Approaching Infinity News

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

Greetings Captains! Approaching Infinity is proud to be a part of the Steam Open World sale and celebration! I know there's already a lot of universe to explore, but have you seen the Starmap? (It's like a roadmap, but in space.) It outlines where the game will go in the next major development cycle.
And I can tell you, it's definitely new territory for this space roguelike.

Version 1.6 is winding down, but there is still some work to do, and I have one more new system planned so 1.6 goes out with a bang. What is it?


Right now, a gnasher is always a gnasher. It always has the same hit point and damage curves, and the same powers. But really, shouldn't creatures that evolve in different environments have unique abilities, even if they fulfill the same ecological niche wherever they're found?

Of course.

That's why I'm developing monster modifiers. Long time players will remember planet monsters used to have randomly assigned "flavor" modifiers, like "grumpy", "purple", and "vicious". Well those didn't actually *do* anything.

From now on, they will!

Take for instance an "Ironhide Gnasher". It will have the same general abilities of the base creature. But "Ironhide" will grant resistance to piercing and +20% hit points. But it will also grant weakness to corrosion. Most modifiers will be simpler, like "hungry" might increase their aggression radius, or "sluggish" would decrease their speed.

But you get the idea. These sorts of things won't show up in the very early sectors (you've already got enough to deal with). I expect this, in addition to some other planned fixes and tweaks, will take about 2 weeks. And then we will well and truly wrap up this whole "1.6" thing :D

• Fixed a bug where starter quests were not given after doing the tutorial.
  
• Fixed several display errors when trying to identify an artifact with another menu open.
  
• Increased the life of "movement particles" that show where an entity has been.
  
• Added particle effect to "rock plow" removing asteroids.
  
• Added particle effect when an officer is ready to level up.
  
• Added description and image for the new "tradio" device.
  
• Updated various device and skill descriptions to show that they "Allow asteroid mining."
  
• Grenade boxes can now boost your total above your max ammo!
  
• Fixed a crash when pressing "ALT" during key rebinding.
  
• Fixed a repeating sound error on the new warp screen.
  

This interstellar journey still has a long way to go... Join me!

As version 1.6 draws to a successful close, I'd like to look toward the future, and share with you my vision.

If I had to sum up version 1.6 in just 2 words, I'd say "away missions". The next major milestone's theme could be described as "non-violent play". And while I am about to describe some enormous additions to the fundamentals of the game, know that 1.7 will encompass more than what is presented here, just as 1.6 included features that had nothing to do with trees, guns, or monsters.

Please note that this is not chronological, but an overview of large systems that may be added in any order, and work synergistically to create a richer game universe.


And now, I present to you:




[h2]Asteroid Bases[/h2]

Imagine a neutral spaceport where you can park your ship, stretch your legs, talk to people, take new quests, and purchase services you've never seen before...

(This is a quick image David made to help flesh out the idea.)

When visiting these hidden bases carved out of space-rocks, you might encounter a mixture of these services:

• Cybernetic Upgrades: Improve the power, duration, and cool-down times of your cybernetic skills!
  
• Artifact Dealer: A shop that allows you to exchange two artifacts for one. They might also sell clues to temple locations.
  
• Cartographer: Someone who deals exclusively in planetary surveys.
  
• Scrap Dealer: A merchant interested in salvaged shipwrecks...
  
• Gadgeteer: More on gadgets later but buy and sell them here.
  
• Advanced Crafting Lab: Fine-tune your crafting output to add specific powers to weapons and suits. Of course you'll need a variety of new items to accomplish this.
  
• Weaponsmith: Take what you already have and make it better!
  
• Alchemy Lab: Learn all about the special properties and uses of the 135 rare plants you can find, or just sell the ones you've collected.
  
• Medlab: Cure diseases, heal injured officers, and maybe even get yourself a clone (?!)
  
• Gambling: Have too much money? Throw it away here!
  
• Zoologist: Sells cages, wants animals. Also interested in "bestiary" information you've collected.
  
• What can you think of? What kinds of services have you been wishing for?
  

And the craziest part? No combat!

Depending on the reception, this system could be expanded to give you the option of exploring existing space stations on foot (instead of just using the current menu interface), or even WALKING AROUND YOUR OWN SHIP! Maybe you could even decorate it? We'll see...


[h2]Shipwreck Repair[/h2]
What do you do with a shipwreck when you've killed all the monsters, scavenged the loot, and fully mapped it?

• Salvage it yourself? Blow it up and see what else falls out?
  
• Sell the rights to the scrap dealer?
  
• Tow it to a space station for a salvage fee?
  
• Repair it? Put in the work and turn it into your new home!
  

That last one is a much more involved process, but it would also be a lot more rewarding. Fix up the walls, patch the holes in the floors, restore power and atmosphere. You'll need special skills, tools, gadgets, and even some problem solving skills. But you'll end up with a brand new ship :O


[h2]Gadgets[/h2]

These unassuming little boxes look a bit like crafting parts, but they have a wide variety of uses:

• They'll be featured in the majority of the new game systems.
  
• They're used to repair shipwrecks.
  
• They're used to 'solve' puzzles.
  
• They're used to power or activate certain machines.
  
• They can be a reward for a quest...
  
• ...or the very thing a different quest-giver wants!
  
• Could be necessary for alchemy (see below) or advanced crafting.
  
• Buy or sell them if you can find a "gadgeteer" in an asteroid base.
  
• As a major factor in the Barter system, each one is valued differently depending on your trading partner.
  

[h2]Puzzles[/h2]
Ready to challenge your mind in a new way? Puzzles in Approaching Infinity are intended to give you new interactions and reward your ingenuity.

