FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

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Squishybrick
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FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby Squishybrick » Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:32 am

A long-standing fan and player of FTL, after years of playing and beating it, I'd finally decided to look up mods.

The process of installing them was a bit strange, but after I'd saw and installed captain's edition (CE), I felt glee, seeing all of the
new weapons, enemy ships, and events..

Here, I will explain bit by bit my experience, in a way that showcases both the pros and cons of the mod.

The weapons-----------

The new weapons seemed great, at first.. Smaller/bigger weapons to add to the already-existing ones to give
greater variation and selection between just how much firepower you want, new weapon types for more advanced
combat, and even new drones as well.

Some weapons seemed useless at first, like the lazer weapons that only damage crew, but in a run with a Type-C
slug cruiser, having anti-personnel lasers turned my ship into a long-standing death machine. I could mind-control
one guy, use a single salvo to insta-kill one or two others, and hack their shields so I could cripple their weaponry,
while I casually waited for my lasers to recharge and repeat the process.

Scatter lasers (only damages shield/hull, nothing else)
This one baffled me.. Even after a long series of playthroughs, I have never once found scatter lasers ever useful.
They are by far the absolute most useless weapon in the game. Imagine if you took the lowest-level basic laser
from an un-modded FTL, and then removed it's capability to damage systems, and crew.. You'd have a scatter laser.

In the end, I found myself actually avoiding most of the "new" weapons in favor of the old, with the exception of
a few. Certain weapons seem to achieve almost the same damaging yield as un-modded weapons, but have half
the power usage, which can be extremely useful for late-game power conservation.

Events/New enemy ships------------------------

The addition of an advanced moral-choice system was a real wtf-moment when I first saw it.. Even now, I still
haven't seen what happens if you "anger your crew" too much from pirating/murdering, because I use whichever
vessel race that enables me to do so without that side-effect.. Any good vanilla FTL player will tell you, that
every last piece of scrap counts, and both you as a player, and the in-game scenario demand that you don't
bother with moral choices 80% of the time, because if you lose, the federation loses.. Defending your morals
isn't as important as saving the entire quadrant. If you think it is, have fun losing literally every single game
you play, even on the easiest difficulty.

The new enemy ships are pretty nice. Running into a ship with stealth systems near the start gave me a big
surprise, and stations.. God I love stations.. I really wish there could be a mod where instead of running, you
just command a station, and build it up to defend against attackers. Scout/drone ships seem to have been
innately beefed up, which makes them more annoying, especially if you're doing an anti-crew run. Overall
though, I'd say the addition of new ship designs and stations were one of my favorite added features of this
mod.. With the obvious exception of the "improved" flagship, who's missile-launcher system now has doors
to let new crew access and repair it, making a once beloved vanilla-FTL strategy almost completely useless.

The events that let you talk to your crew or replicate/create additional augmentations was a nice way to
"attempt" to balance out the added difficulty. Gaining supplies and fake-selling them was/is a nice way to
gain some passive scrap along the journey, and the message saying "Please sell the stuff you just sold or the
universe will explode" or whatever it said, was cute, because I always imagined an angry mod dev scowling
at me when I decided not to.

The addition of "planatary defenses" to certain sectors is nothing but a sucker punch, and FTL is a game that
really doesn't need any additional sucker punches.. Combine that with mid-battle events such as a non-stormy
nebula becoming a storm, or other such wierd and random events, and a once-enjoyable experience becomes
tedious and nerve-wracking.

Overall Difficulty/Ending notes----------------------

FTL, is a roguelike.. A roguelike, is a game...
What is the point of a game?.. To win.. A game is a simulated challenge put before you to attempt to complete,
while being entertained in the process..

A roguelike is a definite spin on the idea, since it is a game you aren't meant to win very often..

But there is a secret ratio of sessions where the player wins and loses, that dictates how good a roguelike is, if
it is in that specific genre of "meant to die a lot, but eventually win."..

