Editing Machines (Horizon) (section)

=== Origins and visual design ===
[[File:Giraffe Mikumi National Park.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Giraffe]]s served as the primary visual inspiration for the Tallneck, the only machine in the franchise that is entirely peaceful and cannot be harmed.<ref name="Artbook" /><ref name="GBHZDMachines" />|alt=A giraffe facing left and standing in grass with a tree to its right]]

The initial concept for the machines in ''[[Horizon Zero Dawn]]'' (2017) drew heavily from the militaristic and industrial aesthetic of [[Guerrilla Games]]' previous franchise, ''[[Killzone]]''. However, this direction was abandoned after playtesters reported feeling more like traditional soldiers than tribal hunters; these early designs were instead repurposed as the game's ancient "Old World" machines.<ref name="NoClip" /> The core design philosophy shifted to focus on "juxtaposition": placing primitive humanity against highly advanced, futuristic technology to create a world where humans are no longer the dominant species.<ref name="GIOrigins" /> When establishing the visual language of the newer terraforming machines, the team aimed for an animalistic aesthetic. Early on, they experimented with how closely the machines should mimic real-life [[fauna]], but direct comparisons were scrapped for looking unnatural. To avoid predictability, the team combined features of multiple creatures to keep their exact inspirations vague.<ref name="MachineConcept" /> However, several machines were heavily inspired by recognisable animals so their behaviours could be easily understood by the player; for instance, Tallnecks were inspired by [[giraffes]], Stalkers by [[maned wolves]], Longlegs by [[Phorusrhacidae|terror birds]], and Watchers by [[meerkat]]s and small bipedal [[dinosaur]]s.<ref name="Artbook" /> The look of a machine was designed to tell the player its function immediately; the Watcher, for example, was designed to resemble a [[security camera]].<ref name="HFWReBuilding" /><ref name="Function" />

When expanding the mechanical ecosystem for ''[[Horizon Forbidden West]]'' (2022), the designers focused on filling specific ecological niches within the new environments. For example, the Sunwing was introduced to fulfil the need for a flying machine larger than the returning Glinthawk. By studying primitive birds and flying reptiles, the team designed the Sunwing with [[photovoltaic]] wings that collect [[solar energy]].<ref name="HFWReBuilding" /> For ''Forbidden West''{{'s}} [[Expansion pack|expansion]], ''[[Burning Shores]]'', the team introduced the [[pelican]]-inspired Waterwing, which was designed to fundamentally change player traversal by adding a seamless transition between high-altitude flying and deep-sea diving.<ref name="Waterwing" /> Guerrilla used visual design to distinguish the distinct origins of the machines in the game's lore. While the newer terraforming machines were based mostly on vertebrates, the Old World Chariot line was intentionally designed with an invertebrate aesthetic, drawing from [[insect]]s, [[arachnid]]s, and [[crustacean]]s to emphasise their original purpose as hostile weapons.<ref name="Artbook" /> The colossal Horus units were designed specifically to visually demonstrate the apocalyptic destruction of the Old World, using a giant, insectoid design that allowed the machines to drape dynamically across the environment.<ref name="HorusBoss" />