CURRENT MUSIC:
Ben Prunty - "Space Cruise (Title)"
FTL Original Soundtrack
As the very first audio track heard upon FTL's startup (and on the official soundtrack itself) "Space Cruise (Title)" has some work on its hands. It has to aurally convey the overall atmosphere of the game. It has to welcome the player to a new world of the unknown, where anything is possible and victory is far from certain. Most importantly, it's got to grasp the listener and let them know they're in for a fun time, win or lose.
There's something calming about this particular track. It could be because it does all three with such simplistic brilliance. Composer Ben Prunty describes it best with his notes that came with the download of FTL Original Soundtrack:
FTL is a game about tactics and improvisation and is a deliberate throwback to an older era of PC games. As such, the graphics are intentionally iconic and not overly detailed. I thought this made for a good opportunity to have the soundtrack fill in some of that detail."Space Cruise (Title)" definitely evokes that "one small part of the universe" feeling - there's this awesome galaxy and I'm just one dude running away from a bunch of other dudes in one little part of space. It also feels like I'm playing something from my childhood again, even though the game's not even two years old. Honestly, it's one of the reasons why this game is so good. I could care less if I am losing horribly.
So I tried to merge two ideas. The first is an overt retro aesthetic, with fun melodies, arpeggios and simple synthesizers to evoke that feeling of playing an older game. ... The second is a calculated, cinematic atmosphere, with high-quality percussion, ambiances and deeper textures. The intention is to suggest that the game's world is bigger than you can see and there's more going on in the universe than just your own adventure.
Alright. Now that the atmosphere's been set, it's time for me to start playing and for you to start... well, reading! Don't worry if you don't know a thing about FTL: Faster Than Light, because I'll explain things as you see them so that you don't get all super-lost.
*jumps in a captain's chair*
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: All of my Let's Play posts from here on out will not have subtitles or alt text on any of the pictures. This saves me on time when it comes to typing and coding. Also, I'm gonna be blathering on and on anyway - I'll just say stuff there!)
So, time to pick a ship. As of Advanced Edition there are currently ten differing ship models with two or three different crew/room/weapons layouts each (eight have three; the others two) - a total of twenty-eight different combinations. When you first start the game, you're only allowed to select one: the "A" layout of the "Kestrel." Story-wise, it's a retired model of Federation ship desperately recommissioned into service due to the Rebels' crushing victory.
As you keep playing and earn certain achievements, you'll unlock the others (with some much easier to earn than others). While I've been playing for a while and have unlocked some other ships and layouts, I thought it fitting to use Kestrel-A for my first Let's Play.
Those of you unfamiliar with FTL are probably looking at the above picture and wondering what's what. We'll start with the ship and its layout (the middle part) and also talk about those green icons and bars.
At first glance, the Kestrel-A's layout seems pretty self-explanatory. Doors are orange (and yes, there's airlocks) and it looks as though some rooms serve as workstations for various parts of the spaceship's various (sub)systems.
The ship's reactor powers each of these system rooms (subsystems don't run off the reactor), and the power each room is currently using is represented by the number of bars present. Power can be reallocated at any given time, and both the reactor and (sub)systems can be upgraded during gameplay. Thus, even a ship with a weak reactor can function - although it'll have to power down a system or two to do it.
