FTL: Advanced Edition

Introduction

FTL: Faster Than Light: Advanced Edition
Copyright Subset Games 2012/2014
briansulpher@hotmail.com
Version 1.0

Faster Than Light is a small spaceship, rogue-like game, one which will typically hook someone the moment they first lay eyes on it. Controlling a Federation allied ship, you are attempting to get to The Last Stand (Sector 8) to defeat the Rebel Flagship, jumping across randomly generated Sectors, dealing with obstacles and choices while being chased by the Rebel Fleet. Make good, quick decisions, and you will be able to triumph, but make poor moves, and you and your crew will float through empty space, and the Rebels will surely crush the Federation!

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Species

Faster Than Light is comprised of eight different controllable Species. Each Species has differing stats and skills, spread over the following areas:

Human

Humans are the generic Species of the FTL universe, with no weaknesses or strengths in regards to skills. However, the one benefit they do receive is learning how to upgrade their skills through experience faster than any other race, requiring 10% less points to do so. They are versatile enough to be used in any scenario. Humans cost 45 Scrap to hire at a Store.

Engi

Engi are part biological, part machine, invulnerable to most diseases. They are natural engineers (double repair speed), but due to their weak physical strength, they make poor fighters (dealing half damage). They are best suited to manning ship systems and performing repairs, while avoiding combat if they can. Engi cost 50 Scrap to hire at a Store.

Mantis

The Mantis have evolved to be merciless killing machines, dealing double the damage of most other races. They also move at a slightly faster speed (20% faster) than most races, making them ideal for repelling boarders… or being boarders themselves. They have a very poor sense of mechanical know how, meaning they repair at half the speed of most other species. They are able to man ship systems effectively enough, but are best suited for combat. Mantis cost 55 Scrap to hire at a Store.

Rockman

Rockmen are lumbering, hulking brutes, who can fight on their own ship or on another with ease. The slow movement makes them easy to dance around for other Species, but they can withstand a lot of punishment before succumbing to their wounds. They also are invulnerable to fire, making them ideal fire suppressors. Rockmen cost 55 Scrap to hire at a Store.

Zoltan

Zoltan are beings of energy, and as such they can help power a ship system, saving Reactor Energy for other purposes. They have the lowest health of any Species, and due to that make poor combatants, though they do explode upon death, dealing some on the way out damage (15 points of it). They are best served by manning ship systems, in particular ones that require Reactor Energy to function (Shields and Weapons are prime choices). Zoltan cost 60 Scrap to hire at a Store.

Slug

Slugs are obsessed with making money, and as such are greedy and deceptive, often scamming and misleading others. They are rather nondescript in the typical skills and stats, but they are able to sense adjacent rooms on their own ship, sense enemy locations on the enemy ship, and they are immune to Mind Control (all due to their superior psychic development), so they are perfect for operating inside of nebulas, where electronic Sensors fail. Otherwise, they are basically Humans, they just require more experience to upgrade a Skill. Slugs cost 45 Scrap to hire at a Store.

Crystalline

Crystalline crewmembers are a rare sight, as they are a reclusive Species, related to Rockmen. They have higher than average health, they move slightly slower than average speed, and they only take half damage from lack of Oxygen. They can also use their skill Lockdown to keep enemy crew from entering/exiting a room, making them very good for boarding parties (they can crush isolated foes/ship systems), or for defending important rooms on their own ship. Crystal cost 60 Scrap to hire at a Store (found in the Crystal sector only).

Lanius

Lanius are creatures that feed on metal, and can exist safely in the vacuum of space. They also have the innate ability to remove all Oxygen from the air, meaning they can suffocate other Species by their mere presence. This makes boarding their ships or sharing a room with them hazardous. They are a slower moving Species, meaning they can be outrun when required. Lanius cost 50 Scrap to hire at a Store.

Skills

Skills are obtained through performing a job, and having a successful application of said Skill. After gaining enough experience with a certain Skill, better performance of said Skill will be done so with an increased capability. The experience required for each Skill is as follows:

Piloting - Anytime a crewmember is in the pilot chair of a Ship, and an enemy weapon or an asteroid during a battle misses the ship, an experience point is gained. The first upgrade to this Skill yields an additional 2% evasion for the ship, and a second upgrade brings another 3% evasion (5% evasion total for both upgrades).

