Approaching Infinity News

Approaching Infinity has always been a game where you play until you die and then start a new game. OK, that's fine. But what if it wasn't?

What happens when you unlock a new ship or character class and want to start with those? Either you abandon the current game, wait it out, or go for a quick win. All fine, but what if you didn't have to?

[h3]
Introducing Multiple Concurrent Games![/h3]



You can now run up to 9 individual games at once!

This does not mean you can have 9 copies of the same game saved in different slots... I'm not supporting that kind of behavior in a rogue-like at this time. (But I won't try to stop you from copying your saves in the local file system either...)

This is all happening in the Beta branch which anyone can join. Let me know if you have any problems.

I even designed the new system to incorporate your old save into the new format, so that you won't lose your current game. I really don't like breaking your saves :)

There are also some other little features and upgrades in this one, but I won't go into detail here.


[h3]What about "Hails"?[/h3]

Oh, yeah, that's still a thing... talking to alien ships is pretty important in a space game!



There haven't been any big problems with the hailing feature, and there's been a lot of positive feedback on it, so you can expect that to come to the main branch this Friday!

Communicating with aliens in Approaching Infinity has always been more of an abstracted thing than a direct conversation.

But that's about to change!





Last week I hinted about a new feature that could serve many purposes. Well, this is it!

Press [H] (re-bindable) when you are near an alien to get a message from that ship. There are lots of possible outcomes:

• They might just say hello, or hint at what they think of you.
  
• They could ignore you (especially if you're fighting them).
  
• They might offer to resupply you if you're running low.
  
• They can let you know about undiscovered planets in the area.
  
• They might say how they feel about other races in the sector.
  
• They can even offer to surrender, or allow you to surrender...
  

Many of these interactions will improve relations with that race. They can also provide important insights into the psychology of these aliens, as well as let you know who their friends and enemies are.

You might discover that the Space Pirates and the Gruff don't get along. (Or you might already know that, if you've seen their ships fighting). Then you might understand why, if you're friends with both races, your relations start to decline with both, until you pick a side.

I made this video last week, when the "Hailing" feature was just getting started, but I didn't announce it. The function has progressed a lot since then, but it might still be worth watching:

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

If you haven't already, you can opt into (or out of) the beta branch at any time from within steam, under settings>betas. It's called "betafromnowon", and it won't break your saves.

[h3]There is still a lot of untapped potential for the "Hailing" feature, and I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Please check it out![/h3]

If you need further incentive, check out this new type of sector that's available: every race you've met so far will have a space station present in the new "Diplomacy Sector":

I know some of you have already been following these new features with great anticipation, and so you've already read most of this, but I'm going to lay it all out here anyway.


Did you ever find a force-field you couldn't get through, or a Firax clue on an island with no way across? I'm sure you tried really hard to remember, but a few sectors later you can't ever remember what you forgot, much less where.

The Captain's Log is the solution!



Don't strain your brain, make a log entry! You can make hundreds of entries, and it's easy to sort, edit, and delete these notes, too. They're also conveniently displayed on the warp screen, where you might need them most.



And your entries display on the star map, so you can use tool tips to read them right as you move around the sector!



I know, this is a pretty standard rogue-like thing (and something that's been in video games for 40+ years), but Approaching Infinity finally has a high score list! It keeps track of your best scores, and can sort up to 25 of the most recent or highest scores, both in the "victories" and "deaths" categories.



It'll be great to see what kinds of scores emerge. I don't have a win score yet (those are fakes!), and my deaths haven't made it out of the 700's. Please note that it will only record your death if you're playing with perma-death turned on. It will record a win either way, so get out there are do some quests!



Wait, that sounds more like a bug, doesn't it? Well it's not. From now on, you can use your landing shuttle as tatical cover for your away team. Shoot from the ship!

However, there is a chance that if you're standing in your shuttle while that mercenary is shooting at you, or that hulking cyclops is swinging its fists, the shuttle could get damaged!



For now, damage to the shuttle just increases the cool-down time before you can launch again. In the future it might cost supplies, parts, money, or something else. Be thankful it's just a few extra turns while you repair it!






Ok, that doesn't really qualify as a big feature, but it's pretty darned convenient for mouse players. Click the middle mouse button to toggle tool-tips on and off. This works great in conjunction with the captain's log feature!

There has also been some adjustment to the input methods over the week, hopefully making them more efficient. There have also been some cool graphical updates you might notice ;)



Well, just this morning an idea congealed in my head that's going to fill in a lot of cracks. It will:

• Get the story out sooner
  
• Give the player hints and lore
  
• Create an entirely new kind of interaction
  
• Launch a new kind of quests (eventually)
  
• Help you make friends!
  

I'm really excited about this new feature, but I won't say more right now...

You go make some captain's log entries, I'm going to play some Borderlands 3!

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...