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 I am taking a break from this Let's Play for a while, but it may come back at some point later on. No new episodes for the near future.In the meantime our friend ProfessorBooty is doing a Stealth C run for you kind folks Faster Than Light (F.T.L.) is a game unlike any other. Part Roguelike, part Real Time Space Battle, Part Choose Your Own Adventure, doused heartily in Pain. Its battles are adrenaline pumping and unforgiving, but your victory is determined perhaps more by your strategic planning before the battle than anything you pull off during the fight. This combination has proved very destructive of my spare time, but I harbor no regrets. F.T.L. Advanced Edition just came out April 3, 2014 as a free massive DLC, and so I thought this would be the perfect time to show off the game, along with all its new features in a Video LP.   Spoilers The game is not very story heavy, so there’s not much to spoil. That said, please try to avoid spoiling ship unlock quests before we get to them. If I run across the events and am able to complete any of these quests, I will do them within the Let’s Play and then they are fair game. If most people don’t care about spoilers for these we can always lift this restriction. What the hell is this game? Read above. If you’d like more details here’s the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4imWvoqxmc Here’s the trailer for advanced edition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWTy4kiNXeY Also feel free to watch my Let’s play, I will be explaining the game as I go. How is this going to go? I am Captain Momplestiltskin. Advanced Edition will be enabled, and I will explain the new things as I see them (along with the old). We have a first officer, We will be playing on Normal difficulty. As F.T.L. veterans know, the game originally had two difficulties: Easy and Normal. “Easy” is by all sane standards still an incredibly challenging experience. “Normal” is another league entirely. F.T.L. Advanced Edition released a new difficulty, Hard. I am not man enough to try Hard just yet, although we may do it before this series is over. We may very well die. We will be doing the commentary live. I think this gives us the advantage of seeing the reasoning behind decisions as they happen, as well as some more candid “Oh gently caress” moments. I sometimes spend a while contemplating which upgrade to take, so I will probably edit lengthy periods of thinking out unless I think they are helpful in some way. How long is a game of F.T.L.? Assuming you don’t die, probably no longer than a couple of hours. If you die, much shorter. Death is permanent. How do I play this game? It’s an inexpensive indie title you can typically get for $10. Available on Steam, the official game website, and for the iPad as of April 3. How do you decide what ship to play next? Voting. I have all of the ships unlocked, including both crystal ships and all of the Type C ships that came out with Advanced Edition, because I am a masochistic maniac. There is a list of recommended ships below, but you are free to vote on whichever ship strikes your fancy. Hey you did a dumb thing. You are a dumb idiot. Thanks, that’s very helpful. I will generally be trying to play well, but I may take certain not that great items at times if they are new or I want to show them off. I may also not notice that one guy sitting in shields instead of weapons or whatever. It’s fine. Relax. Sometimes even members of a space ship in heated battle for their lives need a coffee break. I've also found that while recording and talking it's harder to concentrate on playing well than you might think, so please forgive me if I make a few mistakes here or there. If you have alternate strategies or suggestions feel free to discuss in this thread. Just don’t be a dick. And with that, I give you F.T.L. Kestrel A: Run One Episode One: "Welcome to Space Here Are Some Suns"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RICvQCItIw Episode Two Part 1/4 "The Time Momplestiltskin hosed Up" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qo8foZJ06c Episode Two Part 2/4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFvtT0zovSQ Episode Two Part 3/4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoT9o_yqjoI Episode Two Part 4/4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8IJdZo4Vnw Disclaimer: I am ashamed to say I filmed Episode Two late in the night under the influence of a certain recreational substance, so you will notice a few glaring mistakes at times. My overall play is solid, but my decision to go to the bottom area of the map instead of the top was dubious at best. Also, despite doing some testing it seems I did not notice that I was breathing into my mic like a drat idiot, and the music was a bit too loud compared to my voice. So I apologize for this episode's general lack of audio quality and the poor choices within. That said, I'm still playing pretty well and I think it should be a fun watch. I'll correct the breathing into the mic issues in the future. It's not possible to redo due to the nature