Engines - Anytime a crewmember is manning the Engines, and an enemy weapon or an asteroid during a battle misses the ship, an experience point is gained. The first upgrade to this Skill yields an additional 2% evasion for the ship, and a second upgrade brings another 3% evasion (5% evasion total for both upgrades).

Shields - Anytime a crewmember is manning the Shields, and an enemy weapon or an asteroid during a battle hits a layer of Shields, an experience point is gained. The first upgrade to this Skill yields a 20% faster recharge of the downed Shield, and a second upgrade increases the recharge to 30% faster than normal.

Weapons - Anytime a crewmember is manning the Weapon Control, and a weapon is fired, an experience point is gained. The first upgrade to this Skill yields a 15% faster charge of the weapon, and a second upgrade increases the recharge to 20% faster than normal.

Repairs - Anytime a crewmember repairs one bar of a broken system, an experience point is gained. The first upgrade to this Skill yields a 10% faster repair to a damaged system/hull, and a second upgrade increases the repair speed to 20% faster than normal.

Combat - Anytime a crewmember kills an enemy crewmember or deals the final blow of one bar of damage to a ship system, an experience point is gained. The first upgrade to this Skill yields a 10% damage bonus, and a second upgrade increases the damage bonus to 20%.

Ships

There are 10 ships to unlock and use, with three variations in design for 8 of them, two variations in design for the other 2. Each ship will give the starting layout for each Type, how to unlock each ship, and each unique ship achievements.

Kestrel Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (The Kestrel)

The starting ship, it is fairly well-rounded, starting with a Missile Launcher and the most economical Burst Laser type in the game (3 shots for only two reactor energy). It is a fine enough ship, but you will likely outgrow it once you discover a ship type that best suits your play style.

Unlock - It is available from the first time you load the game.

Type B (Red-Tail)

The second version of the Kestrel class seems to be a bit underwhelming at first glance, with 4 Basic Lasers as the weapon loadout. However, having four laser shots to start means that this ship will be able to crack enemy defenses for a long while, you can focus on upgrading other areas, even seeking out new systems at stores. This is the strongest version of the Kestrel. Definitely a solid ship, it can make for improved chances of having a winning run.

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Kestrel Cruiser ship Achievements.

Type C (The Swallow)

The Type C shows off some of the new Advanced content (Lanius crew, Ion Stunner weapon, and the Clonebay), it is roughly as good as the Kestrel Type A (with more room to grow on the weapon slots). The Ion Stunner can be a game changer early on, stunning enemy crew attempting repairs, while the lasers rip up enemy Shields and Weapons. Not the greatest ship, but usable.

Unlock - Reach Sector 8 (The Last Stand) with the Kestrel Cruiser (Type B).

Engi Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (The Torus)

The starting Engi ship has no actual attack weaponry to use, in that it cannot fire a weapon to cause damage to the enemy. However, the Ion Blast II is the top tier of Ion weapons, able to peel off multiple level of shields, allowing the Combat Drone to fire away and damage the enemy with repeated shots. A ship that does need to add either more attack Drones OR some offensive weaponry to be successful, it has the base build to be a nasty contender. The starting Augment will heal your crew at 50% of a level 1 Medbay, regardless of where they are on the ship, provided you have the Medbay powered.

Unlock - Reach Sector 5 with any of the Kestrel ships (Type A-C).

Type B (The Vortex)

This is not a good ship. The Heavy Ion can knock down one shield level when it connects, but that is about all it can do. This means that the enemy ship having more than one shield makes it tough for any damage to be dealt without getting better weapons. As for on board, it has Drones in place to replace the missing crew (starting with a solo Engi, one fighting robot and two repair drones), especially with the augment to increase their movement speed, but more crew is essential for better overall performance. This ship requires luck to get new crew/weapons, and there is not enough Scrap around to buy everything you need, so to make this ship fairly usable, you have to hope for some kind RNG in your favour.

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Engi Cruiser ship Achievements.

