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[Haunted]

Highly recommended, it's a great game.

I think the random generator has a bit too much power over the outcome of a run (as opposed to something primarily skill-based like Spelunky or Isaac), but it's still balanced well enough to make you want to come back for more again and again.

Loving this game except the boarding mechanic. Hoping for a mod to remove or solve it.

Doing the boarding or getting boarded?

 

[LuchaShaq]

Highly recommended, it's a great game.

I think the random generator has a bit too much power over the outcome of a run (as opposed to something primarily skill-based like Spelunky or Isaac), but it's still balanced well enough to make you want to come back for more again and again.



Doing the boarding or getting boarded?

I don't like either even when my guys kill boarders fast.

 

[Jintor]

Boarding mechanic is godlike, give it up

more seriously what's your beef with boards

 

[calder]

Yeah, I'm not good at the Engi ship.

And my first run with the stealth ship ended in tears (of blood spewing from my eye sockets as my body tumbled through the black) in the first sector as I couldn't help but run some fools to the ass end of nowhere and got trapped by the rebel fleet. My god I've never been so dicked over by the routing between stars before.

 

[UnluckyKate]

Saw a mantis ship.

Prayed for no boarding device.

Two enemy mantis eating my crew before I could blink

fuck this game

 

[O.DOGG]

I can't stop playing this game. I got finished off by the

Spoiler

second life of the enemy mothership

yesterday. How do you deal with that?
Still on easy. The game must be impossible on Normal difficulty...

 

[Sajjaja]

So close...yet so far It was the farthest I ever made it but that last stage man.....just fucked my up royally.... But I didn't have any missiles left going into the last 2 stages.

 

[Man]

Well I'm going Easy for now.
*Almost* got to Zone 5 on Medium. I was very lucky in that I managed to free slaves earlier on and got an Engi (powers equipment!), Mantis (pro combat) and a Zo.. (pro repairs).
Had the Mantis and one of the starter humans become my intruder defence, and all stations manned by others. Intruders is really the most lethal thing in this game.
Also the fight for resources... getting enough fuel and repairing hull impedes my upgrade progress drastically.

 

[whalleywhat]

The tutorial recommends that you move on to Easy, but I'd recommend that people skip straight to Normal. There's a reason you get an achievement for reaching Sector 5. It can be a genuinely difficult thing to do on Normal. Easy makes it seem like the point of the game is choosing how to spec up your ship, when it's really about clinging desperately to life.

 

[Jintor]

I'm becoming increasingly convinced that FTL's long-term appeal is more akin to gambling than anything else. Like, at the base, mechanical level. Of course that ignores that aesthetic brilliance and emergent storytelling opportunities that people seem to like.

 

[whalleywhat]

Gambling like a slot machine or gambling like poker?

 

[Jintor]

Poker is about bluffing and you can't do that against a computer. So slot machines. Don't get me wrong, there's enough skill/management elements to it that it's still enormously entertaining. But what stores have, the encounters you run into, all those things are slot machine elements.

There was some minor comparisons between Dark Souls in the last thread (in that you die alot) but the two are actually very different games. It's possible to learn from your deaths in Dark Souls, for instance, because the world is (more or less) static; monsters are always here, the architecture always is like this, etc. But the randomisation element of roguelikes is anethema to this kind of design, and so it proves largely impossible to learn how to look ahead. The best you can do is learn how to more effectively operate with the hand that you're dealt.

 

[whalleywhat]

I meant in the sense that there's some skill involved. Poker's also about feeling out a situation and figuring out what you can accomplish with (sorry) the hand you're dealt. I wouldn't agree that this operates on the same level that a loot game does, if that's what you're implying.

edit: Ah, well I agree that it's nothing like Dark Souls.

 

[tamaster92]

Good work in the OT, I am in love with game at the moment. Makes me feel like an armchair space commander!

 

[Mr. F]

Bought this last night and just played my first round. My score was 552.

During an intense battle I had a fire in a few rooms so I opened the airlocks to deprive them of oxygen. Opened the rest of the doors in the ship to restore oxygen to the rooms after the fires had gone out, but forgot that I had left the outer airlocks open. By the time I rushed everyone to the medical bay it was too late, and they all suffocated. Doop.

Game is really fun. Initially found myself a bit overwhelmed but then fully realized the value in frequent pausing/taking your time to plan. Can't wait to play more!

 

[Jintor]

I meant in the sense that there's some skill involved. Poker's also about feeling out a situation and figuring out what you can accomplish with (sorry) the hand you're dealt. I wouldn't agree that this operates on the same level that a loot game does, if that's what you're implying.

edit: Ah, well I agree that it's nothing like Dark Souls.

