FTL: Faster Than Light

FTL: Faster Than Light is a tactical spaceship combat simulator, however rather than commanding a ship directly, the player manages and commands the crew of a ship in addition to several ship systems (power, weapons, shields, etc). Navigating the ship across a sector of space is turn-based, but ship-to-ship combat plays out in real time. The game can be paused to make it easier to order the crew about in the heat of battle. Crew members can be sent to different stations (ship rooms) by selecting a crew member and clicking on his destination inside the ship. The ship layout is presented in a simple top down layout consisting of various rooms and corridors. There are more things the crew can do, such as fight fires, seal hull breaches and defend against invaders who beam aboard. Crew experience plays a vital role in the long run, as only a highly skilled crew can survive the later more difficult levels.

The game begins with a rather basic ship (several other models can be unlocked by completing achievements) and several crew members with no skills. The mission is to escape the pursuing Rebel forces by navigating eight sectors and reach the Federation Base in order to deliver vital information concerning the Rebels. The game is quite difficult and just reaching sector 5 unlocks an achievement. Along the way, the player may encounter friendly or hostile forces consisting of Rebel patrols, Federation allies, distress beacons and traders who can supply improved weapons or special ship augmentations. For a price, of course. Eventually, the Rebels will advance far enough into a sector to make escape almost impossible, so while it is useful to explore as much as possible, ensuring a safe escape is vital.

The entire universe is randomly generated each time so no two attempts will be alike. The player also does not know exactly what sectors they will have to navigate until they get closer. Most encounters are randomly generated as well though the game steadily becomes more and more difficult with each passing sector.

Unlocking achievements allows the game to be played with a different starting ship and crew. Some require a completely different approach. For example, the Engi cruiser has weak offensive weaponry, but can often disable enemy weapons and keep the enemy harmless while it either uses remote drones to attack or powers up its engine and escapes.

Faster Than Light is all about tactics and planning ahead. Though it features many different weapons and ship systems, it is up to the player to come up with tactics that will use such upgrades effectively rather than just get bigger guns and fight bigger enemies. To win the game, it is necessary to learn which tactics work and survive long enough to reach the Federation forces and help them defeat the Rebels.