That's good to hear.. I got spoiled by Minecraft's update schedule and it is hard to go back.
That's nothing, I got spopiled by Arcen's update schedule (aka "we just redid a core mechanic of the game today").
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FTL |OT| Stories of the Space Oregon Trail
- Thread starter Toma
- Start date
That's nothing, I got spopiled by Arcen's update schedule (aka "we just redid a core mechanic of the game today").
Ingueferroque
Banned
I just noticed that FTL has the Steam Cloud icon in the Mac version.. what does that mean? I thought it didn't support Steam Cloud?
Looks fine for me.
Already tried redownloading? Saves are in a different folder and should be unaffected. Also maybe you could try window mode.
I was wondering if some of the more seasoned players could give some combat tips.
In the early game (with the kestrel), when is it cost effective to use a missile?
Is it more important to take out weapons or shields first?
Is it ever possible for a single upgrade to weapons systems to increase your firepower, or do you need enough extra power to add another weapon?
When is it better to just run from battle?
P.S. I'm playing on Normal, and I don't think I've gotten past sector 6 or 7. I always stall out when 3 shield ships turn up and I haven't upgraded my weapons yet.
In the early game (with the kestrel), when is it cost effective to use a missile?
Is it more important to take out weapons or shields first?
Is it ever possible for a single upgrade to weapons systems to increase your firepower, or do you need enough extra power to add another weapon?
When is it better to just run from battle?
P.S. I'm playing on Normal, and I don't think I've gotten past sector 6 or 7. I always stall out when 3 shield ships turn up and I haven't upgraded my weapons yet.
I remember that game.
*Crew members all dead*
"oh... I forgot to shunt the power to the oxygen because the Ion Storm fucked up my electricals."
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
I usually use one per fight to disable shields, then go to town on weapons with the burst laser. If they have drones in addition to decent weapons, I might use an extra missile or two to help keep the ship locked down.
afaik, upgrading weapons systems has zero effect on firepower. It's strictly for equipping more/bigger guns.
The O2 level of the room they were in was probably still low from when it was knocked out. In the future pay attention to the wall that surrounds the room. If it's low enough on oxygen that your dudes will take damage from being in the room the walls will be orange. If it's ok to stand in the walls will be black.
RPG_Fanatic
Member
After seeing this thread, I just had to get this game. Put some time into it yesterday and had lots of fun, though I keep finding events that lead to my crew members dying. The thread title is definitely accurate from my experience.
More Fun To Compute
Member
A patch seems to have added steam cloud saves, on my PC version at least.
Not totally true. Upgrading them gives them more hit points so you can still fire at full capacity after taking damage.
If you use Steam:
Right click > properties
And yeah, I noticed the Steam Cloud stuff yesterday. Today it told me the cloud and local versions conflicted, but it seems to be sorted after telling it to keep the local one.
electricpirate
Member
I think the game would need substantial modifications to work like that right now the power curve gives you a fully powered ship within 2-3 hours, it would need to balance that to try and shoot for a 20-30 hour curve to be a space badasss. You would also need a power curve on ships, instead of a bunch of sidegrades with different playstyles, you would need to have some ships be objectively weaker, so you had something to work for. Some of which could be pulled from current game assets (NOtice, there's generally 2 or 3 weaker variations on the ships you face). You would also need a bunch more interesting quests, since you wouldn't have this kind of driving push forward that helps create all those little in game stories.
You also start to strip away some of the tension if you can grind up before hitting a harder sector. I'm not saying it can't be done, but inevitably, you'd have to trade in some of those high tension decisions, and tough situations that make FTL special to make it work. The question would be, how much could subset mitigate those tradeoffs, and could they be mitigated enough to keep the central conflicts of FTL as engrossing as they are now?
Yeah, I didn't say it would be easy. Obviously a simple mod wouldn't achieve it. It would take building a game from the ground up to be an actual space sim and not a pointed, fast-paced, roguelike experience.
A big part of the things I like about most space sims is the slow pace while I roam the galaxy, mine minerals and trade space resources between intergalactic outposts while I grind my way to having an uber space ship. All of that is streamlined and sped up here for the same of the game's structure. Though it seems like the straight up combat mechanics (i.e. micromanaging your crew and timing targeted weapons) would still be fun in a game where it wasn't the sole hook.
Edit: I want Uncharted Waters in space, basically.
Finally got around to checking out Star Command, and consider me excited. It looks fantastic as well!
Also, for those interested, one of my favourite podcasts "Three Moves Ahead", just did an episode all about FTL.
Shorty11857
Member
Fixed my game for me (see last page)
Use them to disable shields or to quickly take down systems that are giving you problems (usually drones or weapons). You'll run into lots of situations where your lasers will literally be unable to penetrate the enemy's shields and you have to use missiles.
