FTL: Faster Than Light
What I like:
Interesting game premise - Controlling a spaceship is usually done via a Shooter or Racer perspective. What this game is trying to offer to players is conveyed better through the RTS like system than through either of those perspectives. Ultimately I think the game was meant to convey the workings a starship from a more global perspective rather than the standard Engines, Weapons, Shields power schemes commonly seen in games of this type.
Pacing - The game is reasonably fast paced. It creates and maintains tension effectively. Every encounter is an uncertainty which leads to the tension. As supplies dwindle and you race to stay ahead of the curve, you may find yourself
Space Combat - The combat mechanisms are fun and while not the most challenging or diverse it offers a solid experience.
What I didn't like:
Monotonous environments - Though the galaxy is randomly generated, the differences in environments really only differs between nebula and non nebula systems. Nebula systems are places where either your sensors don't work, you have limited power due to ion storms, or both. Non nebula systems are either asteroid fields, stars, or planets. Trials and distress calls are relatively the same every single instance. It feels a bit too random.
Poor balancing - Mantis intruders are an absolute pain to deal with. Many encounters are fatal. Frequently you have to make hard decisions between fuel, repairs and upgrades. You have to upgrade if you are to survive later encounters but you sustain damage at a very high rate. Some upgrades are essential, i.e. shields whereas other upgrades seem non essential (though maybe there is a winning strategy involving them). I have also run out of fuel on several occasions. This leads to waiting for rescue, which in at least two instances has led to death by the people supposed to rescue me.
Lack of information / feedback - I have no idea if what I'm choosing is good or bad. This seems to stem from a lack of consistency in the game. The game doesn't give you any feedback if you are selecting a winning strategy or not. For example, suppose you are choosing a stealthy speedy approach to managing your ship. You avoid contact with as many possible encounters as you possibly are able to and focus on the speed and agility of your ship.This may work for a while leading you to believe that this is desirable but then you encounter a battle you can't avoid. If you have been ducking and dodging many battles prior to this, you probably haven't been building your fighting ability. So now you are a sitting duck because you have an underdeveloped fighting ability. Likewise suppose you have a truly powerful warship developed. You can rip ships to shreds easily. Then you get boarded by Mantis. If you have insufficient crew to deal with this, your weapons and shields are useless. Even if you have built up your interior defenses, you may only be delaying the inevitable. Even a strategy like concentrating all your forces in a single room and sucking all the oxygen of the ship except that room doesn't seem to work.
What I would do differently:
First I would make shielding more robust. Making shields being integer values makes them seem very flimsy. I would instead make them percentage based. Shields that are 100% charged deflect all damage directed at the ships via energy based weapons. Deflecting that damage would then decrease the charge rating. Let's say after the first barrage of laser fire, the shields are 75% charged. They should then deflect 75% of the damage letting 25% of the total damage effect the ship. Now the shields are at 50% and 50% of the next wave of damage gets through. Shield upgrades should increase the amount of damage they can deflect and recharge rates very similar to the game. This may make the battles more drawn out but might make them more dramatic. I would change the shielding to be area based rather than whole ship based. This makes shielding more complex but in my opinion more interesting. Going with this idea, I would add armor to the ship and especially the subsystem areas. Since missiles are able to be aimed at specific areas on ships, it makes sense to provide some measure of protection to these areas. Shields should be also be controllable to those specific areas. If you are allowing redirecting of power to certain areas, you should make the choice more meaningful by allowing specific areas to receive extra protection or increased damage or increased maneuverability.
I would only allow crew transports to occur once the shields are down completely and I would change the Mantis fighting strength from 1/2 to possibly 1/4 or make personal arms and armor available to crew.
Perhaps condensing the galaxy to a smaller scope where you may choose whether to risk going through a nebula or being detected in the open is more clear. I think the game tries to establish that going through a nebula is a fair trade for sneakiness versus danger but I don't notice a difference between the rate at which the rebel fleet gains on you if you choose the nebula path.
I would make the rebel fleet smaller in scope. Have the rebel fleet occupy a specific point instead of a giant wave. This makes the game more cat and mouse like. It also leads to interesting game ideas like setting traps and decoys. Scouts then take on a more prominent role since they would direct the fleet to your precise location and if you don't silence them or they get away. Make slaver ships affect your reputation in the galaxy which changes how neutral parties perceive you.
Overall, the game is enjoyable but it can be very frustrating at times. I have yet to win the game. I don't know if this is purposeful (the losing is fun mentality) or accidental.
