ibol17

Six months ago, I wrote about the algorithmic process of dividing shipwrecks into rooms. It’s come a long way since then. I’ve created the furniture that goes in those rooms (chairs, computers, command consoles, hydroponics units), and a host of different ways that it can be placed (against one wall, in all the corners, filling the center). One really cool thing about furniture is that it can be…

Post-Generation Algorithmic Room Assignment (LOL)

Or, “How to use math to find the bathroom.” I’ve been working on Approaching Infinity the space adventure rogue-like for 8 years now, and it probably won’t be out of Early Access until 2023, because there’s just so much I want to *do* with it! The current development focus is a (nearly-) complete overhaul of shipwreck generation. These are probably still my favorite types of areas (although I…

A New Twist for Approaching Infinity

The Captain Is An Officer! OR: Why didn’t I think of that?

Yep, kinda like Rocky & Bullwinkle always had two names for every episode, there are two ways to think about this entry. We’re deep into the official beta test, and a lot of good ideas are coming up. But there’s this really big one that I can’t really believe was never put forward before: The captain (the player) should be an officer!

Fro…

The Joys Of #Gamedev

  This morning I decided to add a new alien race to Approaching Infinity. I had been thinking about them for months, letting the ideas coalesce in my mind. But today, I finally just did it. And it only took about an hour, thanks to the modular design of everything. Type the monsters into the file, give them behaviors, and watch them go!

So here we have a Gruff Intimidator chasing off an astral…

Recent Developments for A.I.

My last announcement was about publishing, and that was pretty cool. But i’d like to talk about what I’ve done in the time since then.

Approaching Infinity has a Mac Version! I doubted it for a long time, and I’m sure some of you doubted it too, but it exists. It is for kickstarter backers only at this point, but if it becomes stable enough, then it will be more widely released. “Stable enough?”,…

Two hours ago, I signed a publishing contract for Approaching Infinity with Shrapnel Games.

Wow. I have been hoping to be able to make this announcement for a month now, and it’s finally here.

So, who is Shrapnel Games? The “Publisher of Premiere War & Strategy Games”, that’s who! It was Shrapnel that put out Space Empires 4 and Weird Worlds, two awesome space strategy games. I am honored to have…

You might say it’s a bit late (and you might be technically correct) (which is the best kind of correct, for all you futurama fans!) but anyway it’s getting really close…it’s just hard to say when enough is enough.

At what point can I really stop and say, “this game is done” ? Many roguelike developers will agree, a game is never really finished.

So yes progress is still being made. Yes the game…

The End Of An April!

I said I’d finish A.I. by April. Then I pushed that back to mid-May. Now it’s looking like late May. But progress is happening! I am planning another beta release to existing testers, and toying with the idea of giving all backers a short window of opportunity to download it as well, so you can get any last minute feature requests in!

The racial quest lines are done, and you can win the game 8…

Approaching Infinity Crunch Time Day 1

Approaching Infinity Crunch Time, Day 1, Part 1:One month until release. The family is away. TIME TO CODE! I really need to finish this game on time. Kickstarter backers are counting on it, not to mention all the other fans out there. So here I go…

Working on finishing quests today, starting with Tentaculons. I’ve been working on them for several days now, and I intend to finish today.

In one of…

Beta 04 Out Today

Approaching Infinity Beta 04 is out now, with the demo available right here on indieDB

If you are already a playtester, you will be receiving an email shortly. If you purchased on itch.io, you can get it right now, the same way you got the game in the first place.

A.I. is a space exploration game that plays like a classical roguelike, with a modern graphical interface. Space goes on forever, with…

I was playing pirates with my 4 year old daughter, and she buried some treasure for us to find. She had put a lock on the treasure, and we also had to find the key. LIGHTBULB! I started thinking about adventure games where you need the red key to unlock the red chest, etc. Then I started thinking about force fields and switches in Approaching Infinity.

I realized that I could randomly place…

  “Auto-Explore” is a feature that is common to many major (or complete?) roguelikes. It is not required, but it is often desired. But why? Isn’t exploration one of the key components of the game? Discovery! But sometimes players become indifferent, or impatient, and just want something exciting to happen.

That’s where auto-explore comes in. Press a key, and your avatar will move somewhere new…

Approaching Infinity Seeks Your Vote On Steam Greenlight!

Ok, you can stop asking…Approaching Infinity is finally on Steam Greenlight! I can’t believe I waited so long. Please take a second and vote yes today!

Sale

During the greenlight campaign, A.I. will be on sale for 34% off at itch.io

Play’n'Chat

I’ll be doing a Play’n'Chat tonight with Average Giants at 10pm EST Show starts at 9pm with the creator of AE Heart, so tune in early!

Beta 03

Approachin…

Eden Sector and Approaching Infinity

Hard Work

As you may know, I’ve been working on Approaching Infinity since August 2013. I stay up till 2am programming, wake up at 8 or before with the kids, and work 2nd shift. During the day I find a few half-hours here and there, and at work, I do what I can when I have the time. I work really hard on this project!

October was press month. November was the kickstarter. Decemberwas “thank god I…

Progress

It has been a great couple of weeks for Approaching Infinity! So many little features have been added. Things that have been crying for attention, or sitting quietly waiting to be noticed.

Officers can now actually join away teams, and they can be killed if the team is lost!

Alien Diseases now spread among the crew and kill over time if you allow an infected landing party to return to…

AI Beta 02

Approaching Infinity Beta 02 Has been released!

February was all about doing the major quests that are presented to you by the intelligent alien races you meet in the game. Four of those races provide new victory conditions (Vordalene, Bankers, Firaxughinians, Monks). Quest lines that don’t end the game have a tendency to loop, providing a basically endless source of rewards. There were lots of…

Laziest Blog Post Ever!

This kickstarter update I posted says everything you need to know, and can be viewed by anyone:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/181428952/approaching-infinity-a-space-adventure-roguelike/posts/760049

Highlights:

BETA 02 this sunday!

Main Quests 80% complete!

Under Dug : http://ibol17.itch.io/under-dug

Early Access : http://ibol17.itch.io/approaching-infinity-early-access

Free Level Editor :