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FTL: Faster Than Light - Advanced Edition

Gord

Arcane
Joined
Feb 16, 2011
Messages
7,049
Interesting - FTL might be worth checking out eventually.

It's worth checking out now. Already extremely well written (in terms of events).

I was interested in it at first, but after watching some Let's play and reading some codex thread, it seemed too much of an one-trick-pony to me to be really worth it. I think an expansion might change that somewhat, though.
 

Random

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
2,812
I have a good friend who is extremely psyched about this. He played it every day until exhaustion.

Let's hope MCA brings the :incline: to make up for his failures at LPing Arcanum.
 

Grunker

RPG Codex Ghost
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Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
27,385
Location
Copenhagen
FTL was definetely a case of "perfect systems, waaaaaay too little content." I don't really care about MCA, but if this gets big enough to be an actual game, consider me locked in my room for at least a fortnight.

Dunno why they're implementing new systems (e.g. hacking). Just a fuckload of more events, enemies, environs, etc. etc. and I'm hyped.
 

Berekän

A life wasted
Patron
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
3,097
Great, it's just what the game needed, more content so it doesn't get stale. Am happy now, thought they left it for dead.
 

Metro

Arcane
Beg Auditor
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
27,792
FTL was definetely a case of "perfect systems, waaaaaay too little content." I don't really care about MCA, but if this gets big enough to be an actual game, consider me locked in my room for at least a fortnight.

Dunno why they're implementing new systems (e.g. hacking). Just a fuckload of more events, enemies, environs, etc. etc. and I'm hyped.

For a $10 game I thought it delivered plenty of content. My only complain is that luck plays too much of a role.
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
Staff Member
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,878,405
Location
Djibouti
space wolves confirmed

m500523a_99120101078_SpaceWolvesPackMain6_873x627.jpg
 

J_C

One Bit Studio
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Developer
Joined
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Messages
16,947
Location
Pannonia
Project: Eternity Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Here's a related MCA interview which nobody noticed, I think: tom-jubert.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-chris-avellone-interview.html

What weren't you happy with in Planescape, and how is that influencing work on Tides of Numenera? And how do you say 'Numenera'?

It’s NEW-MEN-ERA. I could telepathically feel Monte Cook wincing every time I mispronounced it (which was a bonus), and I actually mispronounced it in one of the best takes of the Torment endorsement video. ;)

I thought the combat in Planescape was poor, there weren’t enough Planes to explore (we wanted more), and it could have used more fun dungeon and adventure locations as well. That said, Planescape taught me that you don’t always need to one-up the companion roster, one-up the inventory list, spell list, or any of the systems you’re being compared to as long as you set up the narrative and the world context to explain why and you’ll likely have a much better game for it.

Was I worried about the number of companions in Torment vs. Baldur’s Gate? Yep. Was I worried about the lack of inventory items and weapons you could equip? Yep. Was I worried about the character creation and lack of class options for the main character? Yep. But in the end, if you’re staying focused on making sure you’re providing a reason for all these elements (the companions only like certain weapons or can only logically use certain weapons – like teeth, it’s a more personal journey, you don’t become a priest because there’s a chance you were once a god yourself), no one really cares. And as long as you’re doing one thing really well (I’d argue in Torment’s case, that was the story and some of the game mechanic convention-breakers), that helps you stand out and carve out a game identity all its own.

In Numenera, Kevin Saunders (Project Lead) and Colin McComb (Lead Designer) are conscious of the original Torment’s shortcomings and its strengths, and combat and adventure are not downplayed in any of the design documents and discussions. I’ve also added my cautionary tales as well about player motivation and companion design, but Kevin and Colin already seem to grasp those points well, so it’s like preaching to the choir, really. Which is a good sign.


You've made a name with RPGs and dialogue trees. Do you ever want to try alternative narrative mechanics, or is this a path you're set on? If the latter, are further experiments like Alpha Protocol's dialogue system where you'd like to be, or are you content to further push the boundaries with the systems you have?

I think cinematic dialogue and menu-driven systems has put us in a dialogue cul-de-sac of diminishing returns on gameplay, and there’s more that can be done with dialogue systems, depending on the genre (Brian Mitsoda’s tension-driving, branching-but-linear-with-no-takebacks in Alpha Protocol I think very much complimented the espionage mechanics of the title).

Also, with our Aliens: Crucible dialogue system, we made a conscious effort to make sure the player could never take “refuge” in a talking head conversation – they should never feel safe, they should never feel like they couldn’t be attacked at any time in the environment... because, hey, that’s what Aliens is all about.

Usually the franchise ambiance or engine specs have been our guiding principles for dialogue system design, but there’s more room to grow. I’m really interested in helping develop the dialogue mechanics for Tides of Numenera, as the Numenera ruleset allows for some interesting speech–related applications that would work well in a new dialogue system.
 

Gord

Arcane
Joined
Feb 16, 2011
Messages
7,049
Bought the game during the recent GOG sale and due to the upcoming free expansion.