(From personal experience over the years)
With vanilla FTL, on easy mode, if you use a specific strategy, hunt for certain weapons, and visit as many sectors
as you can, the chance to beat the game, is about 5/6 times.. That, is good.. Maybe a bit generous in the eyes
of the hardcore, but still nothing wrong with that.. On normal mode, in a vanilla game, even with the best strategy
possible, that ratio might drop down to 2-4/6 times.. For a roguelike, that's about even standards, that's the goal
ratio right there.. On hard mode, that ratio drops once more to 0-2/6 times.. That, is excusable, because it is hard
mode.. You know exactly what you're getting into when you play it, the game said "prepare to lose", and you said "Okay"..

Now, let's compare that data, to the Captains edition mod..

With (CE) FTL, on easy mode, if you use a specific strategy, hunt for certain weapons, and visit as many sectors
as you can, the chance to beat the game, is 0/6 times..

... See the problem here?..

The game isn't unforgiving.. It isn't "hard" or, even annoying.. It just can't be won..
Looking at the thread for the mod, someone who probably thought very highly of themselves quoted the FTL
devs themselves, with them saying they intended FTL itself to only have a 1/10 chance of beating the game..

If that intention had actually passed through to the game, it would not be half as popular as it is now..
All roguelikes, no matter how difficult, have to have a point where the game finally throws you a bone..
A threshold where the player has suffered enough, gone through enough torment, and is rewarded through
experience and pain with the power to finally handle the game outright..

A very good example of this, would be "Dark Souls".. A game that is also incredibly hard, but, like vanilla FTL,
after so many frustrating deaths, and boss fights that end in tragedy, you finally get a feel for the game..
You understand and learn the mechanics, you figure it all out, and even under the worst conditions, you are
able to use tactics alone to achieve victory.. And that's when you throw your arms up and let out a battlecry
of glory.. That is what is supposed to be the end result of a roguelike.. Victory, through prolonged suffering.
The suffering isn't the point of the game, the suffering is what you pass through, like a gate, to achieve victory.

With CE FTL, you don't "get a handle of the game".. You don't get better, you don't learn tricks to beat certain
events... There's no threshold where the game finally lets up and you find a way through it all.. It's just all crap,
all the time..

.. Now, when I say the modded game can't be beaten, obviously, it can, but I myself have never done so..
But I've played vanilla FTL for years.. I know all the strategies, all the events, beaten the game with every
ship and loadout there is, and provide myself with extra challenges, like only using certain systems to defeat
enemy ships, and such.

So, from a seasoned FTL player's opinion, not an elite, hardcore, or speed-running thrillseeker's opinion..
CE FTL sucks... It's just too hard and unforgiving..

If there are people who enjoy a level of challenge this extreme, I'm happy they've got something they can
feel comfortable with, but I'm just gonna head back to vanilla FTL from now on.. Maybe someone can throw
me an e-mail if the mod gets worked over.
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Chrono Vortex
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Re: FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby Chrono Vortex » Mon Mar 20, 2017 11:09 am

First of all...

Squishybrick wrote:I really wish there could be a mod where instead of running, you just command a station, and build it up to defend against attackers.

Wishing isn't necessary. Stations Job does exactly that.

And secondly, doesn't this sort of thing belong in the discussion subforum?
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mr_easy_money
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Re: FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby mr_easy_money » Mon Mar 20, 2017 12:43 pm

Squishybrick wrote:This one baffled me.. Even after a long series of playthroughs, I have never once found scatter lasers ever useful.
They are by far the absolute most useless weapon in the game. Imagine if you took the lowest-level basic laser
from an un-modded FTL, and then removed it's capability to damage systems, and crew.. You'd have a scatter laser.

I'll agree with you on this at least for the mark II. the mark II seems to be a crappier version of the burst laser mark III, but the mark i is able to be bought. sort of like if you took the dual laser and made it only hull damage. thing is the dual laser at 1 power can't be bought... I'll also disagree on the Scatter Laser Flak Gun... that weapon's a beauty.


Squishybrick wrote:Any good vanilla FTL player will tell you, that every last piece of scrap counts, and both you as a player, and the in-game scenario demand that you don't bother with moral choices 80% of the time, because if you lose, the federation loses.. Defending your morals isn't as important as saving the entire quadrant. If you think it is, have fun losing literally every single game you play, even on the easiest difficulty.

