Approaching Infinity News

I spent most of the week enjoying the great outdoors ("camping"), so there isn't a huge amount of development to report.


You won't normally find such a huge graveyard, but I needed to illustrate the point...

When you find human remains there is now a chance that they will spawn useful equipment (or cold hard cash!). Just walk over them and see what happens, but try to be respectful about it, OK? That's one more reason to check out those former human settlements...



Somehow, there were no spiders. For 8 years. There are now. And their attacks can sometimes trap you in webs, so look out!



I recently added images for the racial shipwrecks, and when David saw them he immediately set out to make better ones :D They're in there now, including new ones for mercs, narcratu, and sil.


If you particularly enjoy killing intelligent beings in video games, there's an officer skill dedicated to creating more intact shipwrecks. It's an operative skill, and it's called "Crippling Shot". The operative is a social-division class that isn't immediately available, but is easy to unlock by visiting an alien embassy.



I've been talking a lot lately about the "Amulet of Yendor" victory, and making it more difficult. I had another idea about how to do that, and I recorded my first live development stream about making it happen. Check it out on Twitch and get an inkling of what makes this thing whole thing tick.

And you know there are 8 other ways to win, right? Get out there are talk to those aliens!



I was alerted to a few bugs on the Approaching Infinity Discord, and I handled them quickly:

• Fixed an out of bounds error in the new warp screen.
  
• Fixed the progress bar not going away in the map editor.
  
• Fixed racial offense carrying over from game to game (retribution strikes in sector 1!)
  

That's it for now. I'm going to spend the week further tidying up version 1.6 and getting ready for some really big things coming up... You know about some of them from the Starmap, but others should still be a surprise ;)



ENJOY THE STEAM SUMMER SALE!

For anyone playing in the beta branch, this is old news. But for the rest of you, hold on tight!

Monsters on away missions can now have more than 60 new stat modifiers and powers. Here's a sampling:

• Sturdy : Has a 50% bonus to HP.
  
• Perplexing : Attacks cause confusion.
  
• Avenging : Automatically returns melee attacks (strike-back).
  
• Disappearing : Able to become invisible!
  
• Squishy : Weakness to smashing damage.
  
• Elite : An experienced combatant.
  

Most modifiers are only valid on certain types of monsters: you won't find any squishy robots or elite plants. But there's already a huge variety of possibilities, and the further you go, the more likely you are to encounter them.

You can easily recognize modified monsters by their red health bar. Then you can mouse over or use the Peer (look) command to get detailed information, including a description of whatever new abilities this creature might have.

All this makes it much more likely that your...


A few months ago there was a big change to the way crew deaths happen on away missions: when you take enough damage, a crew member dies immediately. That reduces your maximum hit points, but also raises your current total to about 75% of that new max. Temporary healing with a permanent down-side.

But when you were out of crew ("Red-Shirts" specifically) but still had some *officers* left, the next time your HP got low enough, the entire party was killed. But this was inconsistent with the new rules, so...



From now on, your officers can drop one by one, just like your poor no-name crew.

More dire consequences, but possibly longer survival times... we'll see...



When you're visiting a space station, the starship outfitter (equipment store) can be restocked for a small but ever-increasing fee. On the one hand, this sometimes allows you to find that one special item you just can't live without. And I only ever really paid attention to that one hand...

But this was recently discussed here on the Steam boards, and it was pointed out to me that this can often take away from the joy of defeating a powerful enemy and getting an awesome loot drop. Why bother if you can buy something better?

So we're trying something different.



From now on, the cost to restock the store has been GREATLY INCREASED.
'Wait, so what am I supposed to do about equipment?!'

Well,

The way enemies drop loot has been completely remodeled!

Each type of enemy that would be capable of dropping a particular type of item can now do so (randomly). Animals don't drop technological items (this isn't Pandora!), but intelligent enemies, as long as they're capable of wearing or wielding items you could use, will now drop them more often!

This is true both in space and on away missions. And there's a tiny new feature inspired by this: you can install ranged and melee weapons that you find (including grenades, but not suits) even when you're not at the shuttle! This is an experiment, so certain parameters might need to be tweaked, but..