Weapons, assuming you're able to get through their shields.
Not sure what you're asking. To add weapons, you have to add capacity to your weapons system AND make sure you have power from your reactor to feed it.
When you can't penetrate the enemy's shields.
When you're clearly outclassed.
When you have to pull multiple people off your core systems - shields, weapons, engine, pilot - to put out fires or make repairs.
Basically if you're taking hull damage, your goal is to end combat as quickly as possible. If you can't take out their weapons, you need to jump.
OK folks, I'm in the middle of a game of FTL, and I just finished taking out the enemies on a boarded ship. Trouble is, I can't seem to get my two Mantis guys to teleport back, after clicking the teleport button it won't allow me to select a place to teleport back to. What's more, the boarding drone I sent over with them took out the O2 supply, so they're slowly suffocating to death. Here's a screenshot of my current predicament. What am I doing wrong?
When teleporting back to your ship you choose the units (room) you want to teleport, not the destination (they will always be brought back to the teleporter room).
lorebringer
Member
You need to click on your dudes in the enemy ship to teleport back, they appear in the teleporter room.
Edit: Beaten so hard.
Edit: Beaten so hard.
Haunted
Member
You need to click on them to teleport them back to your ship.
edit: beaten like an Engi in a room full of Rockmen
YianGaruga
Banned
Guess what this thing had. Pretty much the most insane ship I ever built. Breach II is pretty ridiculous as well.
.
whalleywhat
Member
I got a Glaive Beam but never got enough scrap to power it up. A lot of my runs go like that.
Oh dear. My first victory over the last boss was kind of marred by tragedy.
I imagine if word of what happened there ever gets out it'll be a bit of a scandal. So much for a bright future in Federation-Mantis relations.
I had a pair of mantises that I used as a strike squad to teleport into the missile launcher bay and destroy it on every phase. Went swimmingly the first two times, and they quite happily tore it up for a third time once I got the green shield down on the third phase.
Except I kinda sorta forgot to ever teleport them back. I didn't even realize I'd forgotten them and sent them down with the enemy's ship until the victory screen popped up and they weren't listed among my crew. Poor little blighters were just sitting in the weapon compartment waiting for me to bring them home when the flagship went down.
Except I kinda sorta forgot to ever teleport them back. I didn't even realize I'd forgotten them and sent them down with the enemy's ship until the victory screen popped up and they weren't listed among my crew. Poor little blighters were just sitting in the weapon compartment waiting for me to bring them home when the flagship went down.
I imagine if word of what happened there ever gets out it'll be a bit of a scandal. So much for a bright future in Federation-Mantis relations.
O.DOGG
Member
Finally beat this game (on Easy)! Damn, it took a while.
I kind of did the same thing as ixix. My two mantises martyred themselves for the cause. Their valiant sacrifice for the common good shall never be forgotten! They shall have a monument built in their memory and their families shall receive a hero's pension. Services tonight at 7.
I kind of did the same thing as ixix. My two mantises martyred themselves for the cause. Their valiant sacrifice for the common good shall never be forgotten! They shall have a monument built in their memory and their families shall receive a hero's pension. Services tonight at 7.
I have come to truly loathe the rock ship. Even with 28 starting missiles it only takes 1-2 bad fights early to really put you in a slow downward spiral. The stealth ship may have more sector 1-2 failures but the rock ship seems to have a similar problem with most likely running out of steam in sector 3-4. Zoltan ships are an absolute nightmare. If I get forced into a fight with one in the first few jumps I generally just restart because of the wasted resources.
The ship also seems designed to make rockmens one shortcoming, their speed, most pronounced.
"We're slow. We should place critical systems as far apart as possible and include long hallways with the only crossover at the airlocks."
The ship also seems designed to make rockmens one shortcoming, their speed, most pronounced.
"We're slow. We should place critical systems as far apart as possible and include long hallways with the only crossover at the airlocks."
Got to the boss for the first time last night (on the run I was so kindly helped with above). It was the first time I did a boarding strategy, where I'd start off by using a Breach II against the medbay, then send in a boarding drone followed by my two mantises. Coupled with an absurdly high level of defence (three shields, a ~50% evade, a Defence II drone, and a cloaking device), it worked really well until (my own fault for not upgrading the teleporter) I wasn't able to teleport my two mantises back from an ill-conceived raid in time to save them, due to the cool-down period.
Still, I managed to get to the boss, and that's when things got interesting.
Still, I managed to get to the boss, and that's when things got interesting.
I assumed that I'd fail miserably against the boss, as I'd lost my boarding party and had virtually no offensive weaponry. Still, I went gung-ho, powered-up all my defences and started pelting in Breach II missiles and boarding drones... and it worked surprisingly well. My defences held up well, and the boarding drones took out the entire crew in the main part of the ship pretty quickly. Noticing the other four crew (the slug I had was pretty useful in that regard), I sent an ad-hoc boarding party to raid each of the four weapon rooms, taking out the remaining few with surprising ease. So, that was it, my rag-tag bunch of adventurers had managed to take out the rebel flagship...