I'd say it's about 40% skill 60% luck. Even opportunities to 'improve your hand' so to speak (shops) are tied to luck in terms of what goods are actually available. You can be incredibly skilled at micro but it won't help you to get to the end if you don't get the right drops. Thankfully cost of investment (per game) is low enough that I don't really mind endless restarting to get that one perfect run.

 

[r1chard]

I'd say it's about 40% skill 60% luck. Even opportunities to 'improve your hand' so to speak (shops) are tied to luck in terms of what goods are actually available. You can be incredibly skilled at micro but it won't help you to get to the end if you don't get the right drops. Thankfully cost of investment (per game) is low enough that I don't really mind endless restarting to get that one perfect run.

I don't know - after playing it enough times I've moved from never making it to the boss battle to winning the boss battle almost every time. Sure, the tech / crew mix is different each time thanks to the luck element...

 

[KDR_11k]

Yeah, I'm not good at the Engi ship.

Just wait until you unlock the B version of that ship. Expect to see that screen a whole lot more often, no matter how good you are. The B version is that awful (heavy laser I and ion blast I as its weapons, if the enemy has one layer of shields you need to use both of them just to deal any damage and chances are he'll still escape if he wants to, if the enemy has more than one layer you are completely unable to damage them), its equipment is only geared to make up for other shortcomings it has. Completely unlike the A version which comes with starting gear that remains useful throughout the game (Ion II fires fast enough to stack so if you keep that aimed at the shields and the enemy doesn't dodge too often you can bring ANY level of shielding down).

The ship achievement for getting revenge with the crystal cruiser is bugged, I got it when one of my crystal shards hit an enemy without destroying him. Not gonna object to that though. Getting a second achievement and thus the B version should be rather easy. Unlocking the thing in the first place though... That one requires a LOT of luck. If you do manage to get to the crystal homeworlds though it's jackpot, they sell pretty good guns for 20 scrap a piece.

 

[Man]

Managed to reach Zone 5 on first attempt on Easy. A (major) dead end in that zone forced me to backtrack through the Rebel controlled space for four jumps and I died on the Exit spot.

Easy unlocks achievements, ships etc for both Easy AND Medium btw.

 

[Sober]

Damn this OT. Was gonna go to sleep, now I have to play at least a sector or two.

 

[Krelian]

No mention that it's also available for Mac and Linux in the OP? It's kind of a big deal if a game gets released for all big platforms (especially Linux). The Linux version is only available through the official website.

The game itself is amazing. I've had an awesome run with layout B of the Engi ship yesterday. At first I thought I had no chance. Only one crew member and no sensors. But I managed to get to the boss and beat its first form without much trouble. Then I made the crucial mistake of looking for a repair shop instead of pursuing the rebel ship. It reached my home base and it was over.

 

[Jintor]

I don't know - after playing it enough times I've moved from never making it to the boss battle to winning the boss battle almost every time. Sure, the tech / crew mix is different each time thanks to the luck element...

On normal?

 

[Sarcasm]

I can say that I often get lucky both in ftl and dark souls. Thus us easily my goty along with dark souls.

 

[Jackson]

The reliance on missiles makes this game so unbalanced.

I played 3 times in a row and all 3 times I die due to running out of missiles with no hope of finding more... and I constantly bought missiles at stores and collected every chance I could.

It's poor game design when you give me no way to win a fight.

I enjoyed it, but ya... tweak the numbers yo.

 

[Deraldin]

I really, really have to stop blowing up my boarding parties. I managed to lose 4 people on my last run. First it was just a couple humans and I wasn't too bothered about them, but the loss of my elite mantis/crystal team at the start of sector seven was painful. Thankfully it didn't turn out as bad as it could have. My elite team had been rampaging across 4 sectors earning me massive amounts of scrap by that point and the very next store I came across had 2 rock men for hire and they're tough enough that even without the damage bonus they can hold their own against just about anything.

 

[Jintor]

The reliance on missiles makes this game so unbalanced.

I played 3 times in a row and all 3 times I die due to running out of missiles with no hope of finding more... and I constantly bought missiles at stores and collected every chance I could.

It's poor game design when you give me no way to win a fight.

I enjoyed it, but ya... tweak the numbers yo.

Overload the shields with lasers. Drone strikes. Boarding parties or boarding drones. Options are variable, boss.

 

[Toma]

The reliance on missiles makes this game so unbalanced.

I played 3 times in a row and all 3 times I die due to running out of missiles with no hope of finding more... and I constantly bought missiles at stores and collected every chance I could.