of the saving system. This Episode will be in parts because, in my infinite wisdom, I forgot to make a cut at each new sector. This was also completed prior to any names being requested in the thread, so that will happen in Episode Three. Episode Three "The Abandoned Sector Looks Awful Nice This Time of Year" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-jh9ZDzm5k Episode Four "The Vindictive Pre-Finale Episode" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIyMJUVv0Zk Episode Five "The Beginning of the End" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_sDROcdaaQ Boss Fight Mode Engage: Test Your Might Episode Six "With a Mind Control Cherry on Top" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNhkAn2GYfg Episode Seven "Automated for Your Pleasure" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e4Get1Eluk Episode Eight "The Last Last Last Stand" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPMzO5nqT3g Lanius A: Run Two Episode Nine Part 1/3: "Is That A Planetary Defense Weapon or Are You Just Happy to See Me?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI9qoEUBeJs Episode Nine Part 2/3: "The Sweet Release of Death" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO5QSTLxlyA Episode Nine Part 3/3: "Mantis Breeding Season" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT9VylA4cZ0 Episode Ten "Scrapluster's Lanius Ambassador Takes your Breath Away" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0FJj0AryiE Episode Eleven: "The Civilian Big Missile Crisis" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DMPgY7IJVQ" Episode Twelve: "An Ancient Crystal Device? Scrap It." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzvUksvFFb0 Episode Thirteen: "An Auspicious Episode for Killing Slugs" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SBTLVTv1zs Episode Fourteen: "The Final Scraplusting" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyldD9eWthM Season Two Stealth B Season Premier Mega Episode! Episode One: "Drunken Stealth Mastery" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF8Y6SCmQOI Episode Two: "The Shameful Lover is True to Its Namesake" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcAuAuLvqtQ Episode Three: "In Vino Veritas" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkqnktSNIg8 Mantis B Season 2 Episode Four: "Living with Blades for Hands"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsYZTHEnIr4 Season 2 Episode Five: "Prove Yourself by Dismembering These Two Idiots"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueOU-O1O5tI Season 2 Episode Six: "Is that a Flagship or a Slaughterhouse?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBQBiMb0Eqg Space Jesus Challenge in the Federation Cruiser C Season 2 Episode Seven: "Space Jesus Coast to Coast"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmhBJ1tyhhk Season 2 Episode 8: "Inshallah, the Prophets Guide Us" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2OjPRcZlN0 *Bonus Video! I would warn you that this bonus video is just me and number one talking and not playing the game, so if you're not into that then don't watch it. "Wiretapping, Snowden, and the Intricacies of Toilet Wine" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2V__TTUjas Season 2 Episode 9: "Mohamad Remembers Only the Ways of Violence" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvrnXS7p05A Season 2 Episode 10: "O The Space Crosses We Must Bear" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLlC4zH7cug ProfessorBooty (Not Momplestiltskin) Episodes Episode One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK2LNY7pwqc Episode Two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAB6A-TJ63c Episode Three: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RoyV2CJsww Episode Four: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U__1tsXLX4 Momplestiltskin fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jul 22, 2014 |
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Apr 7, 2014 04:33
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 07:38 |
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Let's start off with the Civilian Controlled sector for now.
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Apr 7, 2014 05:00
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Not sure if you are going to show this off in the next video, but instead of manually putting your crew back where they were you can now save where they are and send them back after battles/repairs with the buttons under your crew.
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Apr 7, 2014 05:20
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Colander Crotch posted:Not sure if you are going to show this off in the next video, but instead of manually putting your crew back where they were you can now save where they are and send them back after battles/repairs with the buttons under your crew. This is basically one of my favourite new features, along with one specific new subsystem that I basically need on my ship every game now. On a related note, I actually have a reason to want a slug on my ship now.
