Approaching Infinity 
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Update #140 : Progress ReportMar 15, 2024 - Community AnnouncementsThis video demonstrates my progress on completely reworking Approaching Infinity's user interface: Here's what I cover: Starting a new game Loading a game Expanded play area Zoomable map Officers screen Inventory manipulation Quests screen Options menu with new options Cooldown icons Space station interiors In case you don't know what I'm talking about, and you're not a video person (I'm more of a reader), here are some images: New Game Process: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/7571193275b973c31cb6a36141081544f3bea461.gif Inventory: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/6c5556702116e7daf3a1be75c289bbff86c2223f.gif Quests: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/90f0a7679db251fb93abcbbb1103904fcb17f1c3.gif Options Menu: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/8c411d17383da6c0843e1f4bbe403af8eb4b5345.gif Not Released Yet: 😭 Update #139 : Progress Report!Feb 9, 2024 - Community AnnouncementsUser Interface Overhaul You've already seen some of the progress I've made on the gameplay area, but let's get started with something unexpected: Character Generator! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/45ede489054f06d6665e08ddd2277257dbcbe5af.gif We're still working on making this the best it can be, with randomization and locking features. We'll also have presets available, and you'll be able to save your favorites. You can watch me do this next part in my series of progress reports, starting with the latest one: We're refining the entire new game process, so that each choice gets its own screen, and you can focus on the details you need, when you need them. Here's the prototype: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/12057aa7704b003c5e8c4ff8920f60478b3c8233.gif (Warning: SLOW GIF!) It starts with ship selection, showing lots of easy-to-read information. Then you customize your captain's appearance (or randomize or choose from presets, whatever you want!). Next you choose your class and skill. Finally select difficulty, perma-death, and starting funds. Each with its own dedicated screen. Officers Now you can see everything about all of your officers, in one place, all at once! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/2db503ed50e5e93371ccb069adbb2e2abcfcdc9d.png (Yes, this screenshot uses the old officer art. The new ones aren't actually in the game yet...) Space Station Interiors Everything is getting a makeover, and space station interiors are already about 1000% more user friendly: The Lobby: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/f90276817b8c3780566953f8a28cd511c683a051.png All space station navigation is now done either with the mouse or the arrow keys, and everything is laid out in a nice orderly fashion, with big text and on-screen descriptions. The Market: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/db1198e40436c774ed83aa473b60b300bdd9510c.png All the info you need to make the best choices about where to buy and sell goods for the biggest profits. Also a "sell everything" button that tells you up-front how much you'll make ːsteamhappyː The Outfitter: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/1e566d67f8ca7718ad451e95424f3868f507184e.png Gone are the days of paying for "restocks", hoping you'll find that shield you need. Instead, space stations can now carry over 20 items, and they're guaranteed to have at least one of every kind of ship part and away team gear. You even get color-coded comparisons of the gear that's offered versus what you have installed. QoL FTW! What's the down side? It's not out yet ːsteamsadː Update #138Nov 24, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsI've been working on changing this: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/87e73abee36adcd608202ed7d38ac3685b686213.png into THIS: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/8544d39478f705cb1006654c541edeb4c5ec3f28.gif With recolorable UI: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/3cebcc235650e4db06ef939e8120b94b50a76998.gif Collapsible mini-map: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/d9ca236b61a292a22ba7d925207f4242d451d473.gif And big readable screens like this: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/6c5556702116e7daf3a1be75c289bbff86c2223f.gif The work is going slower than expected because I need to rearrange and rewrite enormous blocks of spaghetti code (ramen?) that have accumulated over the past 10 years. But as you can see, things are getting done. If you want more information on the plan for finishing the game, take a look at Starmap 1.9 here on Steam. And if you're already fine with the existing user interface, don't panic! This might be an option: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/a8b88e04ab1b7e9210e8664514afa81b15542922.png ^ The "Classic UI Option" ^ (And for owners of the UI DLC, we'll make new exclusive UI skins for you that fit the new layout!)Update #137Oct 26, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsIf you've been following this game for a while, you know something about me: I don't like bugs! So it's only a matter of time until I go on a fixing spree. Here are further changes to all public branches, version 