Type C (Tetragon)

The Tetragon introduces a lot of Advanced Content from the get go, with a Clonebay, Hacking, and a Lanius crewmember. It has a decent starting weapon in the Dual lasers, especially coupled with the Beam I Drone, and the ability to use Hacking to disable key enemy systems (and thanks to the Defense Scrambler, the enemy Defense and Anti-Combat Drones will be unable to target the incoming Hacking Drone). A solid ship, I would say it is likely the best of the three Engi Ships (a close match between this one and Type A).

Unlock - Reach Sector 8 (The Last Stand) with the Engi Cruiser (Type B).

Federation Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (The Osprey)

The power of this ship is the Artillery beam, which will cut through any Shield level, dealing damage to the rooms it hits. Upgrading it as the game goes along is of utmost experience, as it takes 50 seconds to fire at level, dropping by 10 seconds each upgrade, capping at every 20 seconds (so broken!). Having a Burst Laser II and a very solid crew of varied skill is just icing on the cake (repairs and fighting are covered from the start). A very good ship, easy to use, and with room to grow into any fighting type you want, just be sure to shut off that beam if you turn it into a boarding party heavy build.

Unlock - In the Rebel Stronghold sector, locate and destroy the partially created Flagship OR defeat The Rebel Flagship with the Engi Cruiser.

Type B (Nisos)

Inferior in initial weaponry to the Type A (Dual Lasers and Leto vs the highly energy efficient Burst Laser Mark II), it makes up for this for starting with the Artillery Beam at level 2 (firing every 40 seconds). The crew is not as robust as the Type A, but the Zoltan does add an extra energy bar to your efforts, which is a nice bonus. A very usable ship, a different side of the coin, compared to the Type A ship.

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Federation Cruiser ship Achievements.

Type C (The Fregatide)

A strange ship, as it boasts no weapons or drones to hurt the enemy ship, you have to rely on the Artillery weapon... but it is a massive Flak gun, meaning it is unreliable for accuracy. This ship will start life as a boarding ship, but you will have to make use of your Zoltan as kamikaze exploders upon death (using the Clonebay), followed by Mantis/Human attacks, or, more likely, let the Human/Mantis team do the work while the Zoltan pilot and repair your ship. Either way, their ability to add reactor energy is going to be wasted early on. This ship needs new crew or some decent weaponry as soon as possible, or it will not be long for this universe, meaning it is not an easy one to play.

Unlock - Reach Sector 8 (The Last Stand) with the Federation Cruiser (Type B).

Zoltan Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (The Adjudicator)

This ship has a pretty nice loadout, Super Shield to keep it safe, a decent Missile Launcher and Halberd Beam to fire away with, and 3 free energy from your starting crew. However, that is just looking at things as they look at face value, and not accounting for your limitation when stating out. You will only be able to fire one weapon at a time (available Weapons slots are capped at 3), and one of your free energy will have to be tied up in the Piloting of the ship. Still, the Halberd Beam can penetrate one layer of shields, the Super Shield will keep boarders out for a while (this crew is not made to fight) as well as keep everyone safe from some attacks, and you can fairly quickly get that second weapon into play. A pretty solid ship, it can grow into an offensive juggernaut, with great defensive potential.

Unlock - In the Zoltan Homeworld sector, hear out the peaceful ship, go to the Quest beacon, and talk peace with the ship OR defeat The Rebel Flagship with the Federation Cruiser.

Type B (Noether)

This is a ship that depends on the Super Shield early in the game for all of the defense it can muster, as you have no regular shielding, with the cost of getting that second slot for Shields costing a whopping 100 Scrap (a lot for early game days, but this is still the focus of the first upgrade you have to make). The Armaments offer to fast firing Ion Blasters (if you delay fire the first round, you can take down a Shield and then another System like Drone/Weapons, in the early game) and a Pike Beam (sweep a lot of rooms with this one). This ship can become quite good due to having a good offensive set-up, you just need to fix the defensive deficiency it has, and then get started on increasing other areas of need (Engines and even better weaponry).

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Zoltan Cruiser ship Achievements.

