FTL: Faster Than Light - Advanced Edition

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

I didn't know or care about KS or have any expectations, not removing it from inventory. I guess I just enjoyed it for what it was, while it lasted (1 day or 2)?

 

[oscar]

The game really needs to be made into something more open-world and sandboxy like Transcendence*, as both games could borrow a lot from each other to create the ultimate space rougelike.

*http://transcendence.kronosaur.com/

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

I didn't know or care about KS or have any expectations, not removing it from inventory. I guess I just enjoyed it for what it was, while it lasted (1 day or 2)?

And that's what FTL is all about - being a little game that's fun for 1-2 days, or in other words - a few playthroughs. One thing that could greatly increase its lifespan is some kind of a free game mode though I guess implementing it would take a lot of effort. Also, the biggest flaw of this game is that the course of any given playthrough is extremely rng-driven. If, for example, you get some lucky events/drops/shops at the start the rest can become a total cakewalk.

 

[knightley]

I enjoyed "FTL" quite a bit though "Weired Worlds" offers more replayability.

 

[DarKPenguiN]

I didn't know or care about KS or have any expectations, not removing it from inventory. I guess I just enjoyed it for what it was, while it lasted (1 day or 2)?

And that's what FTL is all about - being a little game that's fun for 1-2 days, or in other words - a few playthroughs. One thing that could greatly increase its lifespan is some kind of a free game mode though I guess implementing it would take a lot of effort. Also, the biggest flaw of this game is that the course of any given playthrough is extremely rng-driven. If, for example, you get some lucky events/drops/shops at the start the rest can become a total cakewalk.

-Yup this is pretty much my opinion.

Needs a more sandbox style. A couple playthroughs was fun, but there isnt much replayability and the game was kind of short- Still a "good game" which I enjoyed learning and I had fun with it-But its lacking IMHO.

Combining this games combat with the Space rangers 2 "World" and I would be in heaven.

 

[JrK]

http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3542

Just going to leave that here.

 

[Emeschi]

is that when you can technically finish the game's objective even if your ship is destroyed, you still lose

I got to the boss and my boarding party was 2 hits away from killing the last guy, during the last stage of the boss, but my ship gets destroyed so I lose?

FUCK YOU THE GAME IS ABOUT SAVING THE GALAXY FROM REBEL SCUM NOT ONE SHIP SJASKDHSABJDGSAGKDSGDHSGDSKADHJSGDKSAHD

I have not been playing it for a while, so correct me if I am wrong on this one. Whole point (the main objective) of the game was to save the ship by running away from rebels.

 

[SoupNazi]

No, the main objective is to save the galaxy by letting the main federation fleet know the rebel fleet's weakness. The rebel fleet would demolish the federation normally, but you share that information and while the federation fleet squares off with the rebel fleet, you're supposed to destroy the flagship (as that's the weakness of the rebel fleet - without the flagship they'll lose). Then it's assumed that if you succeed, the federation fleet wins and the galaxy is saved.

Thus, it's safe to assume that even if your ship is destroyed, then if your crew that's onboard the flagship can destroy it from within, the galaxy still can be saved. Which I could easily have done in my play as I had 4 mantis' inside the ship, it was on the last two or so hull HP and all the crew was dead. So I would only need to destroy two or three systems, which also damages the hull, to destroy it. I.e. succeed the mission. But since my ship got destroyed I got a game over.

It's not a big issue, mind you, but it pissed me off in the moment.

 

[Malakal]

Its a classic death star situation, destroying it should win the war no matter the cost (lower score of course). But its cosmetic since I dont think draws happen often.

 

[RK47]

Ashery

 

[Ashery]

SoupNazi : FYI, if the flagship blows up moments prior to your own ship, it counts as a win, but if your's goes first, it's a loss. All the game does is check which ship starts exploding first.

And I'm not sure how someone earlier claimed that the game is unbalanced. Every weapon has its use, but some are definitely more niche than others. That is to say, some require specific support setups (Beam drones require an ion heavy setup) while others have decent synergy with nearly every setup (Burst laser mk2).

 

[RK47]

Ash... post that pic of yours.

 

[Ashery]

For your viewing pleasure:

And yes, I realize I played poorly that game.

 

[knightley]

Anybody played the game long enough to know how many winning weapon configurations there are?

 

[Malakal]

Well, from what I observed: any bomb is a winning weapon given enough time so if you count one weapon as configuration then you have as many as there are bombs.

Then there is missile spam configuration - need to be able to launch at least three missiles at the same time.

Pure laser configuration - needs at least 5 laser shots each salvo.

Ion weapon decreases the amount of lasers needed by 1 each level of shield disabled.

Any beam/anti ship drone is enough as long as shields are down so drone and 3 ion/3 laser works. Same about beam weapons.

Then of course teleporter/boarding drone. And finally the federal cruiser big weapon.

 

[Ashery]

Anybody played the game long enough to know how many winning weapon configurations there are?