1.8i2: Fixed "cargo vacuum doesn't pick up credits and supplies if cargo bay is full". now it does. Fixed "gravity pulse (and cryo blast) doesn't give damage type knowledge on kill". now it does. Fixed "level up pop-up appears during combat". Now it doesn't. Probably eliminated picking up invisible items to be "marked for transport". Haven't found why they're spawning. On sprawling planets, your location N/E/S/W will be more clearly displayed. Fixed a rare error in race's "last words" Tried to find and prevent some ways that null items might be spawning. Created an "exclusion list" for things that some monsters will pick up on away missions. (not only firax objects, but it looks like they could pick up transit tubes and radiation tiles!) should be fixed. When you come out of a cave and find yourself on the north/east/etc. area of a planet, and the surface wasn't supposed to have those, path arrows should now spawn, and you can return to the landing site. Fixed an error that caused quest entities to re-spawn after they've been completed. I fixed a bug where some pre-designed shipwreck levels would generate totally surrounded by floor. Fixed a bug where away team icons would briefly flash white during certain area transitions. I attempted to address the improper deletion of files from victories and deaths. Hopefully also fixed some weird issues when going up and down cave levels. Also working on getting the game to register the fact that you've destroyed all nanostructure on a planet or shipwreck, thereby averting the nanopocalypse locally. I am further working to eliminate the random "marked for transport" bugs, because I just got one. Tried to prevent your ship from blowing up because you switched armor :O Fixed a bug where petting a bunny while wielding a zapper would trigger the adjacent attacks of that weapon. All these are in addition to the previous update which you may or may not be away of: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/551620/view/6507196838838247786 Enjoy! PS: if you haven't seen my plans for the next year, check out Starmap 1.9: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/551620/view/3714965613418825879 PPS: Yes, I'm still talking. Thanks for reading this far. And since you're here, if you haven't given the game a positive Steam review yet, please take a moment to do that. Getting to 500 reviews would put us in a whole new category of visibility ;) Thanks! Starmap 1.9Oct 20, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsThis is it: The final push to 2.0 And leaving Early Access! As usual, these are the broad strokes. Lots of other features and fixes will happen along the way. UI OVERHAUL The UI Overhaul is already underway! David (Approaching Infinity's artist) and I have been talking about it for 2 months, making mock-ups and measurements and plans, and this week I've been putting those plans into action: Make the entire screen be the play area. Center the action on the player (you), and make the map freely zoom-able. Place interface elements unobtrusively around the edges. Remodel the input system, including a "right click context menu". Make all menus use the full screen space. Update the "new game" process. Create new information screens, essentially a "galactapedia" of everything you want to know. Modernize everything! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/abec8427acadb1a2c6f5809665f2c1377525dbaa.gif But what if you like the screen layout the way it is? I intend to provide a "classic mode", with the map on the left and the HUD on the right. And for everyone who has the UI DLC: We will make new special UI skins for you, don't worry! CRAFTING OVERHAUL I use that term "overhaul" a lot. I picked it up playing a certain space 4x game as a kid, where you could bring your old ships up to current standards, at the cost of time and resources... yep, that sounds about right ;) Crafting recipes will remain randomized for each game. Special weapons will be craftable, such as incendiary rifle or shock blaster. Other ingredients will be required, beyond crafting parts. These include existing gadgets and new "essences", which will be derived from rare plants (mostly). Totally new "consumable" items will be craftable and usable (squik poison, radiation remover, cryo ammo, etc.) ASTEROID BASE ROOMS AND QUESTS The asteroid base faction you meet in sector 9 has the power to change the galaxy, but (as usual) they're going to need your help to do it. There are still some new services they could provide, and quite a few stories they can tell. Meet the Botanists colleague: the alchemist (related to deriving essences from rare plants). Visit the "Clone-a-terium" and further safeguard yourself against an untimely death. Explore the political structure of the "cosmic conglomerate". Go on archaeological quests to learn about the "Protomonoco", the dominant race in this part of the galaxy millennia ago. Help the Pathfinders and Starsmiths cooperate on the Fargate Project. Of course, much more ;) COMMERCE PLANETS For years, people have been asking "where are all the inhabited planets?" My answer has always been "They're boring. You're looking for adventure!" And that's still true: you only see what you can meaningfully interact with. You don't see all the empty moons with no life or loot. You don't see the