So I got FTL: Faster Than Light

[Inkidu]

Nope I'm done, I can take the luck-driven gameplay, I can take tough battles, but when the final boss is just cheating and OP and pretty much goes against everything else the game established mechanic-wise it's over. Roguelikes play by the rules. The final boss doesn't. I am not however going to spend hours of my time going to this boss just to lose because he can kill you in one hit if you don't have a cloak. I suppose I should have paid more attention to those reviews when they said the final boss really cheapened the game.

I wish I could get my money and my time back.

EDIT:

Plenty of people have told you how to do that and there is an RNG free option for many of the common events in the game and by that I mean an RNG free white coloured event. So if you can't see that and still think everything is coin toss then yeah you are t he on t hat is beyond help. I gave you the chance to help the people helping you by giving them some real information to go off to correct stuff you may be doing wrong. You've done nothing but be dismissive in most of this thread and just blamed the game's RNG. I've seen you respond to around two comments helpful constructively or at all. To anyone's help in this thread of which is there is fucking plenty of good advice and strategies you don't seem to be giving any feedback so people can actually keep helping.

Except for the fact that quite a few times I have taken what is the "RNG-less option" and it has simply said, "Nope, this is happening anyway." Sure there are some that let you go, but it's not always a guarantee on a lot of them.

 

[Smeatza]

While FTL is a wonderful game I agree with the OP to an extent.

While I've never beaten the game, I've had playthroughs that are an intense struggle for survival throughout and yet I've done work against that final boss. Other times I've stomped my playthrough and been obliterated by that final boss in an instant.

That part of the game at least, is primarily luck based.

 

[Inkidu]

While FTL is a wonderful game I agree with the OP to an extent.

While I've never beaten the game, I've had playthroughs that are an intense struggle for survival throughout and yet I've done work against that final boss. Other times I've stomped my playthrough and been obliterated by that final boss in an instant.

That part of the game at least, is primarily luck based.

That's the worst kind of luck-based. Anyone can make a nigh unbeatable boss if they fly in the face of everything they established. Before anyone says anything, yes I'm sure I could beat him. I was in my second battle with him. However, I noticed too that it is quite possible for the sector to generate in such a way where you can't reasonably catch him for two fights, how is that fair? So I don't want to waste hours of my time simply trying to beat it. It's one of those bosses where you have to know how to beat it before you can beat it. Whatever, games off my hardrive saved content is gone.

 

[Altorin]

While FTL is a wonderful game I agree with the OP to an extent.

While I've never beaten the game, I've had playthroughs that are an intense struggle for survival throughout and yet I've done work against that final boss. Other times I've stomped my playthrough and been obliterated by that final boss in an instant.

That part of the game at least, is primarily luck based.

That's the worst kind of luck-based. Anyone can make a nigh unbeatable boss if they fly in the face of everything they established. Before anyone says anything, yes I'm sure I could beat him. I was in my second battle with him. However, I noticed too that it is quite possible for the sector to generate in such a way where you can't reasonably catch him for two fights, how is that fair? So I don't want to waste hours of my time simply trying to beat it. It's one of those bosses where you have to know how to beat it before you can beat it. Whatever, games off my hardrive saved content is gone.

lol, you'll be missed

edit: if you ever do come back to it, remember that as long as you don't kill ALL the crew in the last boss's ship, the weapon systems don't repair, so if you can send a guy in to each of the Isolated Weapons systems (primarily the Beam and Missile weapon systems) and wreck it, it'll stay dead for each phase of the fight.

if you do kill all the crew, it starts rapidly repairing each section.

If you can do that, the boss is a fish out of water, even in phase 2 when he's absolutely unfair

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

Okay, so after browsing this thread I went and did a Normal level playthrough. It's been a while since I've played FTL and it only took me two tries, and the first ended with me ragequitting due to me very definitely making a mistake and screwing it up. I was using the B-type of the starter ship, because I've found it's one of the best for reliably winning.

