Beta Poll Part A: First Impressions

[Strech]

I barely played the tutorial and i had no problems playing the game, and i had fun figuring out other details not fully explained in the tutorial(like teleporters, stealth, different kind of weapons, etc...)

[Darthcaboose]

I think FTL is really built upon user experimentation and just trying different things out and seeing what sticks and what doesn't. I think that is really the case for most roguelikes; dying is supposed to be fun and doing different things each time because of different random scenarios is what makes the genre enjoyable!

Bonus: I wish I knew that some systems upgrades which aren't usually considered "essential" (like the Medbay or Sensors) had important blue text options in game (especially when hunting after the unlockable ships). I know it is kind of stated in the tutorial where blue text options can crop up, but a little bit more emphasis on "All systems have blue text options" would have been a nice push to encourage the user to try upgrading other systems!

[rauth]

I just replayed the tutorial. Some things I noticed:

• When the engines are damaged and one should send some crew members to the engines in order to repair them, the game is paused, but the pause function isn't explained. After "Try sending your crewmembers to the engine room." there should be something like "currently the game is paused. you can pause and resume anytime during the game by pressing space. While the game is paused you can give orders, too."
  
• "Some systems can be manned ... to provide a small bonus to the system" There should be a note explaining how crew members gain experience and how to check how big the bonus is (I mean the tool tip saying "piloting: evasion +5 next level...)
  
• After putting the fire out, the player should be ordered to close the doors again. Maybe via the buttons of the subsystem.

Things that I think are missing and/or took some time to figure out:

• There should be an explanation how different types of weapons work. (Especially how their impact is on shields)
• It took some time for me to figure out how ion weapons affect shields.
• I didn't know how to control which weapon is disabled first when the room is damaged.
• This is completly new to me:

  each shield bubble blocks a single point of beam damage. [...] had largely been ignoring beam weapons entirely because I thought they were completely useless with shields.

• I still don't know what is meant with "shield piercing" In the description of missiles.
• Cloaking
• Teleporter
• Stores

[Darthcaboose]

Also, I really should add this here, but your poll results are going to be pretty biased. The close to 4,000-ish-or-so Kickstarter backers who helped to fund this game with at least $25 (beta access!) have been exposed to the game the longest and probably have a very clear idea of how things'll work in general.

This is as opposed to people who buy it off of Steam (perhaps from a Steam sale that'll happen someday?) and load it up to start playing and don't know what to expect.

[stuntaneous]

I found the game very straight forward to pick up. I don't think it's particularly complex ( )

spoilerspoiler
I wish I knew the boss was a cheating whore.

[halfacandan]

Things I'd like to have known before playing the game (in order of importance):

• It's better to visit as many beacons as possible in a sector before moving on
• Upgrading your (sub)systems and/or adding new (sub)systems can lead to blue dialogue choices which benefit you
• Vaccums can be used to put out fires (I knew this because I had watched a preview video but I wouldn't have worked it out)
• Vaccums can be used to kill intruders (I knew this because I had watched a preview video but I wouldn't have worked it out)
• Buffing your systems with extra power blocks can help maintain them when they are damaged i.e. you lose your defense drone mk 1 with one hit to the system if you only have 2 blocks of drone power
• When your crew are fighting, it's only the one that gets the kill who gains experience (this is annoying)
• How beam weapons work (I honestly still don't know this as I just die every time I try to use them). Are they some that ycan penetrate shields?

[halfacandan]

When I saw that tip come up after my 50th playthrough (or something on that order, anyway), my jaw dropped. Totally had not realized that from any of my playthroughs, had largely been ignoring beam weapons entirely because I thought they were completely useless with shields.

You just blew my mind! This was the exact same experience that I had.

[halfacandan]

• I didn't know how to control which weapon is disabled first when the room is damaged.

Yep. That's a biggie that I left off my list. Soooo annoying when my massively-powerful, slow-to-charge weapon kept getting knocked out by a single shot just before it fired. Should have re-ordered my guns.

[LillithMenarra]

it could use a drones and teleporter section, to teach you the different types of drones there are and what they do, and about managing your boarding party.