THIS IS NOT A SHOPPING SIMULATOR!

It's a space exploration rogue-like.

[h3]And speaking of RLs, what's more rogue-like than...[/h3]


As I mentioned last time, I recently started a new Youtube series where I pursue the fabled AoY in my fast and sneaky Stealth Runner. Well, the whole series hasn't been released yet, (playlist here) but, Spoiler Alert...

I succeed!

At the end of my final video, I really started to ask myself, was that too easy?. At first, I wanted to chalk it up to careful planning, preparation, and LUCK. Those things certainly were factors. But I got the feeling that maybe the bugs were actually helping me this time.

They were.

So anyone who has already done the Amulet of Yendor, well, congratulations, but you had it easy.

No more!

All those aliens that are supposed to be hell-bent on destroying you? They're coming for you now. And have you ever met a "retribution squad"? Well, you might now :D The amulet affects your warp drive and cloak now too...and they're not positive effects.

But hey, the Bankers are super happy you're doing this. They might even give you a discount...




What, you didn't know there was a hidden way to win Approaching Infinity? Yep. And there's absolutely no mention of it anywhere in the game. So where is it?

Let's talk about that: The Amulet of Yendor is located on a planet in sector 20, at cave level 5.

Today I added 2 new Steam achievements related to the AoY: "ROGUELIKE!" and "Is it an amulet or a ring?". I'm the 0.1% of players who has that first achievement. AFAIK, no one has the second one yet.

[h3]So get out there and find that Amulet! [/h3]

You'll have a few options when you pick it up, so choose wisely (or in one case, choose very unwisely but selfishly). Who can be the first to get the other achievement? How many wins can we record in the next few weeks before 1.6 is finished?

Ooh, and Steam achievement bonus: the game will now retro-check that your Steam achievements match up with your local ones. (Note that not all Steam achievements have been added yet.)



I'm going to start streaming on Twitch! In a year, I'll probably know what I'm doing. Laugh at me (or with me) as I figure out broadcasting, play AI, and (try to) fix bugs LIVE ON AIR...Follow me!
https://www.twitch.tv/ibol17



Months ago, someone asked me about creating an all-IBOLOGY bundle. At the time, it sounded like a good idea, but I didn't know how it worked, and I was way too busy just doing my day-to-day dev to give it much serious thought.

Then a few days ago, the world renowned Space Game Junkie pinged me on his Discord, where lots of other space game developers were talking about putting together a bundle. After talking with them I decided to join, *and* I learned just how easy it is to put one of these things together.

So now, I offer you not one but TWO:

The IBOLOGY bundle, which includes Approaching Infinity, The Curse of Yendor, and XenoBloom (all games I made).
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/21576/IBOLOGY_Bundle/

The Independent Space Alliance bundle, with 10 awesome space games of all descriptions!
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/21546



I'll be going camping in Pennsylvania soon, we'll see whether I can still handle that...
Have a great weekend, and let me know of any bugs *before* I leave :D

Get ready to meet venomous gnashers, disappearing Narcratu, and blinding eye-balls (Yes, really!)...

As what is probably the last big new feature of version 1.6, monsters encountered on away missions will sometimes have different varieties that change their stats and behavior. There are over 60 of these right now, and they're called "Monster Modifiers".

(This is only for those bravest of captains who spend time in the beta branch...)

Not all modifiers can be assigned to all monsters. All creatures are broken down into 6 groups: animal, plant, slime, robot, intelligent, and undead. Each modifier applies to a subset of these (some are for all types, and a few are only for one). Further exclusions are made for breeders and stationary monsters. There's also a hidden 7th group that basically says "don't alter this monster"... things like the outsider and transcendent horror won't get modified. They're already too powerful.

Monsters won't have modifiers until sector 4, and they start off being pretty rare. The rate of occurrence tops out around sector 60, at which point about half of all monsters will be modified in some way.

Take note of monster's names in your targeting information or tooltips: that will be your first clue you're facing a modded monster. The 'burrowing slime' and 'sturdy tusker' are sure to be modified. So get out there and explore, find some modified monsters, and let me know how quickly they kill you ;)

• Added webs on away missions. They take a turn to break.
  
