Greetings, Agents!
On August 15, 2025, a new version of Heist.exe will be released. This update focuses mainly on visual changes, such as to the game's levels and fonts. Additionally, I've made some audio and gameplay changes to improve your play experience. Please note that after this update, the game will still be in Early Access and no major content has been added.
For more information on what's been updated, please review the notes below.
Patch Notes
Visual Changes
The following changes have been made to the game's visuals and aesthetics:
The networks (levels) and various objects therein now contain new wireframe materials! These materials are meant to make the game's settings look like they're inside computer simulations.
Some objects that have been changed include the walls surrounding the levels and most level art, like the display cases, large pyramids, large flower pots, and plants.
Most objects important for gameplay, such as Level Altering Machines (like the terminals and buttons), Translatable Walls, Scalable Blocks, and Possessions, do not have wireframes.
The Checkpoints and Teleporters do boast wireframes to help them stand out more easily, but they otherwise look the same.
Changed the fonts of every type of text in the game. Dialogue coming from robotic characters or technological sources now boasts straighter text with minimal curves to it, while text coming from human characters or instructions is more rounded. Meanwhile, the text for the HUD now shares the User Interface's text font.
Changed the materials on enemies to a red checkered pattern. The Patrolling Guards now have backpacks, too!
The lighting in all rooms has been changed to be slightly brighter, and the floors now look bumpy reflect some light.
Glass is now slightly more opaque, making it easier to tell whether or not you are behind/below it.
Agent Tehsi (the player character) now has a green hat instead of a red one.
The overhaul in visuals has caused many rendering bugs to crop up. I will attempt to fix these bugs for a future update. I apologize for this inconvenience.
Audio Changes
The following changes have been made to the game's audio:
Certain objects no longer utilize Spatial Blend when playing audio, which should make the volume and pitch for sounds played by said objects more consistent.
Adjusted the volume for several sounds and music tracks to better accommodate players who play with louder volume.
This is meant to be a temporary solution to not having an Audio Slider. I intend to add one in a future update.
I will rebalance audio as needed based on player feedback.
Gameplay Changes
The following changes have been made to the gameplay experience:
Increased the intensity of lights emitted by LAMs and NETBots to make them easier to see against the floors of each level.
Added the Possessions of each level to their respective Mission Briefings in attempt to add visual clarity to the player's objective.
Any wireframed objects that are now transparent will not block the sightlines of NETBots. This shouldn't change gameplay much in this update, but there may be fringe cases where players will be seen behind certain wireframed objects.
For Mission 1: The Archive Network:
Removed the collision from the large pyramids in the facility to account for their change in material. They look like they can be walked through, so you can walk through them now!
Added a Translatable Wall to the entrance connecting the first and second rooms to reduce confusion on where the player has to go during the Escape Sequence.
This wall will ONLY appear after the first time the player picks up the Possession.
For Mission 2: The Branch Network:
In the first room, moved the Teleporter closer to the player's spawn point along with the wall behind it. This means the player now needs less time to reach the Teleporter during the Escape Sequence, and provides the player additional cover from the Spinning Sentry nearby.
The camera angle in the first room now switches slightly sooner moving away from the teleporter. Conversely, it switches slightly later moving towards the teleporter.
The upper and lower levels of the third room now have their own camera angles. The former has a static overhead view, while the latter has a side view that follows the player.
The ramp in the third room has been reoriented to face the left and right walls (originally faced the front and back). Additionally, this has opened up a new navigational option for the player.
The path of the Patrolling Guard near the ramp has been adjusted to accommodate this change.
Changed the settings of the game's application window so players can now exit full screen by pressing ALT+ENTER on the keyboard. While windowed, the player can resize the game window by clicking and dragging its edges.
Made other various bug fixes.
That's all, Agents. See you in Cyberspace!