[TrashMan]

Open command prompt.

Copy the data.dat file from the game/resources into ..let's say d:\modding


run the following command:

ftldat unpack d:\modding\data.dat d:\extracted

and it will create a data.dat-unpacked folder. (you can re-name it if you wish..it's easier)
Edit the files in the folder and then run the opposite command

ftldat pack d:\modding\data.dat d:\extracted\data.dat-unpacked  (or whatever you re-named it)

Presto. You get your new data.dat file
Plop it in the game and play

[Veers]

Awesome game,

I made it to the Boss on my first go, ship was sh*t and was wiped fairly quickly. *Kestrel* Outfitted with cloak/cloak weapon augment. Burst mark 2, missile (standard I think) with a mark 2 ion.

3rd go was using the Engi Cruiser, wiped out on the

Spoiler:

3rd stage of the Boss. Ship was armed to the bloody teeth, she was good.

and I'm on about my 12th go or so now, havent been back to the final 2 sectors since.

My route so far is upgrading the shields, doors and sensors earlier, followed by weapons/droves and engines next. A good crew works wonders, A zoltron is always a nice bonus. Humans at controls with Engi running around repairing everything in sight.

(Pretty sure the above is right. Kinda forgot)

Dekker, I'll try and grab some screenies for you of my your newest command

::EDIT::

Ship: Engi Class - Dekkers Ranger
Status: KIA
Acomplishments: Highest Score, Most Evasions, Most Kills, Attempted to f*ck up that mothership, Mission nearly accomplished.

*Salute*

[NGTM-1R]

Oh god, three stages? Say it ain't so.

[Alex Heartnet]

The weapons officer realizes why he was having so much trouble with the weapon controls earlier.





The sector beacon map is even worse then I had initially thought.  If I jump over to the area with the nebula, will I even be able to access the beacon cluster with the exit beacon without backtracking through the entire rebel fleet?  Best not to risk a situation like that.





The Bastion dispatches a rebel scout armed with two heavy lasers.  The only occurrence of note is a heavy laser creating a hull breach within the engine room.

If at all possible, knock out both the engines AND the bridge when dealing with a ship trying to escape.  Both of those systems need to be online in order for the scout to jump out, so it makes repairs harder.















Good grief.  I think I’d rather have the crew safely aboard my vessel.





This pirate was probably not expecting that he would be the one made to pay up at gunpoint.









As I have no way of knowing how long I will have to wait for a refuel, I decide to err on the side of having too much fuel rather then too little.





Mercenary work!  Bet the crew of the Bastion wasn’t expecting having to do this when they woke up this morning!











As it turns out, I could have just gotten my fuel right here.  Nevertheless, this is still a good opportunity to hire a crewmember.  Say hello to the new guy, he hasn’t quite introduced himself yet.











Zolton controlled territory!  This’ll be hilarious.

Note that I am sending you guys through all the hostile systems!  The idea is that more combat = more scrap metal = easier endgame.

[Ravenholme]

Oh god, three stages? Say it ain't so.

'fraid so, and the second and third stages.. ;-;

[0rph3u5]

OOC: Finally managed to beat the Flagship on Easy ... but since I was running the Stealth Ship A which gives you a really hard early game I guess I can still count this as victory (The Noir & The Noir victorious, also netted my one of the Stealth Ship achivements)

Crew Log #3
GTD Bastion
Current Location: Zoltan Sector 2

I'll never say another angry word about the Federation's Monkey Shipbuilding Crops. This little ship is holding together even after the Captain decided to bring her into combat three times in row. Only major damage was hull puncture near the engine controls, nothing couldn't be fixed.

Salvage is looking good, hopefully I can put it to use on these engines - more power to the thrusters would make for less hull breaches.

Also we took on a new crewmember - a Mantis no less. I just hope that *person* stays away from my engines, a Mantis breaks more than it can ever fix.