mega-cities where you have to get a boring job and pay exorbitant rent. You should be thanking me! Anyway, commerce planets are like frontier outposts: small settlements inhabited by diverse i...1.8 Still Needed Work...Oct 14, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsI spent the week plugging some holes in the "final" release of 1.8 , here is a list of changes: I updated the description of the fake id device. I made sure that illegal commodities weren't selected for Sigorn trade missions. I made more checks to keep trade quests from pointing to sectors without stations. I've made it so that the sigorn trader and pirate smuggler should only ever hail you once, instead of repeatedly. Time between Sigorn trade quests has been extended, and they should not point to sectors with existing quests. I have probably fixed the inconsistencies with asteroid base items. I also lowered the prices of those items. Rooms that are ready to build in the asteroid base are now green in the list on the left: Mercenary skill "nemesis hunter" now does +25% damage per level against bosses / big bads Fixed a bug where "auto-fire" wouldn't decloak your ship or trigger the stealth runner quest. I limited the kinds of items that will make salvage teams angry if you pick them up. (for example, taking credits or devices angers them, taking blood stains will not) I made sure that aliens on salvage missions would pick things up. I've added a "seen / unseen" condition indicator to the away team gear panel, based on whether anything else currently sees you. When repairing machines on shipwrecks that require gadgets or repair kits, you will now be asked "this requires X and you have Y, do you really want to fix it?" The flashing colored warnings around the edge of the screen for things like low hull, supplies, oxygen, and HP can be SHUT OFF using the code "nopulse". This will also stop hypno-flowers from flashing. Monsters on away missions may no longer be able to shoot you from around corners. may. I have finally Finally. FINALLY! Fixed the items on the map that appear as white squares until you light them up. Bankers now pay triple for surveys of "former human colonies" , but it can hurt your reputation with the Resistance... Selling a Firax artifact in an embassy pawn shop will increase your rep with that race by 10 But it reduces your rep with the Firax by 5, except: Selling an artifact to the Firaxughinians boosts your rep by 20. Ships will no longer "pick up" quest items and other important stuff. I removed debug text when tooltipping item on map. Soon I will publish Star Map 1.9, a guide to the final leg of this incredible journey!Update #135: 1.8 Complete?Oct 6, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsAfter 6 months of big changes and 6 weeks of beta tests, version 1.8 may be complete. How will we know? Let's check in with Starmap 1.8, created long ago to guide this part of the journey. Looks like a big ✔ next to all the major points. Here are some of the final touches coming to all players as of today: NPC ship captains exist :O You can get trade missions from a Sigorn captain (if you're friendly with them). Pirates can offer missions where you smuggle illegal goods into Limoquee space. Alien corpses found on planets will sometimes have stories explaining what happened to them. The Eaters will now judge you based on how many other factions you're friendly with. New feature: "Mark for Transport". Tired of making multiple trips to the shuttle when you find lots of big loot? Just mark it for transport and those days are over! Once unlocked in any game, rare plants will spawn in all games, but not much in lower sectors. "Fake ID" and "Credentials" now require you to pay a bribe to get into stations where you otherwise would not be welcome. Higher levels reduce the effect. Docking at faction embassies can reduce your reputation with their enemies. (For example, docking at a pirate base can reduce your rep with the Sigorn, Bankers, and Limoquee.) This happens once per sector. Pirates and Eaters will actively go after big stacks of commodities left on the map. Cyber-skills picked up are now automatically equipped to any officer who can use them. Nebulas are now continuous clouds with nice round edges. I changed how away team hit points are calculated so small away teams aren't so useless ;) I introduced "pay it forward" daily codes. There are, of course, the usual host of fixes and quality-of-life changes. Enjoy! What's next? 1.9 will be the final push to (let me check my math...) 2.0 , which means leaving early access! That's probably still a year away... 1.9 is going to start *big*. The long awaited, much requested, feared-and-lamented-by-me UI OVERHAUL The plan is to emphasize the play area and keep the UI as sleek and out-of-the-way as possible. Here are some mock-ups we've done: Space, with the map zoomed out: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/d35cd6e07486dbf0f3eaa87c38fc0334fd1ef9e3.png The new installation screen: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/beb601e5953d3f36f886ee24ba67aa3971a5239e.jpg Zoomed in on the away team: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/ebbc881600488c282fd7f3e567c356c602950db3.png For those who are perfectly happy with everything the way it is... Right now, the plan is to offer a "classic