These bundles... I have too many unplayed games in my steam list. I've just stopped buying them. FTL is something I genuinely wanna play though. 

System Shock 2 is really hard to get back into after 3 weeks without. The maps are terrible. I just found out that you can press N to leave markers though. Died shortly after because my fingers missed the reload button and I panicked.

This game is so damn much ahead of HL in having a coherent, tight atmosphere and story. HL had more vista and diversity though so that might be better. 

Was much more accessible :)

The design was much more player friendly and well rounded. 

Spirit's average game impression: http://i.imgur.com/1YrIG.jpg%3C/span%3E

Spiney: Got an email address? If non-public, send me one. 

ptr[dot]vrhvn[at]gmail[dotcom] 

you got the wrong impression and I meant the maps (cartographic), not levels. 

FTL is a bit disappointing, so many good reviews for a straightforward grinding and leveling game? I dunno... art is also kind of a mess.
I did pour half a day into it, so thanks for the key :P

Giving Amnesia another try. 

yes, it looks boring to me too. i don't know why everyone likes it. there's nothing to it, you jump go from random encounter to random encounter until the game forces itself to completion. 

my impression as well. but even rogue-like-likers like it?! 

well, it is very roguelike, is it not? totally random with discreet combat events.

but i don't like roguelikes either. :) 

I don't get why people like Quake either, all you do is maneuver a pawn around a layout and click on enemy pawns endlessly... and the layouts and positions are the same every time! 

I thought it was great, the gameplay is original, and the rogue-like elements work well. Each playthrough is quite different, and using different ships makes for even more diversity.

I like rogue-likes though.

BTW Spelunky is awesome. 

I value the aesthetic qualities from maps in Quake far more than the replayability of FTL. Obviously, I would love endless streams of maps in Quake, but if the choice was between hand-crafted maps and endless random ones that were like Oblige maps, then it's not a choice at all. 

yep I pay quake more for the level design and admiring what you guys build, rather than the gameplay. 

I liked it once I tried to complete the quests of unlocking the additional ships. It got boring once I got them all though. And some were pretty frustrating to get - the crystal one for example.

I liked the game, but it could have done with more written content and stronger linked events to make it more interesting. 

I think Quake still has some of the best fps gameplay to date, well except for the base parts perhaps, the soldiers just don't compare to the other monsters. Especially with Quoth the game is just awesome imo.

FTL: It does have some qualities though, and it's quite difficult. I've gotten to the end a dozen times (on easy, haha), but beating the boss feels impossible. I found that if you want to stand a chance in the later levels you just need to fight constantly in order to keep monetizing.
And sometimes you just die in silly ways, like an enemy using multiple ion weapons on your shields in the midst of a supernova.
I also lost 6 of my 7 person crew once because I forgot to close my hull doors between 2 jumps. Apparently the air sound stops playing when you do that, and I was wondering why my oxygen level kept dropping, haha.
All in all though, I feel I'd rather play something like Masters of Orion instead. The rebel fleet pursuit feels kind of forced and the game starts repeating itself very quickly. Games that rely purely on leveling for macro progression just don't do it for me. The clever RPGs are the ones that manage to sidestep that, make enough room for skill and alternate playing styles. I tried to unlock the pacifist achievement, but there's just no way I can get enough scrap to upgrade my defenses and FTL that way.
Those things just make the game feel more shallow than it should be. 

Is the worst in the game, after a few plays you'll unlock b type variants and new ships just by getting through, or near enough. Check out the conditions on the achievements page.

It does lean towards learning more than leveling, but the learning curve is pretty steep. 

You have some killer tips ijed? :P 

 

Probably my best ship yet.
Hope it stands a chance. I'm gonna read up some strategies, don't wanna screw it up. Permadeath really sucks sometimes :P

very large pic:
http://i3.minus.com/ibvUV5w2r8xtmI.jpg 

Christ, this thing has 3 stages? FML. 

Mmm, to me FTL is a lot more about learning than leveling. Sure your ship gets stronger through one playthrough, but only if you've learned from your past mistakes. There are a lot of interesting strats to consider, and choosing a good plan depending on the first loot you come across (weapons, boarding, cloaking, etc.) Knowing when to pay for upgrades and on what requires experience.

Yeah of course sometimes the dice-roll will give you a really shit playthrough that is impossible to win, but even that's quite fun for me. Even if you seem to be doing well, you never know when the game will throw something unmanageable at you, makes for good stories to tell.

Much of this also applies to Spelunky, go play it it's a great game! 

I'm starting to come around a bit on the game. Maybe I was too soon to judge it and label it as a grinding game. I still think all the 90% ratings are a bit ridiculous though. But that might have to do with the stupid rating psychology those sites employ nowadays (8 is a C and 7 is essentially an F+, retarded). 

Doesn't exist in a game with permadeath!

A godlike run will see you getting hold of at least one utility item, like the scrap collector arm.

Lasers suck unless they have shield penetration, at which point they become the most powerful weapon in the game - they need to cause more 'damage per room' than the enemy has shields, so a tier 2 laser and a emp gun (or whatever the disabling blue weapon is called) will allow you to quickly tear most opponents to bits, although at later levels you'll need extra oomph from drones or something to burn out the shields. Oh, and that's per room, so make sure the red lines crosses as man rooms as possible.

Drone combat can be used, but to be effective you need a boarding drone, but even this is neutralized if the enemy has a single defensive drone.

The best tactic overall is beaming a bunch of boarders over and knocking the crap out of their crew and systems - this lowers their offensive and defensive abilities, and if you take the ship whole (kill all the crew) then it's worth more scrap.

It is however extremely ease to lose your entire boarding party if you fuck up and destroy the enemy ship or allow it to FTL jump with them aboard, so make sure to watch the charge up meter for that and deactivate automated retire as relevant.

My favourite tactic was to use fire weapons, but this is pretty difficult as well. Fire weapons destroy their systems, deplete oxygen and confuse the enemy crew ai, and leave their ship intact. I managed to get the achievement for igniting the entire enemy ship (I think it was on the massive mantis cruiser as well) so that shows how sadistic I was when playing.