• Search for clues in your environment.
  
• Push an item into the proper slot.
  
• Arrange a series of machines so that they function correctly.
  
• Press the buttons in the right order.
  
• Deduce the next number in a series (math, anyone?).
  
• Choose the non-trapped chest on the first try.
  
• Assemble pieces of a password.
  
• Figure out how to bypass certain traps.
  
• (Your ideas here!)
  

[h2]Machines[/h2]

Here are some facts on these awesome-looking esoteric contraptions:

• They're similar to "furniture" items that populate shipwrecks and underground bases.
  
• Each one has an "on" state, which is animated, as well as "off" and "broken" states.
  
• They're destructible, so watch where you throw those grenades!
  
• You may have to push them around on the map.
  
• You might have to fix them.
  
• They might give you important information.
  
• Turning all the machines on in an area could reveal something previously hidden.
  
• You will see them during shipwreck repair missions.
  
• They will also be featured in their own purpose-built new areas.
  
• Certain puzzles will be designed around them.
  
• (Ignore the slime-monsters, they were created in some evil genius's lab...)
  

[h2]Barter[/h2] One sentient's trash is another's treasure, so why not trade for what you need!

(Again, a quick mockup)

Meet with traders on stations and asteroid bases, surface colonies, underground hideouts, or just pull your ship up next to theirs and start exchanging.

Each side has only a few things that the other is interested in, and NPCs will have their own ideas about the value of your offerings. But if you give the glow stones to the Gruff, they might just hand over that Firax clue they're holding on to.


[h2]Alchemy[/h2]



Remember when I asked for your help in naming all those rare plants? Remember when you found them on planets and tried to pick them up (but couldn't)? Soon you'll be able to *do* something with them!

Did you know there are 135 of them in total, and each one is found on only a handful of planet-types? Conchbud and Hive Bulb occur on 7 kinds of planets, while Withervane and Moldercurtain can be found on only 3 (toxic, irradiated, and dying planets).

Each plant can have multiple "properties": fire resistance, healing, cyber-gel component, hull salve, warp widener, sensor soother (ok, some of those names are silly and made up on the spot, but you get the point...) They can do a lot of things!

But the properties aren't useful by themselves; you've got to combine them with others that have the same effect to actually create something useful. And the results of this system could be:

• Away team consumables (make you faster or give your bullets shock damage)
  
• Spaceship consumables (heal your ship or make you a better negotiator)
  
• Disease cures (or even vaccines to keep you from getting sick in the first place!)
  
• Trade goods (other people need these things too you know!)
  
• Crafting Ingredients (how else are you going to give your equipment the powers you want?)
  
• Harvest their seeds and find a place to farm them?
  
• WHAT ELSE?!
  

[h2]Bestiary[/h2]
(Semi-non-violent...)

Monsters can have almost 100 different powers, as well as resistances and vulnerabilities to 22 types of damage! That's a lot to remember. You already get feedback about your weapon's effectiveness, and sometimes your crew will shout out hints. Why not keep track in some official way?

(An early iteration of the bestiary, showing all the details up front.)

But what if you didn't know it all up front? What if you had to learn it each time you started a new game? Of course, *you*, the player, would retain your knowledge... we haven't figured out how to erase your memory yet. But your character's knowledge would need to be built up in each new play-through.

And there can be weapon-testing quests, and merchants who buy and sell information on monster's abilities. Even notes found from previous runs that restore parts of your missing knowledge. The zoologist mentioned in the asteroid base section is certainly going to be interested in this kind of thing, might even sell you a cage trap to bring back a live specimen...


[h2]More Quests![/h2]
There is a *lot* more story to tell, and many more ways that conversations and inter-species dynamics can play out. Several weeks of this development supercycle will be dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what a quest can be in AI:

• Meet new NPCs who want your help.
  
• Obtain more diverse types of items and information.
  
• Face new restrictions and challenges.
  
• Visit previous sectors instead of always being forced onward.
  
• Choose between branching paths that change the world!
  

[h2]Art Collection[/h2]

Currently, when you find alien artworks, you see a picture and get some data and credits. That's it.

But where does it go?

Soon you'll have a browsable art collection. But it won't just be for show. You will meet art dealers looking to complete their collections. Maybe you can use art pieces in the barter system? Perhaps a quest to locate certain stolen or illegally released works that are embarrassing to a particular regime?

And maybe we can begin to see more details about each work? Who created it? Where and when? What's the title? Maybe not only could these things be shown, but they could be *written*... BY THE COMMUNITY!


[h2]Starting-Ship Overhaul[/h2]
OK, this might not have much to do with "non-violent play", but...

Thanks to conversations (and members' hard work!) on Approaching Infinity's Discord, the ships you can start the game with will be getting lots of attention. The big idea behind this is to make each ship fill a specific role, and do something that no other ship can.

Of course some ships already do this: the Gruff ship has a melee attack! The Eaters ship "consumes" commodities instead of picking them up! The Star Skimmer gets a shield-and-damage bonus when close to stars (I bet you didn't know that) !

But the other ships need some love too. Starting supplies will most likely go up across the board, and the starting equipment of each ship will become much more specific. And to tie back in to 1.7's driving force, new interactions will be created to help these ships find their niche.

For example:
The stealth runner is fast and sneaky, but easy to kill and not really suited to away missions. Maybe the new asteroid bases will need to hire you for smuggling or spying missions where not getting caught is key?


[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
Approaching Infinity 1.7 is going to bring massive changes and rich depth to this already expansive game. It will also take 9 months to get all this stuff right.

[h3]Please join me on this incredible journey![/h3]

Bob / IBOL17
May 2021