It's poor game design when you give me no way to win a fight.

I enjoyed it, but ya... tweak the numbers yo.

Gotta disagree with you as well. Its about learning the other game mechanics. The only part of the game that really needs some special equipment (although there are more than one option for that too) is the boss encounter. Up to that, I made it with every ship I unlocked so far and the first time I defeated the boss was without missiles OR Ion cannons (which other people would say are inegral to victory in this game).

This game is really just about playing with the hand you are dealt, and with a little ingenuity, you can almost always make a good run from it.

At least on easy. I usually dislike choosing a lower difficulty, but here I consider that the "Normal" difficulty. Don't play on normal unless you are fully comfortable with your ship, or you are prepared to die a lot. Missiles usually arent meant to be used in every battle, btw.

No mention that it's also available for Mac and Linux in the OP? It's kind of a big deal if a game gets released for all big platforms (especially Linux). The Linux version is only available through the official website.

Use this for a better look into the game. TBs is subpar and doesn't do the game justice

Nerd³ Plays... FTL: Faster Than Light:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c_QY0dnI-M

Please put that in there Toma

Thanks! Done and done This OT is a joint effort of the community anyway, so I have of course no issues adding stuff people recommend.

 

[GrandHarrier]

Got 2x Burst Laser II early on and just casually strolled my way to victory. Those things tear shit up. Some of the weapons don't seem very balanced. Beam weapons are shit. Yeah, it's cool to get multi-room hits, but the recharge time + inability to bust shields make them my least favorite.

 

[Toma]

Overload the shields with lasers. Drone strikes. Boarding parties or boarding drones. Options are variable, boss.

I just noticed... when the hell do you sleep?

Got 2x Burst Laser II early on and just casually strolled my way to victory. Those things tear shit up. Some of the weapons don't seem very balanced. Beam weapons are shit. Yeah, it's cool to get multi-room hits, but the recharge time + inability to bust shields make them my least favorite.

You just need the right combination. Ion weapon + beam weapons usually work pretty well. Target shield and boom. I mean sure, those things have the disadvantage of not breaching through shields, but once they do? Easily 12 damage per shot is definitely a great payoff.

 

[Jintor]

I can't sleep.

All I see is the void.

 

[Sloane]

Been playing the game for a few weeks and really like it, although I still haven't figured out how to unlock shit. I've got like three ships with one layout each and that's it. Also, it's a bit annoying that the final stand is so much harder than everything that comes before it, even S6 is relatively easy after a few runs but then, boom!

 

[Toma]

Been playing the game for a few weeks and really like it, although I still haven't figured out how to unlock shit. I've got like three ships with one layout each and that's it. Also, it's a bit annoying that the final stand is so much harder than everything that comes before it, even S6 is relatively easy after a few runs but then, boom!

Which B Layout ships are you aiming for and which achievements are you still missing for those? Some are a bit easier to do with a hint.

 

[Ghost]

Got to second last sector with a crew of engi's last night and then got boarded by 4 mantises who proceeded to fuck up my shit

Think I got lucky with my store items too, ended up with 3 x Attack Droids to compliment my ion cannon taking out the shields, every ship just got ripped to shreds.



How do you guys spec your human ships? I can't figure out if I should be putting points into shields or saving all my scrap for weapons to get off the dependency on missiles.

 

[Toma]

Got to second last sector with a crew of engi's last night and then got boarded by 4 mantises who proceeded to fuck up my shit

Think I got lucky with my store items too, ended up with 3 x Attack Droids to compliment my ion cannon taking out the shields, every ship just got ripped to shreds.



How do you guys spec your human ships? I can't figure out if I should be putting points into shields or saving all my scrap for weapons to get off the dependency on missiles.

Getting to 2 shields is usually the highest priority on any ship for me. That way 90% of the enemies wont be able to damage you in the first 2 sectors, which means you have all the time in the world to use slower/less effective weapons. Also means that you wont have to spend half of your scraps income for repairs. For the other 10% you can use the missile weapon.

 

[Haunted]

The reliance on missiles makes this game so unbalanced.

I played 3 times in a row and all 3 times I die due to running out of missiles with no hope of finding more... and I constantly bought missiles at stores and collected every chance I could.

It's poor game design when you give me no way to win a fight.

I enjoyed it, but ya... tweak the numbers yo.

I think once you "commit" yourself to a certain playing style on a run (like missiles), you can get fucked by the RNG. If you keep the build a bit more open and less specialised you won't be as strong (as if you were to concentrate on one thing and getting enough resources to support that), but the chances of getting completely stuck before making it to the boss are decreased.

