Subset Games Forum

My biggest suggestion for normal mode is that you HAVE to try and milk a sector for what it's worth. Exploring as much as possible and jumping to the next sector right before the rebels catch up is key. Avoid going to stores unless you have lots of scrap and mitigating hull damage in fights is the highest importance.

It's true that normal won't appeal to everyone. But i guess you could say that slightly masochistic players are our target audience, lol.

Hmm maybe I've played too many rogue-like games (if suuch a thing is possible), but I don't find normal that difficult. I've beaten the boss multiple times with all but the mantis ship.

If anything I'd like to see a hard mode, as Justin said, 'masochistic players'.

Justin wrote:It's true that normal won't appeal to everyone. But i guess you could say that slightly masochistic players are our target audience, lol.

They may be your target audience but it's nice to have added an Easy setting. It's a nice touch that opens the game to new players while not "dumbing down" (popular complain lately in the internets) the Normal experience of the game. imho

Wintersong wrote:They may be your target audience but it's nice to have added an Easy setting. It's a nice touch that opens the game to new players while not "dumbing down" (popular complain lately in the internets) the Normal experience of the game. imho

I agree, there should be a decent easy mode that's still fun. I just mean we have the harder levels more in mind when we balance.

If you're playing on normal and you're spending all your scrap on repairs and fuel, then you're either playing the Torus or you're doing something wrong..

In the Kestrel I don't usually need repairs until sector 3-5.

I've not yet played easy mode, and I was going to actually suggest turning it off, because it's *very* difficult to talk balance when some people play on easy and claim "you just need to buy this and that before you hit sector 3" (which might be all but impossible to do on normal).
But I can see now that many people seem to play on easy mode only and to be enjoying the game much more on that difficulty.

I'd like to instead suggest that people clearly mark their strategic advice with [normal] or [easy], or something.. If I'm playing on normal and having trouble with something, and another player bumps in and goes "just do X, that always works for me" and that strategy doesn't work for me *at all* then I usually get the feeling the other player might be playing on easy mode, which renders some of the advice completely useless for a normal game..

kshh wrote:If you're playing on normal and you're spending all your scrap on repairs and fuel, then you're either playing the Torus or you're doing something wrong..

In the Kestrel I don't usually need repairs until sector 3-5.

dude I think that is just you, I usually get destroyed by 2/3

I've been playing exclusively on normal with the Kestrel; haven't played easy yet.

[normal]
I agree with the person who made the comment about the need to scrounge as many systems in each sector as you can. I'll add that if possible always hit the nebula sectors as it seems you can explore more sytems and thus get more scrap.

During my last game I felt my Kestrel was well equipped by the last sectors, 48% dodge, 3 shield points, extra crew and a bunch of lasers but there still 2-3 times where I was in a battle and had to run. Even with a decent ship something can go wrong, like your weapons room getting damaged along with a breach+fire in your oxygen room and that's the end for you. Instead of slugging it out and maybe escaping, just warp away, even if it's to a previously explored sector because it will save you scrap in repairs.

If you encounter a slaver during the early sectors it's better to accept their surrender than kill them for scrap, as receiving a new crewman is worth the minor delay in upgrading your ship.

The final sector or two before the last stand seem to award a lot of scrap; if you are strong enough to take on these bombers/heavy ships with 4 shields and what not you can quickly amass a fortune. One recent game I went from about 20 to 250 scrap so that when I reached last stand I wasn't quite sure how best to spend it.

I haven't gotten further than the second stage of the rebel flagship; although this is probably due to me. The most recent attempt I beat the first stage with barely any hull damage, but when those drones came out my ship didn't last long at all. I haven't explored tactics with cloaking or ship invasion yet so I'll change some things up and see how it goes.

The art style and simple combat in the beginning belies how difficult this game really is. I like it.

Thanks for the insight, Justin.

To be sure - FTL is goddamn fun. This thread was more about me trying to understand people's thoughts & strategies vis a vis the two difficulty modes, less about wanting things to be changed. Keep up the solid work, I'm stoked on this game and spend faaaar too much time playing.

Thanks for the clarification Justin and the advice. I will have to explore more of Sector 1 and work on my masochism