Approaching Infinity News

I hope you've been collecting repair kits, scrap metal, gadgets, and crafting parts, because



If you find a shipwreck with at least 3 decks and a life support system, that's a good start. Then you need to fix all the damage (walls, floors, short circuits, consoles, mainframes, vital systems) and clear out any life-forms that might be there. Repair the hull, restore air pressure, and make sure there's no radiation.

And then you can get yourself a custom ship!



Depending on what the ship was originally (cargo hauler, gunship, science vessel, etc.) you'll have 3 choices of stat blocks for Hull, Speed, Crew, Cargo, and Supplies.

There are new "repair terminals" on each deck of a ship with 3 or more decks. They don't guarantee that the ship is repairable, but it's a good start. Visiting one of these terminals will give you a to-do list and also let you know what you might end up with.

This feels like one of the most exciting systems that has been added to the game in a long time. And you know what else? You get to choose which 2 devices you want to be "built in" (they're always 'on' and they don't take up a slot)!





This went out last week but didn't get an announcement, yet it's still really exciting: When you encounter intelligent aliens on shipwrecks, they will now tell you their business:

• "Help us evacuate" (you have to find all the aliens on every deck of the ship)
  
• "We're on a mission" (we won't mess with you if you don't mess with us)
  
• "Don't touch our stuff" (if you pick anything up, they'll attack)
  
• "Leave or die" (you have to the count of 10 to leave, or all become hostile)
  
• "Help us repair" (explore their ship and fix broken machines)
  

Towing of shipwrecks to sell at stations has also been implemented! If you have enough scrap (don't want to blow it up) but it's not worth fixing up, you can take it to any space station and bring in some cold hard credits. Anyone can do it right now, give it a try.






There's another change so HUGE that I won't even spoil it by showing you a picture. I'll just let you discover it for yourselves. But it's only available in the beta branch for now...

New version 1.7c1b fixes 2 fatal crashes that were discovered overnight:

• When landing on former human colonies.
  
• When exiting a shipwreck too overloaded with loot.
  

It also makes star temples spawn loot when they're destroyed, and using "hull shears" will now spawn 1 scrap metal. Thanks to the Discord folks for those bug reports and feature suggestions!

Finally some new features!


In December, I said I'd let everyone try out God-Mode... Well here's the super-secret code:
Godmode For Everyone

From the in-game options menu, select "Enter Code", and paste or type that in.

Warning: you will be invincible. Also you can reveal the entire map (and erase all your cooldowns plus more) by pressing the [CTRL] key. The list of features is too long to get into here, but you do 99x damage, get 99x XP, star temples and shipwrecks spawn like crazy, etc., more, blah blah blah!

God-Mode is what I use when I need to test something without worrying about silly little things like dying. For you, maybe it's the way to find out just how deep the rabbit hole goes...

Warning 2: god-mode is not like a super-powered rescue code. There is no going back. Once activated, it can't be turned off. (This is run-specific, meaning you can have a god-mode game and several non-god-mode games.)


In the last update, I mentioned a new type of loot... It's "Gadgets"!
Bohr Cage, Cosmic Sextant, Klein Pump, Planck Tuner, Zylon Battery

These esoteric little contraptions can be used to fix machines on shipwrecks right now, and will be used in several other game systems that will occur in the future. Gadgets are much harder to come by than other similar loot types, and will most often be found in shipwreck rooms that are related to crafting, engineering, or scrap.



And speaking of "scrap", what is it? It's just this unassuming pile of metal that can now be collected and used to repair shipwreck interiors. There have always been ways of fixing damaged walls or floors, but with scrap metal, you can build whole new wall sections! You need to be standing on a floor next to space (actual "space", like the deadly outside vacuum thing), and press the brand new "build" key (which is re-bindable, but defaults to ).

And the Build/Repair key now works for fixing other things such as control consoles. This *replaces* the "smart action" key (space bar). There's also a new "repair" button on the lower middle of the user interface.




Ooh, good question! Well, the next thing I intend to conquer is being able to sell off a fully explored, cleared-out shipwreck. I haven't quite nailed down the exact method of this (will it be just like planetary surveys, or something cooler?), but it's definitely coming.

And after that, there's the planned ability to fully repair a shipwreck and USE IT AS YOUR OWN SHIP. This system might even involve getting to choose which two built-in devices you want it to have. Imagine the customization!




For now, the option you have for a completed shipwreck (it will trigger at anything 75% or higher), is to blow it up for parts. If there's nothing you want to come back for, just see what falls out when you make it explode!






Are you tired of cluttering up the sector map with cargo that spills out of your spaceship after exploring a particularly wealthy planet?



Well "stacks" are now a thing!

Commodities (from boxes to antimatter) can now be dropped in groups. The abandon screen has been updated with a "drop all" option for anything you're carrying a lot of. It's one more little quality-of-life feature. But why, exactly?

Have you ever found a shipwreck with more supply canisters than you can carry? Now you can pick up those excess supplies, and they'll be dropped in space, in a stack, when you exit. You can create little supply caches that you can come back to, and they'll be immediately recognizable on the map, alleviating that "where did I put it?" feeling.

