Subset Games Forum

So I just got FTL about four or five days ago and I was having a really rough go of it at first. I couldn't make it past sector 3 or 4 at best, and so I rethought my priorities.

I had been saving scrap for weapons and crew members, and only upgrading my weapons, shields, and power on my ship. This is tempting but it's a trap, you really want to get doors up to level 2 by sector 2, and I always upgrade shields as literally the first thing I do. I do NOT save scrap in the first two sectors; if you have it, spend it on the ship systems.

By upgrading shields, you keep your hull together in sectors one and two cause everybody has usually only one shield point and weak weapons, rarely missiles, so your level two shields will stop pretty much all beams and lasers in sectors 1 and 2.

By upgrading your doors - I believe doors to be possibly the most important upgrade for surviving past sector 3 - you delay boarders long enough to weaken them with vacuum.

Also upgrade engine for dodge chance. Don't worry about buying weapons for the first two sectors to save the scrap for ship system upgrades. The weapons in the first two sectors aren't usually that great anyway.

I now make it to the boss on easy reliably every single run with the focus on ship systems instead of weapons for the first two or three sectors.

Finally, a word on sector choice and the rebel fleet. I had been being super cautious and always going for friendly sectors for sectors 3 and up. This means stores won't have weapons as much, and sectors 3 and up are where I begin to focus on upgrading my arms. So paradoxically I now choose the most vicious sectors possible, though I still dislike nebulas, since my ship is now a powerhouse of upgraded systems by sector three (in relative terms, compared to my foes), so I can choose the enemy sectors, get the good weapons, but without getting pounded to bits or killed by fires and boarders thanks to level three or at minimum level two doors.

And as for the rebel fleet, I used to get through sectors as fast as possible. This is wrong, explore as much as you can. I've got caught by the fleet in sector 1 and 2 before, but with level two shields and increased dodge chance, I slaughtered the elite enemies (most recent run) with minimal damage. By exploring as much as you can, you'll get more chances to get free crew and weapons, and equally importantly, train your crew up to expert status as quickly as possible.

Hopefully this will help. Remember, ship systems take priority over guns or crew in the first two sectors, and remain equally important as guns and crew thereafter. Doors up to level two or better yet three ASAP, that made the biggest difference for boarding. And for ship systems, spend scrap on shields first, doors, and engine, not just weapons, even if it means you don't have enough reactor power to power everything at once, since boarding isn't an issue in sectors 1 and 2 so you can shut off medbay and even oxygen if you need to for a moment to power things for combat.

Getting off to the right start in sectors 1 and 2 will lay the foundation for success later on.

Backlit Avenger wrote:I do NOT save scrap in the first two sectors; if you have it, spend it on the ship systems.

Not a bad plan on general, though things change a bit on Normal difficulty and depending on your ship. Unlike every other ship in the game, the Engi B cannot bypass Tier 2 shields at all with its starting equipment, so finding another weapon (or a Reloader) is of the utmost priority. The Stealth B is also really looking for a weapon to take down a shield bubble very early too; it can damage Tier 2 shields, but not quickly or painlessly (though Level 3 Cloaking is an even bigger priority).

Backlit Avenger wrote:I had been going for friendly sectors. This means stores won't have weapons as much

Do you have a source on this? I believe all stores are equally likely to have weapons and they all look the same in the code; the only thing that should be different based on Sector type is the crew available (and the possibility of a Lockdown Bomb in Rock Sectors). Also note that Civ/Engi/Slug Sectors all have 2-3 stores, while Pirate/Nebula/Mantis/Rebel Sectors have only 1-2 (Zoltan/Rock are exactly 2). You're also more likely to get free equipment (including free weapons) in Engi/Civ Sectors.[/quote]

All stores are equally random and friendly sectors are more likely to feature stores. In addition friendly sectors tend to have fewer hostile events and more 'freebies' so they are definetly a slightly easier option. Slightly because Zoltan sectors are hardly very friendly and feature lots of Zoltan Supershield equipped hostiles, Engi sectors are overrun by Mantis which kinda leaves only Civilian sectors and at later stages even there it's easy to get killed by a monster enemy.

I really don't see the enjoyment in dying multiple times and making zero progress.

ouyin2000 wrote:I really don't see the enjoyment in dying multiple times and making zero progress.

I'm not exactly one of the "Losing can be fun" guys myself, but I will say this for FTL - once you get the hang of it and start accomplishing things, the feeling of reward is that much sweeter. Too few games offer a lasting sense of achievement in beating the odds.

ouyin2000 wrote:I really don't see the enjoyment in dying multiple times and making zero progress.

The point is to learn from your mistakes, so you can make progress.

ouyin2000 wrote:I really don't see the enjoyment in dying multiple times and making zero progress.

So many games are about leveling your character. FTL is about leveling yourself. It takes a lot more work and a lot more time, but the rewards are a lot more worth it.

The reward is the exact same as any other game. Entertainment value. And I am not getting my money's worth with this game.

ouyin2000 wrote:The reward is the exact same as any other game. Entertainment value. And I am not getting my money's worth with this game.

I'm sorry you feel that way, my first win I had made an OP ship to beat the boss, and I then didn't play vanilla for a while, now I can win with Kes A and B, Crys A, Zol A, and Fed A and B. My point is that it, like a lot of games out there is geared toward patient microers.

You arent really making zero progress. Perhaps you unlock a new ship. You learn about different events and which options to choose for each one. Yes, you do go back to the beginning when you die. But when you start again, you start with extra knowledge and skill as a result from that loss.