Director's Update, Road to Alpha

Let’s talk about Infinity Rising

First, I want to thank everyone who has been taking the time to give us feedback. We've been extremely busy moving Infinity Rising toward Alpha, and one thing we've recognized is that communication hasn't always been as clear or consistent as it should be.

There is a lot happening behind the scenes at any given time, and sometimes the community only sees small pieces of that work without the larger context of where we're going. That's something I want to improve. So, I'm starting the Director's Update.

I'll share these updates regularly, when there is meaningful progress, context or community discussion to share. Each update will come directly from me covering what we're currently working on, what our priorities are, some of the challenges we're dealing with, and where development is heading. I'll also use these to share screenshots, WIP content, development experiments and, occasionally, things that probably qualify as leaks.

Most importantly, I want these to be a conversation. At the end of each Director's Update, I'll have some questions for the community as well.

Road to Alpha

Our major focus right now is getting the core systems of Infinity Rising online and working together as we move toward Alpha, and ultimately toward our Steam and Epic launch. We do not need every system to be finished forever before reaching Alpha.

We do, however, need to arrive there with the major pillars of the game functioning well, connected to one another, and with a meaningful level of polish. That means we're currently touching a very wide range of the game. Here are some of the biggest areas we're focused on.

Resources & Economy

One of our major priorities is expanding raw resource gathering, resource processing and crafting. This includes gathering resources from mining veins, trees, mineral deposits, scrap and other resources found throughout the world. This is not simply another activity we're adding to the game. Resource gathering and processing are intended to become an important backbone of the in game economy.

Resource gathering in development.

Resources need to come from somewhere. Players need reasons to gather them, process them, trade them, manufacture with them and ultimately consume them through other parts of the game. Crafting will continue expanding alongside these systems so that gathering resources has meaningful uses throughout the wider economy.

Rift Battles

Rift Battles are another major system currently being developed. Rifts bring incursions of robotic creatures into the world at different levels of difficulty. Players will need to fight through waves of these creatures while also battling the Rift Machine itself. Surviving the encounter ultimately leads to a boss battle and, if players are successful, the spoils contained within the mysterious Heart of the Rift.

These are intended to be difficult, rewarding battles rather than simple world events. Rifts may also eventually become more than isolated combat encounters. Allowing an incursion to remain active could have wider consequences for the game world, affecting the surrounding landscape, nearby areas and potentially even parts of the economy.

When one of these mysterious incursions appears, there should be a very good reason for players to shut it down. The technology and systems behind Rift Battles are also prerequisites for other experiences we want to create, including large scale encounters such as defending critical infrastructure in the sky or on the surface from attacking Terra forces.

Quests & Jobs

Improving the overall quest experience is another important priority. We want quests to feel less repetitive, more alive, better integrated into the world and more connected to Infinity Rising's lore. Part of this work includes updated Emma audio as well as an updated and expanded introduction to the game.

The introduction needs to do a much better job of explaining the world you've entered, where you are and what you can do. At the same time, we also want to respect returning or experienced players. So yes, you'll also be able to skip it. We're also expanding Jobs and Tasks.

These are repeatable activities players can work at to earn IGC while increasing associated vocational skills. That will include expanded activities involving delivery, cargo, scrapping and repair work. The goal is to give players more meaningful ways to simply exist and make a living within the world, rather than everything revolving around combat or traditional quests.

Quality of Life

A major part of the Road to Alpha is not adding giant new systems at all. It is making the existing game easier and more enjoyable to actually live in. We're looking at many different quality of life improvements throughout Infinity Rising. One example is session persistence.

Once you've begun your journey, you will no longer be forced back through Calido every time you enter the game. Instead, you'll simply return to where you left off during your previous play session. We're also working on features such as an Unstuck system for those unfortunate occasions where the world decides to eat you. Another focus is improving how the game communicates with players.

We want to give you better information about where you are, what's happening around you and what activities or opportunities are available. There are a lot of smaller improvements like these being worked through as we move toward Alpha. Individually they may not make for exciting screenshots. Together, they make an enormous difference.

Racing Fixes & Updates

Calido Blue

Racing is getting some much needed attention. Over time, portions of the racing experience have experienced some decay. Some of that has come from changes outside our direct control, including Unreal Engine updates that changed or broke behavior within systems that previously worked correctly.

We're now going back through racing to bring it back up to the standard it deserves as a major part of Infinity Rising. This includes work on existing track fixes and improvements, track flow, vehicle rebalancing, vehicle physics, networking, performance, visual effects, audio, progression and new racing content. The objective isn't simply to repair what has degraded.