What are these systems, though? Well, that's what those green icons and symbols on the ship are. Taking a look at the Kestrel-A's systems from left to right (according to the green icons):
- SHIELDS - Main System *
Projects a regenerating energy field that can absorb laser fire and other various debris, such as asteroids. Two bars of power are required for a layer of shields, and the system can be upgraded to have enough strength to power four layers. - ENGINES - Main System *
Obviously allows the ship to move. Also provides an evasion boost, which gives the ship a chance to dodge incoming ordinance without relying on shields. More power gives a higher evasion rate. - OXYGEN - Main System
Provides the ship with oxygen. If damaged or shut down, the ship will depressurize and eventually make the crew asphyxiate. More power increases the rate that O2 is pumped out. - WEAPONS CONTROL - Main System *
Powers your weapons grid. All weapons require a varying amount of power (anywhere from 1-4 bars), so upgrading the grid to power the deadlier-yet-power-hungry ones is usually a must. - MEDBAY - Main System
Heals any wounded crewmembers inside. More power increases the healing rate. A must-have if your guys take a hit or if you're boarded. - PILOTING - Subsystem *
A pilot is required for making any FTL jumps and to dodge incoming fire. Also allows the ship to be steered. Upgrading the system adds an auto-piloting system, freeing the crew to do anything in combat that isn't an FTL jump. - SENSORS - Subsystem *
Enables you to see the entirety of your ship. If disabled, you won't be able to see what's happening in rooms you're in - which can be bad in the event of hull breaches, fires, or boarders. Stronger sensors allow you to see the interior of any opposing ship and even look at their entire power grid. - DOORS - Subsystem *
Allows you to open/close doors at will. If disabled, doors can't change their states until the system is repaired - which could be bad if you were trying to vent a few rooms that were on fire. Upgrading the doors changes them into blast doors - a must-have for anyone expecting to get boarded.
- CLONE BAY - Main System (Advanced Edition only)
Can generate clones of recently-killed crewmembers with limited skill. Also auto-heals all crewmembers after every jump. Improved power decreases the cooldown that clones are made and also increases the amount of health healed. (Note: you can have either a Medbay or a Clone Bay, but not both.) - DRONE CONTROL - Main System
Allows the use of unmanned drones that can aid the player. Some can repair your ship, some can be deployed to fire at oncoming projectiles, and some can even breach the enemy ship's hull and "board." Drone control has its own separate power grid, and upgrading the system obviously allows the more power-consuming drone systems to work. - HACKING - Main System (Advanced Edition only)
Deploys a disrupting drone that can temporarily compromise the system of whatever room it's latched on to. For example, if latched on to Weapons Control, it'll disable the entire weapons grid and even increase the rate at your weapons charge up before firing. If latched onto Oxygen, it'll quickly depressurize the entire ship, potentially asphyxiating the crew. Upgrading the systems increases the length of time the systems are compromised. - MIND CONTROL - Main System (Advanced Edition only)
Temporarily brainwashes an enemy to become an ally. They can't be controlled by the player, but they'll fight and repair for you until the effect wears off. Increased power in the system gives the target a temporary buff to their strength and health. - CREW TELEPORTER - Main System
Allows you to beam crewmembers onto an opposing ship. Handy if you like taking the fight to the enemy or if your weapons prove too inferior to their shields or engines' evasion rates. Increasing the power decreases the teleportation cooldown. - CLOAKING - Main System
Stealth camouflage technology that temporarily cloaks the ship when used. Evasion is increased, enemy weapons can't charge (treat that as "unable to get a lock"), and boarders can't be beamed on/off. Improved power increases the length of the cloak. - BACKUP BATTERY - Subsystem (Advanced Edition only)
Temporarily boosts the reactor's power for 30 seconds. Very handy in a pinch, and invaluable to ships with poor reactors.
You might also be wondering why some of the above (sub)systems have asterisks next to them. Those that do are capable of being manned by crewmembers, increasing the effectiveness of the system in question. Manning the engines increases your dodge chance; manning weapons control slightly decreases your weapons' charging time; manning door control improves the door strength; and so on. With this in mind, it's usually a common strategy to hire crewmembers along the way so your systems can be at maximum efficiency.
In this particular Let's Play, I decided to name the ship Voyeur Voyager because we're watching me play. My starting crew was named as follows:
- Pilot: Leroy Gibbs
I wanted someone who commanded something, but at the same time I didn't want to have a science fiction officer do the job. Then for some reason, NCIS came to mind. Okay! - Engines: Geordi La Forge
Upon loadup, FTL randomly assigns sprites and names to the crew. When I loaded up the game for this Let's Play, the crewmember inside the engine room was black. A thought popped to mind: "Any famous black engineers in science fiction?" There was only one answer that immediately came to mind. - Weapons: Jayne Cobb
Damn shame I can't rename the weapons mounted on the ship. Otherwise, I'd call all of them "Vera."