mode"... check it out: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/a8b88e04ab1b7e9210e8664514afa81b15542922.png And for everyone who uses the UI DLC, don't worry! We'll make lots of special UI skins for the new UI too. Other plans for 1.9 include: A mega-quest about the Narcratu invasion Learning more about the Engravers Finding a way to fight the nano-pocalypse More rooms and quests from asteroid bases Crafting system overhaul Introduction of "commerce planets" Much much mor...Update #134: Beta 1.8F6Sep 16, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsVersion 1.8F6 is live in the beta branch now, with the following changes: Cyber-skills you pick up are automatically equipped by any officer who can use them. After you've unlocked rare plants once, they'll be unlocked in all future games. Ant-hills now spawn ants when damaged. Nebulas have rounded edges. Fix: "Close your account" achievement should now trigger. Fix: NPC ship captains will now properly surrender. Fix: You can no longer accidentally click through from the quest success dialog. Fix: right clicking to drop cargo no longer crashes the game. Last Words You may have found the occasional cluster of alien corpses on away missions and wondered "what happened to them?" Sometimes you can figure that out for yourself, but now sometimes you can find their final log entry. Maybe it's related to nearby monsters or local diseases. Maybe it was the environmental conditions, running out of supplies, or a crew member that turned against everyone else. Plenty more stories to find, and as with many systems, I'm just scratching the surface of what can be done with this ;) In case you missed it, there were some big changes to away team HP, and a new kind of daily code. Check out update #133. Have fun, space captains! Update #133Sep 9, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsBeta 1.8F5 is available! Away Team HP: The base HP of all space suits has been greatly increased, but your HP will no longer be multiplied by the number of crew on the away team. Having more crew will still result in being able to take more total damage, but in a much more reasonable way. For example, in previous versions, an away team with 24 crew would have 30 times as many total HP as one with only 4 crew! Now the difference is only 6 times (24/4=6). If this isn't making sense, don't worry! It will all just happen and look normal when you play. New Daily Codes: I've added a new type of daily code: it adds directly to your "Pay It Forward" account, which is money you can withdraw when you start a new game (optional,of course). There are also codes that give equipment, devices, or credits. There are even codes that can save you from danger! These are shared regularly on our Discord, and also in this steam thread. To get you started, here are 3 Pay It Forward codes, each for 1 million credits: RQacGRBS (Sept 9) OXR6%F3K (Sept 10) RQAm2fx4 (Sept 11) You can only use one daily code per day. They are only good for the date listed. They're entered from the in-game options menu. You can cut-and-paste the codes (they're all 8 characters, so don't include the date or spaces). This version also includes several bug fixes and minor QOL features. Enjoy! Steam Strategy FestSep 4, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsIt's the final hours of the Steam Strategy Fest, don't miss your chance to pick up this unique space exploration roguelike at a discount. Update #131Aug 25, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsWeapons will no longer ignore shields. I really liked shield-piercing weapons as a concept, I'm sad to see it go. But it had the potential for instant death without warning, which is not fun. And "fun" is what you're here for. The machine gun, hull raker, railgun, spinal driver, and neutron beam will no longer ignore shields. Their base damage has been increased, so your existing versions of those weapons may be under-powered. Activated skills have shorter cool-downs. Most space activated skills now have cool-down times of 25-50 turns, a few are 100-125, and the most potentially disruptive ones (including "false evidence", where you can pit 2 other ships against each other) are 250 turns. This should make them much more useful. I've also increased their drop rate, so you'll get more of them earlier in the game. Work has begun on the UI overhaul! This game comes from a genre (traditional roguelikes) where graphics were of minor importance. I wanted to fit as much information on the screen as possible, and I didn't really care how big the play area was... Times have changed, and so will Approaching Infinity. My eyes were opened when I got this mockup from Polat Yarisci (who you may know from his work on the Caves of Qud UI). I encourage any indie developer who isn't a front-end genius to get in touch with him. Here's how he saw my game: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/fa99067a825aa0d6b8e299d5e669d0d2199a5b3f.png Amazing, right?! I immediately set to work making lists and taking apart the existing UI and realizing that I wasn't really ready to work on this yet, it was just too big. But my pixel artist friend David Gervais got involved and together we started moving things around and re-imagining them... Here's an early iteration: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/0fa0570c4739707cf039a0de40826be767e12c80.png And here's one of the latest: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/e012266c76aaf25a1713824add29e6d5e4092b20.png Look at all that _S_P_A_C_E_! Or Maybe you can move those info windows wherever you want?! