Approaching Infinity News

Kyzrati, the developer of Cogmind has been streaming Approaching Infinity for the past few weeks, and I wanted to make sure he got the most recent version. I even named it in his honor...

Here's what's happened:

AI 1.5Kyz:

• Put in a check to keep new random spaceships from spawning right in front of you.
  
• Made sectors fill with ships faster, but still start mostly unpopulated, so you don't warp into disaster!
  
• Maxed the officers cut of your money at 30%
  
• Fixed a bug in crafting that produced things cheaper than they should have been.
  
• Added LOS check to deforestation damage
  
• Fixed right-click pathing bug that wouldn't path to occupied squares.
  
• Tried to "push back" monsters instead of despawning them when they're too close.
  
• (hopefully) fixed loading the wrong quest in sectors with 2 stations !
  
• (hopefully) can't accidentally fire on friendly targets in space
  
• addressed a bug that caused crashes beyond sector 2000.
  
• You can actually see the quest marker on planets now!
  
• Introduced AND TOOK OUT "Retribution Strikes": coordinated revenge attacks against you by a race that thought you were their friend
  

I DID THIS MANY THINGS:

[h3]Fixed:[/h3]

• A bug that was causing an infinite monster attack loop!
  
• the installation of the "crafting lab" device.
  
• star temples don't give any XP until you find the artifact.
  
• a bug that was not showing some cargo between multiple pages.
  

[h3]Changed:[/h3]

• the game's ideal landing party size, which may affect difficulty (upwards).
  
• Shuttle ace reduces shuttle cooldown by 2
  
• Asteroid mining now always produces at least one thing.
  
• Short range ship weapons are now more damaging
  
• Sargasso sectors have less shipwrecks (still about 90) and a massive aggregate of black holes
  
• Limited the spawning of crafting-related items before crafting has been unlocked.
  
• Monster Threat is now measured as a decimal, 1.0 being approximately equal to you.
  
• Tried to make the planetary oxygen warning not happen too soon.
  
• Damage Reduction on space suits progression happens faster.
  
• You can now switch back out of the custom cursor
  
• I removed something that was limiting the level of items crafted.
  
• greatly increased melee weapon damage
  
• improved loot in star temple shield rooms
  
• shield power spikes less in sector 5+ (sorry!)
  
• reduced frawg damage.
  
• slightly sped up race relations.
  
• Reduced the threshold at which crew throws stuff into the reactor.
  

[h3]Removed:[/h3]

• Some skills with a second level that no longer had any effect.
  
• I took out equipment modifiers like "grade 3" and "Mark 7".
  
• something that was making monsters weaker before sector 20. this will change difficulty. Beware.
  
• Completely removed time-based XP gathering in all environments.
  
• The options button from the main menu!
  

[h3]Added:[/h3]

• holding Shift key now gives selective tooltips !
• Officers on away teams now get XP for # of tiles revealed, as you go. Harsher environments give more XP.
  
• All officers gain XP while in space, by exploring the sector map.
  
• You now receive a message about bonus XP on a long away mission.
  
• Gave a log message about the pirate's "Profiteering Beam"
  
• Subspace wave sectors now only consume half supplies for engine and reactor (ride the waves!)
  
• some handling for people who can't see any text!
  
• a new "feature" that helps to stop your movement whenever a new enemy is sighted.
  
• a prototype "movement safety" function, where keyboard input is paused when a new threat is noticed.
  
• Included a popup at the beginning of the game for people who don't see the normal text.
  
• Whenever you encounter a terrain you can't walk on, a message is generated in the log about how to cross it.
  
• There's a 10% chance that the planet name file for a sector will be the first curated user-generated planet names!
  
• I added the Excavator device to clear rubble, which has never existed before!
  
• You will now get more personalized information when you visit alien embassies.
  
• I did the prep work to enable Steam Cloud saves. It is not active yet.
  
• Also gave a bonus crafting level for schematic pickups.
  
• crafting now uses left/right arrow keys to move between crafting menus
  
• crafting now uses up/down arrow keys to scroll pages within menus
  
• when you install the crafting lab for the first time, you get 10 of each crafting part. I'm a jerk for not giving you that sooner, sorry!
  
• a description to all commodities and tooltip info on them when in the commodities exchange.
  
• if you automatically recognize the power of an artifact, it becomes more powerful
  
• all devices now have their own icon!
  

Please note that this update does *not* contain the experimental feature "planet scanning". That will be properly implemented in the future.