Ah but this is not vanilla FTL. in vanilla you can get away with immorality because there aren't any consequences. CE adds those consequences. That said, ships that can get away with immorality (aka slug/rock, sorta mantis) seem to be higher above just because of those... (player) slug ships can do something else you can't do in vanilla...

Squishybrick wrote:With the obvious exception of the "improved" flagship, who's missile-launcher system now has doors to let new crew access and repair it, making a once beloved vanilla-FTL strategy almost completely useless.

a once beloved vanilla-FTL strategy only on easy and normal. CE takes after the hard variant where you can't cheese the missile room. makes more sense, but ofc does make it more difficult, though I've found I prefer it to vanilla on easy/normal.

Squishybrick wrote:Gaining supplies and fake-selling them was/is a nice way to gain some passive scrap along the journey, and the message saying "Please sell the stuff you just sold or the universe will explode" or whatever it said, was cute, because I always imagined an angry mod dev scowling at me when I decided not to.

basically an honor system there. although, I do find myself forgetting and not making it a priority that I need to sell them :roll:

Squishybrick wrote:The addition of "planatary defenses" to certain sectors is nothing but a sucker punch, and FTL is a game that really doesn't need any additional sucker punches.. Combine that with mid-battle events such as a non-stormy nebula becoming a storm, or other such wierd and random events, and a once-enjoyable experience becomes tedious and nerve-wracking.

I personally think those kinds of things add more variety to figure out how to deal with. the planetary defense is pretty cool (though terrifying). it tells you when it will fire so you better get the hell outta there if the shot is incoming. it does become a big sucker punch if either your engines are low, or you get hit in engines. same happens for asb but planetary defense is like 5 asbs happening right after each other. the other weird hazard things make things harder but all the more interesting to deal with.

Squishybrick wrote:With vanilla FTL, on easy mode, if you use a specific strategy, hunt for certain weapons, and visit as many sectors as you can, the chance to beat the game, is about 5/6 times.. That, is good.. Maybe a bit generous in the eyes of the hardcore, but still nothing wrong with that.. On normal mode, in a vanilla game, even with the best strategy possible, that ratio might drop down to 2-4/6 times.. For a roguelike, that's about even standards, that's the goal ratio right there.. On hard mode, that ratio drops once more to 0-2/6 times.. That, is excusable, because it is hard mode.. You know exactly what you're getting into when you play it, the game said "prepare to lose", and you said "Okay"..

Will have to disagree on this one. people that have a true grip on hard mode will tell you they can win nearly all the time.

Squishybrick wrote:Looking at the thread for the mod, someone who probably thought very highly of themselves quoted the FTL
devs themselves, with them saying they intended FTL itself to only have a 1/10 chance of beating the game..

I will agree this does come off as pretentious, however I think although that's what sticks out, "We definitely wanted the atmosphere of the game to be that you feel like it’s a suicide mission" seems more important. I have mixed feelings on this quote. it's just kinda thrown in and not given any explanation how it applies to CE...

Squishybrick wrote:With CE FTL, you don't "get a handle of the game".. You don't get better, you don't learn tricks to beat certain events... There's no threshold where the game finally lets up and you find a way through it all.. It's just all crap, all the time..

.. Now, when I say the modded game can't be beaten, obviously, it can, but I myself have never done so.. But I've played vanilla FTL for years.. I know all the strategies, all the events, beaten the game with every ship and loadout there is, and provide myself with extra challenges, like only using certain systems to defeat enemy ships, and such.
...
CE FTL sucks... It's just too hard and unforgiving..


Overall, what I've noticed about CE is that people expect it to be exactly the same as vanilla FTL in terms of strategy and everything, then dislike it because it falls short of that expectation. CE is definitely beatable (yes, on normal) but not for everyone...

I honestly don't think I have enough experience with regular CE to properly comment on its difficulty, probably because I've got EL on standard CE (for both the player and enemies) which in and of itself is experimental so it's slightly different what I'm playing than regular CE, but someone like Biohazard063 or stylesrj who have countless more hours in regular CE than me can probably do a better job.
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Re: FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby Squishybrick » Tue Mar 21, 2017 2:15 am

Overall, what I've noticed about CE is that people expect it to be exactly the same as vanilla FTL in terms of strategy and everything, then dislike it because it falls short of that expectation. CE is definitely beatable (yes, on normal) but not for everyone...