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/545e9d66ecbb1fdcbbc64d4d16bf21d1a70ac542.png You can expect the evolution to continue until we get everything right. Then we'll take the revolution to the entire game, revising every screen for maximum style and user-friendliness. None of this is in the game right now. I'd make an even bigger deal out of it if it were ;) Some numbers After 10 years in the making and 3 years on Steam Early Access, this is the 131st update (I went back and counted), and the end is in sight: I hope to reach full release (version 2.0) in 2024. Join me on my quest to save destroy create the galaxy! No Shield Pierce Beta (1.8F)Aug 13, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsFor about 10 days, we will be experimenting with removing the "skips shields" tag from all ship weapons. I really like the idea of weapons ignore that shields, but sometimes they can end your game as soon as you go around a corner (planet, nebula, etc.). So in this beta, the machine gun, hull raker, railgun, spinal driver, and neutron beam no longer pierce shields. Their damage has been increased to offset this. Anyone can join the beta branch, it won't break your saves (you can even start a new game if you want). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/de2dcea3f11676578ff230e8bd83948c2ee4c1a9.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/e48dbd5db1e2bdf20dbfafb0c28cbe2c1989209d.png Just go to Settings>Properties>Betas>betafromnowonBalance UpdateJul 27, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsThanks to player feedback, I've executed a major balance of the new ship combat systems. One problem was that enemy difficulty was outpacing equipment available to the player. This has been fixed. Is it too easy now? Still too hard? Let me know! Other changes: Away missions now employ a 4-frame animation for the landing party and monsters. Space stations have new art! Weapons can't force "crew crits" unless your shields are down. Reduced the rarity and minimum sector of all new ship weapons, shields, and armor, making the more interesting ones more available. Added explanation spiels about this and the shuttle's autopilot. Increased the base hull points scaling of new ships from the shipyard, and those you repair yourself. Some faction ships can have cloaking devices instead of shields! Further reduced the cooldowns on most of the new space activated skills. Changed the stealth runner's starting weapon to hull raker (thanks eharper256) New device: Ballistic Accelerator : +1 range for all cannon weapons New device: Cyclic Capacitor : +33% damage for all beam weapons New device: Armored Missiles: +1 PD required to intercept your missiles, and they do more damage even through point defense. New device: Missile Scrambler: Enemy missiles can't target your ship from a range greater than 5 New random quest: Gas giant survey: collect special data pickups near gas giants (fairly basic stuff). New random quest: Embassy spying: intercept secret communications in space without being seen! (new and different!) Skill change: Level 2 of Thermal Dissipators (Lava-walk) further reduces duration of burn status effect. Skill change: Level 2 of Mountain Climbing skill reduces earthquake and cave-in damage. Skill change: The new "scan every plant and tree for data" function is now tied to the "eco-examiner" skill of the explorer class. Skill change: "Cartography" skill (explorer class) now helps you survey planets at less than 100%, at -5% per level. Skill change: "scanning specialist" skill increases your de-cloak radius by 1 per level. Skill change: "Mining Specialist": Level 1 automatically picks up whatever you get out of the asteroid. Level 2 automatically mines all adjacent asteroids. Level 3 increases this distance to 2 tiles! I also updated the demo to include all changes here, and a fix for a rare bug that was plaguing some users. Have fun out there, space captains! Space Combat BalanceJun 30, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsGreetings captains, Recent casualty reports indicated some issues. These have been addressed: The HP and damage of most space enemies has been adjusted ("reduced"). Scaling issues that start around sector 20 have been resolved. Did I mention that I fixed the "upgrading from demo" issue? 