Yup. Envoy or some such, unless the name is random. I was like, the fuck am i going to do with him? I had a trained pilot, gunner, engineer... oh, shields. Then he spent all his time tweaking the shields. Was waste of talent really... never liked zoltans.
FTL: Advanced Edition |OT|: Now on iPad (and free update on PC!)
- Thread starter chickdigger802
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Yup. Envoy or some such, unless the name is random. I was like, the fuck am i going to do with him? I had a trained pilot, gunner, engineer... oh, shields. Then he spent all his time tweaking the shields. Was waste of talent really... never liked zoltans.
It is harder with new content, i think.
KojiKnight
Member
I agree with this assessment. It might just be because I'm not fully used to the new things (a surprise mind control or hack completely through off my game on several occasions)... but I think the final boss having the ability to shut off your shields plays a huge role in that (seriously, FUCK hacking!)
Just tried it, and although I can't comment on battery use yet, it really runs like a charm on my old iPad 2. I'm really impressed by the UI tweaks, it's just perfect. Amazing port, and amazing upgrades.
FataIChoice
Member
Seems like you get them from reaching sector 8 with layout B in advanced mode.
I died far before that on advanced mode, some of the new stuff really caught me off guard, but this new stuff is just fantastic.
I love Zoltans. They're free batteries.
I had him trying to shut off my oxygen. Wiley little bastard figured out I had forgot to upgrade it. Managed to beat the game and unlock two Lanius achievements that run.
Looking forward to my first hard run later today.
They fuck up energy distribution at times, especially if there is a power-loss (nebulas) and/or you gotta move them.
Perhaps they're fine as an engineer or pilot but otherwise, don't like.
super-famicom
Member
After having played over 110 hours into FTL vanilla, I am loving the Advanced Edition! All the new stuff is really interesting, hacking is so strong. Hack enemy engines to take their evasion to zero, then shoot up their shields ad weapon systems. The starting weapons on Lanius A are great. The laser is almost as good as Burst Laser Mk II and gets faster over time and the ion stunner is a good alternative to Ion Blast Mk II.
In my last run, I started fires in an enemy Zoltan Cruiser then turned off my lasers and used ions only to keep it from running. My crew quite enjoyed seeing that lone Zoltan running around trying to repair everything only to be consumed by flames.
In my last run, I started fires in an enemy Zoltan Cruiser then turned off my lasers and used ions only to keep it from running. My crew quite enjoyed seeing that lone Zoltan running around trying to repair everything only to be consumed by flames.
KojiKnight
Member
Just beat the game for the first time on Advanced (though on easy).
Key to victory? 3 Frag cannons... Oh my god I love these weapons. Bonus, I mind controlled the guy handling the missiles on the enemy ship to take that out. I survived with literally 1 hit left, he fired a volley of missiles, I dodged all but one just as my frags recharged.
Seriously, Frag are brokenly good, especially if you have more than one. 7 second recharge and just rips through shields like nothing... When you have 2 more more you pretty much instantly disabled whatever you're targetting at as well AND they do insane damage to the crew.
Key to victory? 3 Frag cannons... Oh my god I love these weapons. Bonus, I mind controlled the guy handling the missiles on the enemy ship to take that out. I survived with literally 1 hit left, he fired a volley of missiles, I dodged all but one just as my frags recharged.
Seriously, Frag are brokenly good, especially if you have more than one. 7 second recharge and just rips through shields like nothing... When you have 2 more more you pretty much instantly disabled whatever you're targetting at as well AND they do insane damage to the crew.
Weltall Zero
Member
Loving the expansion, as I knew I would. More new stuff in it than I expected, even (I knew about all the major announced stuff, but the chain weapons and flak cannons are new for me).
Might it be that you're playing a ship with a Clone Bay? Every time one of your crew is resurrected via Clone Bay, he/she takes a hit on all experience levels.
Might it be that you're playing a ship with a Clone Bay? Every time one of your crew is resurrected via Clone Bay, he/she takes a hit on all experience levels.
Polioliolio
Member
Woh ho hooo... You're telling me that my FTL is already updated and rearing to go??
I've been waiting, grumpily, thinking 'ooo.. fancy ipad version.. damn kids... where's my PC update" and it's been here all along????
I've been waiting, grumpily, thinking 'ooo.. fancy ipad version.. damn kids... where's my PC update" and it's been here all along????
MrCompletely
Member
Not sure if this has been brought up. On the iPad version of the game, when using weapons, if you tap a specific weapons icon 2x it turns yellow. Does anyone know what this yellow state means or what it does?
Probably autofire, ie it continues firing without having to give it new orders.
MrCompletely
Member
I'll try it, but there is a separate autofire button like in the pc version
EDIT: you are correct, you can set weapons to autofire on an individual basis. Can this be done on the PC Version?
