The first game
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 2:46 pm
I loved Strange Adventures in Infinite Space. The space combat was engaging, it was tongue-in-cheek and full of references, and the exploration and acquisition of new equipment was satisfying as hell. It was fun. It was the perfect coffee break game, as each game lasted only for a few minutes. I played it to death, and along the way I discovered that happiness is indeed a warm Particle Vortex Cannon.
Still, for all the fun I had, I always wanted a bigger sandbox. A bigger game, with a more serious tone, more sectors, and an overarching plot. One that would take hours, not minutes, to complete.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8EoWRQ1-W4
Huh. Well, I'll be damned.
So although I was a couple of days late to the FTL launch party, I was nonetheless excited when I launched the game for the first time. I even streamed it, complete with webcam and chat bar on the game window, and I named my ship and crew after people in IRC.
Twenty people were in there. Twenty people were watching me winning and failing, interacting with me on the stream and wanting to see how far I would get on my first try. I mean, it's a roguelike, right? You die - a lot.
So it was a strange thing, suddenly being at the boss with a legitimate chance of taking it down. And how did I unlock a ship and one layout achievement in the same game?
It was such a lucky first run, and it was a great introduction to the game. People watching me were pulling their hair out thinking of their own failed games while I kept getting invaded in my own med bay, succeeding at bad event encounters, and finding weapons I had no business owning. I got the Zoltan ship (as well as the Engi cruiser, naturally) and a hard-to-get achievement by simply finding the last required crew member - a Rockman - in a store.
Oh, I also got to stage two of the boss, but I'm trying to purge that particular event from my memory banks.
FTL is great, and I'm having a blast. This is exactly what I was hoping to play when I asked for a longer and more engaging SAIS. I think I found my new coffee break game for the next month or three.
"Just one more jump..."
Still, for all the fun I had, I always wanted a bigger sandbox. A bigger game, with a more serious tone, more sectors, and an overarching plot. One that would take hours, not minutes, to complete.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8EoWRQ1-W4
Huh. Well, I'll be damned.
So although I was a couple of days late to the FTL launch party, I was nonetheless excited when I launched the game for the first time. I even streamed it, complete with webcam and chat bar on the game window, and I named my ship and crew after people in IRC.
Twenty people were in there. Twenty people were watching me winning and failing, interacting with me on the stream and wanting to see how far I would get on my first try. I mean, it's a roguelike, right? You die - a lot.
So it was a strange thing, suddenly being at the boss with a legitimate chance of taking it down. And how did I unlock a ship and one layout achievement in the same game?
It was such a lucky first run, and it was a great introduction to the game. People watching me were pulling their hair out thinking of their own failed games while I kept getting invaded in my own med bay, succeeding at bad event encounters, and finding weapons I had no business owning. I got the Zoltan ship (as well as the Engi cruiser, naturally) and a hard-to-get achievement by simply finding the last required crew member - a Rockman - in a store.
Oh, I also got to stage two of the boss, but I'm trying to purge that particular event from my memory banks.
FTL is great, and I'm having a blast. This is exactly what I was hoping to play when I asked for a longer and more engaging SAIS. I think I found my new coffee break game for the next month or three.
"Just one more jump..."