Type C (Cerenkov)

This ship is a handful to use early on, as you have only an Ion Charge weapon, which you use to reduce enemy shields to nothing, allowing the Anti-Ship Beam Drone Mark I to carve up the enemy, but the rub is you need to use your Backup Battery to power the Drone. That means you will have moments where the recharge of this device means you will not have any damaging attacks to put forward. On top of that, your lack of available Reactor Energy means your shields will not automatically deploy, so you have to shift your limited Reactor Energy around to stay safe during no Backup Battery activity, so you have to go into full defensive mode roughly 40% of the time. Once you get this ship started, it can be really good, and a Teleporter using your Zoltan as kamikaze fighters (send them to die and explode on the enemy ship, killing their crew, and getting cloned back to existence) can also be a fairly effective strategy. Still, the hardest of the three Zoltan ships to use well.

Unlock - Reach Sector 8 (The Last Stand) with the Zoltan Cruiser (Type B).

Mantis Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (The Gila Monster)

This is a ship designed around boarding the enemy (be wary when you are without sensors at the start, as you will not know where the enemy are when you board), and unleashing holy Mantis hell upon them. If you run into an automated ship or a Super Shield using ship, you do have recourse with the combo of Basic Laser/Small Bomb combo (knock down Shields with Small Bomb, then Basic Laser away), but some better weapons will be required later in the game. Still, this is a ship that focuses on boarding as a primary means of destroying the foe, and it can be a very easy ship to play, once you get the hang of boarding, at any rate.

Unlock - In the Mantis Homeworld sector, defeat KazaaakplethKilik in battle, and use a level 2 or higher Medbay/Clonebay to save him, OR defeat The Rebel Flagship with the Zoltan Cruiser.

Type B (The Basalisk)

A ship that comes without weapons!? That sounds horrid, till you realize that this ship is the dream of anyone who loves to board the enemy. Beginning with only two Mantis (and a Boarding Drone schematic), this means attacking the foe is fairly difficult, BUT as you add crewmembers, they can participate in boarding raids immediately, thanks to the Teleport room being big enough to house FOUR crewmembers at a time! Yes, you can send four crew at a time, and if you get a full eight crew, you can overrun any ship out there in a hurry. The Boarding Drone helps early on with disrupting and killing the enemy crew, while the Defense Drone Mark I will help keep Missiles away (along with starting with level 2 Shields, this ship can tank pretty well in the early game). You will not be able to start out with both Drones active at the same time, so be ready to do some power switching between the two as needed. A slow to get rolling ship (you need to leave no crew on board, which could strand them on the enemy ship if the Teleport goes down), it will rapidly roll up a lot of great upgrades and crew due to the boarding party leaving the ships intact (better rewards and crewmember pickups).

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Mantis Cruiser ship Achievements.

Type C (The Theseus)

Similar to the Type B, this ship will make for a superb boarding ship, with a 4 person Teleport room. However, the best feature of this boarding ship might be the level 2 Clonebay, which gives the boarders the opportunity to be aggressive, take risks, and get after the enemy crewmembers. Add onto that the Oxygen sucking Lanius and the weapons that will either lock a room down or stun enemies in place, and you can suffocate enemy with smart use of the weaponry. However, the ship has no way to break down a Super Shield, so find a cheaper laser for that job as soon as possible. A pretty good boarding ship, it would need A LOT of work to be even remotely scary on the Weapons side of things.

Unlock - Reach Sector 8 (The Last Stand) with the Mantis Cruiser (Type B).

Slug Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (Man of War)

This is a well-rounded ship, capable of breaching the hull, knocking down layers of Shields, and even destroying the enemy crew without damaging the ship (the Anti-Bio Beam allows for crew destruction, all from the safety of your own ship). Add onto that any breaches in your hull being auto-repaired, and you have a pretty nice ship. It can use some more attacking punch to damage and destroy other ships, but it has enough components and avenues of attack early on that you can get the Scrap necessary to make any changes that you happen upon. It also suffers from a crew shortage, but careful Anti-Bio Beam attacks will give you excellent opportunities to find new ones (intact ships yield more crew than blown apart ones).