Hmm. Not sure. I'll test it...
EDIT, yes, you can. CTRL+Aim forces weapon to do the opposite of current setting (ie autofire off will make the weapon autofire if aimed while holding CTRL)
KojiKnight
Member
How far are you getting? What type of weapons are you focusing on?
Some basic tips: Never rush to the exit. Visit as many places as you can. Don't run from fights, every bit of scrap is crucial to a good run. ALWAYS pick the blue option if you have it available to you.
Some other things I do personally: Avoid using/buying weapons that require ammunition (droids/missiles). The new Frag weapons are simply AMAZING. They are super fast (7 seconds) and rip through enemy shields without any issue. Only invest in an ion weapon if it's the fast ones (slower ions suck if you miss even 1 shot).
Also, always avoid the mission about space spiders... 9 times out of 10 you lose a crew member, and the 10th time you don't get enough scrap to make it worth it.
chickdigger802
Banned
been ages since i lasted invested time on pc (them college days). I forgot what are my priorities at stores. fix haul, fill up crew, weapons?
Can't stress enough how much I enjoy the loot system in this game compared to others. Everything has a use even if it's not during your current run.
It is a little harder now. With so many great new options it really increases the need to be adaptable.
It really changes every run. Try to avoid repair as much as possible. It's risky, but helps... most of the time. Early on fuel and fixing are cheap so it's not as big a deal (as low as two credits to 1f.) I almost always recruit Zoltan. If I think I can grab a teleporter then Mantis and Rock also make good recruits. I almost never buy anyone else. Normally my first step is upgrading weapons to power all of the base stuff. If using a ship filled with fighters (Mantis/Rock/Crystal) then I favor engine upgrades. If using a ship with crew that will stay at their stations until end-game then I upgrade those systems until I have a boarding party.
Urgh, never gonna get the rock, slug and
cruisers, played for 60+ hours and I still haven't been able to unlock them. Only seen the rock quest once, slug one a few times but messed it up or got it too late. Was so close now, died a few jumps away. Oh well, I guess there's always the new unlock condition.
Playing on Normal and maybe I'm just rusty, but it's really tough now for some reason.
Tried some of the charge weapons, dunno how I feel about them yet. The ones that add more shots can be a cheap way to get through multiple layers of shield, on the other hand I like to shoot first and not gamble that they don't take out my weapons immediately.
Gonna try the flak stuff next.
crystal
Playing on Normal and maybe I'm just rusty, but it's really tough now for some reason.
Tried some of the charge weapons, dunno how I feel about them yet. The ones that add more shots can be a cheap way to get through multiple layers of shield, on the other hand I like to shoot first and not gamble that they don't take out my weapons immediately.
Gonna try the flak stuff next.
yellow submarine
Member
It should last you all the way to the final boss. As long as you have 4 or 5 (in case of a miss) laser blasts from other weapons to bring down the shields though. If you can't bring down 4 shields, then you will be toast in the later stages because beams generally can't penetrate shields unless they have special effects that let them.
Remember. Rock always beats spider.
The first phase now hacks you, the second phase seems to be basically the same, and the third phase now uses mind control. Other than that the same basic strategy works: disable the missile launcher ASAP, go full defense whenever it power surges, and try to exterminate all but one crew member before the third phase.
You can shoot down the hacking drones in the first phase if you've got a defense drone, which is nice. You need to make sure to launch the drone the instant the battle begins, though, because deploying the hacking drone is the absolute first thing the flagship will do. It doesn't seem to have an infinite number of drone parts, and if you shoot down enough of them it'll give up eventually.
If you've got mind control of your own you can use it defensively; use mind control on whoever the flagship mind controls to cancel it. If you can counteract the hacking and mind control you can essentially just play the fight the same way as in the old version.
You can shoot down the hacking drones in the first phase if you've got a defense drone, which is nice. You need to make sure to launch the drone the instant the battle begins, though, because deploying the hacking drone is the absolute first thing the flagship will do. It doesn't seem to have an infinite number of drone parts, and if you shoot down enough of them it'll give up eventually.
If you've got mind control of your own you can use it defensively; use mind control on whoever the flagship mind controls to cancel it. If you can counteract the hacking and mind control you can essentially just play the fight the same way as in the old version.
I've got no drones, how do I deal with the hack then? Can I use my hack drone to counter it? 
also iirc the second phase is the hardest, it uses that 659 drones attack and I've got no cloak this time. any suggestions for that?
also iirc the second phase is the hardest, it uses that 659 drones attack and I've got no cloak this time. any suggestions for that?
I've got no drones, how do I deal with the hack then? Can I use my hack drone to counter it?
also iirc the second phase is the hardest, it uses that 659 drones attack and I've got no cloak this time. any suggestions for that?