[h3]Next steps:[/h3]

• The inevitable hotfix :O
  
• Key Re-Binding
  
• Pathfinding Fix
  
• Auto-Explore de-insane-ization
  

Also newsworthy: I've written a new Steam Guide about the away team:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2207449869

New ones are still on the way about daily codes and the commodities exchange/being a trader.

Thanks, enjoy, and let me know how it goes!

and as of Friday, 08/28/2020, here's this:

The changelog of hotfix slowfix 1.5k+

[h3]Big[/h3]

• Divide By Zero error has been removed!
  
• Right click pathing has been corrected!
  
• Red alert is now saved with game (after you're hit in space, can't install for 3 turns)
  
• Shield recharge on game load exploit is corrected.
  
• cloaking device now actually uses supplies!
  
• negative cargo amounts have been corrected.
  
• buy 1/sell 10 has been corrected.
  

Other...

• The auto-explore might be slightly improved, but still not perfect...
  
• Added a built-in device to the Assault Scout ship.
  
• Bunnies no longer auto-stop your movement.
  
• going up and down cave levels automatically is no longer limited by oxygen when your helmets are open.
  
• officers in stations you can't hire now say "no room" next to their name
  
• deforestation kit / sonic chainsaw now has stackable levels of increasing power. cut down trees from a distance!
  
• and in a stroke of genius, deforestation power now HURTS CARNIVOROUS PLANTS!
  
• You can now give promotions on stations, and if the captain is on the away team, then also during away missions!
  
• made purple eggs targetable
  
• Landing on a "UHO" planet is now auto-handled (no need to touch sign!)
  
• Some things that would give nearly-unlimited XP have been reduced after the first 300 XP per level.
  
• damage done by status effects is now shown
  
• operatives now get bonus xp for every quest completed
  
• It is now harder to be friendly with everyone at the same time.
  

Solvency. Noun: the possession of assets in excess of liabilities; ability to pay one's debts.

OK, I can't pay off my house or my car, so I'm not technically "solvent", but I can support my immediate expenses for long enough to crunch through that Roadmap. And that "S" in solvency really hints at the infinity symbol (nice touch David!)

I started this process right after launch week. Approaching Infinity was doing really well, and I wanted to keep the momentum going. So I gave notice and now I'm free. I am dedicated to making this game everything it can be, and I have you to thank for that.

This is what my kids think my life is going to be like now: the whole family playing UNO FLIP together (while a giant crab watches?!), and me lounging on the couch eating pizza:




[h3]But it should be more like this:[/h3]

Possibly with the sun rising and setting in the background...

[h3]v1.5Jx:[/h3]
This has been the longest I've gone without releasing an update (a whole week!), so it's time. But this update still has an experimental feature in it, so I'm going to release it into a branch called "scanningexperiment" which anyone can join and requires no password. It won't break your saves, and is entirely optional.

It will provide you with a prototype of the new "planet scanning" features, which allows you to know broad details about what a planet has to offer *before* you go down. This is intended to help you bring the right equipment and find what you're looking for (and maybe skip the things that you're not interested in.)

Here's how scanning will eventually look:


Right now it's just a pop-up message with too many details. It will be "finessed" into something more vague and flavorful.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Here's a 23-minute video I did, testing out the new features:

I have taken a *lot* of feedback over the time on steam, and many changes, fixes, and additions have been based on that. Here is everything you'll find in v1.5Jx (The 'x' is for experimental)

[h3]CHANGELOG:[/h3]

• I removed something that was making monsters weaker before sector 20. this will change difficulty. Beware.
  
• I also changed the game's ideal landing party size, which may affect difficulty (upwards).
  
• Shuttle ace reduces shuttle cooldown by 2
  
• Completely removed time-based XP gathering in all environments.
  
• Officers on away teams now get XP for # of tiles revealed, as you go. Harsher environments give more XP.
  
• All officers gain xp while in space, by exploring the sector map.
  
• Asteroid mining now always produces at least one thing.
  
• You now receive a message about bonus XP on a long away mission.
  
• Short range ship weapons are much more damaging
  
• Gave a log message about the pirate's "Profiteering Beam"
  
• Subspace wave sectors now only consume half supplies for engine and reactor (ride the waves!)
  
• Sargasso sectors have less shipwrecks (still about 90) and a massive aggregate of black holes
  
• Added some handling for people who can't see any text!
  
• Added a new feature that stops your movement whenever a new enemy is sighted.
  
• Limited the spawning of crafting-related items before crafting has been unlocked.
  
• Added a prototype "movement safety" function, where keyboard input is paused when a new threat is noticed.
  
