Approaching Infinity News

[h2]November didn't have a singular goal.
Instead I tackled a lot of little things:[/h2]



People have been asking for this feature for a while. Long time players may remember that it used to exist. Well, the past lives screen got overlooked in the UI overhaul. It's back!



It's been keeping track of your deaths and wins all this time, and now you can see them.

You may notice in the image the captain's picture. That wasn't saved in the past, but it will be for all future games. Your ship will appear too! And of course the screen can be sorted according to date, score, win or lose.





The most exciting development here is starting a new game with asteroid bases already unlocked.


If you have ever unlocked unlimited asteroid bases (by completing the first and second asteroid base), you will have the option to start a game where the asteroid base faction is already established, and you don't have to meet them in sector 9, or go through any of those initial quests.

They will spawn ever few sectors, and half of their rooms will already be built, and you can choose whatever you want for the other half.

I also added a few new rooms: Holopaint Tech allows you to change your ship's appearance. Schematics sellers sells schematics (obv). And now the Architect gives you $750k to build new rooms, instead of a paltry $250k. You can turn in disaster records at any Galactic Transit Authority office.




There are a lot of special cave types, but their appearance has been largely random. I've locked down some rules:

• Merc bases will now occur whenever certain kinds of planet has caves of exactly depth 1.
  
• Higher levels of Mercenary Card skill will cause merc bases to also be spawned at depths of exactly 2 or 3 (by your skill level) , when appropriate.
  
• Top level Merc bases will also have their own special entrance graphic on the map.
  
• Bloom caves will now occur on toxic and corrosive planets, every few levels, but not deeper than 10
  
• Buried Silver Cities always and only occur at a terminal depth of exactly 11.
  
• Narcratu Hives will now occur on irradiated planets with ultimate depths of 3,4,5,6, beginning at depth 3.
  

Merc bases will be forced to exist every few sectors, in case you want to do their quests. Knowing where bloom caves are will help you reliably gather resources for higher-level item modification (red honey and golden pollen).




After re-watching the Star Trek original series episode "The Immunity Syndrome", I've made some changes to vacuum amoebas (they were originally inspired by that episode).

• They have a new unique power that sucks in energy from all nearby ships.
  
• They also absorb energy from most beam weapons.
  
• They can even suck up energy from planets...
  
• All this energy makes them grow (they breed more amoebas!)
  
• Antimatter kills them very well (unless you previously decided antimatter was "fake")
  

I created a new kind of random quest, where one of the major factions lost contact with their colony and wants you to investigate.

• The quests are given by a unique ship, and they always have an excuse about why they can't do it ;)
  
• There are 13 different things that could have happened to the colony, many of which have multiple sub-choices, so you aren't likely to see the same thing for a
• long* time.
  
• They give you the coordinates and you have to go figure it out (explore).
  
• Once you have all the clues, you have to report back to that faction's embassy.
  

• I added landing/docking animations
  
• I nerfed the planet-side syndicate enemies!
• I fixed several achievements that weren't triggering
  
• I removed unstable asteroids from the game
  
• Credit pickups on star temples are now 5-10 times more valuable
  
• The X/Close button in the upper left of menus now flashes slowly so you know it's there
  
• I added an air pressure readout on shipwrecks
  
• Power now scales more quickly in higher-difficulty games
  
• I fixed the bug in asteroid bases where keyboard movement was very slow
  

Approaching Infinity is part of the Steam Autumn Sale and is
[h2]20% Off![/h2]

All my other games are discounted too, so the IBOLOGY BUNDLE is an even better deal...


And hey, if you already enjoy Approaching Infinity, but you haven't left a Steam review yet, I would really appreciate it. It helps. I'm getting close to 500 reviews and "overwhelmingly positive" is looking "overwhelmingly possible" ... but I need you help to get there.

This was the big focus for October. Maybe it seems like a small thing to devote a month to, and maybe it only took 2 weeks to perfect, but it was sorely needed!

