FTL Faster Than Light discussion thread

Also don't play Normal.

I played some FTL again after a long time since my last play. Last time, I made a couple runs and got to the flagship on the second one, which ROFLSTOMPED me with it's second stage. This time, I unlocked the stealth ship and ended up dying in sector 7 to solar flares during a brutal battle. Fires and enemy missiles destroyed my door control while I had a number of doors open to put out fires in multiple rooms (including door control). I couldn't repair it before my crew asphyxiated. This last game, I feel like I was extremely lucky in picking up extra crew people. I got two extra Zoltan, a Mantis, a Rockman, and two Engi, and since this was my first time getting a teleporter room, I killed nearly all of them with my n00bishnes with it.

After missing the Stealth Crusier unlock event for the tenth time I decided to cheat and use a program to unlock it and the Crystal ship. I've never liked unlockables much and after 100 hours I really welcomed a new ship.

The Stealth A is a really great ship, it starts with no shields but since it has cloaking you don't even need them. Long-Range Scanners lets you avoid damage and rack up the scrap while the Mini Beam and the Dual Laser are very efficient weapons even if they rapidly go obsolete.

The Crystal A has some really powerful weapons and two very powerful crewmembers but it's not a ship with inherent defenses like the Zoltans or the Stealth ships and interestingly enough what makes their weapons so powerful (ignoring the first shield) is also what makes them somewhat antisynergetic with some of the usual weapons which is interesting.

I really look foward to trying these two ships

I had no problems getting the Stealth ship--I think it was my first unlock after Engi, but I just could never pull off the Mantis one. You need teleporter AND advanced medbay in the Mantis Homeworlds and it just never worked out. I finally got it by beating the Rebels with the Zoltan ship--and of course, on my first mission with the Mantis ship I unlocked the Mantis ship. At least Kathaaaaak joined my crew and I walloped the Rebels in that run.

All these unlocks are on the iPad, so I don't have the INI edit option. I'll have to earn that Crystal ship the hard way--I have only seen the Crystals once, so this will take some doing. Still have to beat the Rebels with Slugs and Rockmen.

Aarontu wrote: I played some FTL again after a long time since my last play. Last time, I made a couple runs and got to the flagship on the second one, which ROFLSTOMPED me with its second stage. This time, I unlocked the stealth ship and ended up dying in sector 7 to solar flares during a brutal battle. Fires and enemy missiles destroyed my door control while I had a number of doors open to put out fires in multiple rooms (including door control). I couldn't repair it before my crew asphyxiated. This last game, I feel like I was extremely lucky in picking up extra crew people. I got two extra Zoltan, a Mantis, a Rockman, and two Engi, and since this was my first time getting a teleporter room, I killed nearly all of them with my n00bishnes with it.

I have had games where a bad solar flare level killed me too--took me the longest time to with Zoltan because I kept not quite making it, dying to some combination of flares, or a hacked O2 versus boarding drones, or some other nonsense. Very frustrating. Sometimes you just have to bail. Hacked shields in an asteroid belt is always fun.

I have also had problems adjusting to Teleporter use. When I took out the Mantis ship, which kind of counts on it, I goofed probably 6 or 7 times, either sending them to a deoxygenated ship figuring I could beam them back in time (can't), or having them hit by a missile right when they get back, or dying to asteroid hits while they traipse around the enemy ship. Once you get them figured out, you get so much cool free stuff though. I got Combat 2 Drones, Hull Beams, and so forth.

There's a lot of really precise, intentional timing in the game. Things take a specific time to charge up for really good reason. So Teleporter level 2 is charges *just* in time to beam back two dudes who have gone to a ship with no air. That's an important timing to get used to.

jeb wrote: I had no problems getting the Stealth ship--I think it was my first unlock after Engi, but I just could never pull off the Mantis one. You need teleporter AND advanced medbay in the Mantis Homeworlds and it just never worked out. I finally got it by beating the Rebels with the Zoltan ship--and of course, on my first mission with the Mantis ship I unlocked the Mantis ship. At least Kathaaaaak joined my crew and I walloped the Rebels in that run.