We want to bring more progression, content and excitement into racing and make it feel like a major pillar of the game again.

And A Lot of Boring Stuff

Those are some of the major player facing areas currently being worked on. They aren't everything. There is also a long list of smaller and considerably less exciting things happening in preparation for Alpha. Backend systems. Website and account system changes. Networking. Performance optimization. Data work. Fixing old systems. Cleaning up things players should hopefully never have to think about.

Not every important stretch of development produces a cool screenshot. Sometimes progress is fixing the system behind the system that makes the visible feature work. That is just part of getting Infinity Rising ready for Alpha.

What We’re Working on Right Now

Tree chopping, energy saws, mining veins & pneumatic mining hammers

Cutting down a tree needs to actually be fun. It also needs to give players useful micro progression feedback, take some time and carry a little bit of danger with it. Players will work through several stages of breaking down a tree using their chosen tool.

You will need to pay attention as the tree weakens, get clear of the final fall for obvious safety reasons, then collect the raw wood and take it to a sawmill for processing into cut wood that can be used for crafting. We also don't want resource gathering to feel overly restrictive.

You do not technically need to use a proper saw to cut down a tree. You could use a machine gun. It will be horribly inefficient, waste a lot of ammunition and make almost no economic sense, but if your saw runs out of energy cells and that tree only needs a little more convincing, hot lead will still get the job done.

Mining follows the same philosophy. Rather than simply attacking one identical rock over and over, players will encounter several different forms of mineable resources throughout the world. Deep underground, you may find larger veins that can be broken apart in clusters. On the surface, you may find individual mineral deposits or rocks.

There will also be things such as pay dirt, where the exact contents are not immediately obvious and processing it carries more of a "let's see what we actually found" feeling. Just like with trees, you could technically shoot a rock until it gives up.

You probably shouldn't.

Dedicated mining tools such as Rando's Mine Hound will be far more efficient. Mining also comes with its own hazards. Rock falls, deep pits, unstable areas and other environmental dangers are being considered as part of making resource gathering feel like an actual activity rather than simply holding a button against an object.

Bermuda Surface Map & Prison

Infinity Rising is an open PvP game outside of designated safe zones. So it is probably about time players started paying for their crimes. Players who are captured or killed while carrying a sufficient bounty may find themselves waking up inside the Bermuda Special Correction Facility. The facility exists to rehabilitate otherworld folk who have committed crimes within the Cornucopias Republic. And what a wonderful rehabilitation experience it will be. Players will be reminded of exactly how badly they have behaved and will have a gamified path toward reducing their sentence through prison jobs and activities.

Perform well enough at your assigned work and you may even earn back some of the IGC that was taken from you to cover victims, legal costs and the general inconvenience caused by your criminal behavior.

What a deal.

The prison itself sits on the surface of Bermuda near Calido, keeping society's undesirables comfortably far away from civilization in the sky. This will also serve as many players' first major visit to the partially drained Atlantic surface. The Bermuda region has a very different feeling from the world above. This area was heavily churned during the reseeding of the ocean, leaving behind a dramatic and desolate landscape of dunes, exposed terrain, scattered shipwrecks and other remnants to discover. There will be plenty to explore beyond the prison itself, with environmental storytelling, wreckage and other things hidden across the surface.

Plots & Building

The building system will also continue to expand, particularly around player owned plots. Players will be able to build within these spaces using modular structures, homes, decorative assets and specialty facilities tied into the economy. Plots are not intended to exist purely for decoration. They'll also connect into production and the economy through leveled crafting facilities ranging from Tier 1 through Tier 5.

That progression can take players from relatively simple crafting benches all the way toward much larger production facilities and factories. So whether you want your plot to become a home, a workshop, an industrial operation or some combination of all three, the system is being built to support that.

The plot building system is currently being set up to allow players to build on owned land. That includes specialty facilities tied into the economy, player dwellings, modular structures and decorative assets. There is also work happening on the farming side of things. You will be able to plant your corn, grow it, keep it disease free and, of course, harvest it.

Toss some butter on it and I'm in.

The system builds on the apartment builder we already have, but outdoor land plots introduce some new technical challenges, particularly around loading and performance. A large facility needs to remain visible from a significant distance. Medium sized assets should load as you get closer. Small decorative objects do not need to exist until you are actually near or inside the plot.

That means the plot data and loading structure has to work differently from apartments. If we simply loaded everything at once, large player built areas could become extremely expensive very quickly. This is one of the reasons the system is taking some time. Please be patient with us here.