1.8 ReleasedJun 14, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsI've been working on version 1.8 for almost 3 months now, following the plans laid out in the Starmap, and I've really gotten a *lot* done: Big Stuff: ✔ SPACE WEAPON / DEFENSE REWRITE The changes here are too many to list, but you can check out the steam guide for all the details. The most important points are as follows: You can install any weapon in any weapon slot (no more small/medium/large) Weapons are divided into cannons, beams, and missiles, and each has unique properties. Shields are great protection against beam weapons, but many cannons pass right through them! Missiles have long range and high damage, but are stopped by point defense. Your installed weapons determine your "point defense" stat, which protects from missiles but gets depleted as it's used. You (and your enemies) can now score *critical hits* which can knock out engines, weapons, sensors, or even kill crew! There are lots of new kinds of armor and shields too, providing powers, bonuses, or protection against certain types of damage. ✔ SPACE ACTIVATED SKILLS 20 exciting new powers available to your officers, like "emergency warp", "false evidence", and the oft-requested "orbital bombardment". Also done: ✔ SHIP STAT BALANCE ✔ ARMOR AND SHIELD BALANCE ✔ SUPPLY USAGE BALANCE ✔ NEW POWERS FOR SPACE ENEMIES ✔ OFFICER PAY BY TIME ✔ COMMODITY VALUE/SIZE REMODEL ✔ ACHIEVEMENT RENOVATION ✔ MANAGEABLE SIZE Judging by the speed I've accomplished things, I definitely got this one right. Not planned but done anyway: ✔ New Spaceship Art! Some of the new ships are featured on the artwork for this update ;) Thanks David! Not Done Yet: NEW SPACE MISSION TYPES You don't always have to go down to planets to do cool stuff, and not all space missions need to be "kill that!" or "get that!". I'll expand on space mission types in the final leg of 1.8's development. Might Do: ASTEROID BASE PROGRESSION I'm really not sure about this, because it's more of an "away team" thing, and I'm *really* into space right now ;) Probably Not: ENHANCED CRAFTING This will happen, but again, it's not "spacey" enough for the current dev cycle. Imagine being able to make whatever kind of special weapon, suit, or shield you want, as long as you have the long list of ingredients, some scrap metal and gadgets, and a few thousand extra data... it's like that. Just not yet. Definitely not yet, but will still happen: NEW USER INTERFACE The UI is a big deal. It's how the user interfaces with ("PLAYS") the game (hence the name) (and the importance). I'd prefer to have all new systems in place before I tackle this one, so I know what I need. Uh oh! OLD SAVES ARE INCOMPATIBLE! With all these changes, your old saves won't work anymore! This is the first time in almost 3 years this has happened, and I think it will be the last time too, but I wanted to tell you. I created a Steam branch called "Legacy17" if you can't stand to part with your current game just yet. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/a833cfbfc205a840659ea79a87be37646e610...Big Changes Are Coming!Jun 3, 2023 - Community Announcements1.8 is Coming Soon I've been working on it for almost 3 months now, it's been in beta for weeks, and soon it will be available for everyone. If you look at Starmap 1.8 , you'll see that I've already hit most of the major points: Space weapon and defense rewrite Armor, shield, and ship stat balance Supply overhaul Commodity size / value remodel Officer pay by time Space activated skills! I feel great about these! But there's a catch to all this innovation... Your saves won't be compatible ːsteamfacepalmː There are just too many fundamental changes. That's why I created the... New "Legacy17" Branch If you can't bear to let go of your current game, you can switch to the Legacy17 branch *right now*. It is the exact same version you're already playing, and it won't change when I finally roll out the new features. Go to Approaching Infinity on Steam > Manage > Properties > Betas > Legacy17 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/a833cfbfc205a840659ea79a87be37646e6103b8.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/de2dcea3f11676578ff230e8bd83948c2ee4c1a9.png{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/e48dbd5db1e2bdf20dbfafb0c28cbe2c1989209d.png But seriously, finish up and then come back to main, because all the new space weapons and skills are pretty amazing ;) Achievement Changes Pending Approaching Infinity has 143 in-game achievements right now, and 70 official Steam Achievements. Most of these were created almost 10 years ago now, and include things like "kill 10,000 monsters", which is a grind and not a fun motivation to try something new. So I'm going to scrap a lot of existing achievements, and put in new ones that are more interesting. This is discussed in the Starmap, with some hints about what's coming. Steam users may see your achievement count go *down*, as I remove the overly grindy stuff. This will affect all players, and no version-switching can stop it. See you space captain...Demo UpdateMay 27, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsPlay for free up to sector 7 Get all the latest story developments Experiment with new weapons and skills Meet 7 alien factions Many quests available Extra starting ships unlocked Includes the new bestiary and installation screens Carry over your run from the demo to the full game Space Activated SkillsMay 19, 2023 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38088504/0f3b015ac13b3514a9d2d064705ff47855634242.png Your officers have some powerful abilities on away missions, but they've been slacking when it comes to the harsh realities of deadly space combat. Well no more! Now each division has 4 activated skills to use in space, whether for offense, defense, movement, diplomacy, or information. Even the often-suggested (and just as often denied) "Planetary Bombardment" is now an option. Check it out! CURIOSITY DIVISION (Blue) Shields Up! : Removes shield cooldown and instantly restores them to half strength (but not above). Interference Burst : All adjacent ships lose 50% of their max shields. If they are already below 50%, this will drop their shields completely. Firing Solution : Your shots this turn ignore the target's evasion and point defense. Sensor Attunement : Your ship has +2 sensor range and +5 planet scanning for 20 turns. COMBAT DIVISION (Red) Another Volley : Clears cooldown timers on all weapons. PD Reboot : Instantly restores your point defense to its maximum value and removes the PD recharge cooldown. Ion Tracker : For 20 turns, all entities beyond visual range will be shown as red dots on the sector map. Orbital Bombardment : Fire ship weapons at a planet, causing damage and weakening life forms on the surface. SYSTEMS DIVISION (Yellow) Emergency Repairs : Immediately removes cooldown from engines and sensors. Restores hull up to your ship's base hull (does not repair armor). All She's Got : Doubles your effective speed for 10 turns. When this period expires, engines will be on cooldown for 3 turns, leaving you temporarily stranded. Target Engines : Your next shot will knock out the target's engines for 5 turns. Maximum Evasion : Your evasion becomes 75 for 3 turns, greatly reducing damage from enemy cannons and missiles. SOCIAL DIVISION (Green) Truce : All ships within visual range will stop attacking for 5 turns, unless fired upon. Does not work on Narcratu. Distress Call : Calls allies. If you have friends in this sector (rep 60+), several may come. If not, it may take time for one to warp in. Sensor Ghost : Creates a temporary copy of your ship. Anyone attacking you this turn will target the decoy instead. False Evidence : You provide false information that pits 2 ships against each other. May not work against closely-aligned factions, or ships already hostile to you. ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION (Purple) Deep Scanning : For 20 turns, you can see (but not shoot) beyond terrain that would normally block sensors, like nebula, stars, and planets. Vapor Screen : Release large quanitites of gas and water vapor into space, creating temporary sight-blocking clouds around your ship. Emergency Warp : An escape maneuver that uses your warp drive in an unintended way: to jump randomly within a sector. Adds your warp drive's normal cooldown time plus an additional 50. Go Dark : Makes your ship invisible until you move, shoot, or are detected by an enemy that is actively looking fo...New Weapon Beta UpdateMay 13, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsI'm already working on space activated skills, but I wanted to let you know about all the changes to space combat. I did a lot of playtesting this week, rebalanced weapons, and made the following changes: Finally fixed the syndicate interdictor quest completing under all conditions. Fixed a mouse targeting issue Sword parry now allows a strikeback if you have that power. Fixed a bug where the transcendent horror wasn't attacking you at long range. (sorry) Fixed a bug where the Sil were not demanded artifacts. (sorry) The last enemy you shot will automatically be targeted next turn! I fixed "starfighters" asteroid base room to properly represent the new ship weapon model I improved "heavy" weapons Station equipment store restock cost no longer goes exponential. A ship's weapons are now displayed directly in the "target info" window, no need to tooltip. not released. I further decreased the amount of damage you take from missiles when point defense shoots them down (now take 10%) E-Warfare Pod now is guaranteed to crit some internal system on a hull hit. I have reduced a global variable that controls HP & Damage. Enemies and equipment will be weaker. your current items will be overpowered. I have reduced the damage of many missile weapons. Decreased the price of many weapons. I found and fixed the "shipwreck levels re-generating error" You can now build exterior walls on top of floors in shipwrecks (like you would expect), as long as they're next to a wall and some space. fixed quest completion screen hang Changed "wanderer" starting ship weapons and supplies. E-Warfare Pod and Nano-Cannon now do half damage vs. shields. Fixed "both stations sold out" issue Fixed a space AI bug Updated boss spaceships and race showdowns to new models. You only have to pay the Bankers docking fee once per sector. Space Combat UpdateMay 5, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsTry out 29 new spaceship weapons! Install any weapon in any slot! Score critical hits! Defend yourself against cannons, beams, and missiles! I've compiled all this information into a new Steam Guide: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2971265991 But I think you should just play it for yourself ;) If you're consulting Starmap 1.8, you'll find that I've hit about half of it in the first month. AWESOME! Sale! In celebration of this release, for one week (starting 10am PST / 1pm EST) you can save 10% on Approaching Infinity and the Interface expansion. Stop waiting. Start exploring the infinite universe today! Note: for the first time in almost 3 years, your old saves will **not** be compatible. Sorry, there are just too many changes for them to work. They won't be deleted though, so you can switch to the main branch if you want.
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