Unlock - In the Slug Home Nebula sector, get a Slug ship to surrender, refuse the weapon and get info, and have a slug crew/level 2 sensors to fight the interceptor ship OR defeat The Rebel Flagship with the Zoltan Cruiser.

Type B (The Stormwalker)

This may well be the WORST ship in the game (if not that, the second worst, easily). It is a ship that has one offensive weapon (Artemis Missile) and one supportive weapon (Healing Burst), but both share the same pool of ammo, so that is a drain on Resources. What makes it even worse is that the ship comes with NO MEDBAY/CLONEBAY, meaning the Healing Burst is your only recourse to regain lost health, so your Missile supply is going to be shrinking constantly, particularly since you will have to do a lot of boarding to make any real Scrap. This is a ship that requires a fair amount of lucky finds and/or buying at the store, meaning that it will struggle to get upgraded in a timely manner as well, so you will have to be very diligent in your efforts to balance it all out (also, lots and lots of luck to get stuff to sell to make money, or just find weapons and such you can use). Not for the faint of heart, or people who wish to keep their hair in their head (due to wanting to rip it out).

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Slug Cruiser ship Achievements.

Type C (Ariolimax)

This ship is one that also gets a lot of different scenarios it can chase (like the Type A Slug Cruiser), it comes with good on board defenses (level 2 Doors), Mind Control to mess with the enemy, hacking to further mess with the enemy, a Clonebay to recover lost crewmembers, and a Chain laser, great for firing a lot of shots, once it is warmed up. If you add a Teleport to the mix, this ship can be a terror, as it can be if you add some more Weaponry. Tough to unlock (see the Slug Cruiser Type B write up as to why), it is a very nice ship that rewards you for getting it out of dry dock.

Unlock - Reach Sector 8 (The Last Stand) with the Slug Cruiser (Type B).

Rock Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (Bulwark)

This ship is the very essence of a Rock ship, as it has the tough armor plating, and two Missile launchers for weapons. This can be a difficult thing to play, as the enemy having a Defense Drone means the Missile supply will dwindle. If you can get some complementary weaponry, or a Teleport to make this a solid boarding ship, your chances for success go up tremendously. It is just one (or maybe two) good component(s) obtainment away from being a fine ship to use.

Unlock - In the Rock Homeworld sector, retort to the Rock Cruiser, survive by the sun at the quest marker with the Rock Cruiser, then go to the Rock shipyards quest marker OR defeat The Rebel Flagship with the Slug Cruiser.

Type B (Shivan)

This is a ship that desperately needs some new weaponry, or at least a Teleport to make killing ships easier. The ship also requires constant vigilance by the crewmembers, as any fire that starts on board must be put out manually (no Door System here, so you cannot just open doors to blow all Oxygen out of the Fire's reach). It does have a neat weapon in the Heavy Pierce Laser Mark I, which can penetrate a single layer of Shields, delivering a blow to the enemy ship, but it quickly becomes obsolete once ships start getting level 2 or higher Shields. If you do turn it into a boarding ship, the Fire Bomb makes for a great assistant for the Rockmen, as they are invulnerable to the fire, but no other species is not, meaning it can be bombed into a room where your Rockmen can set up to fight, using the damaging fire as an ally.

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Rock Cruiser ship Achievements.

Type C (Tektite)

This ship is a mix of a typical Rock Cruiser, with some Crystal style mixed in. Building up the Swarm Missiles before firing will help knock down Shields, allowing the Heavy Crystal Mark I to get through a layer of Shields. It also is a good ship to get the Ancestry achievement on, since you already have a Crystal crewmember on board. Still, it needs some better weapons or a Teleport to really become a killer ship, though it is probably the best of the Rock Cruisers.

Unlock - Reach Sector 8 (The Last Stand) with the Rock Cruiser (Type B).

Stealth Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (The Nesasio)

This ship depends on Cloaking at the key moment when the enemy fires, and then letting loose with the Dual Lasers to knock down the enemy Shields, allowing the Mini Beam to surgically strike key enemy Systems. The Long-Ranged Scanners augment allows you to avoid dangerous areas (particularly Asteroid Belts, as the ship lacks any Shielding). Aim to buy a Shields system from the Store at the first opportunity (125 Scrap), and you have a very good defensive ship that can build in other areas to get more offense.