We want to get the foundation right so that plots can grow into large, detailed spaces without turning performance into a disaster later. Land plots will also give us another place to introduce stylized versions of various buildings, along with Premium building kits for players who want to really deck out their property.

Store Items & Variety

Another area that is always being worked on is more unique player content. That includes gear, weapons, bundles, building kits and other ways for players to make their character and spaces feel more individual. I know some of you have concerns about the volume of assets going up for sale. But look at you guys now. In every video, everyone actually looks different.

A crowd of players no longer looks like they all just stepped off the same bus headed for basic training. People are starting to develop their own identities, styles and favorite gear, and that is exactly what we want. Variety matters for the game itself, but it also matters for the business behind it.

As we move toward Alpha and eventually Steam and Epic, having a healthy amount of store content is important.

Games do not run on unicorn farts and rainbows, unfortunately.

Game development is also considerably more expensive than most consumers ever get to see. That cost is not just financial. It is also measured in development time, long hours, iteration, failed experiments, fixes, rebuilding old systems and all of the work that happens behind the scenes before something ever reaches a player. Our team works incredibly hard to keep this project moving forward.

Your purchases genuinely help with that. They help fund continued development, help us reach Alpha faster and give us a stronger opportunity to make that launch successful when the game reaches Steam and Epic. We appreciate that support more than you probably realize. Infinity Rising is not something being built by the development team alone. You guys are helping build it right alongside us.

Pain Points

I also want Director's Update to be a place where I address some of the things I know are frustrating people. Not everything has a quick answer, and sometimes the answer is simply that a system was built years ago under different assumptions and now needs work. So let's get into a few of them.

Where is my Cheeky Suit?

We have it.

The problem is that the Cheeky Suit was originally created around an older asset setup. Today, a full outfit in Infinity Rising is generally made up of three separate equipment pieces:

Head • Body • Feet

The game supports that structure properly. What it does not currently support very well is one POA acting as a single suit that automatically occupies all three slots. That leaves us with a few options. The proper solution is to convert the old suit into three new POAs that work with the current equipment system.

The other option is to change the way the game handles this type of asset entirely. There is also the slightly dangerous option of just forcing the original suit to work temporarily and accepting that it may cause bugs or create additional cleanup work later. I know this one has been hanging around for a while, so yes, I hear you. What would you prefer?

Would you rather we take the time to convert it properly, or temporarily get the old version working sooner even if we know we may have to revisit it later?

Where are the item stats on the store?

I completely understand this one. You do not want to purchase something without having a reasonable understanding of what is included, what it does and what its intended utility is. Some of the difficulty here comes from the fact that we are still in Pre-Alpha. Weapons, jetpacks, backpacks and many other gameplay related items are still being balanced and changed regularly.

If we publish exact statistics for everything right now, those numbers may change shortly afterward. Even with a giant disclaimer saying "Pre-Alpha, subject to change," every buff and nerf would quickly turn into a discussion about something being taken away or altered. That creates a lot of noise around numbers that were never intended to be final. There are also practical presentation problems.

A building kit containing more than 150 individual assets is difficult to show cleanly on a store page. We have experimented with ways of presenting all of those assets at once, but dumping 150 thumbnails onto a page is neither attractive nor particularly useful.

Some products are also sold as Pre-Orders, meaning portions of the content may still be in development and are naturally subject to change. That said, I do think we can do better here. Going forward, I want us to provide clearer information about what an item is intended to do, what type of utility it provides and what you should reasonably expect from it.

You may not always see final numerical stats during Pre-Alpha, but you should have a better understanding of what you are actually buying.

Why does the Cyber Industrial Kit cost more than another building kit?

This one comes down to a combination of rarity, production cost, content volume and sustainability. Not every building kit costs us the same amount to produce.

The Cyber Industrial Kit costs more than double what some of our other kits cost to develop. It is also considerably rarer and contains more than 150 individual assets designed to let someone transform an entire apartment into a cohesive Cyber Industrial space. The Pre-Order price is currently $77.

For some perspective, it is not unusual elsewhere in gaming to see building or decoration packs in the $50 to $60 range containing substantially fewer assets. That does not mean we simply look at what another game charges and copy it.

Our pricing takes into account what the content costs us to create, its quantity, its rarity, its utility and the amount of development value contained in the package. Sustainable development matters. We cannot price every building kit identically when one may require more than twice the production work of another. Building kits also present a unique constraint inside Infinity Rising.

They consume considerably more game package space than most other types of content. An outfit might contain a relatively small number of assets. A large building kit may contain 150 or more meshes, materials, textures and supporting content. There is therefore a practical limit to how many enormous building kits we can continue adding forever. That is one reason rarity is considered within the category itself.

