FTL - Faster Than Light... is HARD!

[Rich]

I listen to the FTL sound track while at work ; gets me through the day.

[Brethern]

Still getting the uneven text weirdness in windowed.

While strategy does exist, it's still about spamming restarts until the RNG has mercy, though. How is that satisfying?

Most people think things suck when they don't understand the game.

[Deutherius]

So, this thread obviously made me go for a run... And then this happened. Hard difficulty, last beacon on sector 7:

Protip #1: It's k to turn off O2 if you need the power elsewhere. Just be sure to turn it back on again before everyone dies from asphyxiation. (Or recruit full Lanius crew and laugh at the petty O2 breathing species)

Edited March 15, 2015 by Deutherius
typo

[Bill Phil]

So, this thread obviously made me go for a run... And then this happened. Hard difficulty, last beacon on sector 7:

http://i.imgur.com/5n3AZo4.png

Protip #1: It's k to turn off O2 if you need the power elsewhere. Just be sure to turn it back on again before everyone dies from ashyxiation.

You must be good at this game. Can you teach me your ways, oh wise one?

[Special Agent Sigvan]

No, you won't.

You will never beat FTL.

It owns you now.

Surrender.

[RAINCRAFTER]

FTL. Where's the download?

EDIT:Oh yeah, Steam.

Edited March 15, 2015 by RAINCRAFTER

[Guest]

Dont underestimate the usefuleness and versatility of drones, early they can intercept incoming missiles, and you can switch to combat drone if some filtgy mantis decide to eat some of your crew as well

Also shield 3 + evade 45% is cheap and will save your hull. Farm your pilot / evade crew skills at the end of a fight against weakened ennemy that has few weapons left or in any asteroid fields.

Oh and consider also cloaking or ion gun for easier playthrough.

Great game indeed.

Edited March 15, 2015 by RevanCorana

[Moesly_Armlis]

Was travelling Faster Than Light, to get back to the Kerbal universe.

This game tries your patience and burns you, but for some reason you just go back blissfully for more punishment.

I was playing alot of FTL just before the last KSP update 0.90 and barely managed to destroy the boss on Normal (I even tried easy but was way too easy). Just recently I have finished unlocking the crystal ship by killing the boss with both A and B type ships and now I expect the new update to KSP to be released soon.

Best advice is to scrap mine, hold onto 50 scrap for scrap recovery arm.

Long range sensors help if weapon or defense is low. Just avoid conflicts and maybe you can collect scrap. Watch out for distress with ships as these might be traps. Avoid giant alien spiders unless you are prepared.

BTW someone was streaming FTL which I caught from here on the forums. Thanks. Otherwise I might have missed this gem of game.

Edited March 15, 2015 by MoeslyArmlis
Giant alien spiders are no joke.

[Starwhip]

I've beaten the first stage of the final boss! Playing as the Kestrel, and I've only got the Hermes rocket launcher and the starting Burst Laser II.

Plus Level III pilots and engine crew members, and crazy-upgraded engines. Gotta dodge that stuff.

[RainDreamer]

Boarding is awesome. Either using Lanius board team and attack their O2 source, or send Rock people and burn the ship to hell with fire bombs. Just remember to call them back in time.

[Deutherius]

Best advice is to scrap mine, hold onto 50 scrap for scrap recovery arm.

That's a trap Early on the gains are negligible and the 50 scrap is better spend on shields/engines. Later on in the game the gains will become noticeable, but the item still needs at least one sector full of fighting to pay for itself (at least 275 scrap), neverming any profits. Fighting which might have a hard time winning. Granted, the asteroid field blue option for ~30 scrap is nice - if you get it. And good luck getting rid of it before the last bossight, where it is useless.

I don't even remember the last time I bought it - there are so many better augments to go with (long range sensors, shield recharge boosters, reverse ion field (so OP), drone recovery arm for heavy drone ships...)

EDIT: ^That's meant for hard difficulty. Scrap is hard to come by there and enemies are powerful, hence the "what good is scrap if I'm dead" mindset. On normal and easy it could very well be profitable to buy the scrap recovery arm.

Long range sensors help if weapon or defense is low. Just avoid conflicts and maybe you can collect scrap. Watch out for distress with ships as these might be traps.

Long range sensors are a godsend, sure. But avoiding conflicts is not going to win you the game - the worst thing that can happen to you, progress wise, is jumping to an empty beacon. That and 6 man zoltan boarding parties. And pulsars. Pulsars suck (which is why I love long range sensors).

Edited March 15, 2015 by Deutherius

[Starwhip]

Twice in a row now the second phase boss wrecked me.

This time I had a formidable weapons loadout: Burst Laser Mark II, Heavy Laser I, and the Ion Cannon, used to obliterate shields, and then some beam weapon to damage a whole bunch of systems.

I learn more!

(Also, I managed to get my hands on that stealth cruiser thing)

[maltesh]

Long range sensors are a godsend, sure. But avoiding conflicts is not going to win you the game - the worst thing that can happen to you, progress wise, is jumping to an empty beacon. That and 6 man zoltan boarding parties. And pulsars. Pulsars suck (which is why I love long range sensors).

The thing about Pulsars is that, if your shields are up, they'll ionize them for awhile.

If your shields are down, they'll ionize a random active system.

So take down your shields just before the pulsar blast hits.

Then put them back up instantly afterwards. You're /probably/ better off with the random ionized system and active shields than you are with your shields down.

[InterCity]

I. Love. FTL.

But I always get to the boss and then die instantly. Dunno why, but I just can't get through their shields. Also, boarding parties .... me off hard.

[Deutherius]

The thing about Pulsars is that, if your shields are up, they'll ionize them for awhile.

If your shields are down, they'll ionize a random active system.

So take down your shields just before the pulsar blast hits.

Then put them back up instantly afterwards. You're /probably/ better off with the random ionized system and active shields than you are with your shields down.

I usually use this method against normal ion weapons, but I never thought about using it against a pulsar, interesting. Thanks! (Knowing my luck, next enemy ship at a pulsar is going to have a ton of rocket launchers to go with the laser barrage, lol)

[Starwhip]

I got it. HA!

(It was a little too close...)

[Bill Phil]

I got it. HA!

(It was a little too close...)

http://i.imgur.com/DDPlovF.png

aw, man....

i could never ever beat this game in years...

[Deutherius]

I got it. HA!

(It was a little too close...)

http://i.imgur.com/DDPlovF.png

That's pretty good Could get even closer Congratulations! What was your score?

Just a little tip for next time, if you use single-powered cloaking on the second and third flagship phase, it's cooldown will line up pretty much perfectly with the boss super ability, alowing you to cloak every single one of them

[Accelerando]

I've been trying to hardmode it the entire time and play with only the Kestrel. I haven't fared too well, but I did make it to the second or third stage of the final boss once. That drone rush it unleashes on you is probably the most ....ing devastating thing I'd ever faced in the entire game, so if you have the scrap for it I'd tool up for that.

[Starwhip]

That's pretty good Could get even closer Congratulations! What was your score?

Just a little tip for next time, if you use single-powered cloaking on the second and third flagship phase, it's cooldown will line up pretty much perfectly with the boss super ability, alowing you to cloak every single one of them

Final score was 3272. Right now I've just beaten the first stage boss as the Stealth Cruiser model. I get the feeling that I'll get destroyed in the second phase though. I'm not quick enough... Though that cloaking tip may just save me.

I've got the Burst Laser Mark III, which lays down five shots and normally at the very least disables their shield for a moment, and the Pike Beam to wreak as much damage as possible.

Plus some other stuff: High level engines to dodge, level three shields, and an auto-reloader.

[Randox]

On probably my best run ever, I think I was sporting a Burst Laser 2 and 3, perhaps it was two 3's. Burst lasers are far and above my favourite weapon for their shield killing potential.

I usually fly federation or stealth cruisers. I'd consider the federation cruiser to probably be the easiest ship, since it has guaranteed damage capability. I often don't use missiles or drones at all in favor of lasers since I dislike limited ammunition weapons (and can often trade drone and missile parts for fuel or scrap). I'll try to take down the boss ship weapons with a combination of laser fire and teleporting my crew over.

I am reasonably successful.

I do need to turn on the new stuff so I can unlock type C ships though. I have all the type A stuff and all but one type B, but none of the C's.

[Deutherius]

I don't really like huge weapons. Burst laser Mk3, Glaive beam, Vulcan, Flak II... I mean they are nice, but get disabled so easily, and the loading times are horrible (except the vulcan, of course).

You guys know what's my favorite weapon setup?

Fun fact: this was not a carry run. I had to fight hard for these.

Deleted the Flagship in less than 20 seconds each phase. Didn't even have time to use super powers

[Superfluous J]

I don't really like huge weapons. Burst laser Mk3, Glaive beam, Vulcan, Flak II... I mean they are nice, but get disabled so easily, and the loading times are horrible (except the vulcan, of course).

You guys know what's my favorite weapon setup?

Fun fact: this was not a carry run. I had to fight hard for these.

http://i.imgur.com/X8ngfnM.png

Deleted the Flagship in less than 20 seconds each phase. Didn't even have time to use super powers

Hey that's my favorite setup too. Only got it once, and I was lucky enough to also have 2 automated reloaders. It was disgusting.

...ly awesome.

[Starwhip]

I'm on a roll today... Stealth Cruiser is really overpowered!

Javascript is disabled. View full album

(Also, this weapons combination is REALLY nice! )

Had the Weapons Pre-Igniter really early on. You hardly need shields at that point.

[Deutherius]

I wouldn't say the stealth cruisers are OP, more on the harder side actually. One ship with 2 laser drones early on and your run is basically over. Especially with the stealth B, which starts with the Glaive beam (4 power, 3 damage per room hit, 25 seconds CD) and only 10 seconds of cloaking.

They are, however, fun to play One of my favorites

Love the last pic, btw. Oxygen? Medbay? What are you, a coward?! MAN THE WEAPONS YOU MAGGOT