Unlock - In the Engi Homeworld sector, have an Engi crewmember contact a ship having a frantic discussion, visit quest markers, demand info from Rebels, and beat Mantis at final quest marker OR defeat The Rebel Flagship with the Rock Cruiser.

Type B (DA-SR 12)

This ship is like the Type A, but instead of repeated firings into the enemy, the goal is to Cloak at key moments, let the Glaive Beam charge for the long time it requires, and then rake the enemy (through their Shields, most likely) to deal a lot of damage to a lot of systems. Once you are able to add one or two more weapons (typically Shield hitting weapons), this ship becomes a holy terror of damage dealing, capable of sweeping all opposition aside. use the Long-Ranged Scanners to avoid Asteroid Fields, at least until you pick up a Shields System from a Store.

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Stealth Cruiser ship Achievements.

Type C (Simo-H)

Take a ship with no Shields, that depends on the Cloak to survive, and then remove the Cloak in favour of a Drone that puts up ONE segment of a Super Shield, every eight seconds. Sounds terrible, right? Well, bad news, this ship is that ship, and it is basically a Scrap pile that doesn't know it's going to be Scrap. It REQUIRES you to save all cash, and buy a Shield System from the Store as soon as possible, meaning that a random happenstance of finding something you can sell to get the money sooner is a HUGE boon (so, a luck based initiative ship, pretty much). You might be able to get out and buy what you need to survive, but the lack of upgrading early is going to limit your chances later. Not a good ship, for more advanced players to use and try to challenge themselves with.

Unlock - Reach Sector 8 (The Last Stand) with the Stealth Cruiser (Type B).

Lanius Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (Kruos)

The single Human in this set will need to stay in his own contained area of the ship, as the Lanius will suck out the Oxygen. Make good use of the Hacking to make your ship more effective (Shields are a good target), and the Chain Laser/Ion Stunner combo make for a good start to early mid-game weapon set-up. This is a pretty good Ship, with a lot of room to grow in any direction (in particular to a very strong weapon set-up).

Unlock - Unlock four other ships to get this one.

Type B (The Shrike)

This ship is best served by using the Lanius crewmembers as boarders, using the Advanced Flak Gun to take out Weapons and Medbay/Clonebay on a ship. The Lanius starving Oxygen will work to their favour in most cases, and they can even take down automated Ships, thanks to the Clonebay to reform them after death. There is room to get a good weapon set-up, as the Advanced Flak Gun gives you a shield ripper weapon, meaning nearly anything else will work well with it. A solid ship, it can become a monster of the Galaxy.

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Lanius Cruiser ship Achievements.

Crystal Cruiser

Achievements

Type A (Bravais)

A solid ship, the Crystal Cruiser can handle boarders, thanks to the 2 Crystal crewmembers and their Lockdown ability (it also makes them excellent boarders). The Heavy Crystal Mark I and the Crystal Burst Mark I mean that any ship with 3 or less shields can be damaged, as the Heavy can penetrate 1 Shield (so shoot in the right order to maximize your chances). It is a decent ship, but not a top tier one.

Unlock - Obtain Damaged Stasis Pod, visit Zoltan/Engi sector to have the Zoltan research facility examine it, reactivate Ancient Device with Crystal crewmember in Rock Homeworld sector, and visit Crystal Sector quest marker OR defeat Flagship with all Type A and Type B ships (Lanius excluded).

Type B (Carnelian)

This ship is a boarding ship, boasting a 4 person Teleport room, and no offensive weaponry. Using the Crystal Lockdown skill, they can board a ship, and destroy an entire room by staggering their Lockdown Skill uses to kill any enemy crew, and then bust the System of that room. Enemy Super Shields will be an issue until some sort of low power weapon or a Zoltan Shield Bypass augment are obtained. A ship that is a boarding party enthusiasts dream, just add new Crew so you have someone on the ship to pilot and conduct needed repairs.

Unlock - Obtain any 2 of the 3 Crystal Cruiser ship Achievements.