It was so unreliable, I actually had this warning the first time you used it:



Thanks to (your) patience and (my) hard work, it has been more than repaired, it's actually pretty amazing now. And there are 3 settings: calm (default), terrified, and reckless. It won't fight for you, but it also won't get you killed. Check it out:

https://youtu.be/KwlOXdv4rtA



Firaxughinian ("Firax") artifacts are probably the most sought-after items in the whole game, and not just by the player. They are powerful, mysterious, and difficult to obtain.

But they've always had the same green icon, and no description beyond a cryptic name.

No more! There are now 59 different artifact images, each with its own description that gives you a deeper look into the insanity they invoke in whoever possesses them.



Something else to note about artifacts:
They used to have a screen in the infinipedia as well as being available in the inventory.

They are now *ONLY* in the Inventory, under "Miscellaneous".




Every once in a while a player would find themselves stranded, often do to the changeable nature of terrain (like you blew up the door of the tiny room you walked into, a water-monster pulls you onto an island, or a cave-in places debris in the only path).

Now if you find yourself unable to return to the exit, the away team will be capable of super-human feats, like swimming (through acid) or clearing obstructions even without the proper equipment. There will be some damage, and quite possibly oxygen loss. But you shouldn't lose an away team or an entire run because of it.



Away team combat (monster HP and damage) use to scale much faster than space combat, and often faster than your equipment could keep up. That is no longer the case, since I have rebalanced the entire away team combat side of the game.

That includes all suits, guns, melee weapons, grenades, and all 170+ creatures.




I have finally abandoned the hellscape and discovered the beautiful blue skies of...well... I'm on Bluesky now. If you're there too, come say 'hi'! If you haven't made the move yet, I encourage it.
https://bsky.app/profile/ibol17.bsky.social




I had 2 solid weeks to tackle random issues, so here are the highlights:

• The Herbarium (Infinipedia sub-screen) is no longer "coming soon"... It's here!
  
• You can now mod installed items with no penalty. Electrocution warnings be damned!
  
• Shotgun now does hybrid damage instead of piercing
  
• The Beamer (away team gun) can no longer be dodged (except by one creature).
  
• Subspace Inverter (ship weapon) now does +50% damage at range 6+
  
• "Life Support" can now be built via a consumable, in case a shipwreck deck doesn't have one.
  
• I introduced the "corrupted transmitter": a computer-like object on shipwrecks. If you destroy it, it will destroy all cyberghasts on the level.
  
• I increased the prevalence of 2- and 3-weapon reactors!
  
• Stations now sell more items in early sectors.
  
• I fixed a bug where items crafted were not being tracked for the Achievement.
  
• I created a Code: "Crafting Achievement Bugged" in case you crafted those 50 items but haven't gotten the acheivement or the scrap hound unlocked. (Obviously anyone can use it, it's up to you.)
  
• Rescue missions from shipwrecks will now allow you to leave without rescuing everyone.
  
• Game now auto-saves when leaving stations
  
• "Auto-Saved" added to message log when appropriate.
  
• "Trade Beacon" device now detects both stations and warp points.
  
• Got rid of "warp point detector" device.
  
• Added "Quicker Picker" away team device that picks up all loot adjacent to the away team. It can be installed into suits.
  
• I removed "varieties" from monster names (like basher and thrasher for gnasher). They're all just gnashers now.
  
• I made a lot of fixes and changes to Whitespace.
  
• On the active effects screen, if you're on an away mission, away team powers will appear first (instead of space/ship powers)
  
• I added level 3 to Navigator's "Gravitic Interpolation" skill, which grants "ion tracker" power every 25 turns, revealing ships.
  
• You disperse ash piles when you walk through them again (IDK when this was lost)
  
• You can now push tables (?!)
  
• Inventory screen now remembers the last tab (ship, away, consumables, misc, etc.) and opens there next time.
  
• Crafting screen also has "tab memory".
  
• Last monster viewed in bestairy is now saved, and it automatically opens to that monsters.
  
• Added "Present" to bestiary sort methods, meaning only the monsters you've encountered on this away mission so far.
  
• Previous bestiary sort method also stored
  
• When surveying a planet, if it's 100% explored but you still can't survey it for some reason, if the is a hidden reason, it will tell you this: "Conditions beyond your control prevent surveying this planet right now."
  