We generally offset the high production cost of building kits by allowing larger quantities than some other collectible categories. That relationship will likely remain important going forward. There is another benefit worth mentioning as well. These kits are not necessarily frozen forever at their launch asset count.

We can add compatible pieces over time, meaning someone who buys a 150+ asset kit today could eventually find themselves owning a 200+ asset kit without buying the entire thing again. Could we eventually flatten some of these differences by allowing a massively larger audience to subsidize the expensive content through volume? Absolutely.

If millions of players are purchasing things, you can make very different pricing decisions because the economics change dramatically. We are not there yet. Those are decisions that make more sense once Infinity Rising enters the broader gaming market. For now, our pricing has to reflect the reality of building the game sustainably with the audience we currently have. That does not mean pricing is untouchable.

We will continue watching how things perform, how players respond and whether something is priced appropriately over time.

What’s armor, and what’s apparel?

Right now, they're effectively the same thing, and I apologize for the confusion around that. As the gear stat system is implemented, everything you wear will contribute to your armor value and potentially other gameplay stats. Most wearable gear will generally fall into one of three categories:

Light Armor • Medium Armor • Heavy Armor

And yes, that means a bikini can technically be Light Armor. Just probably on the lower end of visual intimidation. The current thinking is that these categories may use fairly standardized stat ranges. So something like a sneaking suit and a bikini could potentially provide similar baseline Light Armor stats, while their identity comes more from appearance, utility, bonuses or situational use.

We are still working through the exact balance, so that part may change. The obvious question then becomes: Why wouldn't everyone just wear Heavy Armor all the time? Because protection will come with tradeoffs. Heavy Armor will offer better protection, but things such as movement speed, ADS speed and general mobility will be slower. Light Armor will do the opposite.

You will move more freely and handle weapons faster, but you will have less protection when things go bad. The goal is to let players choose what makes sense for what they're doing rather than having one obvious "best" outfit. And this philosophy extends beyond combat.

Could you show up to Club Rise wearing appropriate club gear and receive an XP bonus for dressing for the occasion? Probably yes. That's the direction we're looking at.

Dress for the occasion.

Can we see more of the AI companions?

Yes. And sorry this one has gone a little quiet. A few development priorities overlapped, some other systems needed more immediate attention, and the infrastructure supporting the companions has also been getting worked on behind the scenes. Development plans have a habit of not surviving contact with actual development. The good news is that the infrastructure work is nearly ready.

Kiko will be the next companion we show.

And you'll be seeing her soon.

Why is the world so big? Why haven’t all areas been fully updated? Why does Calido still have closed shops?

This comes down to how we approach development. Our general philosophy is to get a system, location or feature to roughly 80 percent of its intended foundation, then come back later for the final polish and content pass. That last 20 percent is often the most expensive part.

It can take as much time as the first 80 percent because that is where all the fine detail, polish, edge cases, additional content, optimization and final presentation work starts piling up. With a game as large as Infinity Rising, hyper focusing on one location until it feels completely finished would actually slow the project down dramatically. We have a lot of world to cover.

A lot of systems to connect. A lot of locations that need to exist and function together. At this stage, it is much more efficient for us to establish the world broadly, give areas light to medium content, make sure the systems work across all of them, and then deepen those locations later. There is another reason for that too. Systems change. Directions shift.

Engine updates break things. Gameplay changes can suddenly make older content need to be rebuilt. If we completely polished every area during Pre-Alpha, there is a very good chance we would end up redoing a large amount of that work later. So yes, you will still find areas that feel unfinished. You will still see closed shops in Calido.

You will still find places where the content density is lighter than we ultimately want. That is intentional for this stage of development.

Content filling is primarily an Alpha into Beta process.

Pre-Alpha is about making sure the world, its systems and its core gameplay foundations actually work together first. We are still adding content along the way, but we are trying to build everything broadly before we build everything deeply. That is simply the more efficient way to get a game of this scale where it needs to go.

From the Director

One of the biggest challenges we have right now is prioritization. Infinity Rising is deliberately a broad game. Combat, crafting, gathering, building, apartments, racing, exploration, quests, jobs, PvP, progression, AI companions, economy and numerous other systems all have to exist inside the same world. There will always be another cool feature we could build. Our job right now is increasingly to ask a different question.

Does this make the core game better?

As we move toward Alpha, we're going to be increasingly strict about that. Getting the fundamental systems connected, improving the experience players already have and building a stronger foundation is more important than endlessly stacking new features on top.