Let's Preview a Let's Play

So, what's this weird and fun idea I had planned for y'all today? You'll have to read on and find out, because I don't feel like spoiling it for you! (Although I'm fairly positive that both the title and tags already did that for me, so why did I bother to taunt you? *shrugs*)





CURRENT MUSIC:
Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori - "Released"
Halo 3 Original Soundtrack

Gamers who've played Halo 3 will recognize this particular track as the music from the first half of "Sierra 117," the game's first campaign mission. With the Master Chief back on Earth, he and the squads of marines that found him set off through the African jungles, navigating their way through Covenant patrols in search for a dropship extraction.

The ambiance from this track harmonizes perfectly if you're traveling through a rural or wooded area you're not that familiar with - especially if it's your first time trekking outside. (It only gets worse with nightfall and/or a dense forest canopy.) Like the Covenant-controlled jungles of 2552, gazing at the grass or trees fills you with a natural sense of wonder and fear - you don't know the area, and you're hoping for safe passage, but at the same time you can't help the feeling that something isn't right.

Metaphorically speaking, "Released" also works with today's entry. As the music being played in the start of the first mission, the exploration of the unknown (and possibly hostile) jungle matches with the idea that I'm exploring something new... again. You take hold of the wonder you develop within yourself. You begin to ask if you're going the right way... if you're going to make it.

All the while, you're not even caring - there's only one real path: forward. You were supposed to go this route to begin with. So, you press on, keeping your eyes open for the first sign of progress... the nearest safe exit... the closest light source... the glint of a sniper rifle's scope and the realization th- OHSHITBEAMRIFLE-! *blam!*





*respawns* Okay, so maybe it was a bad idea to play some music. Ah, well. We're here now, and you're here to find out what the heck I had planned for y'all today.

The main menu screen of Subset Games' FTL: Faster Than Light.

What am I doing? Why, my very first attempt at a Let's Play - that's what!

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, a "Let's Play" (or "LP") is defined by Wikipedia as:

...a series of screenshots or a recorded video documenting a playthrough of a video game, usually including commentary by the gamer. A [Let's Play] differs from a walkthrough or strategy guide by focusing on an individual's subjective experience with the game, often with humorous, irreverent, or even critical commentary from the gamer, rather than being an objective source of information on how to progress through the game.
(from April 08, 2014)

Making my own Let's Plays has been something I've wanted to do, but currently I lack the resources and time to do so. (Most importantly: I lack the money to buy the games to make Let's Plays out of.) Understandably, my dreams have been put on the back burner... but now... *shrugs* I think I have what it takes to do smaller, simpler Let's Plays.

Since I said I was planning on getting myself back in gear, that means I have to pump out decent entries on here once again. That in turn means that I should do things that make me want to write... which in turn makes me check the back-burner and pull out things that can probably be used. LPs were one of said things that can probably be used, and after some time and thought, I figured I might as well give it a shot. I've got nothing to lose, after all.



Life notes aside, let's talk FTL: Faster Than Light. For those of you who don't know, it's a roguelike spaceship simulator/strategy game. The Rebel fleet has just delivered a crushing blow to the Galactic Federation, and your ship happens to be carrying information vital to the survival (and potential turnaround victory) of the remaining Federation forces. Your mission is to outrun the pursuing Rebel fleet, jumping through various sectors of potentially friendly/hostile space until you can re-link with the Federation's remaining fleet. That's it when it comes to the plot, really.

For people unfamiliar with the roguelike genre, there are two simple things you need to know to understand what it's like.

1. There is no save-scumming. "Permadeath," as it's called in gamer parlance. Game over means game over.
2. Every playthrough is randomly generated. No wo playthroughs are alike.

No matter how new or experienced you are, each run has to be met with trepidation and caution. Decisions that net you a new crewmember and some fuel in one game might land you with a slain pilot and damage to your engines. A ship bristling with lasers might get you to the endgame... or it could get scuttled in as little as two jumps. You might get lucky and jump from waypoint to waypoint encountering friendly ships... or you might just get assaulted after each jump.

That's why I ended up deciding that I should do something like this with FTL. Its graphics are simplistic; its gameplay fun and addictive; its music fitting for the atmosphere. Plus, since it's on Steam, I can easily spam the "take snapshot" button and record my progress no problem. I think this is going to be an interesting mini-project.



Gameplay starts tomorrow! Here's hoping it goes well.