In the few games I have played so far, I always failed miserably. Got to the last sector a couple of times by rushing there, but the difficulty seemes to spike quite a bit, compared to the earlier sectors.
Last game I decided to take my time and explore the sectors as carefully as possible without getting reached by the rebel fleet.
Kinda payed of, since I had found ~4 additional weapons by the time I had reached sector 5 or so.
However, it seemed to me that the enemies I encountered with my well-armed ship were also suddenly armed much better than what I encountered when bee-lining to the last sector (I didn't last very long).
So I wonder, is the "level" of the enemies you encounter linked to the total playing time, to your equipment or simply to the sector you are in and I had some bad luck there?
What about the Rebel Fleet - do they catch up faster after reaching a new sector if I took my time in the previous one?
Are there any "guaranteed" ways to pick up additional crew members, especially the interesting ones like Engi or Mantis?
What do you need to succeed in those special encounters where you can beam down crew to help with riots or spider infections? My (human) crew always fails and I lose a crew member...
 

Dayyālu

Arcane
Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Messages
4,466
Location
Shaper Crypt
So I wonder, is the "level" of the enemies you encounter linked to the total playing time, to your equipment or simply to the sector you are in and I had some bad luck there?

The strength of the opposition should be sector-dependant. Some advanced enemy ships are quite strong (a gift from the random generator) and can sometimes be more of an hassle than the Rebel Flagship if you are not prepared. Explore carefully the sectors and try to board enemy ships, it's a more efficient way to obtain scrap.

What about the Rebel Fleet - do they catch up faster after reaching a new sector if I took my time in the previous one?

Never noticed it.

Are there any "guaranteed" ways to pick up additional crew members, especially the interesting ones like Engi or Mantis?

Stores or different ship configurations. Unlocking them is far easier than it seems, and often they start with a better crew (for example, the "alternate" Kestrel, the "Red Tail", starts with a Mantis, a Human, a Zoltan and... an Engi, I think). Stores are a less reliable system, but functional.

What do you need to succeed in those special encounters where you can beam down crew to help with riots or spider infections? My (human) crew always fails and I lose a crew member...

If you mean infected Riots, Rock and Engi crewmembers should unlock "blue events". For the spiders, it's almost always crew loss. The only way I have found to kill them reliably is the Anti-Bio Beam, a quite rare drop and a starting weapon of the Slug cruiser.
 

Ashery

Prophet
Joined
May 24, 2008
Messages
1,337
Last game I decided to take my time and explore the sectors as carefully as possible without getting reached by the rebel fleet.

This should be how you approach every game. The only way to delay the rebels' approach is either with certain encounter choices or by visiting nebula nodes. However, note that the nebula nodes have a lessened effect when you're in a nebula sector.

So I wonder, is the "level" of the enemies you encounter linked to the total playing time, to your equipment or simply to the sector you are in and I had some bad luck there?
What about the Rebel Fleet - do they catch up faster after reaching a new sector if I took my time in the previous one?

Enemy strength depends entirely upon the sector you're in, with the rebel fleet ships a bit stronger than that baseline. There is, however, some variance as to the actual difficulty of enemy ships. A ship with a heavy laser i and a heavy ion will be a lot less deadly in sector two or three than a ship with 2x twin lasers, despite the latter being cheaper scrap wise.

Are there any "guaranteed" ways to pick up additional crew members, especially the interesting ones like Engi or Mantis?

Not really. You'd need terrible luck to not get chances at free additional crew (Slavers), but there's no way to get guaranteed access to certain races. It's all about making due with what you're given.

What do you need to succeed in those special encounters where you can beam down crew to help with riots or spider infections? My (human) crew always fails and I lose a crew member...

Certain equipment, upgraded subsystems, crew race, and others all provide blue options in different encounters. You'll quickly learn that there are some encounters that you avoid completely if you don't have a blue option.

I could give more pointers, but part of the fun of the game is discovering things yourself.
 

Surf Solar

cannot into womynz
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
8,828
:necro:

Got this game pretty late in the sales last week, loving it!

I read they are planning to release a free DLC:

So you all know by know FTL is getting a bad-ass first DLC, but no real details since the original announcement. All that has now changed as the developers have laid out their plans!

New Stuff

The Lanius Race
A new race being added that does not require oxygen and actually drains oxygen from a room they are in, they will be something of a pain in the ass!

A lot more too:
QuoteLanius Ship: New player ship with its own achievements and alternate layout.

Type C Ship Layouts: 8 of the original ships will have a third layout that capitalizes on the new content. With the Lanius ship, that makes for a total of ten new starting ship designs.

Backup Battery Subsystem: Subsystem that can provide temporary reactor power in a pinch.

New Drones: Expanded drone options includes: the Shield Drone that generates a green super shield for your ship, the Anti-Combat Drone that shoots down enemy combat drones, and the Ion Intruder that blasts into the enemy ship and randomly ionizes systems while stunning and distracting crew.