Just look out because pirate ships will sit on your stacks and eat them up!

• Improvements to the auto-explore (like when you're immune to radiation, your ship won't avoid it anymore)
  
• Improvements regarding the "warp breach", including mouse interface (click yourself!).
  
• Moving on top of a deactivated machine will now activate it.
  
• Junk piles are now searchable, and can spawn a variety of items.
  
• If you're trapped in a web, attempting to fire your weapon will break the web (but it still takes your turn).
  
• Key repeat speed and text animation settings are now stored between games.
  
• Former human colonies now use the new furniture types, and have a wider variety.
  
• Further checks are in place to make sure a shipwreck has all the decks the scan says it should.
  
• I think I fixed the rare but persistent "can't salvage force-uninstalled weapons" bug.
  

Get out there and explore the universe!

Approaching Infinity is getting its first update of 2022, here are the highlights:

• Individual sounds for melee weapons.
  
• Better prices for crafted items.
  
• The holiday quest is over.
  
• A fix for those starting-ship problems.
  
• Items should no longer spawn inside solid objects (but probably not all instances of this are fixed).
  
• The gravitational reflector is working again.
  
• Planet tool-tip will only reveal items that you've actually scanned.
  
• I fixed the function that forces the warp point to be accessible.
  
• Respeccing no longer increases your level!
  

The shipwreck overhaul is still underway, and the next phase will bring an entirely new type of loot to the game...

You're getting a lot this year!



The shipwreck overhaul has been in full swing for a few months now, and it's coming along nicely. And what better way to ease yourself into it than... scanning! Get an idea of what to expect *before* you send the captain over to that floating treasure-trove / death-trap!






This is a really huge announcement, and it's almost a year in the making.

It's been hard keeping this a secret:






There's no specific timeline to introduce them into the game, but wow am I excited.





With several new types of "conversations" planned, these images will play a prominent role in future inter-species relations.





There are even a few that I'm *not* showing here, because they make up an entirely new faction that you haven't met yet... But hey, since people keep asking, I'll let you know the artist's name... It's Kenny Dalman!
https://www.deviantart.com/kennydalman




If that wasn't enough to get excited about, then maybe this will grab you: Approaching Infinity has a holiday quest this year! (I asked our Discord group how they wanted their holiday gift, and the vote was overwhelmingly for a new quest.)

It was conceived as a literal "fever dream", because I wrote the outline for it while recovering from my covid booster. That was a 3-hour pounding headache followed by a day of fatigue, but it's worth it if it helps me keep existing (that's basically all I do, to paraphrase Fry).

Anyway, this is the first new multi-stage quest that's been added to the game in *years*, and if you can handle a little bit of silliness, it will pay off in the end with a one-of-a-kind item. This adventure will be around through January, and it will start automatically some time after sector 4...



Approaching Infinity's first DLC is scheduled for 2022, but it might not be what you think...

David Gervais, (my long-time collaborator, co-conspirator, and consummate(adj.) pixel-pusher) asked me if I could do a DLC of new user interface skins. I told him I had no idea, but I'd try.

It turns out I can, so next month I plan to roll out a DLC package containing David's creations:



Each set is a total interface remodel, re-making every menu in the game in a new theme. 100% of the income from this DLC will go to David, even though he said I should keep half.





I don't advertise this here much, but I've been a very good IBOL this year, so maybe some of you would like to do a gift exchange with me?

Patrons get exclusive updates every month, along with special codes and UI skins. Some folks get design documents, post-mortems, and even a look at my daily coding journal. It's a great platform for those who want to both give more and get more. And Patreon helped to fund those beautiful race pics ;)

-> Here's my Patreon page
There have been a few benefits that are pretty game-changing, and they've been Patreon exclusives. However, all Steam users will soon get to try out...


[h2]God Mode and Uncountable Infinities[/h2]


In February, I'll post a code that will allow you to turn on "God Mode". Not only will you become invincible, but holding the CTRL key will do all kinds of magical things: unlimited vision range, give you credits and data and crafting parts every second, erase your cooldowns, far too many things to list.

But these powers come with a price:

You can't turn them off (for that run), and they disable achievements. So this is not some super-powered rescue code. This is a game-changing decision that you can't take back. God mode evolved so that I could test things without worrying about mortality and limited information. Here's an explainer video:


https://youtu.be/OnY3H5Xi4wA


In March, I'll distribute a code so you can try "Uncountable Infinities" mode. This one comes with its own unique dangers, and if you're a serial completionist, I might have to recommend against it...


https://youtu.be/f-4Giw8ED4Y


Each code will work for that month, and then become inactive again. God-mode may be available for serious play-testers, and a version of uncountable infinities will permanently enter the game at some point in the future (but in a more manageable way).




2021 has been an Incredible year for AI, and there is still an almost unfathomable amount to come. If you're not familiar with it yet, take a look at the StarMap 1.7, which outlines the intentions for the current development super-cycle. Then take a moment to realize that we still have 1.8 , 1.9, and 2.0 until this thing is really done.

[h3]So.[/h3]
[h2]Much.[/h2]