Well, that's the hitch, though, isn't it..

Why make a mod that completely overhauls the game, but increase the difficulty to such an intense level?

It's basically like saying
"Hey look, we made the game better, oh, but YOU can't enjoy it, you suck.. You don't like challenge, well, have fun in vanilla then, scrub."

Why not make the mod the same difficulty as FTL? What exactly was the point of making it harder?.. To honor the devs original design?
The devs original design is crap..

The mod could still be "fixed" so that it's beatable by the standard run-of-the-mill FTL player, instead of a redbull-slugging tryhard..

The dedication to making the mod this difficult, and outright saying on the OP that "if you can't handle it, too bad" shows a disconnection
of communication between the creator(s) of the mod, and the people they've made it for.. Either that, or just plain apathy and lack of awareness.

I have a long list of experience making mods.. Sadly, in the same context as this mod, but for a different game.
My mods also completely overhauled the game, and practically quintupled their features, but when people realized my mod
also quintupled the difficulty, my mod was spit at, scoffed at, and thrown in the bin before I could say "It's not that bad"..

The only reason this mod is/has been getting a free ride on criticism, is because it's one of the biggest and best mods there is..
Nobody wants to shit on this mod because they don't have a choice in the matter..

I guarantee if another mod of the same size and complexity as CE was created, that had a lower average difficulty, at least 75%
of any and everyone who played CE, would switch over, excluding "fans", "hardcore players", and the mod's creators..

people expect it to be exactly the same as vanilla FTL in terms of strategy and everything


They expect it, because that's what they want.. People expect what they want..
It's a shame the mod devs were not aware of this.. That "enjoy it because it's all you got" mindset may one day bite them,
if someone else does make an equally-extensive mod..
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mr_easy_money
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Re: FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby mr_easy_money » Tue Mar 21, 2017 4:11 am

Squishybrick wrote:The only reason this mod is/has been getting a free ride on criticism, is because it's one of the biggest and best mods there is.. Nobody wants to shit on this mod because they don't have a choice in the matter..

funny you should say this, you make it sound like you're the first one to complain about CE, but there are people that dislike and hate it and have openly said so. also did you just say it is one of the best mods? :twisted:

Squishybrick wrote:I guarantee if another mod of the same size and complexity as CE was created, that had a lower average difficulty, at least 75% of any and everyone who played CE, would switch over, excluding "fans", "hardcore players", and the mod's creators..

funny you should mention this, because such a mod exists, and there is also a remix of Captain's Edition (Captain's Remix) within it that might address some issues. it's made its own expansion (aka sM PK Insurrection, usually referred to as sMPK, but that technically only refers to its underlying balance mod), but doesn't have as many events as CE (not to say it doesn't have its fair share of events).

maybe you should check it out? viewtopic.php?t=17187

Squishybrick wrote:The mod could still be "fixed" so that it's beatable by the standard run-of-the-mill FTL player, instead of a redbull-slugging tryhard..

Again, I will disagree that you need to be a "hardcore" player to beat captain's edition. the "hardcore" players would probably be doing no pause streaks on vanilla :P

people that are masochistic would probably play CE on hard (not meant to be played on hard) and I've heard it is cancer.

Squishybrick wrote:
mr_easy_money wrote:people expect it to be exactly the same as vanilla FTL in terms of strategy and everything
They expect it, because that's what they want.. People expect what they want.. It's a shame the mod devs were not aware of this..

