Opinion and thoughts about the game FTL: Faster than Light

More than 8 years have already passed since Indie studio Subset Games released the game Faster than Light, but I recently got acquainted with it. I dare to assure that she can attract a potential player for a long time. Although there are no plot spoilers in this blog (like the plot itself in the game), they can be on fighting and phases of the final boss. Personally, I am inclined to the idea that it is better to know about tactics in advance. I welcome everyone in my blog, where I will try to express my impressions and thoughts about FTL: Faster than Light.

Act 1 – cool, but difficult

Having spent a little time to pass the training, I started a new game. I chose the usual mode and average difficulty with the words: "I think I’ll figure it out quickly". “Whatever wrong,” the game answered me. After 5-6 attempts to reach the final level (one of which was successful), I had to reduce the difficulty. Just imagine that you come to the final boss for the second time, with almost all resources you fire it in the hope of the triumph end, and this, suddenly, is only the first stage. As a result, you have neither missiles nor drones, and your ship only from 1 unit of damage will turn into a pile of scrap metal. At a slight level of complexity, I hoped to better know the stages of the boss and the mechanics of the game.

Let’s now about the game itself. You control the ship, and your task is to get to the base of the federation and fight with the flagship of the rebels, for it is you – the last hope of the Federation. In the hangar you can choose one of the ships provided. They differ in weapons systems, modules, tools, reactors’ capacity, crews and ships architecture. The established systems largely determine the strategy of your battles. This is clearly manifested in an expanded mode: due to a limited number of slots under the system, there is a need to choose. Systems can be pumped throughout the game.

Most of the modules are rather a pleasant addition to effective fighting than to determine the strategy. Automatic fire extinguishing? Easily. Acceleration of the restoration of shields? Easy to. The tools are much more interesting. They are divided into several types: radiation, fragmentation, ionic, bombs, lasers and missiles. Each type of weapons has its advantages and disadvantages. Bombs and missiles are able to ignore shields, ionic systems cut down the systems for a while, the radials are able to hit several targets in one shot. Similarly, there are various classes of drones. All this good is fueled from the reactor, which imposes certain restrictions on the use of equipment. Well, of course, the crew. There are 8 races with unique abilities in the game. Angie repair systems faster, praying better fights, Zoltans can squeeze the systems with their presence, and people … experience quickly gaining. It accumulates due to the successful practice of managing the system, for example, shields or guns, and as a result gives useful buffs in the form of accelerated restoration of shields or reloading of guns.

In the course of passing with you, random events may occur with the right to choose their development. Whether it is the find of an unknown capsule or the ability to refuel at the lowest prices in the galaxy. The party ends either with your victory – the destruction of the boss, or defeat – the death of the entire crew or the destruction of the ship. And so, after 10 parties, the flagship of the enemy was destroyed at a slight level of complexity. There was no end to happiness, but after this long -awaited victory, I lost interest in the game. And it is not clear why it abandoned it – either from the sensation of completeness, or from fatigue. He left the game herself on my computer with the words: “Think about it, it doesn’t even take 500 meters. Maybe one day I want to play a little more ".

Act 2 – hmm, can open other ships?

It was with such a thought https://metal-casino.uk/games/ that summer evening I went again to play ftl. I decided to connect an expanded mode to make it more fun, but it was still at a slight level of complexity. As a result, I spent a few even evenings in FTL. But what lurked me so much in her? This is probably the presence of a strategic element in space battles. Let’s look at the example.

Here is one of the battles with a ship at an average level of complexity. Let’s see what fight tactics are here, given our resources and equipment of the enemy.

1. Sign anticipated missiles, fragmentation gun and one simple laser. Rockets first hit the enemy honey. Then send your landing to the honey tank and arrange a fight there. With reloading missiles, start neutralization of enemy shields. To protect your own ship from enemy missiles, launch the support drone ED-2. But there is a catch in the form of 15 second reloading of the teleport – during this time my boarding group can neutralize (there were enough resources, which did not pump the teleport?). The enemy is also armed with non -cerebral weapons that can break through my shields and damage the ship. So for the smallest damage you will have to do everything quickly. Well, you need to skillfully switch power from one system to another in order to be able to power all the tools.

2. Similar to the first scheme, only instead of ED-2 to launch the attacking DRROS BD-1, turn off the teleport and concentrate the primary fire on the shields, and then switch to the guns and destroy the enemy. Problems-an enemy masking system that gives them a head start in 10 seconds, as well as enemy missiles that can break through my ship (yes, you can quickly switch between ED-2 and BD-1, but I do not have many drones and a waste of 2 drones does not seem quite reasonable). Let’s not forget about the maneuverability of the enemy ship. Who knows how many guns will hit the enemy ship on average.

3. Trying to escape as quickly as possible, simultaneously using anti-corps missiles and drone support of ED-2, if necessary. Immediately the problem is a waste of precious drone. In addition, without destroying the enemy ship, we will not get either scrap or supplies.

And here you have to think for a few minutes which strategy is best suited for a particular battle. And also take into account with random, because as an enemy can miss your ship, you may not get along it. Perhaps the enemy missile will hit your attacking drone BD-1, or at the end of the battle, precious drones or fuel will not fall from the fragments of an enemy ship.

Then I bring to the reason why the second time I decided to abandon FTL. Oddly enough, this is a random. I came up with an ideal combination of systems, crew and guns for my ship, but as a result, I can’t make an idea because of the lack of the necessary components or a limited amount of scrap (at all without a concept of how to win at a high level of complexity). The strategic element of battles depends not only on my crew and ship management skills, but also on random parameters. Will there be a giving weapon "Sekira" in the assortment of the store? Unknown. With such moods, the game was discarded again.

Act 3 – Experiment!

He returned to FTL with his thoughts: “But for so many parties I have never used a teleport, I wonder how it is played with it”. And again, I mired this game for several days and nights. Throughout the third entry, he was able to realize the role and positive aspects of the random, about which I complained. Speaking tritely, each party becomes unique and each time you have to use various tactics, systems and ships for one reason or another. So, a huge number of strategies can be used against the final boss: to focus on the crew and teleported tools, or to buy a “volcano” machine gun, which, after warming up, will quickly neutralize enemy shields. There is a need to adapt to the environment and try to find the most effective strategies with existing equipment, which is in a curious experience as a result.

When I played enough at a slight level of complexity, and the whole game, including the final boss, became very easy, it was decided to switch to the average level of complexity. And then new difficulties began. It is necessary to modernize their tactics again for a more serious enemy in conditions of a smaller number of resources. Until now, I have not been able to defeat the flagship. Personally, it seems to me that the levels of difficulties are somewhat overestimated. But initially there was no light level of complexity.

What about the results? I spent more than 60 hours in the game and have never defeated the flagship of rebels at an average level of complexity. I don’t even want to imagine what is waiting for me at a difficult level of difficulty there. There was a sea of ​​pleasant impressions from the game. For her, by the way, there are a huge number of mods that can extend your stay in the game and expand experience. I myself did not plunge in them, because at first I would have to plunge the boss. Faster than Light, of course, a good game of the N-three of free evenings. Perhaps on one of these days you will want to return to your ship, equipped with the latest technology, to assemble a motley crew and begin to fight the rebels. Thanks for the attention and pleasant pastime in the open spaces of Stop … Game … ru.