Doing it without cloaking's always been a bit rough, but doable. Whenever you get the notification that it's about to do a big attack divert maximum power to your engines to maximize your dodge chance and then cross your fingers. The second phase has always been somewhat random, since the exact composition of the drone swarm is randomly determined. The more beam drones it contains the less likely it is that the swarm will be able to get through your shields.
I'm not sure how to counter the hacking other than shooting down the drones, honestly. Every time I've won post-patch it's been by either shooting them all down or just enduring the hacking. Counter-hacking by launching your own hacking drone into their hacking controls seems like it should work, but I haven't actually done it. It'd be the same basic principle as using your mind control to counter the flagship's mind control, really.
I'm not sure how to counter the hacking other than shooting down the drones, honestly. Every time I've won post-patch it's been by either shooting them all down or just enduring the hacking. Counter-hacking by launching your own hacking drone into their hacking controls seems like it should work, but I haven't actually done it. It'd be the same basic principle as using your mind control to counter the flagship's mind control, really.
MacGurcules
Member
I actually kind of appreciate that the Lanius ships are airless. It takes some teeth out of the otherwise top strat of just boarding with a couple of Mantis and murdering everyone.
Turns out having three flak cannons does a pretty good job otherwise.
Turns out having three flak cannons does a pretty good job otherwise.
KojiKnight
Member
<3
I'm currently about half way through a run with a Flak2 and a charging ion cannon which is also pretty damn amazing. Charge the canon to full, take out the shields, then fire the flak 2 into whereever the center of the ship is, enjoy the carnage.
I played around with the Vulcan, but it just takes way too long to get going.
On the other hand, the new ultimate strat of training up a pair of Lanius for your boarding team gives zero shits about airless ships. They can even wreak havoc on automated ships, so Lanius boarding teams effectively eliminate the traditional weakness of boarding strategies.
Luckily they're a lot rarer than Mantis crew members.
desertdroog
Member
This update had me checking in on the FTL Legos project at Cuus0o.
Which is unfortunate. I wish I could at least get a parts list and instructions to build my own set. Like a recipe to take to a Lego store and just buy the pieces a la carte.
:/
http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/35223
Which is unfortunate. I wish I could at least get a parts list and instructions to build my own set. Like a recipe to take to a Lego store and just buy the pieces a la carte.
:/
Want to know what the best thing is?
Still in sector 2 with 2 Flak Cannons, 4 Mantis, a Weapons Pre-Ignitor and a Teleporter.
Yeah, I think I can do this.
Some of the new blue events are really great. One of them bummed me out though. Won't spoil it for those that haven't seen it yet.
Still in sector 2 with 2 Flak Cannons, 4 Mantis, a Weapons Pre-Ignitor and a Teleporter.
Yeah, I think I can do this.
Some of the new blue events are really great. One of them bummed me out though. Won't spoil it for those that haven't seen it yet.
yeah well, gg, no cloak no go. also I had no fighters (fucking drone invading) and no full shield up.
what are these Vulcan weapons? Couldn't find a single one, is the wiki even being updated with this expansion? :<
Grimm Fandango
Member
This plays so well on my iPad. Very happy with my purchase.
A couple of things I would change though:
1. Make choices a bit farther apart. I accidentally picked an option one time and it sucked. We have big screens, let's use more of it.
2. Make oxygen/evade text bigger. It's really small.
Other than that, they seriously did an amazing job porting it over.
A couple of things I would change though:
1. Make choices a bit farther apart. I accidentally picked an option one time and it sucked. We have big screens, let's use more of it.
2. Make oxygen/evade text bigger. It's really small.
Other than that, they seriously did an amazing job porting it over.
Oh man, wasted opportunity. I would snatch this up so quick.
Damn that ravid madman!
Does anyone know if FTL is popular in Japan? I'd love some Kestrel gashapon
It's the first time I see the clone bay in action, such relief!
Does anyone know if FTL is popular in Japan? I'd love some Kestrel gashapon
The Chain Vulcan is a 2 power, 1 shot, 1 damage laser that charges in 11.1 seconds and then each time it fires the charge time decreases. After 5 shots it maxes out at 1.1 seconds and the counter resets if you lose power. It's great.
I can't even beat the boss on easy anymore but at least I've unlocked the Type C Kestrel and Federation Cruiser (which has a flak instead of beam artillery) and no weapons :|
DiscoShark
Banned
Advanced Edition is DEFINITELY harder. Combination of added ship/weapon/module diversity making it harder to find just the right weapon you need to complete a build (encourages flexibility/adaptation), the bonus for boarding and killing a crew being nerfed, and the Flagship itself becoming a much more difficult entity thanks to new modules at its disposal. Still rocking Normal mode though as its what I've always run, I fear what Hard mode would do to me though.