Way too many to name. If you're restricting the options to realistic configurations, then missiles/bombs get relegated to a more supportive role because they cannot be spammed.

With that said, the only setup that doesn't require enough firepower to bring down/tunnel through the enemy's shields is a teleporter setup supported by a crystal crew member, bomb, missile, or enough firepower to tunnel through the shields to take out their medbay. On top of that, you need a weapon that can take down a zoltan shield.

So, with the teleporter accounted for, you're now looking for any setup that can reliably take down shields. An ion heavy setup (4-5 power worth, ideally) in conjunction with any non-missile weapon does incredibly well. Massed burst lasers are a favorite of new players. The list is extensive; All you need is a setup that can reliably take down/tunnel through your enemy's shields.

Personal favorite: 4-5 ion power, fire beam, heavy laser i.

 

[RK47]

Red Tail - The Kessel Alternative is probably the best weapons starter.

 

[Ashery]

Red Tail - The Kessel Alternative is probably the best weapons starter.

Starts with a 4x laser volley; Anything with three or less shields will eventually die. Most other ships only start with with enough firepower to break through two shields and deal damage.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

The one time I beat FTL was with my least favorite (so far) ship, the Torus. I won using the ship's original ion weapon, the original anti-ship drone, a breach missile, and one of those lasers that cut through multiple rooms. I had max shields and cloaking.

I targeted the shields with the ship's ion weapon and breach missile, while using the cutting laser to target other systems such as drone control, weapons and oxygen. I also had a crew of 8 and could swarm boarding parties, while the Torus' auto-healing via the Engi Med-Bot Dispersl unit gave my crew staying power in a slugging match.

I wish I had won the game with my favorite ship, the Nesasio, but it wasn't meant to be. I played badly and didn't know what to expect, taking too much damage from the second phase of the boss fight and its drones. The Kestrel is a decent enough ship. I haven't tried out the Osprey yet. I have yet to encounter any of the other possible ships so far.

 

[Jasede]

Unfortunately this game gets too boring too quickly. There's not enough random events and not enough things to do other than combat, which after a while always resolve the same way. Also, boarding OP.

I did enjoy it, though.

 

[racofer]

 

[Jasede]

Did they ever update this again yet?

 

[Damned Registrations]

Dunno, but I recall that people were making mods for it, so even if there's nothing official there might be some cool fan stuff available now.

Why is this in strategy anyways?

 

[toro]

I did not play this game on release and I got it later from a gog promotion. Finally I got time to play it and ... I've finished it after a couple of hours and a couple of rage inducing moments.
Success in this game depends a lot on the luck factor but then there are strategies you can use in order to change the odds of fortune on your side.

It's really nice to play a game where you are forced to adapt to each situation and try to progress ... until the abysmal ending. Yes. The ending is the most rage inducing boss fight ever ...
Played on Normal, Max Shield, Max Evade, Max Weapons and I died at least 2 times in the last map against that behemoth of a ship because I did not have Cloaking.
Drones are shit, they require too much energy. Transporter is simply overpowered. But without Cloaking there is no way to avoid damage from the final Power Surges.
And once I knew this, I beat the game with a worse ship than the ones from my previous tries. This is a big failure cause by a retarded end boss design.
Cloak on Power Surges, teleport goons to destroy missile weapon and teleport bombs to disable/kill stuff. That's the way to cheese Faster Than Light and is most likely the only way to finish it.

Fuck this game. The abysmal ending robbed me of any enjoyment.

 

[Ashery]

I did not play this game on release and I got it later from a gog promotion. Finally I got time to play it and ... I've finished it after a couple of hours and a couple of rage inducing moments.
Success in this game depends a lot on the luck factor but then there are strategies you can use in order to change the odds of fortune on your side.

It's really nice to play a game where you are forced to adapt to each situation and try to progress ... until the abysmal ending. Yes. The ending is the most rage inducing boss fight ever ...
Played on Normal, Max Shield, Max Evade, Max Weapons and I died at least 2 times in the last map against that behemoth of a ship because I did not have Cloaking.
Drones are shit, they require too much energy. Transporter is simply overpowered. But without Cloaking there is no way to avoid damage from the final Power Surges.
And once I knew this, I beat the game with a worse ship than the ones from my previous tries. This is a big failure cause by a retarded end boss design.
Cloak on Power Surges, teleport goons to destroy missile weapon and teleport bombs to disable/kill stuff. That's the way to cheese Faster Than Light and is most likely the only way to finish it.

Fuck this game. The abysmal ending robbed me of any enjoyment.

You definitely don't need cloaking. Maxed evasion (52%) and shields puts you in a position where you can expect to not be hit by a single shot on the third surge. There will, of course, frequently be times when you take a couple damage, but if you're taking that long to take down the third phase, you're already fucked. The second stage is harder to predict, but it's still realistic to get through most surges with minimal/no damage.

It helps, but it's by no means a requirement. Teleporter is probably the closest thing to a requirement for the flagship.