Ok from the info in this thread and my own gameplay I've made this short guide:
Press [F1] to see the explanation of the controls in game. Most controls have an "energy cost". Energy is required to do anything.
[Arrow keys] to move, hold [Shift] to move several tiles at a time. Press [Enter] to descend in to the local area you are on (if possible). [Backspace] to go back out. The furthest you can "zoom out" is the super-galactic view (where you can clearly see the spiral shape), the closest is the planetary view (where you see 'o' for rocks).
You can press [Tab] to "scan" for objects. This is most useful in a planetary system, as it will show you where planets and space stations are. It is also useful for the super-solar view, where it will tell you the closest npc ships are. You can press [S] to toggle scan mode, but that isn't actually useful.
You can launch [M]issiles after scanning in a view. This lets you combat npc ships. You'll need a few to take them down.
With the [E]nergy Converter you can convert certain resources directly into energy. With the Mass [F]abricator you can create certain tools from energy.
You can [D]eploy a navbeacon, which basically creates a checkpoint you can teleport to. Press [G] and select a navbeacon to teleport to it.
For controls with a "Choose BLAH" you can press the control again and it will close the menu.
Interaction with space stations is: you step on the + or -, press [Space Bar] to do the corresponding trade (+ is buy, - is sell). I haven't found a way to interact with merchant ships yet (other than to blow them up).
The idea of the game is to explore the universe and get resources. On certain planets when you descend low enough you'll find resources which you can step on and press [Space Bar] to pick up. They go into your cargo, and you can sell it or convert it to energy. There are upgrades you can get for your ship to help your journey. I believe the point of the game is to explore, but there are currently not many incentives to continue exploring. There are rumors that you can win if you find a certain artifact. But good luck, there's billions of stars.
I think if you're by a red thing, go away from it until its little red arrows disappear. You can shoot missiles at it by pressing Tab to scan then M to arm the missiles...
Very cool. I'm a big fan of rogue-likes, and have been thinking about something very similar to this for awhile (I guess I'll have to change my plans).
For those that missed it, there is a downloadable version as well: http://www.infiniverse-game.com/ (Interesting side note, the downloadable version was written in FreeBASIC.
I can't comment on the game because I won't have time to test it on my computer today (a summer Sunday is a little peculiar) but I recommend providing a tablet interface: the map at the top and buttons below it. There is plenty of space for them (pun intended). Check that they are arranged well in both 4:3 and 16:9 screens.
Reminiscent of one of my favorite games of all time: Starflight. I played it on a Sega Genesis when I was about 14 or 15. I had a huge collection of handwritten notes by the time I was done.
I found hydrogen on gas giants. I found Radioactives on Terrestial planets on Mountains, but each of those only gives 2K energy so they're not all that much better than Hydrogen. Still looking for antimatter.
Trade, get resources, upgrade, fight bigger enemies. Then try to find the artefact, which I guess is on some random planet in the galaxy, so will take a communal effort (or, more specifically, fluke), since there appears to be millions of stars.
There are some goods you can find to buy with your initial money, though many (from what I've found) are too expensive.
A particularly profitable bug when one happens to visit those space stations that also sell antimatter. Deploy a navbeacon in the area, and unless I'm missing something (only played about twenty minutes so far, reader beware), the risk of depleting all one's energy should then be zero.
With the procedurally generated content, this game is a little bit more generic. It really misses on all the interesting story from SC2. But it's a good start, and if only they can figure out dynamic history generation...
Press [F1] to see the explanation of the controls in game. Most controls have an "energy cost". Energy is required to do anything.
[Arrow keys] to move, hold [Shift] to move several tiles at a time. Press [Enter] to descend in to the local area you are on (if possible). [Backspace] to go back out. The furthest you can "zoom out" is the super-galactic view (where you can clearly see the spiral shape), the closest is the planetary view (where you see 'o' for rocks).
You can press [Tab] to "scan" for objects. This is most useful in a planetary system, as it will show you where planets and space stations are. It is also useful for the super-solar view, where it will tell you the closest npc ships are. You can press [S] to toggle scan mode, but that isn't actually useful.
You can launch [M]issiles after scanning in a view. This lets you combat npc ships. You'll need a few to take them down.
With the [E]nergy Converter you can convert certain resources directly into energy. With the Mass [F]abricator you can create certain tools from energy.
You can [D]eploy a navbeacon, which basically creates a checkpoint you can teleport to. Press [G] and select a navbeacon to teleport to it.
For controls with a "Choose BLAH" you can press the control again and it will close the menu.
Interaction with space stations is: you step on the + or -, press [Space Bar] to do the corresponding trade (+ is buy, - is sell). I haven't found a way to interact with merchant ships yet (other than to blow them up).
The idea of the game is to explore the universe and get resources. On certain planets when you descend low enough you'll find resources which you can step on and press [Space Bar] to pick up. They go into your cargo, and you can sell it or convert it to energy. There are upgrades you can get for your ship to help your journey. I believe the point of the game is to explore, but there are currently not many incentives to continue exploring. There are rumors that you can win if you find a certain artifact. But good luck, there's billions of stars.