<s>
FTL	B-Application
:	I-Application
Faster	I-Application
Than	I-Application
Light	I-Application
is	O
a	O
real-time	O
strategy	B-Application
roguelike	O
game	O
created	O
by	O
indie	O
developer	O
Subset	B-Application
Games	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Linux	B-Application
in	O
September	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
for	O
FTL	B-Application
was	O
based	O
on	O
tabletop	O
board	O
games	O
and	O
other	O
non-strategic	O
space	O
combat	O
video	O
games	O
that	O
required	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
manage	O
an	O
array	O
of	O
a	O
ship	O
's	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
development	O
by	O
the	O
two-man	O
Subset	B-Application
Games	I-Application
was	O
self-funded	O
,	O
and	O
guided	O
towards	O
developing	O
entries	O
for	O
various	O
indie	O
game	O
competitions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
updated	O
version	O
,	O
FTL	B-Application
:	O
Advanced	O
Edition	O
,	O
added	O
additional	O
ships	O
,	O
events	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2014	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
update	O
for	O
existing	O
owners	O
and	O
was	O
put	O
up	O
for	O
purchase	O
on	O
iPad	B-Device
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FTL	B-Application
is	O
recognized	O
alongside	O
games	O
like	O
Spelunky	B-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Binding	I-Application
of	I-Application
Isaac	I-Application
as	O
helping	O
to	O
popularize	O
the	O
"	O
rogue-lite	O
"	O
genre	O
that	O
uses	O
some	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
all	O
,	O
of	O
the	O
principles	O
of	O
a	O
classical	O
roguelike	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
controls	O
a	O
spacecraft	O
capable	O
of	O
traveling	O
faster-than-light	O
(	O
FTL	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
player	O
victory	O
earns	O
them	O
resources	O
to	O
use	O
in	O
trading	O
with	O
stores	O
or	O
upgrading	O
their	O
ship	O
;	O
an	O
enemy	O
victory	O
results	O
in	O
game	O
failure	O
,	O
deleting	O
the	O
save	O
file	O
and	O
forcing	B-Application
the	I-Application
player	I-Application
to	I-Application
start	I-Application
over	I-Application
,	O
which	O
creates	O
a	O
high	O
level	O
of	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FTL	B-Application
is	O
the	O
product	O
of	O
the	O
two-man	O
team	O
of	O
Subset	B-Application
Games	I-Application
,	O
Matthew	O
Davis	O
and	O
Justin	B-Application
Ma	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Davis	O
had	O
left	O
2K	O
Games	O
early	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
and	O
after	O
biking	O
through	O
China	O
,	O
returned	O
and	O
joined	O
Ma	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
also	O
recently	O
quit	O
,	O
and	O
began	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
core	O
FTL	B-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
pair	O
began	O
work	O
on	O
their	O
second	O
game	O
,	O
Into	B-Application
the	I-Application
Breach	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
for	O
FTL	B-Application
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
tabletop	O
board	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Battlestar	B-Application
Galactica	I-Application
:	O
The	O
Board	O
Game	O
,	O
and	O
non-strategic	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
X-Wing	I-Application
,	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
would	O
have	O
to	O
route	O
power	O
to	O
available	O
systems	O
to	O
best	O
manage	O
the	O
situation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Davis	O
also	O
stated	O
that	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
influences	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
from	O
TV	O
shows	O
and	O
movies	O
included	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
,	O
Firefly	O
,	O
and	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
looked	O
to	O
Super	B-Application
Meat	I-Application
Boy	I-Application
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
tough	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
discourage	O
the	O
player	O
according	O
to	O
Ma	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
there	O
were	O
almost	O
no	O
barriers	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
restarting	O
after	O
a	O
failed	O
attempt	O
;	O
they	O
developed	O
the	O
restarting	O
process	O
for	O
FTL	B-Application
to	O
be	O
similarly	O
easy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
permanence	O
of	O
a	O
gameplay	O
mistake	O
was	O
a	O
critical	O
element	O
they	O
wanted	O
to	O
include	O
,	O
and	O
gameplay	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
permadeath	B-Application
emphasized	O
this	O
approach	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
as	O
they	O
neared	O
the	O
August	O
2011	O
Game	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
in	O
China	O
after	O
about	O
six	O
months	O
of	O
work	O
,	O
where	O
they	O
planned	O
to	O
submit	O
FTL	B-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Independent	O
Games	O
Festival	O
there	O
,	O
did	O
they	O
start	O
focusing	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
art	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
OnLive	B-Application
cloud-based	O
gaming	O
service	O
included	O
FTL	B-Application
and	O
other	O
Independent	O
Games	O
Festival	O
finalists	O
for	O
several	O
weeks	O
around	O
the	O
conference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Festival	O
,	O
FTL	B-Application
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
,	O
though	O
did	O
not	O
win	O
,	O
the	O
Grand	O
Prize	O
and	O
the	O
Excellent	O
in	O
Design	O
award	O
;	O
these	O
accolades	O
further	O
helped	O
spark	O
interest	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
publicity	O
of	O
being	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
these	O
competitions	O
,	O
even	O
if	O
not	O
as	O
a	O
nominated	O
title	O
,	O
helped	O
to	O
garner	O
interest	O
in	O
FTL	B-Application
by	O
the	O
larger	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subset	B-Application
Games	I-Application
had	O
initially	O
planned	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
title	O
for	O
about	O
a	O
three-month	O
period	O
after	O
saving	O
enough	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
money	O
to	O
cover	O
expenses	O
for	O
about	O
a	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
Kickstarter	O
approach	O
was	O
considered	O
well-timed	O
,	O
riding	O
on	O
the	O
