Approaching Infinity News

This video demonstrates my progress on completely reworking Approaching Infinity's user interface:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Here's what I cover:

• Starting a new game
  
• Loading a game
  
• Expanded play area
  
• Zoomable map
  
• Officers screen
  
• Inventory manipulation
  
• Quests screen
  
• Options menu with new options
  
• Cooldown icons
  
• Space station interiors
  

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, and you're not a video person
(I'm more of a reader), here are some images:

You've already seen some of the progress I've made on the gameplay area, but let's get started with something unexpected:

We're still working on making this the best it can be, with randomization and locking features. We'll also have presets available, and you'll be able to save your favorites.


You can watch me do this next part
in my series of progress reports,
starting with the latest one:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h3]
We're refining the entire new game process, so that each choice gets its own screen, and you can focus on the details you need, when you need them. Here's the prototype:[/h3]
(Warning: SLOW GIF!)

It starts with ship selection, showing lots of easy-to-read information. Then you customize your captain's appearance (or randomize or choose from presets, whatever you want!). Next you choose your class and skill. Finally select difficulty, perma-death, and starting funds. Each with its own dedicated screen.




Now you can see everything about all of your officers, in one place, all at once!

(Yes, this screenshot uses the old officer art. The new ones aren't actually in the game yet...)





Everything is getting a makeover, and space station interiors are already about 1000% more user friendly:

[h3]The Lobby:[/h3]

All space station navigation is now done either with the mouse or the arrow keys, and everything is laid out in a nice orderly fashion, with big text and on-screen descriptions.


[h3]The Market:[/h3]

All the info you need to make the best choices about where to buy and sell goods for the biggest profits. Also a "sell everything" button that tells you up-front how much you'll make ːsteamhappyː


[h3]The Outfitter:[/h3]

Gone are the days of paying for "restocks", hoping you'll find that shield you need. Instead, space stations can now carry over 20 items, and they're guaranteed to have at least one of every kind of ship part and away team gear.

You even get color-coded comparisons of the gear that's offered versus what you have installed.







What's the down side?

[h2]I've been working on changing this:[/h2]




[h2]into THIS:[/h2]




[h2]With recolorable UI:[/h2]



[h2]Collapsible mini-map:[/h2]



[h2]And big readable screens like this:[/h2]




The work is going slower than expected because I need to rearrange and rewrite enormous blocks of spaghetti code (ramen?) that have accumulated over the past 10 years.

But as you can see, things are getting done.

If you want more information on the plan for finishing the game, take a look at Starmap 1.9 here on Steam. And if you're already fine with the existing user interface, don't panic!

[h2]This might be an option:[/h2]



(And for owners of the UI DLC, we'll make new exclusive UI skins for you that fit the new layout!)

If you've been following this game for a while, you know something about me:

So it's only a matter of time until I go on a fixing spree.


Here are further changes to all public branches, version 1.8i2:

• Fixed "cargo vacuum doesn't pick up credits and supplies if cargo bay is full". now it does.
  
• Fixed "gravity pulse (and cryo blast) doesn't give damage type knowledge on kill". now it does.
  
• Fixed "level up pop-up appears during combat". Now it doesn't.
  
• Probably eliminated picking up invisible items to be "marked for transport". Haven't found why they're spawning.
  
• On sprawling planets, your location N/E/S/W will be more clearly displayed.
  
• Fixed a rare error in race's "last words"
  
• Tried to find and prevent some ways that null items might be spawning.
  
• Created an "exclusion list" for things that some monsters will pick up on away missions. (not only firax objects, but it looks like they could pick up transit tubes and radiation tiles!) should be fixed.
  
• When you come out of a cave and find yourself on the north/east/etc. area of a planet, and the surface wasn't supposed to have those, path arrows should now spawn, and you can return to the landing site.
  
• Fixed an error that caused quest entities to re-spawn after they've been completed.
  
• I fixed a bug where some pre-designed shipwreck levels would generate totally surrounded by floor.
  
• Fixed a bug where away team icons would briefly flash white during certain area transitions.
  
• I attempted to address the improper deletion of files from victories and deaths.
  
• Hopefully also fixed some weird issues when going up and down cave levels.
  
• Also working on getting the game to register the fact that you've destroyed all nanostructure on a planet or shipwreck, thereby averting the nanopocalypse locally.
  
• I am further working to eliminate the random "marked for transport" bugs, because I just got one.
  
• Tried to prevent your ship from blowing up because you switched armor :O
  
• Fixed a bug where petting a bunny while wielding a zapper would trigger the adjacent attacks of that weapon.
  

All these are in addition to the previous update which you may or may not be away of:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/551620/view/6507196838838247786







PS: if you haven't seen my plans for the next year, check out Starmap 1.9:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/551620/view/3714965613418825879




PPS: Yes, I'm still talking. Thanks for reading this far. And since you're here, if you haven't given the game a positive Steam review yet, please take a moment to do that. Getting to 500 reviews would put us in a whole new category of visibility ;) Thanks!

