making stuff. Specifically, keep your eyes open for:Core Mechanics: Does the directional logic feel smooth? Are the catapults launching bots exactly where you want them?Pacing: Do you have to wait for stuff to get ready? Are you bored while w…
- Why I'm Here: A Game I Truly Believe In - 18 June 2026
Hey everyone!Right now, players from all over the world are diving into the updated Botlings demo, pushing my tiny mechanical swarm to its absolute limits, and launching bots across the desert. If you haven’t jumped in yet, the gates are wide open, and I am currently live streaming the game directly on our Steam page!Why I’m Here: A Game I Truly Believe InPutting your work out there as a solo developer for thousands of people to play is always nerve-wracking. You spend months alone with your code, wondering if it's actually as fun as it feels in your head. But honestly? I am doing this because I deeply, truly believe in Botlings.I’ve poured my heart into blending the chaotic, nostalgic charm of Lemmings with the deep, satisfying logic of Factorio. Seeing the layout puzzles come together, watching the directional automation click, and introducing the deeper AI awakening systems has made…
- Streaming Botlings - 12 June 2026
Hi all!I'll be streaming Botlings throughout Next Fest. Some of it will be a recording, but I'm going throw in a few live streams in there as well.I'll be playing the full game so it's going to show some stuff that's not included in the demo.Stay tuned!
- The Soul in the Machine - Adding the AI Awakening System - 3 June 2026
Hello again!Time for second part my diary: why Botlings?Building on that foundation of Factorio logistics and Lemmings movement, something was still missing. The factory ran smoothly, but it lacked a narrative heartbeat.Then, a piece of community feedback changed everything...Why Not Animals?While sharing early builds of the game, someone asked me a simple question: "Why didn't you use animals? They’d be way cuter!"As I mentioned in the previous log, I have a strict rule against animal cruelty in my games. But my reasons go a bit deeper than just a personal preference. Before I became a game developer, I actually spent several years in Africa hunting poachers to protect endangered wildlife. Needless to say, I have a massive soft spot for animals, and exploiting them - even digitally - was never an option for me.However, that question got the gears turning. If I wasn't going to use anima…
- How My Childhood Favorites Breathed Life Into Botlings - 28 May 2026
Hey everyone!Every game developer’s journey starts with the titles that shaped them. For me, the road to creating Botlings is a direct love letter to the gaming masterpieces I spent decades obsessing over - from classic childhood strategy games to modern automation giants.I wanted to take a moment to share how those inspirations collided to create something entirely new.The Roots: From Lemmings to The SettlersGrowing up, gaming was a family affair. I vividly remember sitting down with my dad to play Lemmings and Lemmings 2: The Tribes. It instantly became one of my favorite games of all time. That era sparked a deep love for clever puzzle titles like The Incredible Machine and The Lost Vikings.But as I grew older, my heart truly belonged to the grand strategy and building classics. I was utterly captivated by the depth of Civilization, the tension of X-COM, and the pure mechanical joy o…
- Giving You Full Control Over the Swarm (And Fixing My Code) - 21 May 2026
Hey everyone!I have been reading through all your comments, feedback logs, and suggestions from the demo, and one request kept popping up. You wanted more control over the pace of the game. Well, I listened, and I am happy to show you what I have been working on for the latest build!🤖 The Botling Speed SystemManaging a swarm that only walks forward can get intense, so you can now manually adjust the movement speed of your Botlings on the fly. Whether you want to slow down to analyze your paths or speed things up to watch your creation run, I have got you covered.Main Features:5 Speed Settings: You can now set the Botling movement speed to Extra Slow, Slow, Normal, Fast, or Extra Fast.No Production Cheating: This slider only changes how fast they walk. It does not affect their internal item production speed. You still have to earn your throughput through pure logic layout, not just by o…
- From Swarm to Factory (And Back Again) - 14 May 2026
Hey everyone! 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 t…
- Botlings DEMO is out now! - 6 May 2026
We are incredibly happy to announce that the Botlings demo is officially live! We have been working hard to get this into your hands, and we cannot wait to see what you build.What is in the demo?This is your first look at the full factory automation experience, Botlings style. You will be building your factory using small robots that only move forward.The demo includes nearly all of our building types to get you started:Movement Controllers: Turners, splitters/joiners, and catapults.Infrastructure: Resource buildings, manufacturing buildings, containers, and creators.You will notice some islands teasing you on the map, but they are difficult to access because you do not have bridges yet. You are also working with limited resources, specifically Iron, to keep the challenge real.You have access to the basic tier of technology with around 20 technologies available, leading up to the basic…
