Subset Games Forum

Hi everyone,

I bought the game just before the weekend and have been absolutely loving it so far. I managed to beat the game on EASY on my very first try but I've been really struggling on NORMAL.

My current and best effort so far has been aboard the unlocked second version of the Kestrel. I managed to cobble together an awesome crew which included two mantises who were both masters of hand to hand. In the sixth sector, I encountered a well shielded forward Rebel Scout which I was told was powering up its FTL drive to flee and alert the Rebel fleet. After trying to teleport a bomb into their engine bay twice and missing both times I re-evaluated my options.

The scout had a crew of four humans which I thought would probably be just enough meat for my mantis boarders to chew through. I sent the pair into the cockpit, thinking that the enemy crew can't make an FTL jump if I'm fighting them in the cockpit. My pair of mantis murderers butchered their pilot in an absolute instant. The Rebel scum sent in two troopers to take back the cockpit and the fight was joined. During that time I managed to finally teleport a bomb into their engine compartment, injure the last guy in there, and take down their engines into orange. A few seconds later the mantises in the cockpit finished disemboweling the reinforcements and started eviscerating the room itself.

I thought I was in the clear with plenty of health, waiting for their last guy to waltz in and get dispatched like the rest of his crew. Waltz in he did and the ship jumped into hyperspace the moment he entered the cockpit. With my two mantis masters of melee onboard.

WTF!?!

Don't you need to clear the cockpit before making FTL jumps?!?

Now, my remaining and totally squishy crew - made up of a slug, a human, two engies, and two zoltans - have no use for that stinking upgraded teleporter, and fearing for their very lives have reinforced the blast doors to maximum and invested in an improved oxygen supply system, hoping to take advantage of their ships strategically placed airlocks (which are so boss by the way; the second Kestrel layout rocks!) to vent any enterprising boarders into space.

I've made it to sector seven now, but unless I find some mantises to keep boarders at bay, I fear my ship is going to succumb from the inside out.

Any comments?

BuzuBuzu wrote:Don't you need to clear the cockpit before making FTL jumps?!?

This issue has been reported in the following thread, with zasdarq saying he doesn't consider this is a bug, notably because you too can flee with enemies on board: http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2492

By the way, I'm sure there are a few sci-fi movies and shows where the pilot manages to smash the Jump button in the middle of a desperate fight. (And if not, well there should be. )

boa13 wrote:

BuzuBuzu wrote:Don't you need to clear the cockpit before making FTL jumps?!?

This issue has been reported in the following thread, with zasdarq saying he doesn't consider this is a bug, notably because you too can flee with enemies on board: http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2492

By the way, I'm sure there are a few sci-fi movies and shows where the pilot manages to smash the Jump button in the middle of a desperate fight. (And if not, well there should be. )

I think his point is not that they fled with him on board, but they fled without being at the controls.

Did he actually get to sit at the pilot seat and was the helm orange, grey, or red?

The enemy had a damaged engine, the helm was in the process of being destroyed, the human enemy entered the helm, and the ship jumped. In other words, they fled while being at the controls, with helm and engine not completely destroyed. (The day it happens to your own ship, you'll be so glad. )

BuzuBuzu wrote:take down their engines into orange (...) started eviscerating the (helm) room itself (...) waiting for their last guy to waltz in and get dispatched like the rest of his crew. Waltz in he did and the ship jumped into hyperspace the moment he entered the cockpit

Maybe it could feel less arbitrary if there was a pause of one second between the enemy entering the helm and the jump. But that's asking for a new feature, not fixing a bug.

As long as:
a) there is someone in the helm room (fighting or not)
b) the helm is orange or green
c) the engine is orange or green

A ship can warp out. Yours or the enemies. FTL recharge does not reset the way weapon charging does, so it may only take a damaged ship a second after repairing engines/helm to jump out. Don't risk your boarders in such a case unless you are absolutely sure no enemy will man the helm.

UltraMantis wrote:As long as:
a) there is someone in the helm room (fighting or not)
b) the helm is orange or green
c) the engine is orange or green

A ship can warp out. Yours or the enemies. FTL recharge does not reset the way weapon charging does, so it may only take a damaged ship a second after repairing engines/helm to jump out. Don't risk your boarders in such a case unless you are absolutely sure no enemy will man the helm.

Really? Last time I checked players couldn't warp out if the pilot was fighting (but the computer enemies could). Have they changed that?

Sorry for not posting in the other thread. I was lazy and didn't search the board, though I was posting more for entertainment value rather than reporting an issue.

Eji1700 wrote:
I think his point is not that they fled with him on board, but they fled without being at the controls.

Did he actually get to sit at the pilot seat and was the helm orange, grey, or red?

He may have had a chance to sit down, I don't remember exactly; and the helm was grey, my mantises didn't have enough time to disable it.

I guess it's working as intended then and lesson learned on my part, though I wish the game gave you a moment to warp out your boarding crew before they activated their FTL drive. I probably won't be trying the same maneuver again in the future.

At least you didnt antibio beam your boarders by accident.

By the way, can someone explain the effects of fighting in compartments other than the helm?

Hey Gorlom, I guess it's true what they say, "Great minds think alike" ... or at least play alike. I recognize you from the Xenonauts forum.

Khrowe wrote:At least you didnt antibio beam your boarders by accident.

Or glaive beam the whole ship to crap. The mantis unlock ship no less. (pout)