The Origins of the Infinite Space Trilogy: From a Stillborn Project to a Successful Indie Franchise
The Infinite Space trilogy of roguelikes has been popular with fans of indie gamers ever since the launch of the very first game, nearly 20 years ago. What few players know, however, is that the scope of the very first game (and by extension, the whole franchise) was originally meant to be much larger, since its developers, Digital Eel, had intended for it to be a far more complex 4x (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) game.
To that end, star systems in that game were meant to be more complex, and would not have been restricted to having one planet each; instead, they could have had more than one, as is the case with many real-life star systems (including our own Solar System). In addition, winning the game would have involved building up a fleet, colonizing several star systems, and waging war on other players with the ultimate aim of eliminating them, thereby winning the game. On top of that, you could play as any faction, not just the Terrans, and each one would have had its own pros and cons.
A screenshot of Infinite Space in its original form, before it was downsized and turned into the roguelike with which players are so familiar.
However, due to time constraints, this over-ambitious scheme was scrapped in favor of something much simpler: a roguelike with randomly generated maps and item placement, but set in the same fictional universe. Combat would no longer involve large-scale battles between whole fleets, but instead consisted of short skirmishes between a few ships. Moreover, you now started out with just one ship - a Terran Corvette with a basic loadout - and in true roguelike tradition, not only was saving strictly prohibited, but the game would now end if it (or your home star system) was destroyed for any reason.
In addition to this, every star system would start off with just one planet, whose environment was dependent on the type of star it orbited. The developers added a few rare events and items, with greater potential to significantly affect the course of the game, but are very unlikely to occur. One of these was the sudden appearance of the Yellow Kawangi, a race of power-mad alien beings whose capital ship (which was originally called a Destroyer) destroys every star system it visits, and if left unchecked, will completely obliterate the Terran home system, Glory, thereby bringing your adventure to a premature and tragic end.
To make the game feel even faster, Digital Eel also added a short time limit of five years to explore as many star systems as possible on the map, with a score penalty for a late return. A role-playing system and the ability to buy items with in-game money were also removed, with all items having a hidden value. Speaking of which, many of them would be given brief descriptions that hinted at the game's lore. Statistics for ship equipment were also omitted, forcing players to try them out firsthand to determine their effectiveness.
A screenshot of Strange Adventures in Infinite Space, showing its simpler interface and map.
The end result was Strange Adventures in Infinite Space - a surprise smash hit that sold well enough to warrant a sequel, Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space. It added more content, better graphics, and the ability to choose from one of three different ships, each with their own pros and cons, as well as a different set of objectives. A decade or so later, Digital Eel released a third game, Sea of Stars, for which I made a guide on this blog. Given the positive fan reception to Sea of Stars, another sequel may be on the cards - and who knows what will be in store for the franchise in the future? One thing's for sure: the series has been mostly about simple, fast-paced, addictive fun - and long may that tradition continue for years to come.
For a more detailed explanation of how the Infinite Space trilogy came into being, you can visit this link:
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