Or so I thought.
The game then kindly informs me that the ship has an AI control system which has just taken over. My only option now is to destroy the hull. The hull which I haven't even scratched, and lies under four layers of shield. The hull which I don't have the offensive weaponry to hit, and nor do I have any missiles or drone parts. So, I'm left with only one option, send in boarding teams to take out the shield, and start hitting the ship with my Hull Laser. The problem is, one of my boarding drones took out the O2 system on the flagship during his rampage, and without an upgraded teleporter anyone I send won't be coming back. There's no other option, though, and I send my first boarding party on a one-way trip to try to take out the sheilds. With only a little damage done, I send in my second boarding party. Still not enough. With only two crew left, I feel there's little choice but to make a run for the nearest repair station, in the vain hope that they can provide the missiles I need to take out the sheilds. Unfortunately there's just not enough time; en-route to the repair station I get the unfortunate news, the rebel flagship has reached the federation's base and all is lost.
And all because I didn't think to upgrade that fucking teleporter!
Or so I thought.
The game then kindly informs me that the ship has an AI control system which has just taken over. My only option now is to destroy the hull. The hull which I haven't even scratched, and lies under four layers of shield. The hull which I don't have the offensive weaponry to hit, and nor do I have any missiles or drone parts. So, I'm left with only one option, send in boarding teams to take out the shield, and start hitting the ship with my Hull Laser. The problem is, one of my boarding drones took out the O2 system on the flagship during his rampage, and without an upgraded teleporter anyone I send won't be coming back. There's no other option, though, and I send my first boarding party on a one-way trip to try to take out the sheilds. With only a little damage done, I send in my second boarding party. Still not enough. With only two crew left, I feel there's little choice but to make a run for the nearest repair station, in the vain hope that they can provide the missiles I need to take out the sheilds. Unfortunately there's just not enough time; en-route to the repair station I get the unfortunate news, the rebel flagship has reached the federation's base and all is lost.
And all because I didn't think to upgrade that fucking teleporter!
It wasn't even my first inadvertent murder of a mantis boarding team. Sending a pair of bugs onto an automated scout is how I learned that there's no oxygen on board automated ships.
It makes so much sense in retrospect. Yet it seemed unthinkable at the time.
I laughed
Jibbajabbawockky
Member
Just got this game off Steam. Oh god this is addictive and awesome.
That last boss... those drones... I just can't do it. I can't.
Normally I run out of missiles, this time I had 25.
Normally a boarding party fucks me up, this time I had a couple mantis crew members AND an anti-personel drone.
This time I had cloaking, four shield levels and decent weapons and was ready to rock.
Still, fuck fuck fuck. I couldn't get their shields down long enough to use the pike beams i had ready to fuck them up. Once my cloaking room caught on fire and my shield room got hull breached, killing the wimpy Engi engineer I just walked away. I can't do it. I just can't.
Normally I run out of missiles, this time I had 25.
Normally a boarding party fucks me up, this time I had a couple mantis crew members AND an anti-personel drone.
This time I had cloaking, four shield levels and decent weapons and was ready to rock.
Still, fuck fuck fuck. I couldn't get their shields down long enough to use the pike beams i had ready to fuck them up. Once my cloaking room caught on fire and my shield room got hull breached, killing the wimpy Engi engineer I just walked away. I can't do it. I just can't.
Best run I had with the Mantis cruiser A. Full crew, full ship upgrades, good set of weapons... About 2 jumps from the final sector I accidentally blew up an enemy ship with my boarding party on it. Rage quit.
Always buy cloak. always. Drone wave is the easiest then. (EXCEPT FOR THAT FUCKING BOARDING DRONE)
I've been stuck with the same set of four ships for ages now. I had one run where I unlocked two ships and the alternate layout for the one I was using, and ever since I've had practically nothing. That was about a dozen runs ago.
Been feeling like it's time for me to graduate to playing on normal difficulty, but I'm worried about what that'll do to my already pathetic ship unlock rate.
Been feeling like it's time for me to graduate to playing on normal difficulty, but I'm worried about what that'll do to my already pathetic ship unlock rate.
you could have waited it out I suppose, since the AI repairs every system, so O2 should be repaired as well, no?
O.DOGG
Member
I did the same thing only I sent a mantis and a human on board the scout. I suspected there wouldn't be oxygen but I was hoping the teleporter would recharge fast enough. And it was this close. Ragequit.
Don't use a wiki. Just dive in, die a lot and learn.
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
Definitely the former. The only thing you'd need a wiki for is unlocking some of the ships.