coattails	O
of	O
the	O
highly	O
successful	O
Double	B-Application
Fine	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
Kickstarter	O
in	O
March	O
2012	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
gaining	O
the	O
attention	O
of	O
top	O
developers	O
like	O
Ken	O
Levine	O
and	O
Markus	O
Persson	O
;	O
with	O
interest	O
spurred	O
in	O
crowd-funded	O
games	O
,	O
Subset	B-Application
games	I-Application
was	O
able	O
to	O
raise	O
over	O
$	O
200,000	O
through	O
the	O
effort	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FTL	B-Application
represents	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
games	O
to	O
come	O
out	O
from	O
this	O
surge	O
in	O
crowd-funded	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
demonstrates	O
that	O
such	O
funding	O
mechanisms	O
can	O
support	O
video	O
game	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
additional	O
funds	O
allowed	O
them	O
to	O
pay	O
for	O
licensing	O
fees	O
of	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
libraries	O
and	O
applications	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
they	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
outsource	O
other	O
game	O
assets	O
;	O
in	O
particular	O
additional	O
writing	O
and	O
world	O
design	O
was	O
provided	O
by	O
Tom	O
Jubert	O
(	O
Penumbra	O
,	O
Driver	B-Application
:	I-Application
San	I-Application
Francisco	I-Application
)	O
,	O
while	O
music	O
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Ben	O
Prunty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2013	O
,	O
Subset	O
announced	O
that	O
FTL	B-Application
:	O
Advanced	O
Edition	O
was	O
under	O
development	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
add	O
several	O
new	O
events	O
,	O
ships	O
,	O
equipment	O
and	O
other	O
features	O
to	O
the	O
existing	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
3	O
,	O
2014	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
update	O
for	O
FTL	B-Application
owners	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
separate	O
release	O
for	O
iPad	B-Device
devices	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
potential	O
for	O
other	O
mobile	O
systems	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
looked	O
at	O
bringing	O
this	O
version	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
which	O
also	O
would	O
have	O
supported	O
touch	O
controls	O
,	O
but	O
ultimately	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
screen	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
too	O
limiting	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Subset	O
updated	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
achievements	O
cloud-based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subset	B-Application
Games	I-Application
has	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
not	O
likely	O
create	O
a	O
direct	O
sequel	O
to	O
FTL	B-Application
,	O
though	O
future	O
games	O
they	O
are	O
planning	O
may	O
include	O
similar	O
concepts	O
that	O
were	O
introduced	O
in	O
FTL	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
subsequent	O
game	O
,	O
Into	B-Application
the	I-Application
Breach	I-Application
was	O
not	O
funded	O
through	O
Kickstarter	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
unlikely	O
that	O
they	O
will	O
use	O
the	O
platform	O
in	O
future	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
have	O
raised	O
enough	O
money	O
through	O
sales	O
of	O
FTL	B-Application
to	O
fund	O
future	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FTL	B-Application
generally	O
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
,	O
with	O
praise	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
captivating	O
nature	O
and	O
means	O
of	O
tapping	O
into	O
the	O
imagination	O
of	O
the	O
players	O
who	O
have	O
envisioned	O
themselves	O
as	O
captains	O
of	O
starships	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
approach	O
and	O
setting	O
has	O
been	O
compared	O
to	O
science	O
fiction	O
works	O
;	O
Ben	O
Kuchera	O
of	O
Penny	O
Arcade	O
Report	O
called	O
FTL	B-Application
"	O
Firefly	O
by	O
way	O
of	O
the	O
Rogue-like	O
genre	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
have	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
and	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Gamer	O
awarded	O
FTL	B-Application
its	O
Short-form	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
2012	O
award	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
2014	O
National	O
Academy	O
of	O
Video	O
Game	O
Trade	O
Reviewers	O
(	O
NAVGTR	O
)	O
awards	O
FTL	B-Application
received	O
the	O
nomination	O
for	O
Game	O
,	O
Strategy	B-Application
(	O
Justin	B-Application
Ma	I-Application
,	O
Matthew	O
Davis	O
)	O
and	O
Game	O
Engineering	O
(	O
Matthew	O
Davis	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Forbes	O
listed	O
both	O
Ma	O
and	O
Davis	O
in	O
its	O
2013	O
"	O
30	O
Under	O
30	O
"	O
leaders	O
in	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
FTL	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sparky	O
Clarkson	O
of	O
GameCritics	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
FTL	B-Application
is	O
an	O
absurdly	O
,	O
cruelly	O
difficult	O
game.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
staff	O
of	O
Edge	O
magazine	O
,	O
while	O
generally	O
complimentary	O
towards	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
FTL	B-Application
can	O
occasionally	O
feel	O
punishing	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iPad	B-Device
version	O
of	O
FTL	B-Application
:	O
Advanced	O
Edition	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
the	O
intuitive	O
touch	O
controls	O
,	O
fine-tuned	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FTL	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
indie	O
titles	O
Spelunky	B-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Binding	I-Application
of	I-Application
Isaac	I-Application
,	O
are	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
key	O
games	O
that	O
launched	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
"	O
roguelike-like	O
"	O
games	O
that	O
borrow	O
a	O
subset	O
of	O
major	O
features	O
of	O
classical	O
roguelike	O
games	O
but	O
not	O
all	O
;	O
most	O
often	O
,	O
as	O
with	O
FTL	B-Application
,	O
these	O
games	O
use	O
procedural	O
generation	O
along	O
with	O
permadeath	B-Application
atop	O
other	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
highly-replayable	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