Gameplay Refinements: Doors and Sensors can be manned to increase effectiveness; you can now rename crew mid-game; each race has a small variety of colors which allows for easier visual recognition;

And more to come: We’re still balancing and polishing the features that are being added. Be sure to keep an eye out for additional content announcements!

FTL: ADVANCED EDITION RECAP:
It will contain a ton of new content and improvements: although the larger additions can be disabled if you prefer FTL “vanilla.”
This large update is free for those who already own the game on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
FTL is also coming to iPad; it will be the full version of the game including the new “Advanced Edition” content.
FTL on iPad will have to be purchased separately from the PC version.
An exact date for release has not been decided but we are aiming for early 2014.
 

J_C

One Bit Studio
Patron
Developer
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
16,947
Location
Pannonia
Project: Eternity Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
:necro:

Got this game pretty late in the sales last week, loving it!

I read they are planning to release a free DLC:

So you all know by know FTL is getting a bad-ass first DLC, but no real details since the original announcement. All that has now changed as the developers have laid out their plans!

New Stuff

The Lanius Race
A new race being added that does not require oxygen and actually drains oxygen from a room they are in, they will be something of a pain in the ass!

A lot more too:
QuoteLanius Ship: New player ship with its own achievements and alternate layout.

Type C Ship Layouts: 8 of the original ships will have a third layout that capitalizes on the new content. With the Lanius ship, that makes for a total of ten new starting ship designs.

Backup Battery Subsystem: Subsystem that can provide temporary reactor power in a pinch.

New Drones: Expanded drone options includes: the Shield Drone that generates a green super shield for your ship, the Anti-Combat Drone that shoots down enemy combat drones, and the Ion Intruder that blasts into the enemy ship and randomly ionizes systems while stunning and distracting crew.

Gameplay Refinements: Doors and Sensors can be manned to increase effectiveness; you can now rename crew mid-game; each race has a small variety of colors which allows for easier visual recognition;

And more to come: We’re still balancing and polishing the features that are being added. Be sure to keep an eye out for additional content announcements!

FTL: ADVANCED EDITION RECAP:
It will contain a ton of new content and improvements: although the larger additions can be disabled if you prefer FTL “vanilla.”
This large update is free for those who already own the game on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
FTL is also coming to iPad; it will be the full version of the game including the new “Advanced Edition” content.
FTL on iPad will have to be purchased separately from the PC version.
An exact date for release has not been decided but we are aiming for early 2014.
And our belowed MCA will write the story and dialogues tidbits for the DLC.
 

Metro

Arcane
Beg Auditor
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
27,792
Needs free roam mechanism and less repetitive battles. DLC that in.

What would be the point of free roam in this game? It delivers a great focused experience and forces you to make decisions under time/turn constraints. Apparently you want it to be something it's not.
 

Eyeball

Arcane
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
2,541
True. I really REALLY dislike the game as a linear sequences of battles leading up to a final boss which you will be incapable of beating if you've been unlucky with your drops so far. I would much prefer a more roguelikey approach where you could loiter around the galaxy for a bit and amass firepower and riches enough to be able to put up a better fight.
 

Exxos

Educated
Patron
Joined
Nov 24, 2009
Messages
39
Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pathfinder: Wrath
True. I really REALLY dislike the game as a linear sequences of battles leading up to a final boss which you will be incapable of beating if you've been unlucky with your drops so far. I would much prefer a more roguelikey approach where you could loiter around the galaxy for a bit and amass firepower and riches enough to be able to put up a better fight.

Mods. http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=15663 has exactly what you said you'd want. The downside though is that it's not vanilla and you have to deal with all other stuff that's in the mod.
 

oscar

Arcane
Joined
Aug 30, 2008
Messages
8,036
Location
NZ
Damn I'll have to try that out. A more relaxed, sandboxy FTL would be awesome.
 

Metro

Arcane
Beg Auditor
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
27,792
True. I really REALLY dislike the game as a linear sequences of battles leading up to a final boss which you will be incapable of beating if you've been unlucky with your drops so far.

This I agree with -- too much of the game is determined by luck of encounters/stores you run across. The final boss can be virtually impossible without an adequate setup.
 

Renegen

Arcane
Joined
Jun 5, 2011
Messages
4,062
True. I really REALLY dislike the game as a linear sequences of battles leading up to a final boss which you will be incapable of beating if you've been unlucky with your drops so far. I would much prefer a more roguelikey approach where you could loiter around the galaxy for a bit and amass firepower and riches enough to be able to put up a better fight.

Mods. http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=15663 has exactly what you said you'd want. The downside though is that it's not vanilla and you have to deal with all other stuff that's in the mod.
Really? I play the mod and there's a final boss like in the vanilla version.

The time limit is also frequently a feature of roguelikes since resource management is such a big part of the gameplay.
 

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