The only ships I've taken all the way to the Flagship and beaten the game with since AE hit were the Zoltan B (Double Ion shots + Double Laser) and the Rock B (Flac+Burst Laser I+FireBomb+Laser Pierce I). The Zoltan was a fun one, it probably over relied on the ions taking out the shields but once they were gone the lasers would absolutely carve through any ship's hull. Fun times but I only barely won the fight with the flagship when all was said and done.
The Rock though? No two ways around it, that thing was a monstrosity. A literal harbinger of doom that found ridiculously creative ways to torture and kill enemy ships and crew. 7 Rocks, a Mantis, and an Engi all drawn to the hallowed hum of the Rock B's engines fueled by the souls of its victims. A contract only broken by the soft embrace of death. I'd often times send a firebomb and my rocks into a completely random room just to bask in the flames for a while and listen to the chorus of screams next door.
Did my enemy ship have a Medbay? I LOVED Medbays. Medbays were where we could get creative. Firebomb first, allow a few future victims to come in to try to take it out. Rocks second. "It's fine", they think as they outheal the flames. Hacking last. They're trapped ... and now the Medbay starts to kill the very crew it was tasked to save.
That was a fun run.
The only ships I've taken all the way to the Flagship and beaten the game with since AE hit were the Zoltan B (Double Ion shots + Double Laser) and the Rock B (Flac+Burst Laser I+FireBomb+Laser Pierce I). The Zoltan was a fun one, it probably over relied on the ions taking out the shields but once they were gone the lasers would absolutely carve through any ship's hull. Fun times but I only barely won the fight with the flagship when all was said and done.
The Rock though? No two ways around it, that thing was a monstrosity. A literal harbinger of doom that found ridiculously creative ways to torture and kill enemy ships and crew. 7 Rocks, a Mantis, and an Engi all drawn to the hallowed hum of the Rock B's engines fueled by the souls of its victims. A contract only broken by the soft embrace of death. I'd often times send a firebomb and my rocks into a completely random room just to bask in the flames for a while and listen to the chorus of screams next door.
Did my enemy ship have a Medbay? I LOVED Medbays. Medbays were where we could get creative. Firebomb first, allow a few future victims to come in to try to take it out. Rocks second. "It's fine", they think as they outheal the flames. Hacking last. They're trapped ... and now the Medbay starts to kill the very crew it was tasked to save.
That was a fun run.
Weltall Zero
Member
I'm right in the middle of my third run since the AE hit (all Normal, all Lanius). I'm on sector 8 with a really powerful ship (got a Bio beam early on and used to empty the enemy ships of life signals most of the time). Let's see how I do against the new Flagship (which I've not seen yet).
Even though I don't have/play on an iPad, both sound like 100% reasonable concerns (I HATE having options too close to each other on touch screens, as I have, well, big fingers). Could you you post them on the official forums?
Seems unlikely, considering there's not even a Japanese language version. Actually, there's no other version than the English one, which seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity. I get the impression they like working with each other and not getting anyone from outside, which I completely get as that's the way I would work if I got into indie games for a living and got a partner I had synergy with, like a few I have at work.
Even though I don't have/play on an iPad, both sound like 100% reasonable concerns (I HATE having options too close to each other on touch screens, as I have, well, big fingers). Could you you post them on the official forums?
Does anyone know if FTL is popular in Japan? I'd love some Kestrel gashapon
Seems unlikely, considering there's not even a Japanese language version. Actually, there's no other version than the English one, which seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity. I get the impression they like working with each other and not getting anyone from outside, which I completely get as that's the way I would work if I got into indie games for a living and got a partner I had synergy with, like a few I have at work.
Chrono Helix
Member
Did anyone else delete their profile just so they could unlock everything all over again with the new unlock system?
I encountered a minor bug with the Kestrel's achievement which requires you to have 8 systems and 3 subsystems. I was at 7 and 3, and I bought a backup battery (subsystem) and then a drone control, which put me at 8 and 4, and the achievement didn't trigger. I lost that game shortly afterwards as I had sold all my weapons just to unlock that achievement.
My next round with the Kestrel was far more successful. I had an early Flak cannon to complement the Burst Laser II, and I later was able to upgrade it to a Vulcan Laser. The last boss went down pretty easily, despite my only having 4 crew members.
I encountered a minor bug with the Kestrel's achievement which requires you to have 8 systems and 3 subsystems. I was at 7 and 3, and I bought a backup battery (subsystem) and then a drone control, which put me at 8 and 4, and the achievement didn't trigger. I lost that game shortly afterwards as I had sold all my weapons just to unlock that achievement.
My next round with the Kestrel was far more successful. I had an early Flak cannon to complement the Burst Laser II, and I later was able to upgrade it to a Vulcan Laser. The last boss went down pretty easily, despite my only having 4 crew members.