That said, I've made to the boss a couple times now and haven't beaten him yet. So yeah, luck really is an important factor. Maybe to a fault, as of the current balance. Sometimes I feel all I can do is to maximise my chances, but I'm ultimately not the one to decide whether the run will be successful or not.

 

[kiyomi]

Yay, OT.

I switched to Normal, so much more fun.

I barely ever have enough scrap to buy extra stuff, I just spend it on the Ship upgrades rather than new weapons etc, I seem to get by not too badly with the basic weapons :O

 

[Toma]

I think once you "commit" yourself to a certain playing style on a run (like missiles), you can get fucked by the RNG. If you keep the build a bit more open and less specialised you won't be as strong (as if you were to concentrate on one thing and getting enough resources to support that), but the chances of getting completely stuck before making it to the boss are decreased.

I think its also pretty safe once you decently upgraded two things in a playthrough, usually having two different decent weapon systems and an offensive drone is all you need to get through until the boss. By sector 4/5 I start to working on a boarding team on the side and then its usually smooth sailing.

 

[David Incorporated Esq.]

I'm in the middle of a run on normal where I nearly died halfway through sector one and have been clinging on for dear life ever since. All of a sudden things have turned around, I have the artemis, two burst lasers (1 and 2) and a halberd beam. Standard operating procedure now is to lay in with the lasers and missiles to kill shields right off the bat then come right back in with the burst laser and halberd beam to cut the ship in half.

Halberd beam is fuck-nutty, is all I can say.

Also, did anyone else have an issue with the Rock ship encounter? When I did it I deactivated their weapons so I could actually survive the fight but then fires broke out all over their ship and it blew up from fire damage before the end of the event. I was pretty disappointed.

So far I have the Engi ship and the Zoltan ship, but I haven't used them yet (I want to beat it on normal with the Kestrel, first).

 

[Jintor]

Fuck. Stroke of awesome luck: got a 3 power 4-second recharge ion blast 2 two jumps in. Bad luck: encountered nothing of use for three sectors, ran out of fuel, caught by rebel fleet on the jump node, all my ion shots missed, died in blaze of glory.

 

[Gisk]

This game is rather fun, not really a true rogue compared to nethack, but its still pretty good overall (in a 10 minute game kinda way).

Also I've done a profile on Jintor based on his time on gaf.

Time breakdown:
Time in FTL thread 100%
Time in animu/games threads: 99 %
So that leaves -1% of his time for sleep, how does he do it?
This man deserves applause gaf.

 

[marrec]

Fuck. Stroke of awesome luck: got a 3 power 4-second recharge ion blast 2 two jumps in. Bad luck: encountered nothing of use for three sectors, ran out of fuel, caught by rebel fleet on the jump node, all my ion shots missed, died in blaze of glory.

That's a mighty fine gun you got.

Just think about how quick the recharge would have gotten with a 2-Star gunner.

 

[InvincibleAgent]

I love that the state I live in is in the thread title.

And I wish this game came out for WiiU or XBLA since that's the only way I'd play it.

 

[flowsnake]

So far I'm mostly playing on Easy so that I learn how the game works (and so that I can unlock things quickly). Once I have a good ship selection and can beat the final boss, I'll try to move onto Normal.

Otherwise it just feels too frustrating.

 

[Jintor]

That's a mighty fine gun you got.

Just think about how quick the recharge would have gotten with a 2-Star gunner.

I had a 2 star gunner by sector three. Every 2 seconds firing. Could shut down a ship in seconds. But only if the shots connect.

 

[Stahsky]

I am really enjoying this game. It's nice to have something like this where you can just jump in and have a quick burst of awesome.

 

[Willectro]

I unlocked the Engi ship, but I was destroyed quickly while using it. It's nice too see how mechanically different the ships are.

 

[marrec]

I unlocked the Engi ship, but I was destroyed quickly while using it. It's nice too see how mechanically different the ships are.

I loved using the Engi ship the first time. Of course I found an Attack Drone II in sector 1 and rode it all the way to the end, but it was certainly fun.

 

[Willectro]

I loved using the Engi ship the first time. Of course I found an Attack Drone II in sector 1 and rode it all the way to the end, but it was certainly fun.

I like the drones, but I didn't get my shields and engines upgraded fast enough. That and I got boarded and had fires start in the oxygen room.

 

[Woorloog]

This is cool. Very interesting game, glad i bought this.

 

[Booter]

played this from 10pm until 1am last night. addicting one-more-turn style gameplay.