• Fire, acid, and nano destroy webs, and so do the skills cleanse and grav pulse.
  
• Being trapped in a web keeps you from moving or attacking. You must break the web before doing anything else.
  
• Added monster power: "Weaver": leaves webs behind as it moves.
  
• Added monster
• cooldown* power "Ensnaring": their attack traps you in a web.
  
• Added monster power: "Drain XP" : attacks drain officers' XP
  
• Added monster power: "Induce Terror": being terrified makes your attacks miss half the time.
  
• Added monster power: "Regenerate": monster heals 5% per turn.
  
• Added monster power: "Disruption": adds cooldown to a random cybernetic skill.
  
• Many monster mods give bonus xp rewards.
  
• Decreased the number of grenades in a bunch for most types.
  
• Increased the damage of sonic, seismic, and scrambler weapons.
  
• Reduced the damage of toxic and monofilament weapons
  
• Letters A-Z and numbers 1-9 that are not already assigned are listed on the key rebinding screen.
  
• Removed item price scaling based on how much money you have.
  
• Added storage rooms to shipwrecks...
  
• Officers who are injured on away missions will automatically be returned to the away team when they heal!

Want to see some of this stuff in action? Check out my new video series, "Stealth Runner to the Amulet of Yendor". You'll notice this is my second attempt. Yes I'm bitter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo91OOr23Bc


And now I'll leave you with this convenient...
[h3]...complete list of the (current) monster modifiers:[/h3]

• Weak : Does 50% less damage than normal.
  
• Deadly : Does more damage than normal.
  
• Precise : Firing range increased by 2.
  
• Sluggish : Moves slower than normal.
  
• Swift : Moves much faster than normal.
  
• Aggressive : Increased aggression radius.
  
• Docile : Just not that into you.
  
• Sturdy : Has a 50% bonus to HP.
  
• Feeble : Has 50% less HP.
  
• Burning : Attacks can set the away team on fire.
  
• Freezing : Attacks with extreme cold, slowing the away team.
  
• Venomous : Attacks cause poison status effect.
  
• Electric : Attacks cause energy-damage status effect.
  
• Piercing : Causes suit puncture and oxygen leak status effect.
  
• Perplexing : Attacks cause confusion.
  
• Acidic : Causes corrosion on anything it touches.
  
• Blinding : Attacks can temporarily blind the away team.
  
• Vampiric : Hurting you heals this creature!
  
• Thieving : Attacks cause the away team to drop things.
  
• Avenging : Automatically returns melee attacks (strike-back).
  
• Burrowing : Able to dig through walls quickly.
  
• Herbivorous : Eats plants and trees as it moves.
  
• Grabby : Pulls the away team closer from up to 3 tiles away.
  
• Pushy : Melee attack pushes away team.
  
• Jumpy : Jumps long distances to attack.
  
• Flighty : Jumps away when threatened.
  
• Virulent : Attacks can give you disease!
  
• Disappearing : Able to become invisible!
  
• Camouflaged : Can hide in foliage.
  
• Slimy : Leaves a sticky slime trail behind.
  
• Imprisoning : Attacks trap the away team in slime.
  
• Scavenging : Picks up items as it moves.
  
• Sympathetic : Calls for help when attacked.
  
• Draining : Attacks drain XP!
  
• Disrupting : Attacks add cooldown to cybernetic skills!
  
• Asphyxiating : Steals your oxygen!
  
• Forceful : Ranged attacks have knockback.
  
• Deflecting : Chance to deflect ranged attacks.
  
• Dextrous : 33% chance to dodge any attack!
  
• Regenerating : Heals 5% per turn!
  
• Terrifying : Chance to induce extreme fear.
  
• Weaving : Weaves webs as it moves.
  
• Ensnaring : Attacks catch the away team in a web.
  
• Bulletproof : Takes half damage from all ranged attacks!
  
• Asbestos : Immune to incendiary damage
  
• Insulated : Immune to cryo damage.
  
