FTL Captain's Edition 1.308/Inf 1.301b/EL 1.308

[Sleeper Service]

Unless it's really not much work and doesn't pose any problems - because, indeed, when playing non-pirating faction, meeting those civilians is quite sad ("Hell, I'm not gonna risk my crew members to pirate some stinkin' trader, but I would very much like to, as sucker just prevented me from producing drone parts, and I'm already on the last one!").

Haha, I guess one could make up some meta reasons why production is not possible. Ship present requires everyone to be at general quarters and stuff. Sometimes you're even already busy talking to those guys.

I'm glad that the this totally untested play style works as intended. Have fun screwing people over.

Frankly, I fail to see the point here. Whats is coherent, when I can accept surrender and goods from almost everyone, but can't attack slaver after freeing/putting to work on my ship a slave that their offer as surrender? I can perfectly assume, that all factions (maybe except zoltans) would be quite happy to break truce here, board and kill all slavers on their ship (possibly freeing whole transport), or - a little less - with breaking them to pieces and ending slaving proceeder. Slavers seems to be lowest in the moral pyramid of FTL society, it seems from the lore.

Now, I understand that this can't happen for all factions due to balance reasons. But, slugs, that actually have "breaking truces" as a "perk", should be perfectly able to do so, IMO. Getting two crew members from single event would be *very* rare anyway, and I - again - fail to see where it would break the balance. Especially, considering how much work forcing surrenders take, and how random result is. Balance aside, it would, for sure, feel more coherent re narration (and less confusing for Slug captains, especially ones doing run for the first time ).

Maybe thats just me, but when you accept to save this one slave, that opening fire on the ship where his/her friends are stuck on feels a little bipolar. I guess It depends how everyone sees that. Another reason really was that breaking truce would allow slug ships to get two slaves out of this event with realize ease. The chances of getting two crewmen with this event would actually be pretty high that way (Slavers have an increase surrender chance and crew kills are likely to result in crew) This felt kind of too much of a reward for breaking truce in this event.

Pretty much the same with transport ships. You obviously engage them to pirate their goods. So when they surrender them, it does not all out seem logical to continue fighting them anyway. Breaking truce in this event also could result in two free trade goods from one event for Slug ships, which again, felt kind of too much.

But you are right, it's incoherent with the rest of the events, and does not automatically appear logical. It's just hard to get around the balance issues here, cause surrender end ship death events are always tied to each other in one ship event.

[Estel]

But you are right, it's incoherent with the rest of the events, and does not automatically appear logical. It's just hard to get around the balance issues here, cause surrender end ship death events are always tied to each other in one ship event.

Maybe keeping it as it is + some inventive blabla would work here? Something along the lines of "they jettison one-man escape pod, sent spinning randomly into space. Ship systems detect single life-sign inside - indeed, "tribute" is on board. By the time you stabilize and recover pod, slavers are long gone". Generally, something that suggest we need time and effort to retrieve tribute, and enemies use it as chance to escape.

Of course, it wouldn't explain why you can't blown them up and chase pod afterwards, but, it would at least indicate that inability to effectively break truces is intended in this event. so, it would contribute to "player gaining experience" and learning when attempt do break truces, and when don't bother, instead of looking like overlooked/bug. Something similar would work for civilian traders and their cargo too, I think.

Sure, more nervous captains would just blast the rude bastard that plays trick instead of kindly unloading passenger/cargo - even if it would mean losing that poor fella, spinning into escape pod towards gravitational well of planet - but, as you've said, FTL doesn't aim to allow every choice possible, everywhere

/Estel

[Mr. Mister]

On the subject of slaver surrenders: Apart from the outcomes that can lead to him joining your crew anyway, is there any other positive outcome for liberating the slave? Like, maybe you should integrate the outcomes for bringing him to his family (just dropping him in a near station and recieving the payment via credit card) from the vanilla rescue event.

[Acceleratio]

Wait what... there are ships you can use the pirate option with?
Without risking your crew?