You make it sound like it should have been designed for people that expect vanilla strategy, difficulty, etc. and maybe that's what it comes off as when people talk about it, but it doesn't seem like it was ever for the audience you describe. at least that's not the vibe I get from it :roll: You gotta learn some things about it, the difficulty curve is different, and overall it feels different.

as Sleeper Service says himself:
Sleeper Service wrote:I saw opportunities within the engine for much deeper strategic and tactical play and a greater variety of problems to throw at the player.


guess maybe that could be interpreted in different ways :roll: (and maybe on purpose too :ugeek: )
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Re: FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby Squishybrick » Tue Mar 21, 2017 8:50 am

you make it sound like you're the first one to complain about CE


Yeah, I do bring that vibe around me everywhere I go.. I always treat my perspective as fresh, even if it's already been seen in others,
because it's fresh to me.. I understand that sounds a bit stupid to just blindly admit.. That's because it is, but hey, that's just who I am..

Besides, sometimes it can't hurt to get a detailed perspective from someone new, even if it's the same thing that you've heard for
a while.. Of course, if plenty other people have been dissing this mod, that just makes the dev look even worse for ignoring them.

I'll take a look at that mod you suggested.. If it's everything I'm looking for, then I suppose I'd have to eat a great deal of my own words..
.. Which I'd do happily, if this mod "is" what I am looking for and talking about..

If a "better/easier" mod does exist, then, like vanilla FTL's hard-mode, CE is perfectly fine where it stands in matters of difficulty..
So long as players have a choice between it, and something like it but easier, then I see no injustice here, and will return to my
cave of judgement..

As for CE's capability for "more unique strategies", I definitely don't discredit that.. But the weapons added are.. .. .. How to put this..

They're certainly "new", but FTL's always had a critical flaw when it comes to formulating strategies, and this mod sadly does not
fix that, but actually makes it worse..

FTL, without mods, does have a fairly nice selection of weapons to choose, but when it comes to choosing what you know will net
you victory, you just can't.. Whatever you have, and I mean what EVER you have, that even works on a max-level elite rebel cruiser,
won't work on the flagship.. It just won't.. Not without unhealthy amounts of luck.

The game taken without the flagship, is great fun, and in that portion of the game, you can use a great deal of strategies to
fight off enemy ships, but when you get to the flagship, it's "play the game with exactly this strategy" or all that fun you
previously had gets instantly sucked away when you watch your ship get torn to pieces.

This problem is almost re-doubled with CE, as now there are twice as many fun weapons to inadvertently collect, that end up
being completely useless against the flagship..

I'll play CE a bit more, try a few more runs on the vague hope that "maybe every run up until now has just been really bad luck",
but after losing those, I'll try out the new mod. Thanks for the info.
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Re: FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby Sleeper Service » Tue Mar 21, 2017 1:51 pm

Squishybrick wrote:Of course, if plenty other people have been dissing this mod, that just makes the dev look even worse for ignoring them.
Well if you look at the CE thread you'll see that I make changes in accordance with criticism all the time. I'm not ignoring people criticising the mod, but I'll retain my right to only implement the feedback that I agree with. That someone has strong opinions about the mod does not give them authorship rights about the main branch. If I'd do everything anyone who has beef with the mod says, then the thing would look vastly different. There probably would be equal amounts of people who take issue with these changes, since there seem to be a lot of people who can get down with the mod as it is. And of course, there are also people who think its too hard, there are people who think it should be even harder and there are people who think it should have less content, or that the game should not have any additional content at all.

I mod because I have fun with the process and the mod itself. I have a rough idea for how the mod should overall feel and I won't make changes that I feel go against this. You don't have to agree with that, just as much as I don't have to agree with every change suggested. And as others has pointed out:

mr_easy_money wrote:You make it sound like it should have been designed for people that expect vanilla strategy, difficulty, etc. and maybe that's what it comes off as when people talk about it, but it doesn't seem like it was ever for the audience you describe. at least that's not the vibe I get from it :roll: You gotta learn some things about it, the difficulty curve is different, and overall it feels different.
There is a chance that some of the stuff you find unfair is actually very manageable if tackled right. You need a lot of experience to win consistently in FTL, both modded and unmodded. Also:
Squishybrick wrote:FTL, without mods, does have a fairly nice selection of weapons to choose, but when it comes to choosing what you know will net
you victory, you just can't.. Whatever you have, and I mean what EVER you have, that even works on a max-level elite rebel cruiser,
won't work on the flagship.. It just won't.. Not without unhealthy amounts of luck.
I said that before, but if gear drops and randomness would be the defining factor that governs success in FTL then stuff like 25 winstreaks with all ships on hard would not be possible. Yet people pull this stuff off. I've seen experienced players lay waste to CE on hard on their first try ever. It wasn't even designed to be played on hard. FTL simply has a deceptive amount of depth to it. With enough experience, the game is manageable and does not depend on luck. I don't believe the game or mod has to change to accommodate less experienced players. I rather think that this would make the experience worse for everyone in the end. I didn't made the mod hard to screw people over, I made it hard because that gives success and mastery way more meaning in the end. And also because even the devs originally intended you to fail 90% of the time. :D

