Void War: off-brand 40k FTL clone

[Galdred]

In the bleak and distant future of the 401st century, all that's left is endless conflict.

Actually, 40K FTL sounds pretty good. It is already available on Itch.io (early access), but between the subtle hints of being inspired by 40K and FTL, and GW being really into copyright wars, I am not sure we'll really see the game released on Steam in the end.

 

[Strig]

As fun as it sounds I just can't get over how much of a rip-off it is. Inspiration is fine, even lifting ideas wholesale is nothing to get your knickers in a twist over, but mindlessly copying everything down to the icons in the interface? That's just not proper. On top of that, it actually looks worse than FTL. It seems like they wanted to go with pixel art, but they only could afford the pixels, art was out of their price range. Jaggies everywhere. And yeah, just throw Warhammer 40K into the mix, why the hell not.

 

[SexExitium]

Brilliant, can't wait for their tactical small-scale perfect information city defense game "inspired" by the BattleTech franchise, I mean what could go wrong (well besides the art style)

 

[Galdred]

As fun as it sounds I just can't get over how much of a rip-off it is. Inspiration is fine, even lifting ideas wholesale is nothing to get your knickers in a twist over, but mindlessly copying everything down to the icons in the interface? That's just not proper. On top of that, it actually looks worse than FTL. It seems like they wanted to go with pixel art, but they only could afford the pixels, art was out of their price range. Jaggies everywhere. And yeah, just throw Warhammer 40K into the mix, why the hell not.

Right, Starcraft being Blizzard's 40K was a bit more subtle.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

In the bleak and distant future of the 401st century, all that's left is endless conflict.

Actually, 40K FTL sounds pretty good. It is already available on Itch.io (early access), but between the subtle hints of being inspired by 40K and FTL, and GW being really into copyright wars, I am not sure we'll really see the game released on Steam in the end.

DAYUM. Getting this right now before GW nukes it from orbit. Of course if GW werent a bunch of retarded limey cunts, they would just hire these dudes to make an official 40K FTL clone, but oh well...

 

[Todesbanane]

40k "inspired" but no crewsizes in the tens of thousands. Gay. The UI being literally the same as FTL is fucking ridicolous btw.

 

[Galdred]

They did that with cyanide and their off brand blood bowl(chaos league) actually, but it was 20 years ago, and after a lawsuit.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Finished my first run yesterday on the Itch build.

Using the ship you unlocked when you reach 4th sector the first time. Due to the additional features thare are ton of stuff you can do to break the game even more than in FTL. This ship I am playing had gimmick of having a sytem that spawn a disposable Servitor (or Husk here) every few seconds and the ship starts with an augment that spawned them with 10 bonus health. Somewhere around mid-game I got into a Mechanicus sector and... found shops selling the same augment. So now instead of spawning at measly 15 health, with 3 stacking augments, they now spawn at 45 hp. Basically a free boarding party every few seconds and so long you can disable enemy's weapon system you are good to go. Luckily I also found a very strong Ion weapon in shops the next sector (was damned expensive tho) and voila, my game plan just manifested.

Then there is Psykers as well. I had 2 necromancers that could spawn 2 weak zombies every few seconds, and a Khrone cultist that could cast damaging spells that would turn the victims into some zombie husk if they died within 15 seconds after getting hit. Later on I also have another cultist with mind control spells. Basically the enemy just got fucked beyond belief through sheet crew attrition.

The game has a "ladder" difficulty system. You start as normal, then unlock new difficulty everytime you win like in modern roguelite. The new difficulty seems to unlock more stuff in shops as well. Some new items I didn't see at all in the first winning run.

Game is fun if you enjoy FTL. In Normal is a bit on easier side but probably would get much harder later with the new difficulties level

 

[ADL]

Why not just get the 40K license? Games Workshop throws it at anyone who wants it these days.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

I suspect lots of people are just too timid to approach a company like GW and try to deal with them.

 

[Dakka]

Looks promising. Could be pretty fun.

 

[Galdred]

Why not just get the 40K license? Games Workshop throws it at anyone who wants it these days.

I heard they dialed it back after Total War Warhammer. It is nowhere as restrictive as it was before they opened the floodgates (when there was basically only Danw of War), but they tend to not let young studios get it nowadays (at least, that is what I was told).