So, no, it's not too random since I can manage to routinely beat it. Sure, you have to get a good hang of what works and what doesn't, and the fact that it's very hard to come back from a low point is one of the games weaknesses, but the map generation doesn't really make a huge difference and you should know better than to be taking risky chances on random events.

Basically if it's all down to chance how come other people can beat it repeatedly?

 

[Inkidu]

Okay, so after browsing this thread I went and did a Normal level playthrough. It's been a while since I've played FTL and it only took me two tries, and the first ended with me ragequitting due to me very definitely making a mistake and screwing it up. I was using the B-type of the starter ship, because I've found it's one of the best for reliably winning.

So, no, it's not too random since I can manage to routinely beat it. Sure, you have to get a good hang of what works and what doesn't, and the fact that it's very hard to come back from a low point is one of the games weaknesses, but the map generation doesn't really make a huge difference and you should know better than to be taking risky chances on random events.

Basically if it's all down to chance how come other people can beat it repeatedly?

If you can routinely beat it good for you, play the lottery you've got more luck than I, you could no doubt use a few million dollars. Honestly I felt like something on the last game clicked, but then the final boss is just so beyond the pale of anything reasonably expected (even for a roguelike) that it's just the cherry on the sundae. I just don't know if the game with a final boss like that is worth playing.

 

[samnoxid]

I have a question...

If the game is completely luck-based, then how come, since I started playing, my high score has been consistently increasing? Is it because I am getting luckier each time I play? or is it because I am getting more skilled each time I play?

Food for thought I guess

 

[Inkidu]

I have a question...

If the game is completely luck-based, then how come, since I started playing, my high score has been consistently increasing? Is it because I am getting luckier each time I play? or is it because I am getting more skilled each time I play?

Food for thought I guess

Play enough games, your score will eventually tank. I remember dying on my first jump because it was into a sun and they hit the doors and oxgen. You know what you get if you die on the first jump but manage to take down the ship? Twenty five points.

I know this because it happened. I'm saying about seventy games (and I don't know if counts restarts, I don't think it does). I've gotten to the finale once, and I can chalk it up to generally beneficial events. The only really bad thing that happened to me was I lost one crew member due to an event.

 

[Altorin]

I have a question...

If the game is completely luck-based, then how come, since I started playing, my high score has been consistently increasing? Is it because I am getting luckier each time I play? or is it because I am getting more skilled each time I play?

Food for thought I guess

Play enough games, your score will eventually tank. I remember dying on my first jump because it was into a sun and they hit the doors and oxgen. You know what you get if you die on the first jump but manage to take down the ship? Twenty five points.

I know this because it happened. I'm saying about seventy games (and I don't know if counts restarts, I don't think it does). I've gotten to the finale once, and I can chalk it up to generally beneficial events. The only really bad thing that happened to me was I lost one crew member due to an event.

if he's seeing a pattern of improvement, it means he's gotten over the hump. There is a definite hump in this game. Once you get past it, it's really not that hard.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Basically if it's all down to chance how come other people can beat it repeatedly?

I have a question...

If the game is completely luck-based, then how come, since I started playing, my high score has been consistently increasing? Is it because I am getting luckier each time I play? or is it because I am getting more skilled each time I play?

Food for thought I guess

if he's seeing a pattern of improvement, it means he's gotten over the hump. There is a definite hump in this game. Once you get past it, it's really not that hard.

Guys. GUYS.

*Inkidu* isn't seeing a pattern of improvement, therefore the game is entirely luck based. Don't you get it? Don't you understand!?

And I, for one, agree entirely. I've also tried my hands at games before and done poorly. What else am I to conclude but that they are stupid and entirely luck based? Waste of time, all of them!

 

[Frission]

I thought I was getting better at that game. There is at least of skill necessary to do well and part of it dealing with bad luck.