[ikeelyou300]

I like the idea with the pod being jettisoned and requiring you to chase after it. It seems like something pirate slavers would do and I understand what Sleeper was talking about with the balance for that event. And he's it seems morbid killing all the slaves after accepting one. I think the text about the pod should appear if you try to break the truce on this event or it could be a generic "they got away" because I think Sleeper said there's a chance of that happening any time you break a truce.

On another interesting not though... Do you think the Zoltan ship could negotiate the surrender of all the slaves in exchange for a pardon or something?

[Sleeper Service]

On another interesting not though... Do you think the Zoltan ship could negotiate the surrender of all the slaves in exchange for a pardon or something?

Considered.

Wait what... there are ships you can use the pirate option with?
Without risking your crew?

Yep. All ships of the hostile faction can engage in piracy without penalties (as long as you keep their faction augment.) Some of the hostile factions are also capable to negate penalties in other situations. I'm aware that this is not self explanatory, as a lot of people will just stop attempting piracy in general after realizing that it can have such penalizing outcomes... I recommend you keep reading the tips at the beginning of the game. They can give you a lot of hints on CEs in-depth features.

If I encounter black boxes and erratic graphical backgrounds in the Zoltan event where the planet targets you with its weapons with a Zoltan AI spotter, what would I do? Im not sure if It can be reproduced. same applies to the breach missile, its target reticle is a black box on the enemy ship -_- this is on version 1.099. I possess no mods that add/edit weapons.

That is load order related. You have to load the background mod before captains edition, else it will cause this glitch. Check the load order template in the OP.

[Estel]

Another bite on the lovely bugs (no, it's not racial comment against Slugs )

1. In the quarantined sector, we can meet various civilian ships wanting to rob us of scrap, to buy medicaments/documents/whatever. If we refuse, they attack us. Now, one of such ship I've meet was Engi AI ship (!), crewed by normal crew, though. Obviously, it lacked life support system and started with zero oxygen, so battle was *very* brief.

Thinking about it, that was *almost* lore-friendly - they were so sick, that died quickly after getting violent Hoever, for such purposes, normal ship with life support disabled (and starting with max oxygen, then slowly going down) would do better. (Severity: Medium)

2. After wiping the crew of other civilian ships from the same event as in #1 (by weapons like bio-beam), we're presented with few options - sterilizing it via medical nanobots or bomb, entering it indiscriminately of risk, or destroying and looting remains. If we decide to sterilize it with nanomed bomb, event text state, that it should be safe to enter now and ends... Without any reward ship is just left cold in the space. I haven't had chance to test if it does the same with Engi's medical nanobots or choosing to destroy it. (Severity: Medium)

Cheers,
/Estel

[Mr. Mister]

Yo, does the (advanced engines) blue option to dodge a ramship's initial battleram only require lv4 engines? That feels too soon, specially considering that people usually don't venture into rock sectors early. I would put it at lv6 engines minimum.

[Estel]

Just quick update on bugs:

1. Responding to merchant in need of mercenary services may result in getting task to deliver 5 drone parts to scientist's station. event text clearly state, that merchant is "paying us some scrap in advance", in addition to giving us those 5 drones. Hoever, no scrap is given. It was reported some times ago by someone else, but I re-report it, as it wasn't fixed, apparently. (Severity: Minor)

As a side question - I know you don't like to spoil some things, but, how big a random chance of not being able to break truces? I hope it's not more than 10% - it might have been just bad luck, but today, I had it at roughly 2/3 of forced surrenders, which was quite frustrating. Could be just RNG.

/Estel

// Edit
Today I had my )first in life) crash of FTL upon jumping to next sector. I was leaving Nebula sector, running from a fight with battle cruiser. Sadly, for above reasons, I have no idea where I jumped. It may be relevant, that I was jumping with 3 hull points, and rocket that should take 4 hull points, hit me during jump animation (when small ship is just about to disappear), and my hull stayed at 3 points even after impact. So I'm not sure if it wasn't FTL generic bug, not CE related. Maybe game just told me "you've died" in rude manner

[Mr. Mister]

I don't know exactly that chance, but if it were me I would put it at, at least, 33%. 10% is just too little my friend.

And talking about surrenders: there's a slug event where, if you accept what's in store in echange for their lives, the only option given after that is to betray them.

"A meager amount of material".