Squishybrick wrote:They expect it, because that's what they want.. People expect what they want..
It's a shame the mod devs were not aware of this.. That "enjoy it because it's all you got" mindset may one day bite them,
if someone else does make an equally-extensive mod..
I'm aware of it but players aren't game designers. People say that FTL itself is too hard/unfair/too random all the time, yet Subset did not automatically made it easier. Because they know that failure and harshness adds to the experience I'd presume. And yes, this already comes back to bite me and them to some degree, as some people will simply discard the mod or game as rubish. But in the end the difficulty seems to resonate with a lot of people too. Its up to debate if the game and mod would enjoy such success they would be easier. And as implied before, I can't make everyone happy and I don't need to either. And again, not all people want the same thing.

Squishybrick wrote:I guarantee if another mod of the same size and complexity as CE was created, that had a lower average difficulty, at least 75%
of any and everyone who played CE, would switch over, excluding "fans", "hardcore players", and the mod's creators.
Possible. But how does that matter to me? I made CE because it was fun and interesting, not to accumulate a 60thousand user-base. I mean maybe this is happening right now. Maybe SMPK got a bigger userbase than CE, I don't know and it doesn't really matter to the mod. I'd rather make something I think is cool than something that I don't enjoy, but caters to the (undifinable) common demeanour. :?

Squishybrick wrote:Why not make the mod the same difficulty as FTL? What exactly was the point of making it harder?.. To honor the devs original design?
Yep.

Squishybrick wrote:The devs original design is crap..
I think its brilliant. I still love you though. :D

Squishybrick wrote:The dedication to making the mod this difficult, and outright saying on the OP that "if you can't handle it, too bad" shows a disconnection
of communication between the creator(s) of the mod, and the people they've made it for.. Either that, or just plain apathy and lack of awareness.
Yeah I mean there is only a 633 page thread of me and various people discussing feedback for CE and I only ever posted over 2000 times in the forum. I really never ever communicate with users or address feedback. I mean, come on? I'm talking to you right now. :D
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Re: FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby stylesrj » Wed Mar 22, 2017 12:05 am

So in conclusion, Captain's Edition wiped you out a lot, just like regular FTL does except that because it's a mod, it's the mod's fault.
Then you blame features that were in the vanilla game for why the mod is bad? (Although wasn't the Hard Mode Flagship sort of in Pre-AE Captain's Edition?)

And that defending your morals in the vanilla game will get you killed when the only real opportunities to break them would be when the Rebels supply a colony, taking a slave onboard your ship or setting crops on fire... and accepting an Engi's surrender.
And even then, the Engi Surrender and stealing supplies won't anger your crew... and I've always attacked the pirates intimidating the colony rather than demonstrate with fire on how to get plunder (mostly also because I don't have any fire bombs or beams to use) so I dunno how it'd play out in CE.

Right. Well CE has it's faults and I've won very few games on Normal with it but it's par the course for FTL honestly. You learn how to handle the new events and work with what you got, complain about mines and hope that the next run is the victory run.
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Re: FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby Squishybrick » Wed Mar 22, 2017 1:06 am

A lot of the things sleeper service said heavily reminded me of what modders do.. What I do..

But I guess being on the other side of the fence for a change, I'm really gaining some highly-valuable perspective here..

It's.. .. Well, hard to explain..

The "Player" side of me thinks he's an asshole for saying "I mod because it's fun, and if you don't like my mod, deal with it"..
But the "Modder" side of me sees him saying that and thinks "DAMN RIGHT! YOU TELL IT LIKE IT IS, BROTHER!"

