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.
Big Feature #1 : Captain's Log
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!
Big Feature #2: Graveyard
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!
Big Feature #3: Shuttle Damage
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!
Big Feature #4: Tool-tip with middle mouse button
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 ;)
What's Next?!
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!