FTL: Faster Than Light
| FTL: Faster Than Light | |
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| Developer(s) | Subset Games |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Roguelike |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | Digital distribution |
Gameplay
In FTL, the player controls a spacecraft whose crew has intercepted a data packet from a rebel fleet. The goal is to reach a Federation fleet, waiting several sectors of space away, without being destroyed or caught by the rebel fleet that is in pursuit.At the start of each game, the player chooses a spacecraft which houses a number of rooms devoted to specific systems, like piloting, engines, weapons, and life support, as well as a crew. The game then randomly generates a series of sectors ala roguelike games, each sector containing about 20-some waypoints of interest. The player must direct the ship to warp between these points, normally unaware of what to expect at each point, making their way to a specific "exit" point to move onto the next sector until they reach the Federation. Players can revisit waypoints they have been at before, but each warp jump causes the rebel fleet to occupy more of the space in each sector.
Waypoints may include stores where the player can upgrade the ship's systems, purchase fuel and ammunition, and recruit new crewmembers using in-game currency. Other waypoints may appear as calls of distress, either from stranded ships needing help or traps set by the rebels or other nefarious groups. Often, the player will encounter an unfriendly ship that engages in combat. Here the game becomes a real-time space combat simulator, though the player can pause the game to evaluate the situation. During combat, the player must manage which ship's systems to activate considering the power draw on the ship, ordering the crew to specific stations or rooms to repair damage, and targeting and firing of weapons on the enemy. Damage to the ship can include failure of specific systems until a crewman repairs them, hull breeches that leak air to space, fires that can be either put out by the crew or exposing the fire to the vacuum of space, and general damage to the hull which can only be repaired at specific ports. Should the hull fail, the ship is destroyed and the game is permadeath; though the player can save games between playing sessions, the save game is immediately overwritten upon relaunch, preventing the player from restarting a game from a previous saved game. The player is successful in combat either by destroying the enemy ship or damaging enough to cause the ship to surrender; this provides resources that the player can use in bartering or further combat.
Development
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