Suggestions for future content!

[surjl0827]

Hello, peeps!
I would like to start off by saying:
I LOVE THIS GAME.

I always liked sci-fi games but this game is really really addicting. I always wanted a game where I manage the ship from the captain's point of view. I would prefer modern graphics/ playstyle but this game's theme is actually really great.

The game is fun and frustrating at the same time. It's all part of the fun.

While I do love this game, I sometimes feel that it's incomplete due to a few reasons. I'm certain that you guys will be adding more content, but here goes.
The main reason is simple.

CONTENT.


Content
-This is something that every game can never have enough of really. People always want new things as games get old.
I would like to see:
a. More detailed storylines and more in depth quests. I found the simple textbox + quest symbol on the starmaps rather dull and boring. An available quest should be openly visible on the map as a emergency transmission or something. They should have multiple steps instead of just destroying a single enemy ship. Make them time consuming so that the player must decide! Either do it or skip it, and of course doing it should be very rewarding.
In terms of story, I just dislike how we are thrown in the game with again, a small text box explaining the situation of the federation. I would appreciate a few short cutscenes, briefings and backstory. Just add depth to the universe! Some history and more cultural background for each race would make things very interesting.

Maybe even different endings/ storylines and different consequences. I mean, if I play with a slug cruiser with soley slug crew members, why would they be working for the federation? How about a different set of stories for each race/empire?

b. More weapons, ships, choices!
- This can tie in easily with the different stories. Instead of simply having: slug cruiser, rock cruiser, allow the player to utilize different class of ships. Fighter, Bomber, frigate, destroyer, cruiser, battleship, carrier? We can see many enemy ships being labelled as fighters or bombers, so why not allow the player to start small and grow? I think that would make the game feel more rewarding, unlocking large and powerful warships sound very good.
On top of that, make sure that a "slug fighter" isn't the same thing as a "federation fighter" with different looks. Make them behave differently! Add thorough descriptions! Give alien ships alien names!

In addition, I would like to see an "set engagement range" option. So allow us to engage the ship from far away, medium range or close up. Add range limits to each weapon for further strategy.

For instance:
Federation Light Cruiser (Sabre Class)
- This particular cruiser is very small and agile for it's class. It was designed for close up dog fights, equipped with both anti fighter and heavy ship weapons. This cruiser can effectively engage many different types of enemies. Due to it's small size, crew capacity and shield capacities are rather limited.

Federation Missile Cruiser (Javelin Class)
-This particular cruiser was designed for long range combat. Most of the weapon systems compose of missiles and projectile weapons, meaning close quarters combat should be avoided. This slow and massive ship is filled with numerous missile silos that can fire a wide array of projectiles, including boarding pods.

Mantis Carrier (The Hive)
- This massive warship built by the insectoids boasts the ability to carry a large fleet of fighters. Unlike other carrier class vessels, this ship has no weapon slots at all. This ship was designed to be escorted by it's massive fighter fleet. The non-existant weapon slots are replaced by massive shield generators, making this particular vessel very difficult to destroy.

Engi Titan (001110111 Engi Prime)
- The largest starship ever constructed by the Engi, the ship's name proceeds it's might. The name literally means "beginning of the Engi". It is believed that the entire vessel was built around the mechanic core in which all Engi originated from. The mechanic core is the central computer that controls all Engi. The home of all Engi is now a mobile fortress. The ship is so massive that it has a built in mobile refinery and factory complex, allowing this mammoth to produce it's own fuel, scraps and even additional engi units as necessary. However, even the most powerful of all Engi propulsion methods are only able to move this monster at an extremely slow speed. It's massive array of weapons and fighter bays makes any opponent run in fear.


Add many more weapons. All of the weapons look like federation weapons. I want some weapons produced by each of the different races. Each weapon should have different ranges and different effects.

For instance:

Rail gun I,II,III:
-A powerful projectile weapon that is powered by a pair of magnetized barrels. A metallic projectile is place in the barrel and is launched with deadly speed. To power the massive magnetic barrels, a substantial amount of energy is required. However, the magnetized projectile can penetrate any shield with ease and penetrate multiple components of the enemy's ship.

Plasma Burst I,II,III
- Extremely heated gas particles are placed in a barrel with several holes, and projected towards the enemy vessel. This splits the hot gas into multiple projectiles (like shotgun pellets), which is extremely effective against shields.
Due to the fact that they are multiple small particles, they have minimal effects against hull plating.

Cluster Flak I,II,III:
- A rapid firing projectile weapon which is extremely useful when damaging vital ship components.
Small projectiles filled with explosives burst into numerous pieces, causing huge damage to ship components.


Also add: Crew weapons and gear
additional ship augmentations.


I can go on forever but I think I made my point!
Thanks!

[nikto]

I agree, official editor to add more content is always welcomed (as well as more content from developers ).
Also, it could be nice to add <Save Replay> function at the end of the game (when you won/lost). Some sessions are simply amazing and it could be nice if it was possible to save them and replay (like in warcraft 3, with pause and fast forward functions).
Software like Fraps will use huge hdd space, so..., yeah, replay feature could be nice to have.

[UltraMantis]

Hello and welcome.

I guess the reason FTL was designed to be simpler rather than more detailed is because it was developed by a two-man core team. The list of features you made is good but there is a limit to how much can be done on time and without hurting balance. Adding extra content such as weapons and equipment or expanding the story with greater detail would be welcome, but there's no telling if or when it may be implemented. That said, the devs are reading all suggestions so keep 'em coming.

Glad to hear you're hooked. Have fun. If you explore everything in the game, you can try some of the mods.

Software like Fraps will use huge hdd space, so..., yeah, replay feature could be nice to have.

Try Gregion. It requires some fiddleing with codecs but will resize and compress on the fly so you will get audio/video recordings around 400Mb/1hr. At least i get that with the xvid codec but you can use any codec with any compression you want. Free and unlimited as well. http://www.filecluster.com/Antivirus-Re ... egion.html

A 'history' of each playthrough is a feature i'd love to see. Even if it wasnt a video. Some stories are epic and i'd like to look back on them.

[nikto]

I guess the reason FTL was designed to be simpler rather than more detailed is because it was developed by a two-man core team.

I won't mind if add-on will be released or FTL 2 with scalable graphics (like SVG perhaps). Intel says consumer monitors with 4K screen resolution will be available by 2014 year, so, something like SVG, to scale graphics without compromising picture's quality would be awesome.

Try Gregion. It requires some fiddleing with codecs but will resize and compress on the fly so you will get audio/video recordings around 400Mb/1hr.

Thanks for the heads up. 400Mb/1hr seems decent. But 5Mb per replay (regular warcraft 3's replay size) is much more preferable and more convenient.

[UltraMantis]

Sorry, i failed to mention this was at 1280x720 and entirely dependat on the codec settings. It can be much smaller but i found a working setup and don't feel like mucking around to try and improve it. Fraps' huge uncompressed files and the time limit put me off using it, and this was the only other recording software out of around 20 i tried that is actually worth using (for gaming output, with audio, unlimited length, free is possible).