 

[O maestre]

Basically if it's all down to chance how come other people can beat it repeatedly?

I have a question...

If the game is completely luck-based, then how come, since I started playing, my high score has been consistently increasing? Is it because I am getting luckier each time I play? or is it because I am getting more skilled each time I play?

Food for thought I guess

if he's seeing a pattern of improvement, it means he's gotten over the hump. There is a definite hump in this game. Once you get past it, it's really not that hard.

Guys. GUYS.

*Inkidu* isn't seeing a pattern of improvement, therefore the game is entirely luck based. Don't you get it? Don't you understand!?

And I, for one, agree entirely. I've also tried my hands at games before and done poorly. What else am I to conclude but that they are stupid and entirely luck based? Waste of time, all of them!

Damn dude you broke my sarcas-o-meter, that thing was precious to me.

OT: If the guy ain't having fun it is a valid reason to rage quit, but it does weird to condemn it for being unbeatable and solely luck based when so many people can say the opposite. All I can say is that the satisfaction I felt after beating the game was immense especially because of the steep wall-like learning curve.

The game is kind of sadistic I'll grant you, because once you try to play with an entirely different ship you'll have to devise an entirely different strategy for success.

 

[Altorin]

When I first started playing this game I considered the game beaten if I got to the boss. The first time I got to him I was playing in a Kestrel and I was wartorn, and they're like "thanks for the message, now go kill the flagship"... I was horribly outmatched. I thought it was hilarious. It was like if they got Kevin Costner to fight a giant Mecha-General Lee at the end of the Postman.

Seriously though, if you want to see unfair luck-based who-ha in FTL, load up the Infinite FTL mod. Encounter a 4-shield mega ship on your very first jump, then cry in a corner. At least vanilla FTL has a difficulty curve throughout the game, the Infinite FTL mod's just like "you want to play FTL? fuckin' play it." By comparison, regular FTL is a joke.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

OT: If the guy ain't having fun it is a valid reason to rage quit, but it does weird to condemn it for being unbeatable and solely luck based when so many people can say the opposite. All I can say is that the satisfaction I felt after beating the game was immense especially because of the steep wall-like learning curve.

The game is kind of sadistic I'll grant you, because once you try to play with an entirely different ship you'll have to devise an entirely different strategy for success.

Well that's the thing, right? How many people say "Game X just isn't for me. I can't wrap my head around Y, or Z just isn't to my specific sensibilities".

Nooo. It's always "Game X is broken" or "Game X is stupid" or "Game X is entirely luck based and a waste of time".

 

[DEAD34345]

I pretty much agree, the game is too random for my personal tastes. That's all it is though, a matter of taste, and even just in the roguelike genre games vary wildly on how much they rely on random chance. FTL is more random than many games, and less random than many others, and it sounds like it just doesn't sit at the right degree for you, while XCOM (apparently) does.

This is a pretty simple concept really, I have no idea why everyone always seems to get so worked up discussing whether games like FTL and XCOM are "too" random or not. There's no such thing as "too" random, some people even enjoy playing roulette and slot machines after all...

 

[Naeras]

That's what makes it luck based. Once you figure out the optimal pattern of play, whether you win or lose is completely out of your control unless you deliberately play sub-optimally. If you're playing more-or-less optimally and you're not beating the final boss the majority of the time, the game is, necessarily, luck based.

I win 80% of my playthroughs on Normal. Most of this is a good understanding of tactics, what types of equipment works well together, and what kind of sectors/events to avoid. I do occasionally lose, but as many of those losses are due to bad decisions as they are due to bad luck.

And while getting to sector 8 with a good build(there's a lot of them, the chances of getting one is quite high) is an advantage, it's not a necessity. I've had a ship armed with Pegasus Missiles, a Pike Beam and a Laser Drone that completed the game, even though that build shouldn't realistically be able to even touch the second phase of the flagship.

So, no, the RNG isn't an issue with this game. It's just got a fairly steep learning curve.

