The first part of the officer skill overhaul is complete:
Passives
These are the same types of skills that have always been there, but they are now much better. There are no more redundant skills or weak powers. And 99% of skills now have at least 2 meaningful levels.
There are also a few *new* skills, like:
- Surprise Attack (Tactical officer) : Plus 50% damage per level to creatures not already attacking you.
- Wreck Tech (Planetary officer) : Level 1 fixes damaged floors. Level 2 gives 'magnetic boots' power. Level 3 removes damaged walls.
- Elemental Trigger (Transmutor officer) : Increases the chances that weapons with powers like cryo and incendiary will activate their special effects, by 33% per level.
- ...and more...
Also, all "walk" skills (waterwalk, mountain climber, etc.) now have a second level that eliminates the movement speed penalty of crossing these difficult terrains.
What about my level 12 officers?!
That's where the "re-spec" part comes in: When you load up your previous game, all your officers will have their old powers removed, and all their XP refunded. You get to level them up with the new skills, for free!
And from now on, embassies of the Tentaculons, Vordalene, and Eaters will offer a respeccing service. This will not be free, and it will also not return all their experience. But the Tentaculons really know what they're doing: you'll get 99% back from them. Eaters, not so much ;)
Activated skills are still coming, but this was a good first step to getting your away team geared up for what's to come.
Minefields
Minefields in space have been remodeled to be more threatening. Specifically, they're invisible!
Until you get close. Then you can see them.
It's always seemed a little weird to me when I really thought about mines in the real world. Part of the threat is the fact that you don't know exactly where they are. So now, minefields will be a surprise in Approaching Infinity.
But there's a bright side to this too: Minesweeper skills, artifacts, and devices will all help you detect mines from further away, in addition to providing a chance to disarm them (chance).
Asteroid Mining
Asteroid mining got an update too! Now there are lots of different kinds of asteroids, each one yielding a specific item when mined. The device "Asteroid Cracker" was redesigned to cause some asteroids to split in half when mined, effectively doubling your chances to get something good.
Barren rocks have a reduced chance of producing anything, and can't be broken up. The brown "legacy" asteroids will now yield raw ore, and they can be split. Other types give chemicals, gemstones, or even precious metals (granted simply as credit pickups).
So if you haven't played the asteroid miner ship yet, now is a good time to try it out. It comes with built-in devices to help you get the most out of all those space rocks floating around out there.
Retribution Strikes
Are you one of those players who goes around shooting non-hostile alien ships just to see what loot they drop? Well look out, because retribution strikes are here.
When you attack friendly ships (or even the non-hostile citizens of the 12 major races) they will remember. If you do it often, they'll send you a warning. If you keep it up, eventually they'll send a fleet after you.
A "retribution strike" is no ordinary encounter. It disrupts space-time in the local area and prevents warping for a few turns. It spawns a fleet of ships determined to destroy you: they won't retreat when damaged, and they won't easily get distracted by anything else. You also won't be able to dock or land for a longer-than-normal period.
So be kind to your alien neighbors... or else!
What's next?
Within the next 2 weeks, I expect to have the first 20 activated skills available for testing in the beta branch. This will be another major step towards greater complexity for Approaching Infinity.
Here's a sampling of skills to come:
- Dodge
- Intimidate
- Smoke Screen
- Cryo Blast
- Haste
- Detect Monster
- EMP
- Remote Pilot
- Power Strike
- Run & gun
Oh yeah,
If you're a fan of Approaching Infinity and you haven't left a review yet, I'd really appreciate you doing that. If you're still on the fence, just wait, because it is just going to keep getting better and more interesting.
Thanks!