• Monster Threat is now measured as a decimal, 1.0 being approximately equal to you.
  
• Tried to make the planetary oxygen warning not happen too soon.
  
• Damage Reduction on space suits progression happens faster.
  
• Middle mouse button now also does scanning, in addition to [V] key.
  
• Most locations inside a sector are pre-generated with the sector.
  
• You will now see hints during this time.
  
• I took out equipment modifiers like "grade 3" and "Mark 7".
  
• Whenever you encounter a terrain you can't walk on, a message is generated in the log about how to cross it.
  
• There's a 10% chance that the planet name file for a sector will be the first curated user-generated planet names! (I Took out inappropriate ones.)
  
• You can now switch back out of the custom cursor.
  
• I added the Excavator device to clear rubble, which has never existed before!
  
• You will now get more personalized information when you visit alien embassies.
  
• I did the prep work to enable Steam Cloud saves. It is not active yet.
  
• I removed something that was limiting the level of items crafted.
  
• Also gave a bonus crafting level for schematic pickups.
  
• Fixed the installation of the "crafting lab" device.
  
• You can now hold [SHIFT] to selectively tooltip anything :D
  

I suppose on a list like this, I should really use the standard "Fixed / Changed / Added" thing...
Something that did not get fixed: When you install a new ship component, sometimes the icons get duplicated incorrectly. It just didn't make the time cut, it will be handled soon.

Here's something else that didn't make the cut, but definitely made the grade:

Individual device icons!

Remember, this is not in the main public branch. You have to actively switch over to the "craftingexperiment" branch from in your steam library:


This will not break your save, and saves shouldn't be broken coming back out of it. Just go play with it, and let me know how it's going, either in the Steam Discussions, or the Approaching Infinity channel in the Roguelikes Discord.

[h3]What's Next?[/h3]
Activating Steam Cloud Saves, and then ... Re-Binding Keys!
I know you want it. I know you need it. I know you deserve it. So I guess I'll do it!
And meanwhile I'll watch how everyone does with v1.5Jx, make sure everything's working, and move it into the main branch.

Fixing the auto-explore and path-finding is also on the short-list.


[h3]And then...

Patreon![/h3]
Some people have been urging me to go this route for years, and I never have, but I think it's time. You have no obligation to join, and updates will still happen here, and I'll listen to Steam feedback.

But I think I can offer Patreon supporters more: a look behind the scenes, messages from aliens, a more detailed look at my plans, and opportunities to contribute special things within the game (like art, writing, pre-designing shipwrecks and planets, etc.)

And a little extra support every month, as well as engaging with the people giving that support, will be very motivating. But that's for the future, approximately October 2020. For now, I have plenty of work to do getting out of 1.5...

Have a good day!

There were 2 things that made me push this out today: Star Temple data deletion, and the tutorial/pay-it-forward bug. But there are some other things I've been working on that got thrown into the mix.

• You can now sell 10 items in the Commodities exchange by holding shift (same as buying)
  
• I continue to try to eliminate instant deaths / one hit kills.
  
• Greatly improved price change over time for commodities trading. (this was like 4 hours of work!)
  
• Fixed a bug where star temples deleted your data.
  
• Made oxygen warnings stop when you've opened your helmets.
  
• Changed some message log reporting regarding attacks.
  
• Further made the Limoquee less annoying. But defintely still annoying.
  
• "Renegade" enemies should no longer "come to help" (which wasn't helping!).
  
• Put a few more words on the victory screen. (Which I haven't seen any screenshots of yet!)
  
• Put a slight increase on levels of items sold in stations.
  
• Added "Level" to item descriptions (this may not be permanent)
  
• All officers gain XP when warping.
  
• I fixed a bug where the tutorial ignored your pay it forward withdrawal.
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

This morning I made a 20 minute video about how to be a trader. This aspect of the game is not required, but I think it's often overlooked and misunderstood, so this is how it's done. I never did encounter any shortages or surpluses in this run, which would have potentially made it much more lucrative.


With the rest of the day, I plan to create more Steam Guides. I know there are still some basics that aren't explained, and I will get to those. But what would you like to know about? Tell me below!

Today Approaching Infinity 1.5i was released, and it fixed considerably more things than it broke! This is in fact the 5th update the game has received in it's first week on steam. I've already included no less that 20 user-suggested features. Turn that text red, give me button for this, I want, no i need more oxygen...

I hear you! All those little fixes and improvements are part of the reason this game is on Steam Early Access. It's also giving me time to pump out Steam Guides so you actually know what you're doing ;)

But the other big reason is adding brand new interactions, features, areas, and stories. This is all well and good, but what exactly are we actually talking about here?

