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…
or, “Adding New Features to a 7-Year Old Game, Part 1” It’s not as easy as you might think. Approaching Infinity was started in August of 2013 as a traditional rogue-like set in space, centered around exploration and loot, heavily influenced by Star Trek and other sci-fi franchises. But the action was always “rogue-like“: move…
In 2019, I quit indie video game development. I had some moderate success over the years, but it was taking all my time, causing me a lot of stress, and returning little in the way of tangible reward. (If you read the posts before this one, you’ll see the last game I didn’t finish: Void…
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…
When I asked my artist friend David Gervais for some new “dirt tiles” for Approaching Infinity, it took him a while. I thought he forgot… But what he eventually produced inspired a complete re-design of planetary terrain and generation! Some of that had to be done anyway, in preparation for version 1.6, to lay the…
Last time I talked about adding something that was relatively easy: creating alien languages! Now it’s time to get down to the hard stuff: scanning planets and revealing the results to the player. You’re in a futuristic spaceship with amazing advanced technologies, right? You ought to be able to see some details about the planet…
A few months ago I told the story of how I quit game development, and how I came back to it. Well, I quit again. But it’s not game development. It was my job! For the past month, I’ve been a full-time indie video game developer, working on Approaching Infinity, the space adventure rogue-like! Now…
Due to an unexpected lack of problems, Approaching Infinity will be available on Steam Early Access Wednesday, August 5th. F.A.Q.: Q. Why is the game being delayed? A. It isn’t. It’s being released TWO DAYS EARLY! July has been an exciting month in development. There have been a lot of tweaks to existing systems. Monster…
I’ve always been a fan of space trading games. Fly your humble ship between space colonies, buying low, selling high and battling pirates along the way. I love RPGs, especially leveling up skills and getting better equipment. I’m also really into mobile games right now, so that’s where I’m focusing my efforts. (Although the more…
Seven Day Rogue Like has come and gone, and I’ve got another new game to show for it: “Purge, Persist, and Profit!”. This sci-fi rogue-like runner has you managing your oxygen every step of the way on a toxic bug-infested planet as you try to earn a promotion at Exo-Purge Inc., the leader…
The Painter’s Playground launched on Steam Thursday, February 8th, 2018, and was well received by artists and collectors alike. At the time of this writing, we have over 700 registered artists, and thousands of paintings have already been created over. All of these images were made in The Painter’s Playground, where artists can level up…
Wow. It’s been months since I’ve posted here (again!), but there’s a good reason: A friend and I started a new game development company: Next Zen Mechanics. My business partner Ryan is a scientist, a top Steam reviewer, and now an indie game developer. Our first title, The Painter’s Playground, just hit public beta! …
Dead Horizons was my seventh consecutive 7DRL success, and the most complex game I’ve done for the jam in years. But I also had help: the game is set in a world created by Matthew Ritter, and he also did the art, and the semi-procedural soundtrack was composed by Nick A. Day. It’s a cover-based…
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