But what of those three numbers - "the 16, 8, and 2?" I hear some of you asking. The "16" represents my fuel gauge. Each FTL jump costs one fuel, and it would be bad if I ran out. The "8" is my missile count, which is an important number to keep track of should I be using weapons that have an ammo cost (which I have). Lastly, the "2" is my number of drone parts handy. Deploying any kind of drone system requires a drone part, and for ships that rely heavily on automation, a low number in this section is quite bad.
"And the 30?" That's my scrap - the in-game "currency" in FTL. Destroying ships, selling unneeded loot, and trading away other things during events can let me get scrap, which I can then use to buy more fuel/missiles/drone parts...
This is the ship upgrade screen. So long as I'm not in combat and/or in a dangerous area (such as an asteroid field), I'm able to access this screen and potentially make improvements to the ship. Ship systems can be seen/upgraded in the top and bottom-left of the menu, and my reactor's current strength can be viewed and upgraded at bottom-right. Keep that number 8 handy.
You'll notice that while my Engines have the capacity for 2 power, only 1 is being supplied. This is where that power distribution I was talking about earlier comes into play. Do you keep the engines at 1 strength and keep the other systems powered properly? Or do I want to get a better evasion rate with the engines by powering down the Medbay? But what if my crew gets hurt and they need to get patched up? How do I heal them then?
Questions you'll have to constantly and (sub)consciously ask yourself as you play this game. And surprisingly, it's fun answering them as you respond to each crisis in hand.
So, let's take off and see what's at this unvisited location!
Welcome to combat, ladies and gentlemen. Here I'm greeted by some jerkass ship wanting to turn the Voyeur Voyager into metallic mincemeat. Combat doesn't begin until you hit "Continue," so newbies and those not cursed with recklessness can take their time and analyze the situation at hand.
In this particular case, it seems as though I've been attacked by a lightly-armed pirate ship. That I can handle. The pulsar that occasionally emits a disabling pulse akin to an ion blast? That won't be good if the wrong system suddenly shut down.
Naturally, players have different tactics regarding combat in FTL. Said tactics are also altered by things like ship and environment status, weapons loadout, and the enemy ship's armament and defenses. Which means that you'll end up targeting one or two key systems (depending on your offensive capability). The prime ones?
- Weapons: Taking these out obviously puts you at ease. They can't put the hurt on you while their weapons grid's offline, can they?
- Shields: Laser-based weaponry are blocked by shields, and harder-hitting beam-based weapons can't piece shielding at all. Missiles and bombs ignore them no problem, but if your ship doesn't have those...
- Piloting/Engines: If either of these are disabled, their evasion rate drops to zero. Very useful to take out if they keep dodging your more powerful weapons.
- Oxygen: As you can probably guess, you can reap the rewards of ships you destroy. However, in some cases it's easier to loot ships that are still... intact. Knock out the O2, and you can laugh as the enemy suffocates to death.
But not today. I'm going with my default COA: knock out their weapons, then their shields. Afterwards, go nuts.
*looks at the map*
Oh, hey! A distress signal! Someone might need help! I know I have this all-important mission to deliver this information to the Federation remnant, but... ...well, I can't just leave someone stranded like that! Let's see what's going on!
In this case, I decided to hire a new person - a Zoltan randomly named "Johnny Maloney." Sucks for him - I'm renaming him "STATIC" just because. He'll be my new engine room operator while Geordi La Forge transfers to shields.
So, what's awaiting us at the next beacon? We'll find out soon enough. I thought I'd end it here for now, because this... well, it's much, much more writing than I expected. It's been a real pleasure, though - I thoroughly enjoyed composing this entry.
Don't fret - we'll come back to chronicle the Voyeur Voyager in due time. Until the 'morrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment