Approaching Infinity News

First off, I made a video explaining a lot of this stuff while I play through it, in case that's how you like to get your information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lkqsiA9y4w
Also:

• You can learn something about The Engravers (or can you?)
  
• Hear me talk like a pirate (for good reason)
  
• I Lie about my accomplishments
  
• Listen to my loud keyboard
  
• See what all this "Captain's Log" fuss is about
  

All of this is taking place in the Beta Branch, called "betafromnowon", and that is open to everyone, just opt in, no password needed.

So, the Captain's Log feature is coming along nicely. It allows you to leave notes for your future self, so you can come back to finish something you weren't able to before, or possibly avoid re-visting a dangerous or otherwise undesirable place.


One recent feature is that the notes will now appear right on the warp screen, for whatever sector you're looking at. You can even enter new notes right on the warp screen! Easily remember where you want to go and why.




A completely new feature that comes with this beta (and should have been there all along) is the "Past Lives" section, or "Graveyard". Every time you die (in perma-death) or win (whether perma-death is on or off), the game will save the date, score, and method of your demise or success.



[h3]I faked most of that data![/h3]

I have only legitimately won a few times, and none in the current version (what?!) . Hey, I'm the one who's making all these awesome new features here! You play it. You tell me what's good or wrong. Then I'll make it better, ok?

Anyway, speaking of new features... Has it ever occurred to you that when you land your shuttle on a planet, you should maybe be able to take shelter inside it? Well, now you can (sort of)... Standing on (in?) the shuttle during an away mission will now provide 75% cover against incoming damage! (The airlock on a shipwreck or station level gives 50%).



But wait, there's more! Sure, it's a good place to hide, but notice in the action log that the shuttle sometimes takes damage! What does that do?



Well, you have to spend time repairing it! In the future this might also cost you supplies, credits, or spare parts, but for now, it's only time...

Another new small but useful feature has been added for users who prefer mouse control: if you open menus with the hotbar buttons, pressing the same button again will close that menu. It sounds small, but it can really improve your efficiency!

As long as no major problems are found, all these changes should make their way to the main branch in a few days.

Enjoy!

I'm excited to announce a new feature that's being tested in Approaching Infinity:
The Captain's Log.

This is different from the place where messages come up, telling you what's happening. It's something you, the player are in total control of.



Did you find a planet with inaccessible areas and you can see the loot, just out of reach? Make a Log entry! Locate a really good price on trading commodities? Log entry! Find an officer you want to hire, or a good piece of gear you can't afford? Log entry!



You can view your entire log, up to 1000 entries, or you can sort by sector. The most recent entries are at the top. I'm also experimenting with getting that information on the warp screen, so you can make the most of it.



Another cool feature is that each log entry has an x/y location associated with it, and these show up on the space map. You can even tool-tip them!



This is not in the main branch; you have to opt in to the beta branch called "betafromnowon".
Library > Manage > Properties > Betas > betafromnowon
There is no password, everyone is invited :)
You can opt out at any time, and this will not mess up your saves, either opting in or out.

If you need an added incentive, well...

It's been an incredible month for me and my game, Approaching Infinity!

• I've quit my (admittedly crappy) job and become a full-time indie developer!
  
• I've squashed countless bugs reported by diligent Steam players.
  
• I've added many new features recommended by the community.
  
• I've written 11 Steam Guides.
  
• I've released over 15 updates large and small over that time!
  
• I've personally responded to almost every comment, suggestion, and cry for help.
  
• AND I'M JUST GETTING STARTED!
  

We're in the final stages of version 1.5, which is mainly about major bug-fixes, adding required features, making little adjustments and changes, and getting ready to move forward with larger issues. You can review the roadmap here.



[h3]1.5N Changes:[/h3]

• Added: You can re-bind gameplay keys (movement, targeting, opening menus, etc.), but keys within those menus will remain the same (station areas 1-8, buying/selling A-Z, etc.)
  
• Added: Alien space stations that won't let you dock might still offer to re-supply you if you're in trouble.
  
• Added: Fully exploring "Engraver" planets now does something, but it's not the whole story...
  
• Fixed: Scanner Range now properly increases in later sectors.
  
• Changed: "Damage Reduction" is now called "Environmental Resistance", which is what it is and always should have been called!
  
• Changed: Greatly Improved Tool-Tips (Try them out: press shift over a monster!)
  

As 1.6 gets closer, which will include larger changes, all future updates will be released into a beta branch for at least a few days before going out to all users. That means a few things:
1. If you want to help test the latest version, you'll need to opt in to the beta branch.
2. If there's some feature or issue you're dying to have addressed, let me know ASAP!

[h3]1.6 is called "Re-Balancing and Quality of Life upgrades".[/h3]
I've already added a few Q.o.L. features, like keybindings, those flashing warnings that keep you from running into the middle of a group of enemies, and tool-tips anytime by holding shift. But there's plenty of room for improving your experience, and I will continue to listen to what players want as far as interface upgrade. I know AI doesn't always work like other roguelikes (or games in general), and sometimes, that's by design and probably won't change, but other times, it could be as simple as letting me know about a great feature, and then suddenly it's incorporated.

Rebalancing is a much larger issue, and a huge undertaking. When I talk about "balance" here, I mean how enemies and equipment scale, what level of challenge you face, and how soon you encounter various elements.

A major concern is introducing the story elements earlier in the game. Some players didn't even realize there was a quest line to follow, let alone 12 individual alien stories to get involved with!



I want to be certain that players are encountering alien embassies earlier, learning that those aliens they see actual have personality and motivation. Give you more insight into each individual race. Make diplomacy more intricate. Things like this.


And a few players have been really pushing the envelope, flying out beyond sector 1000! One player in particular found that he could basically just steamroll over the enemies he encountered. I want to stop that. But it's a fine line between "deadly enemies" and "unfair deaths". In the future you can expect a feature called "Retribution Strikes", where if you kill ships of friendly races they will send a hunting party after you.


Thank you to all the great people who've tried the game, there have been so many great reviews and lots of useful feedback!

And if you're one of those people who are waiting to get the game, well, you can see what's in store! You can also see my personal track record as a developer and how far the game's come in just one month. Development continues!

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.