[crizza]

Open command prompt.

Copy the data.dat file from the game/resources into ..let's say d:\modding


run the following command:

ftldat unpack d:\modding\data.dat d:\extracted

and it will create a data.dat-unpacked folder. (you can re-name it if you wish..it's easier)
Edit the files in the folder and then run the opposite command

ftldat pack d:\modding\data.dat d:\extracted\data.dat-unpacked  (or whatever you re-named it)

Presto. You get your new data.dat file
Plop it in the game and play

Well I got how to come to the stage where I can fidle with the xml files...but don't get them to bake a new data.dat file...and I'm using exactly your instructions o.O
Edit: I get a unpacked data.dat in the modding folder, but when trying to pack it to make it ready to paste into the game folder it shrinks back to a size of 0kb...

[TrashMan]

Works for me.
Re-name the extracted folder to something simpler. the . and - cna cause problems. So just name the folder something simple.


Here's the modified dat file with 8 crew. Haven't tested it yet.

EDIt: Tested. works , but you can't see the extra crew in the UI (but they are on the ship)and thus, can't re-name them.

[attachment removed and sold on the black market]

[TrashMan]

Hm...I can't find any screenshots I made. WTF does Steam put them????

[crizza]

Paste it into paint?^^

[Scourge of Ages]

Hm...I can't find any screenshots I made. WTF does Steam put them????

If you click the Community button, the most recent thing at the top should be your most recent screenshots. Otherwise, it's on the right side in your profile, click Screenshots.

I just finished early this morning, on Normal, with a vanilla Kestrel named the Cormorant.
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/542938787902958292/1483A96FFBDBDA0D63F9CD9A154D73A688146229/

I'll tell you what: scrap recovery arm, and repair arm make the final boss worlds easier. And stealth weapons, those are good too.
EDIT: Oh yeah, take out the crews manning the weapons on the boss, then they won't be able to repair if damaged.

[TrashMan]

Upgrade teleport. Teleport 2 guys in boss weapons.
Kill them. Destroy weapon. Teleport back.

TAKE OUT ALL THE GUNS!!!!


Or....use breach and fire bombs and focus fire on the O2 systems. Let them all die.

[Alex Heartnet]

I can't rely on the game giving me either one of those.  I love using bombs in general - they bypass defense drones, and their effects tend to be more fun then missiles, but I don't always manage to find one.

[Alex Heartnet]

I'm surprised no one is vying for a position aboard the ship now that we have a forth crewmember.  C'mon, guys!

[Scourge of Ages]

Dibs! Jose actually means "Scourge" in the Mantis tongue. True fact.

Sign me up for boarding ops, or whatever needs doing.

[0rph3u5]

Or....use breach and fire bombs and focus fire on the O2 systems. Let them all die.

Tried that - doesn't work
As soon as all crew members of the flagship are dead there is a pop-up telling you that an AI has taken control of the ship and continues fighting

[crizza]

I wonder... does a drone recovery arm recovers enemy drones as well?

[headdie]

Or....use breach and fire bombs and focus fire on the O2 systems. Let them all die.

Tried that - doesn't work
As soon as all crew members of the flagship are dead there is a pop-up telling you that an AI has taken control of the ship and continues fighting

Fought the flagship once so far and notice the fire control rooms seem to be independent of the rest of the ship so can the crew move into those rooms to repair the fire control if you destroy it and kill the crew member

[Scourge of Ages]

Fought the flagship once so far and notice the fire control rooms seem to be independent of the rest of the ship so can the crew move into those rooms to repair the fire control if you destroy it and kill the crew member

Nope. If you take out the gunner in the fire control station, he stays dead and nobody else can get in to fix it. The system itself repairs between boss stages, but without a guy manning it it'll stay down within a battle.

[Alex Heartnet]

The annoying part about the isolated fire control rooms is that boarding drones can get trapped in there and become completely worthless for the rest of the fight.