 

[mediocrepoet]

We have FTL at home? Looks like the guy wants to make a few bucks before someone sues him or figures it's small scale enough that it wouldn't be worth it for anyone to actually go after him.

Gross.

 

[Galdred]

We have FTL at home? Looks like the guy wants to make a few bucks before someone sues him or figures it's small scale enough that it wouldn't be worth it for anyone to actually go after him.

Gross.

GW is not a very permissive company when it comes to unsanctionned use of their IP, though, so the probability of remaining too small for detection would be close to zero.
But it is quite possible that the developers made sure not to have anything blatantly violating the laws themselves?

 

[InD_ImaginE]

We have FTL at home? Looks like the guy wants to make a few bucks before someone sues him or figures it's small scale enough that it wouldn't be worth it for anyone to actually go after him.

Gross.

GW is not a very permissive company when it comes to unsanctionned use of their IP, though, so the probability of remaining too small for detection would be close to zero.
But it is quite possible that the developers made sure not to have anything blatantly violating the laws themselves?

They basically just nameswap everything, I believe it will be easy to be proven that they kinda infringing on copy right.

 

[Kruyurk]

We have FTL at home? Looks like the guy wants to make a few bucks before someone sues him or figures it's small scale enough that it wouldn't be worth it for anyone to actually go after him.

Gross.

Yes, or blatant lack or creativity. FTL is copied a lot but I have never seen something look so much like a carbon copy. Gross either way.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Been downlading most of FTL clones and most of them are shit

Honestly the fact that this game is a glorified FTL mod is everything I could ever ask from an FTL clone

 

[Galdred]

Been downlading most of FTL clones and most of them are shit

Honestly the fact that this game is a glorified FTL mod is everything I could ever ask from an FTL clone

That's a good point. All attempts to deviate were inferior, so maybe just stealing + offbranding to 40K is the way to go

 

[Kabas]

Boarding seems to be really fun thanks to a vastly expanded list of avaliable crew types. Gear looks cool too.
I am interested.

 

[Galdred]

We have FTL at home? Looks like the guy wants to make a few bucks before someone sues him or figures it's small scale enough that it wouldn't be worth it for anyone to actually go after him.

Gross.

GW is not a very permissive company when it comes to unsanctionned use of their IP, though, so the probability of remaining too small for detection would be close to zero.
But it is quite possible that the developers made sure not to have anything blatantly violating the laws themselves?

They basically just nameswap everything, I believe it will be easy to be proven that they kinda infringing on copy right.

Oh, that's worse than I thought

Beware the War Knight in his red armor, pure expression of Krom's eternal rage!

Our not-chaos God is Krom, so we are not infringing on GW's property, but of Rober E Howard's Conan which is in the public domain!

In a way, that's what I imagine an Ork lawyer team would have done.

 

[Kabas]

"In the gloomy bleakness of far space there is only conflict."
Edit: Damn it, youtube comments beat me to it.

 

[NwNgger]

I dunno. On the one hand I completely see this game for what it is. A shameless rip off of FTL trying desperately hard to be a 40k game without actually being one. On the other hand I can't help but be charmed by the thing. I like the expanded options compared to FTL. Especially in regards to crew management and boarding. And I like the art. Even if it is a bit muddy. I'm going to give it a go and see how I feel after playing it.

 

[lightbane]

I like how this game is not tipping through the line towards infringement, no. The devs are covered in meat plus sauce and dancing suggestively while GW's attack dogs are watching, waiting for the second they slip up to pounce.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

I dunno. On the one hand I completely see this game for what it is. A shameless rip off of FTL trying desperately hard to be a 40k game without actually being one. On the other hand I can't help but be charmed by the thing. I like the expanded options compared to FTL. Especially in regards to crew management and boarding. And I like the art. Even if it is a bit muddy. I'm going to give it a go and see how I feel after playing it.

It IS fun. Medibay while exist works differently. You can only use them X times (depending on Facility level, 1 to 3 times) per jump and it gives you a regen for people in your room. And I think it's a fixed % regen so no it won't heal your dying troops to full

So without investment you can at most heal 4 crews, not even by 25% I think, per jump. And besides boarding all other Crew attrition is the same like FTL like getting your room burned, lacking oxygen, etc.

The game is certainly FTL knockoff, but balanced differently enough from design perspective that it is very fun and feels different.

 

[Raghar]

If this has that gameplay where you choose on grid of sectors and move from the left to the right, it would be crap.