With all this hot and heavy FTL talk on the latest Bombcast, and plenty more mention of it on the GOTY podcasts, I've decided to look at it again and think on it and if I should get it but it's still not grabbing me. Specifically, the part where you look at the game, not where you play it, that bums me out. I think the art style is kind of crummy and the limit to 720p on a PC is also kind of a bummer. Am I the only one who gets excited by the gameplay but then when looking at it reacts with a "bleh"?

I think it's a great game in how it plays and the music sounds fantastic but the graphical style and technical stuff both are both turning me off from buying it. I can't be the only one, right? Right?

What do you want? 3D Models doing the exact same? Minecraft style?

There is not much budge to improve the graphics, if you cant swallow that, then sorry your missing out on a great game due to your choice.

Obligatory: "Yes you are the only one. A fragile rose amongst the thorns and rough edges. Delicate and beautiful. Never change."

I love the look of FTL. It's part of its charm.

I personally like the graphics. If you don't like them, there *are* modders who have released reskins of ships, planets, and backgrounds. I don't think there's been anything close to a total conversion yet to reimagine all the assets with greater detail, so your game may look like an RPG character wearing hilariously mismatched armor until one of those gets done.

And now, links:

• New backgrounds - http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3107
• New/different weapons - http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3363
• Two ship reskins - http://www.ftlgame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2496

You're not using enough imagination.

@OldGuy said:

Obligatory: "Yes you are the only one. A fragile rose amongst the thorns and rough edges. Delicate and beautiful. Never change."

Damn you...I was about to post the same thing. Minus the rose thorn thing.

You really don't worry about graphics when you're fighting off a boarding crew, putting out fires and trying to blast the crap out of enemy sub systems. In the heat of battle there are far too many things to be concerned with for you to take in how the game looks (which I really like btw).

The game is fantastic value and the different play styles associated with the strengths and weaknesses inherent to each ship plus the equipment variety and random nature of the game make each play through different. It really is one of the bargains of the year.

You're alone on this one. Or at the very least in the minority.

I mean sure, it's the kind of simplistic design you associate with something made in Gamemaker (Hotline Miami's perspective makes me think of this as well). The two guys that made it are a game designer and programmer, so I can't blame them for the functional-but-not-astounding graphics.

Nonetheless, it's silly that it turns you off the whole game. You always have to fill in some things with your imagination, and some games forgo graphics so much that it's like 100% filling in the gaps (like all those ASCII games). FTL isn't asking nearly as much from your imagination, and the gameplay is so very compelling, and the writing of all the little space encounters is also awesome.

I'm a little put off by it, in the sense that when I see graphics like that I tend to think of the game as being done by people who aren't professionals, and it made me worry about the overall quality. But it's a surface thing. I've played the game for a few minutes, and watched more--it's definitely a top-notch game. I think I would have preferred a different graphics style that's less retro and more modern, but I'm not one to make a final judgment about a game based solely on how it looks.

I don't think it's silly to be concerned or put off by it, but the proof of any game is in the playing, not the visuals.

What, if someone thinks the graphics are bad, I'm seriously baffled. It's not like some kid scribbled in ms paint. I love the look of it, it's very well done.

@BaconGames: You're not the only one. I am much in the same boat where the simplistic look of it is really putting me off. I am not a huge fan of indie games and if the graphics don't have some clever hook or something then I just can't get past that.

Who the fuck plays this game for the graphics.

In the age old battle of Graphics vs. Gameplay - Gameplay always wins.

It was made by two people, I find it difficult to be mad at some of the limited graphics. Plus the game is fantastic.

I like to see every jaggy, filthy pixel. I love how FTL looks.

Opinions, yeah...
 
I can understand the need for simple graphics (I suck at drawing btw) but FTL is following the indie pixel art fad which is getting pretty long in the tooth. I can still appreciate the gameplay, though. At a certain point you will probably just get used to it just like I did with X3.

For me, graphics consistency is more important than raw graphics quality. So far, FTL seems to have a consistent theme going on, and while it isn't the prettiest game out there, it's whole package presents itself rather nicely, and there isn't any sort of "odd" graphics that break immersion.

I'm definitely not as big a fan of the game as most other people, and I think it does get boring essentially staring at that same screen for ages on end, but I think they did a pretty good job on the art style. They go for something somewhat basic from the technical side and I think they pull it off well. There's something rather charming about their detailed pixel art.

I was pushed away too by how it looked, but bought it on the steam sale and after playing it for like 30 minutes I love it and the music is incredible. I could listen to it all day.

Neh, criticising FTL for the art feels like criticising Just Cause 2 for the story. It's servicable but it's not the reason the game's great at all.

I just got the game two days ago; I held off on initially buying a while ago because I looked at the graphics and thought "amateurs". After hearing about the Kickstarter story on Gamasutra, though, I bought it and now I am hooked on it...

If they ever make a sequel, I hope it is isometric but the gameplay is so good that I really can't see a huge graphical overhaul making a difference in how I feel about the game now.

I really like how the game looks. ):

Reminds me of old DOS games 'n such.

Yes (necro), yes