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Apr 7, 2014 05:34
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Colander Crotch posted:Not sure if you are going to show this off in the next video, but instead of manually putting your crew back where they were you can now save where they are and send them back after battles/repairs with the buttons under your crew. This is awesome. I actually had not yet noticed that. I incorporated it into Episode 2, which I haven't finished putting together yet. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Apr 7, 2014 06:21
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This game is all kinds of fun. Looking forward to seeing what the advanced edition has brought to the table. Voting on the Civilian sector e: Name a dude in the next ship after me. If he can be a Mantis or Enji dude, all the better PotatoManJack fucked around with this message at 08:20 on Apr 7, 2014 |
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Apr 7, 2014 08:10
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PotatoManJack posted:e: Name a dude in the next ship after me. If he can be a Mantis or Enji dude, all the better Actually, through the magic of Advanced Edition, you can now rename your crewmembers whenever you want! This is great when you want to name everybody after your friends to watch them die horribly in space, and don't want your three initial crewmembers to be joined by complete strangers. Theoretically, you could join the crew of THIS ship. I wouldn't mind being on some manner of ship either, on that note.
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Apr 7, 2014 10:03
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Please sign me (or at least a tiny pixellated simulacrum of me) up for horrible death by vacuum!
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Apr 7, 2014 10:07
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This game is one of my favorite ways to waste time, really quick to pick up and play through a session and there's so many playstyles with all the different ships/weapons/augmentations/crew. Also the ambient music is chill as gently caress. I haven't played the Advanced version yet but I probably will soon.
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Apr 7, 2014 10:58
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This is a really great game and I'm definitely looking forward to see what new features the advanced edition brings. On that note, I believe the quest to find the lost freighter was in the original too. Oh, and signing up for terrible death in space.
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Apr 7, 2014 11:44
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I know next to nothing about FTL, but it's one of those games everyone seems to recommend to me. I'm looking forward to seeing more of it. I'd love to sign up. 
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Apr 7, 2014 12:03
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Sure, sign me up for the goonbus. I'd like to win FTL once even if it is by proxy though a LP. 
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Apr 7, 2014 13:23
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I have a confession to make. Last night I may or may not have gotten very carried away and played like 4 sectors in a row while forgetting to pause to make an episode for each sector. So "Episode 2" henceforth known as "The Long Episode" or "The Time Momplestiltskin hosed up" was completed before you all posted. Once I get that edited into chunks and posted on here, I will rename all of the little mans accordingly. Good luck not dying in the vacuum of space or at the hands of a hungry Mantis. Sneak Preview, Episode 3 will bring us a look at a new type of sector: The Abandoned Sector.
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Apr 7, 2014 14:41
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So I just saw FTL got updated, played a quick game, then looked through the ship list afterwards when I saw that I hadn't actually turned the Advanced content on  Anyway, sign me up to be left behind on an enemy ship while everyone else runs away or something.
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Apr 7, 2014 15:04
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I am ready to be devoured alive by a giant space bug or something.
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Apr 7, 2014 15:58
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Jabor posted:So I just saw FTL got updated, played a quick game, then looked through the ship list afterwards when I saw that I hadn't actually turned the Advanced content on I almost did that. Started up a game, and then I was like... wait a minute.
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Apr 7, 2014 16:06
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This has a lot of little tricks I hadn't thought of doing for my game. I really need to download this patch. I'd love to serve the cause. Space me, captain!
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Apr 7, 2014 17:38
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I know realize that I am wholly incompetent at this game. I never did like the Kestral though.
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Apr 7, 2014 18:02
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This looks like it'll be fun, i always loved FTL. Sign me up for the space navy!
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Apr 7, 2014 18:11
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I forgot to ask to be signed up. So yeah, I want to go on a spaceship joyride.
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Apr 7, 2014 18:16
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ViggyNash posted:I know realize that I am wholly incompetent at this game. I never did like the Kestral though.  Love that guaranteed Burst laser MK II and Missile.