• Rubbery : Resists smashing damage.
  
• Fearless : Immune to fear-inducing weapons.
  
• Alert : Immune to stun weapons.
  
• Grounded : Immune to shock weapons.
  
• Galvanized : Resists corrosive damage.
  
• Flammable : Weak against incendiary damage.
  
• Shivering : Weak against cryo damage.
  
• Hearty : Resists toxic damage.
  
• Sickly : Weak against toxic damage.
  
• Deaf : Immune to sonic damage.
  
• Brittle : Weak against explosive damage.
  
• Squishy : Weakness to smashing damage.
  
• Ironhide : Lifeform has a thick metallic skin.
  
• Hulking : Bonus HP and damage, but slower.
  
• Leaden : Resists radiation damage.
  
• Elite : An experienced combatant.
  
• Champion : The best of the best.
  
• Sniping : Powerful long-range attack.
  

[h2]At the[/h2]




Tired of doing math to figure out how hurt your enemy is?


Forget that. No more targeting, mouse-over-ing, or guessing. Approaching Infinity has entered the 21st century (which is actually backtracking, right?), and put quick-and-easy-to-read health bars on all entities.





Another common simple feature AI has gone almost 8 years without is displaying the XP reward from a quest. Seriously? Yep. Well, here you go:





Totally new:

• New message reveals how long until natural healing begins for away team.
  
• Reduced the chance that artifacts will have a bad effect.
  
• Improved the phrasing of tutorial messages.
  
• Greatly increased the Giant Squither's HP, because it's not deadly enough.
• Increased the XP cost to promote officers after level 6
  
• Killing certain monsters now gives bonus XP to everyone on the away team.
  
• As suggested here on the Steam forums, you can now hold CTRL and use the arrowkeys to move diagonally. These are
• not* rebindable.
  

And these changes were previously released into the beta branch:

• Artifact ID is more friendly: you are no longer forced to choose!
• Auto-explore will now pick up blood samples when you have the right skill.
  
• The first time you enter a star temple or see a hypno-flower, you get a warning...
  
• Repair skill can now fix holes in shipwreck floors, if they are surrounded by proper floors.
  
• Each race now has its own shipwreck image.
  
• Monsters now activate traps!
  
• Killing Narcratu ships can make you more popular with other races in the sector.
  

I'm tying up lots of loose ends, trying to finish up this dev cycle so we can move on to all the amazing things outlined in Starmap 1.7


And...


You folks are in some real trouble, because the "Monster Modifier" system is coming along very nicely. Just imagine: Narcratu soldiers who can turn invisible, carnivorous plants that are immune to fire, and yenogs whose ranged attacks can hold you in place... I've seen all these things (and more)... and they're coming to Approaching Infinity next week :)

For all the captains brave enough to venture into the Beta branch, here are some new features:

• Artifact ID is more friendly: you are no longer forced to choose!
  
• Auto-explore will now pick up blood samples when you have the right skill.
  
• The first time you enter a star temple or see a hypno-flower, you get a warning...
  
• Repair skill can now fix holes in shipwreck floors, if they are surrounded by proper floors.
  
• Each race now has its own shipwreck image.
  
• Monsters now activate traps!
  
• Killing Narcratu ships can make you more popular with other races in the sector.
  
• Quests now show their XP rewards!
  

It's all on one screen now, you don't have to decide whether it's positive or negative, you get a better explanation of what's going on, and you're allowed to leave the screen without making a (possibly catastrophically wrong) choice.

Firaxughinian artifacts were always meant to be a highly sought after commodity, a joy to find, but a chore to identify. Sadly, because of the way *identification* was handled, they became something a lot of players would rather sell or even avoid than try to decipher.

After a lot of feedback, ideas, conversations, and previous failed attempts, we're going to try this new, very player-friendly method of ID'ing them. Let me know what you think!




How did a space exploration RPG exist for almost 8 years without displaying something so universal as how much XP you get for completing a quest?!

A very forgiving player base, I assume. And thank you. But it's no longer an issue:




These changes are only in the Beta Branch for now, which anyone can join from the
Steam Library > Manage > Properties > Betas