Well you've probably met more than half of the 12 alien races in the game, but I haven't seen a single report of a victory here. So you folks have your work cut out for you too...

But now

Presenting

The Roadmap To Infinity:




We're in 1.5 right now: Bug fixes and tiny tweaks. This is where you point out the problems and I find them and fix them. Note that not everything you think is a bug is necessarily broken. It might be that you just don't have all the information yet ;)

I expect 1.5 to continue for 2-3 more weeks. I will *ALWAYS* fix what's broken, but it will be time to move forward relatively soon. Cloud saves and certain other steam features might be implemented in this phase, or 1.6


This phase will be all about rebalancing the existing game. How fast things happen. Keep in mind, Approaching Infinity was originally designed to keep presenting you with new and interesting places and challenges well up to sector 100.

For anyone out there who says "there's not much to see", well, oh yes there is, you just haven't gotten that far yet.

However: From an indie developer point of view, I also understand that how you feel about my game (progression too slow, etc.) is realy really important! I don't want *anybody* to put it down before they've had a few good surprises. (And a few bad ones i suppose).

So 1.6 will be all about getting the flow of challenge and power correct. That, and any more quality of life improvements that get suggested and approved.


You've seen those planets, right? The ones that say things? What's the deal with those? Well this is where you'd potentially find out. Learn the story of the Engravers, why they did what they did, and where they went afterwards.

And what about those insectoid aliens, the Narcratu? Have you met them? What are they doing in this part of the galaxy? Why can't you understand them? Again, this development phase would explore their story as well.

Oh, and what about sector 50? What's in there? You could find that out in 1.7


DEEPER INTERACTIONS! Now this is where things get really interesting. Do you like those roguelikes where the world is deeply simulated and you can do all kinds of crazy things with all your stuff? Well, AI is never going to be DF or CoQ. It's very much its own thing. But there is plenty of room in the galaxy for expanding and deepening the way systems work together, and giving players more choices.

And speaking of choices, what about non-violent play? This game is pretty combat focused, right? Well, it's actually diplomacy focused where everyone just starts out not trusting you and being at odds with each other. But anyway, what about purely non-combative play? Well: science missions, animal preserves, research, item collection (including 3 race-specific art collection quests), etc.


Give the People what they want!
I've been listening to (and incorporating) player ideas from the first day. This game was originally a Kickstarter project, and literally hundreds of people have contributed to the universe you're exploring.

But now it's your turn. What do you want to put in? Well, what can you do? Let me know!
You want a name and a face and a history for every single crew-person you hire? Maybe that's a great idea! You want consumables like potions and scrolls in fantasy RLs? You want a whole list of items, powers, and upgrades? Well really, so do I, so let's talk!

When I feel like this game has really met its potential. When YOU feel the same. Then we hit 2.0 , and get out of Early Access.

But look:
[h3]2.1[/h3] [h2]3.2[/h2] The numbers keep going! What do you think that means?

[h3]NOTE:[/h3]
When we hit version 1.6, I will switch from doing rapid updates every other day to approximately once or twice per week, and those builds will go to an optional beta branch first, so that you can feel confident that your game won't change so much day by day.

Version 1.5i was released today. Here's what that changed:

• Component cooldowns are now in red.
  
• Bloom caves no longer showing "unavailable".
  
• Nerfed limoquee corvette.
  
• Added popup to early embassies. Don't press your luck.
  
• Further tried to keep "lurkers" (ships that don't move) off of important things.
  
• Oxygen tanks refill completely, instantly. This was a desgin choice. I've unchosen it because it doesn't make sense.
  
• Raised oxygen one more time, after watching streamers painfully tethered to the shuttle. I'm sorry folks!
  
• UHO sign now spawns adjacent to shuttle.
  
• Armor now shows max as well as current.
  
• Greatly reduced cooldown on cloaking device (complete re-design) Is it OP?
  
• Kept shirkhana from spawning on land!
  
• Also put a max cap on # of breeders bred per map.
  
• New officers now start with some XP, and more in higher sectors.
  
• Added periodic "ready for promotion" messages.
  
• Added "custom cursor" setting in options menu
  
• Fullscreen / Windowed mode is now in options menu, and is saved between games.
  
• Star temples now affect your mind. Badly.
  
• Added new issues of the terran times.
  
• Added 'x' to the crafting component list to try to communicate how many you have.
  

Enjoy!

(I guess now you'll understand why those acolytes are so insane...)