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Apr 7, 2014 18:36
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Section Z posted:Meanwhile, I have a soft spot for the Kestral because in my short time playing off and on it is the only ship I have beaten normal on When I first started playing FTL I hated the Kestrel Type A, but as I got better at the game I started to realize how good Burst Laser MK II is. It's quite good by itself, but it really shines as you tack on more and more lasers or ion weapons. That said, I do prefer other ships more because I tend to like boarding enemy ships rather than destroying them. If you capture a ship instead of destroying it you typically get free weapons, crew, and better scrap more often. It also means you can take them out even if you can't get through shields much of the time. Kestrel A is a solid ship though, and certainly a lot better than some of the other options. I chose it because it has standard stuff that works to show off the basics to new players.
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Apr 7, 2014 18:57
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Sign me up as a bugman, that I may rend the enemy with my claws! I think I got to the final area of the game once. On easy. This is not a forgiving game. Did they make the requirements for unlocking some of the ships easier? There were a couple that were absolute bastards to get.
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Apr 7, 2014 19:07
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The Kestrel is the perfect starting ship in that it's very good at actually getting through the game, but tends to have a really hard time against the final boss (should I spoiler there's a final boss?). It offers the players an option learn the basics while still allowing them to slowly expand into mechanics other ships will eventually have have to rely on. And yes, the burst laser II is amazing. Kestrel's alternate layout, on the other hand, now there's a terrible ship.
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Apr 7, 2014 19:26
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Section Z posted:Meanwhile, I have a soft spot for the Kestral because in my short time playing off and on it is the only ship I have beaten normal on The Burst Laser MkII is the one thing that owns about the Kestral, but I don't really like the layout. Also I never get very far in the Kestral.
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Apr 7, 2014 19:29
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Kaboom Dragoon posted:Sign me up as a bugman, that I may rend the enemy with my claws! Yes, they did. The old way of unlocking is still in the game, but you now have the alternative of unlocking the previous ship. For example, if you unlock the type b engi ship in the normal way (getting 2/3 achievements for the ship using the type a) and get to sector 8 in it, you get the type c. If you beat the game with the type c engi ship you unlock the next ship in order. In theory you can unlock all the way up to the crystal cruiser this way without beating any of the quests to unlock ships (except for the engi ship, which you get automatically for making it to sector 5). anilEhilated posted:The Kestrel is the perfect starting ship in that it's very good at actually getting through the game, but tends to have a really hard time against the final boss (should I spoiler there's a final boss?). It offers the players an option learn the basics while still allowing them to slowly expand into mechanics other ships will eventually have have to rely on. And yes, the burst laser II is amazing. It's fine to speak about the boss in general terms, just try to avoid spoiling how the actual fight goes until we get there. We'll be there very soon (as long as I don't die)! Kestrel Type B is actually one of my favorite ships. Three reasons for that: The layout, the surprising effectiveness of the starting lasers, and the excellent starting crew. The ship looks like this:  Notice just how many doors you have that can be vented into space. This makes it really easy to put out fires in the rooms you need to without sucking the O2 out of everywhere else. Same goes for asphyxiating boarders. Also note that you start with 4 crew (the max starting), including a mantis and a zoltan. Also notice that your pilot's room is protected by an airlock, so unless they teleport directly into the pilot's room (AI usually isn't that smart), you can just vent them to space. Lastly note that if you buy a teleporter, your teleporter room is right next to your medbay. That is great for getting them healed up and back into the fight quickly. The 4 basic lasers it comes with each only shoot 1 one shot, but they are extremely effective for the first half of the game, by which time you should be able to acquire better weapons. 4 lasers at once means you can easily get through 1-2 shields without using missiles, and you can even get through 3 shields if necessary. You also have the flexibility to fire on multiple different systems at the same time since they are each their own weapon. I think in the right hands Kestrel Type B is one of the most effective ships in the game. Momplestiltskin fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Apr 7, 2014 |
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Apr 7, 2014 20:14
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Kestrel is pretty sweet - very powerful starting strength. That said I dislike the system layout of A a bit. I stopped piloting a lot of ships after I unlocked Mantis B though since I really enjoyed the playstyle that involved murdering people with mantises.