All these unlocks are on the iPad, so I don't have the INI edit option. I'll have to earn that Crystal ship the hard way--I have only seen the Crystals once, so this will take some doing. Still have to beat the Rebels with Slugs and Rockmen.

Aarontu wrote: I played some FTL again after a long time since my last play. Last time, I made a couple runs and got to the flagship on the second one, which ROFLSTOMPED me with its second stage. This time, I unlocked the stealth ship and ended up dying in sector 7 to solar flares during a brutal battle. Fires and enemy missiles destroyed my door control while I had a number of doors open to put out fires in multiple rooms (including door control). I couldn't repair it before my crew asphyxiated. This last game, I feel like I was extremely lucky in picking up extra crew people. I got two extra Zoltan, a Mantis, a Rockman, and two Engi, and since this was my first time getting a teleporter room, I killed nearly all of them with my n00bishnes with it.

I have had games where a bad solar flare level killed me too--took me the longest time to with Zoltan because I kept not quite making it, dying to some combination of flares, or a hacked O2 versus boarding drones, or some other nonsense. Very frustrating. Sometimes you just have to bail. Hacked shields in an asteroid belt is always fun.

I have also had problems adjusting to Teleporter use. When I took out the Mantis ship, which kind of counts on it, I goofed probably 6 or 7 times, either sending them to a deoxygenated ship figuring I could beam them back in time (can't), or having them hit by a missile right when they get back, or dying to asteroid hits while they traipse around the enemy ship. Once you get them figured out, you get so much cool free stuff though. I got Combat 2 Drones, Hull Beams, and so forth.

Yeah, whenever enemy crew was almost dead due to fire/missiles, I would teleport some guys over to finish them off. You get lots of free stuff when you can take an enemy ship intact. I've found a free crew member that way, too (a prisoner on the enemy ship).

You know, when I first tried the Man O'War (Slug A), I thought it was weak but I've tried it again and while not an amazing ship, I don't think it's any worse than the Kestrel. You start without a Burst Laser MkII and in exchange you get a Breach Bomb, a solid laser weapon and two scrap generators: The Bio Beam (Which kills crew and so gives you more rewards )and an augment you can sell.

Interestingly most people think The Adjudicator (Zoltan A) is weak but I don't get it. You start with Zoltan Shields, 3 Zoltans, Upgraded Doors, a layout that can get rid of any boarder an emergency missile and a weapon that wins you all Sector 1-2 Battles and you are going to use until the end. What more can you ask?

Erik Twice wrote: You know, when I first tried the Man O'War (Slug A), I thought it was weak but I've tried it again and while not an amazing ship, I don't think it's any worse than the Kestrel. You start without a Burst Laser MkII and in exchange you get a Breach Bomb, a solid laser weapon and two scrap generators: The Bio Beam (Which kills crew and so gives you more rewards )and an augment you can sell.

Interestingly most people think The Adjudicator (Zoltan A) is weak but I don't get it. You start with Zoltan Shields, 3 Zoltans, Upgraded Doors, a layout that can get rid of any boarder an emergency missile and a weapon that wins you all Sector 1-2 Battles and you are going to use until the end. What more can you ask?

The weak part of the Zoltan ship is that it is staffed by Zoltan. Man they are weak. The need to cycle them in and out of fights is such a drag. Obviously, I try to minimize their exposure, but I have to spend so much time having them run away that the penalty to unmanned weapons and shields can start to add up. The Zoltan shield is nice, but once it's down you'd better have done something about weapons. Plus you need that pilot to switch to something powered ASAP.

I love the Slug Juice or whatever it is that repairs the hull breaches. I wouldn't sell that, it's super handy in Phase 2 against the Rebel ship when they send Boarding drones. Mind you, if Scrap Recovery, Pre-igniter, and what not stumble into my ship... I might sell it.

The Rock ship (Bulwark) has such a weird layout. I feel like it takes forever to get from one end to the other--even with their slowness it's like they have to snake along these weird rooms.