 

[KungFuJazzHands]

As many others have pointed out, there's a huge hump you need to get over before the game starts feeling less luck-based and more skill-based. The problem is that the hump is accompanied by a massive helping of RNG.

I honestly do like FTL, despite the fact that its randomization can lead to some really obnoxious game-ending difficulty spikes. As far as roguelikes go, there are far better examples of games that do it better. I'll probably never actually finish FTL because I have little patience for games that can't manage to properly balance their procedural generation (hello SotS: The Pit), but I can't say the trip wasn't entertaining.

 

[O maestre]

OT: If the guy ain't having fun it is a valid reason to rage quit, but it does weird to condemn it for being unbeatable and solely luck based when so many people can say the opposite. All I can say is that the satisfaction I felt after beating the game was immense especially because of the steep wall-like learning curve.

The game is kind of sadistic I'll grant you, because once you try to play with an entirely different ship you'll have to devise an entirely different strategy for success.

Well that's the thing, right? How many people say "Game X just isn't for me. I can't wrap my head around Y, or Z just isn't to my specific sensibilities".

Nooo. It's always "Game X is broken" or "Game X is stupid" or "Game X is entirely luck based and a waste of time".

Man I was just thinking about starting a thread about honesty and humility on a forum, all too often I wonder if anyone has ever backed down or compromised or changed their minds during a debate. Most people online don't even seem to be open to the possibility of changing positions when entering a discussion.

 

[James Joseph Emerald]

So I'm wondering what other people think about the game, because I'm just frustrated and it's not that fun kind of roguelike frustration.

This thread inspired me to go back and play a game of FTL, which I won on normal on my first go.
I'll grant you there's a bit of luck involved, but the fun of FTL is adapting to circumstances, not just having everything go exactly as expected.

It's not a game for people who like to crunch numbers and determine the perfect strategy. It's about making really tough decisions. If it wasn't for the randomness of it all, you could just Google exactly what to do, which defeats the purpose. Every choice you make has an impact that is unique to your game and playstyle. I think that's cool.

For example, I like to use beam weapons. So I make decisions that support this style. A lot of people say boarding parties are the best method, but the only times I've won was when I was using a laser barrage/beam slice combo. There are lots of little choices you can make that have big knock-on effects, like when to spend your scrap and when to save it for a store (and when to go off looking for stores, and when to go looting).

For the boss however, there are certain things that you can't really do without: at least one defense drone (for stopping missiles), and a cloaking device (for avoiding superweapons), and the strongest doors (for trapping & asphyxiating intruders). But once you get that stuff, which is all common and only costs ~300 scrap altogether, it's not too hard.

 

[DoPo]

Nooo. It's always "Game X is broken" or "Game X is stupid" or "Game X is entirely luck based and a waste of time".

Hey, you know what - StarCraft is really unplayable. I mean, the fucking game is utterly broken - for example, why do the Zerg's units and buildings cost so little and are produced so fast, eh? I call that OP.

And the game is really stupid, too - flying buildings? Really? And you actually have to build them. Using, get this - minerals. And sometimes gas. You need minerals and vitamins in your food, not your fucking buildings. Food that also sometimes makes me make my own gas. But let's get back to the flying part - really? Assuming for a moment the concept itself wasn't brain-numbingly idiotic, then why build them, if THEY CAN FLY? The Terrans should 1. start the game 2. fly themselves a full base 3. proceed to win. But that's not what happens.

Finally, the game is completely random - I select my units, tell them to attack move and they start shooting as soon as they see the enemy. And they shoot at random, instead of focusing fire. Also, how am I supposed to know if my opponent would be trying to expand and if so where, eh? Or if I should be making anti-air or not? Chance, I tell you.

Every time I play that game, I lose - it's an utter waste of time, I don't know what the appeal of that is. Obviously that's my opinion but everybody who disagrees is wrong.

/joke