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Apr 7, 2014 20:31
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Momplestiltskin posted:Yes, they did. The old way of unlocking is still in the game, but you now have the alternative of unlocking the previous ship. For example, if you unlock the type b engi ship in the normal way (getting 2/3 achievements for the ship using the type a) and get to sector 8 in it, you get the type c. If you beat the game with the type c engi ship you unlock the next ship in order. In theory you can unlock all the way up to the crystal cruiser this way without beating any of the quests to unlock ships (except for the engi ship, which you get automatically for making it to sector 5). Holy poo poo, that ship owns. I really should start playing again, especially since getting ships isn't potentially impossible anymore.
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Apr 7, 2014 20:31
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Welp, guess it's just a ship for a more competent commander. I always found it hard to switch from the beginning arsenal - and you can get really unlucky with weapons. Probably why like the Engi Drones R Us so much.
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Apr 7, 2014 20:47
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anilEhilated posted:Welp, guess it's just a ship for a more competent commander. I always found it hard to switch from the beginning arsenal - and you can get really unlucky with weapons. That can definitely be a challenge if you don't find the right weapon. I've found the best way to alleviate is to try to always carry ~50 scrap so that when you hit a store you can buy any decent weapon that pops up. The fact that each laser only sells for 10 and that you automatically have to switch out weapons instead of just adding can make things difficult, so there are certainly drawbacks. The Engi ship has more reliable ways of dispatching enemies, and the ion blast MK II is arguably the best weapon in the game. I find that I like the red tail a little more than the engi ship just because the doors and layout are SO effective once you manage to get the ship off the ground and into the late game.
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Apr 7, 2014 21:10
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THIS GAME. The final boss is just so incredibly hard, EVEN on easy. I ALMOST had it, just now... but I couldn't do it. At all. I'm wondering if there is something I have been overlooking throughout all my playthroughs...
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Apr 7, 2014 21:39
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well I had this game sitting in my steam library for a long time and seeing your first video got me to actually fire it up and wow this game is addicting. I still make lots of dumb mistakes though, like forgetting to fire on the enemy ship when I get boarded it'll be fun watching you play so I can hopefully improve a bit!
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Apr 7, 2014 21:42
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Samovar posted:THIS GAME. The final boss is just so incredibly hard, EVEN on easy. I ALMOST had it, just now... but I couldn't do it. At all. I'm wondering if there is something I have been overlooking throughout all my playthroughs... The solution to 90% of the boss problems is either ion guns or cloaking.
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Apr 7, 2014 21:48
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anilEhilated posted:The solution to 90% of the boss problems is either ion guns or cloaking. This is a good point. Even level 1 cloaking will help immeasurably. I typically get to the boss in every game I play, and I usually win, so before long we should see some good strategies for taking on the boss. After that we are free to discuss in the thread as much as you want. e: Please check the OP for information on voting which is now LIVE
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Apr 7, 2014 22:00
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anilEhilated posted:The solution to 90% of the boss problems is either ion guns or cloaking. Or, alternatively, more laser.
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Apr 7, 2014 22:03
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Sign me up! I've been playing the game again since the DLC/expansion and still have yet to unlock the crystal cruiser. Yes the burst laser MK II and the ion blast MK II are great weapons, I once actually had 4 burst laser MK IIs by end game with a particular augment. The Kestrel Type B is very nice for the reasons stated, it also levels your weapon officer very quickly due to how many shots get fired.
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Apr 7, 2014 22:06
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Voting for Crystal B and to signing up to be a Crystal abomination
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Apr 7, 2014 22:18
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Put me in, coach! I can't wait to be brutally murdered by space assholes!
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Apr 7, 2014 22:27
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Been waiting for an FTL LP forever. Looking forward to it!
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Apr 7, 2014 23:06
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Mantis me up!
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Apr 7, 2014 23:43
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