There are two kinds of game mods in this world..

The kind that is made by the demand of players to change something in the game that is essential to increase it's overall fun and playability..

And the kind that are just.. Creative imaginative modifications, that can add all sorts of things that people may love or hate, but aren't made
by popular demand, but because some dude with too much time on his hands got bored one day and wanted to make a mod..

I.. Might have mistakenly been under the impression that this mod had fallen under the first category, but it is definitely the other,
and as a personal creator and lover of mods literally just like this one, but for a different game, I see and understand exactly what he is saying.

You have my humblest apologies, sleeper service, and to all who have argued with me..

That being said, though, the mod recommended/linked to me was WAY better than CE.. At least in terms of difficulty & sucker punches.
I may think CE alone is a pile of frustrating garbage, but as a fellow modder, I completely respect your will and reason behind making it.

My first post here was based on a person who literally just looked up "FTL mods" on google saw CE on the top of the list on this site,
DL'd it, and played it for a long while.. Yes, I repeat, randomly voicing my opinion based on such a blind and random assessment of
something is.. Dumb.. But that's just my style..

You're lucky, sleeper.. In the modding community/game I dealt with, the community itself and fellow modders are far, far, far less forgiving,
and trying to make a mod with the same complexity as this one would, and has got me utterly bashed to the floor because it was too difficult..
So maybe there might have even been a tone of resentment in my rants...
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Re: FTL: Captain's Edition - A Review

Postby Squishybrick » Fri Mar 24, 2017 10:42 am

Just thought I'd give a status update to my experiences with the mod recommended to me.

It still has a few ups and downs, but things are definitely a lot smoother.
I also installed the vanilla flagship mod, because, hey, I like games that can actually be beaten, eheh..

But beyond that, I can actually still use my old challenge-modes with this modpack without the difficulty
getting too high.

One of my favorite ship loadouts I ended up with I called the "One-hit wonder", because it was a ship that
I literally one-hit-killed the flagship with.

I had two weapons, the special-named "Bunker Buster", which dealt 6 damage and had the "2x damage to empty rooms" bonus,
and an elite thor missile, which dealt 4 damage, and also had the 2x bonus.

Combine that with a Lv.3 hacking system to their command so they can't dodge, and you get the exact amount of damage to
defeat the flagship in ONE HIT. Or.. At least, one salvo.

The second form was actually the hardest, as I simply had to tank damage while shooting both missiles, with my hacking drone
and a boarding drone as distractions, whilst my artillary lazer widdled down their defenses.

With the last form, it was merely a game of patience. Thankfully, I had a heavy laser drone, let him work away the zoltan
shield, and the SECOND he got it out, hacking drone on the command, zap, boom, done.

I don't think I have ever destroyed the flagship so effeciently before, even on unmodded FTL.. The description on the
"named weapons" mod said some of the weapons were a bit absurdly OP, but compared to the rest of the difficulty-increasing
additions, I find a bit of positive chaos a nice bit of balance.

The mod I was given/ended up with seems to be a mixture of "Captains Remix", and another mod called "Smpk: Insurrection".
It was a little tricky getting them to work, as apparently putting one mod in front of the other makes it run fine, but doing it
the other way around ends you up with enemy vessels named "something broke" that spawn with 0 hull and instantly blow up.

Interestingly enough, this mod has changed my overall default play-style a bit. I often find myself skimping on shielding
and focusing on obtaining strong weapons as early as possible, then using whatever resources I have extra to boost up
engines and other systems. In vanilla FTL, your weapon choices can be a bit limited, so you HAVE to upgrade your shields
the best you can, but with modded FTL, there's a grand selection of shield-piercing weapons that can let you almost skip
shields entirely in favor of "killing them before they kill you".

I am at peace now.. Maybe there's an even better more expansive FTL mod out there, maybe this is the peak, but either way,
I've gotten the modding experience that I desired, and I am very happy.

If anyone would like to see my "challenge modes" or chat with me, I'm on skype. ( Squishybrick )

I don't have much else to say unless someone replies, so I guess I'll take my leave for now!