Subset Games Forum

Bought the game this morning, price is WAY worth it. I probably would have payed triple if only for the fact they supported Linux out of the gate.

Here are my stats after 2 serious attempts, and a few just playing around in the first sector: http://i.imgur.com/IhnlO.png

First attempt made it too the second incarnation of the boss, and the second attempt defeated the boss (on easy).

My thoughts:
1. Wow, very stable first day release. I am impressed. I had absolutely no issues.
2. The teleporter appears overpowered. With 4 decent fighters and a teleporter you can slaughter the boss.
3. About 50% of the game is flat out luck, if you get a good start you win, if not you don't. That is too random.
4. Some of the encounters are too pre-programmed. For instance; one encounter the enemy disabled my O2 production before we even started. Nothing I do can prevent it, that is an example of just a random landmine. Definitely not good gameplay.

My suggestions:
1. The game is way too cheap for what you get. I would suggest steadily increasing the cost.
2. There is no reason to end the game after defeating the boss. It would be easy to add content after that. For example; After defeating the boss you have to fight your way back through rebel controlled space to get a message to the fleat on the other side. The game engine in there, so use it, make the game worth even more.
3. Host a wiki, so you can control the quality/content. This will go a long way to eliminating the newbie scare learning curve.
4. Take a serious look at the random events, and try to eliminate the unavoidable landmines.

All and all this is a great game, and a fantastic price.
As a developer myself I am very impressed with the code quality too. I really expected at least a handful of minor issues (I had none). The developer really deserves a HUGE kudo.
The graphics and sound quality were spot-on too, very good choice.

Thanks!

A victory on your second attempt? Props to you. It took me about 30 in beta before I beat it the first time.

In terms of your thoughts:
2. The teleporter may be overpowered for the boss, but it's significantly more difficult to beat him without it. [SPOILERS] Even with the boarders taking out his weapons systems, the second stage drone rush kills a lot of people. [/SPOILERS]
3. The randomness is part of what keeps the game fun after many hours of playing. There needs to be enough content that no two runs are the same. The player should never start off with a guarantee of victory, or even reasonable success.
4. I think the purpose of encounters like this are to force you to change your tactics and adjust on the fly for a random event. If nothing else, it keeps people on their toes. Also, just a tip- with upgraded subsystems, you get a blue option for continuing to power them even after sabotage. If you had 2nd-level O2, you would have been fine.

Your suggestions:
2. I think that's high on their list of post-release content. I wouldn't worry about it too much.
3. There are a couple trying to get started, namely http://ftlwiki.com/wiki/Home and http://ftl.wikia.com/wiki/FTL:_Faster_Than_Light_Wiki.
4. Personally, I like them. They keep players from getting too complacent, and fit in well with the roguelike-like feeling. The player should never feel like he's guaranteed a victory. My motto beta-testing this game was "Don't play expecting to win; play expecting to lose, but make it as fun as possible."

dlmarti wrote: 3. About 50% of the game is flat out luck, if you get a good start you win, if not you don't. That is too random.

This. I've had too many games end in just the first few system due to things well beyond my control. Other games I get a good weapon strategy going early with an early drop/find/purchase, and it's smooth sailing... at least until they're no longer effective and I can't find any upgraded weapons.

Postal wrote:A victory on your second attempt? Props to you. It took me about 30 in beta before I beat it the first time.

I watched a lot of Beta videos before purchasing, so I kinda knew the lay of the land.

dlmarti wrote: 3. About 50% of the game is flat out luck, if you get a good start you win, if not you don't. That is too random.
4. Some of the encounters are too pre-programmed. For instance; one encounter the enemy disabled my O2 production before we even started. Nothing I do can prevent it, that is an example of just a random landmine. Definitely not good gameplay.

That's what the games rogue-like aspect is all about. Just like in real life, you cannot always rely on skill or a sometimes cheap strategy to achieve victory. You have to adapt, and in some cases, admit defeat. It isn't bad gameplay, it's just not what people are used to. They think, if I do A, B will be the result. If someone takes that away, they call it a foul. Except it isn't, it's just switching up the rules, so that a game with a basic structure as FTL can keep a certain freshness.