[h2]This is it: The final push to 2.0[/h2]


As usual, these are the broad strokes. Lots of other features and fixes will happen along the way.

The UI Overhaul is already underway! David (Approaching Infinity's artist) and I have been talking about it for 2 months, making mock-ups and measurements and plans, and this week I've been putting those plans into action:

• Make the entire screen be the play area.
  
• Center the action on the player (you), and make the map freely zoom-able.
  
• Place interface elements unobtrusively around the edges.
  
• Remodel the input system, including a "right click context menu".
  
• Make all menus use the full screen space.
  
• Update the "new game" process.
  
• Create new information screens, essentially a "galactapedia" of everything you want to know.
  
• Modernize everything!
  

But what if you like the screen layout the way it is? I intend to provide a "classic mode", with the map on the left and the HUD on the right.

And for everyone who has the UI DLC: We will make new special UI skins for you, don't worry!




I use that term "overhaul" a lot. I picked it up playing a certain space 4x game as a kid, where you could bring your old ships up to current standards, at the cost of time and resources... yep, that sounds about right ;)

• Crafting recipes will remain randomized for each game.
  
• Special weapons will be craftable, such as incendiary rifle or shock blaster.
  
• Other ingredients will be required, beyond crafting parts.
  
• These include existing gadgets and new "essences", which will be derived from rare plants (mostly).
  
• Totally new "consumable" items will be craftable and usable (squik poison, radiation remover, cryo ammo, etc.)
  

The asteroid base faction you meet in sector 9 has the power to change the galaxy, but (as usual) they're going to need your help to do it. There are still some new services they could provide, and quite a few stories they can tell.

• Meet the Botanists colleague: the alchemist (related to deriving essences from rare plants).
  
• Visit the "Clone-a-terium" and further safeguard yourself against an untimely death.
  
• Explore the political structure of the "cosmic conglomerate".
  
• Go on archaeological quests to learn about the "Protomonoco", the dominant race in this part of the galaxy millennia ago.
  
• Help the Pathfinders and Starsmiths cooperate on the Fargate Project.
  
• Of course, much more ;)
  

For years, people have been asking "where are all the inhabited planets?" My answer has always been "They're boring. You're looking for adventure!"

And that's still true: you only see what you can meaningfully interact with. You don't see all the empty moons with no life or loot. You don't see the mega-cities where you have to get a boring job and pay exorbitant rent. You should be thanking me!

Anyway, commerce planets are like frontier outposts: small settlements inhabited by diverse individuals trying to make a living. The name is inspired by locations in Farscape, which I re-watched last year (and can recommend, even though it's 20 years old now... the stories are (mostly) strong).

Commerce planets will have NPCs and stores, much like those found on asteroid bases, but they won't usually be faction specific, and will definitely be a bit more lawless (unless the Limoquee show up...)




So who here has used nano-weapons on an away mission, and everything went terribly wrong, and now you've lost an entire sector to the "nanopocalypse"? There's an achievement for that...

But how do you get rid of it?

For now, you can't. It will take cooperation between many of the alien factions in the area, and a lot of footwork on your part. This is planned to be one of the biggest quests so far, but it probably won't end in a new victory... just a way to temporarily avoid defeat.

Disclaimer: the "nanopocalypse" is an avoidable situation that at most can take over a single sector. It will not "stop you from winning", unless of course one of the enemies kills you directly.




This is the #1 most wanted story among players in the Discord.

Who are they? Where did they go? How did they leave all those messages on planets? WHY?!

I know.

You can find out too...




Maybe you've seen them? Those totally hostile insectoid alien invaders: the Narcratu are trying to establish a foothold in your part of the galaxy... *right now*.

This is planned to be the biggest quest in the game (main quest?), from humble beginnings to grand alliances and massive battles deciding the future of the local universe. I want all the new game systems to be in place before I start writing this, so I can use every possible resource to lead you on a grand adventure.





This one may not be as long of a quest, or as in-demand as some of the others, but those powerful beings that demand you to surrender your artifacts (and try to remove your brain!) deserve some of the spotlight too.

If I could tell you one thing about the Sil that you probably don't know: they're sorry. It won't stop them. But they're sorry.





Do you want to get into sector 50? Of course, we all do! But how do you unlock it, and what will you find there?




I started working on this game in 2013, and it will (hopefully) be "finished" sometime in 2024. I can't imagine not working on it, but after this major development cycle, it should be the game that I intended all those years ago... and the game that so many of *YOU* helped it to become.

Thank you!

If you're already a fan, please leave a positive Steam review, it really helps with visibility (the next big milestone for the algorithm is 500 reviews). And if you haven't played yet, try the free demo!