• More events will now create captain's log entries that you sometimes find, referencing your previous runs.
  

I need to address more options and story for the Asteroid Base faction.

I've loved roguelikes since 2006, when I was forced to find something to play on my wife's low-spec laptop while saving for a new PC. I released my first ASCII roguelike, Random Realms, in 2009. But the thing that really got me going was 7DRL (7-day roguelike), a game jam I competed in for 8 years.

This genre is a big deal to me.

In 2015 I got a chance to talk about an early version of Approaching Infinity at the International Roguelike Developers Conference (IRDC) in Atlanta. It was such a great time to hang out with all those other roguelike developers.

Now we do things virtually: Easier to attend ːsteamhappyː, but far fewer burger quests with new friends ːsteamsadː

"Roguelike Celebration" is a 2-day event (Oct. 19th & 20th) that takes place inside a custom-built environment that's a cross between a traditional roguelike and a MUD (multi-user dungeon), because all the attendees move @s around the ASCII space to visit various rooms with content and talks. I LOVE IT!

They've got some really interesting topics lined up this year. I will be there (but I'm not presenting).





My recent work on the auto-explore has been a huge success. It's faster than it used to be and much smarter. It opens containers, gets loot, harvests plants, explores all areas, and avoids danger according to your settings (calm, terrified, or reckless). You can even tell it to not pick up certain kinds of low value or illegal commodities.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




After 4 years on Steam, 11 years in development, and as soon as this Roguelike Celebration Sale is over, Approaching Infinity's price will increase.

I've put an incredible amount of work into this game, and players *notice*. People play for hundreds of hours and still find new things. Heck, you can get at least 40 hours of unique experience just from the free demo!

I've looked at games that offer similar experiences. Approaching Infinity is under-priced. So to support continued development (and my family!), the price will increase. (It will go up again before full release in August of 2025.)


[h3]This is your last chance to purchase at this discounted rate.[/h3]


But once you start your great space adventure, you'll forget all about that one supreme pizza or half-tank of gas you could have bought instead...

I listened to players, read articles, played crafting-centric games, and watched videos. Then I took what I learned and translated it into my universe.

There are only 14 crafting parts now, 9 are manufactured, and 5 are natural and obtained from various reliable locations throughout the galaxy. You can learn all about them on the new crafting menus with easy-to-follow rules right on the screen.

Here's a 5-minute demonstration:
https://youtu.be/o6eVeiSGnYc
(Warning: contains secret code)





If you need more convincing, check out my modified PARTICLE BEAM:






[h3]And if you have an existing game, don't worry! All your old parts and recipes will carry over to the new system. [/h3]

I got you.

[h2]With endless character and item progression as a core principle, Approaching Infinity was destined to participate in Steam's Turn-Based RPG Fest. [/h2]

Unfortunately, due to a conflict between the previous Space Exploration Fest and the upcoming Roguelike Celebration, the game could not be discounted.ːsteamsadː


[h2]Crafting[/h2]

The month of September was spent on completely reworking the crafting system, and it's almost ready. We're testing it in the beta branch right now, and everyone is welcomed to join.

[h3]As an incentive for beta testers, *this week only*, I'm giving you a Code for free crafting parts and essences:[/h3]

Go to Options > Enter Code , and type or copy/paste
free crafting parts

That will really come in handy for the latest exciting feature:

[h2]Item Modification![/h2]

Now you can use crafting materials to enhance and upgrade your existing gear!

Do you find that your prized disruptor blaster from 10 sectors ago just doesn't pack the same punch against the enemies you're fighting now, but you know you'll never find another one like it... MOD IT!


Every kind of item has a list of mods to draw from so you can customize your gear for some very specific builds. And the long-awaited ability to change the damage type (incendiary, cryo, corrosive, etc) of away team guns is finally here!

And that's not all... Cyber-Skills can be upgraded too!

Do you find "Cryo-Blast" underwhelming? Want to teleport more often? Level up your activated skills to increase radius and duration while reducing cooldown timers!




(My Particle Beam +87 does 5 million damage and is worth 1.8 BILLION credits!)