I find the game random and stupid unless I cheat at which point it becomes playable. The random stores showing up with high priced items you need at the start of the game shows that the creators have no actual connection with their gamers. A sliding price scale to allow you some protection and advancement other than random death before you can gather scrap would be a reasonable change. As it sits there is stupidly sitting around waiting until everything fails or cheating. It's obvious the authors want you playing this game until your teeth fallout but It is not interesting to die every time it is borrrring.
P.S. I may not be someone who has no life other than games but I the main reason for levels in a game is so someone can learn it. It's way past time indie games had more compassion for the people who have a life other than the occasional game but most of you don't. There is no fun in dying on level three when the game has 30 levels. That's not dumbing down the game but realization that there are 24 hours in a day and the human race seems to spend 4-6 a day playing games. IF you are the 5% of the population that thinks things are too easy try playing on hard the first time and give the rest of us a chance.

Nice going, dan, people like you are why most games nowadays are the hand holding railway line boring cinematic spectacle pieces of crap that they are.

Took me 7 tries to beat it on normal. In hours ... maybe 5? My first few tries ended rather sooner than later. Great game! [Slight spoilers ahead] Unlocked the engi cruiser B now, so might try to win with that one, as it looks harder with only one crew member, etc. Also only unlocked 3 ships so far.

I don't know how many hours exactly, but it must be over 10. For reference, I've played 103 games and I've won 7 times. Of course, some of these 103 were testing, goofing around and achievement-whoring, but most were "serious" attempts.

Dunno how many hours, but at least 30 I'd say. And that was on easy. Goddam roguelike's and their addictiveness...

About 15 hours. Watched some videos on youtube which gave good strategy and beat it after that.

There is a fair bit of luck in the game. Not every game will be a winning one.

On the third try (1st was to sector 5 and 2nd to sector 8) I beat it with The Kestrell Type A on normal. Don't know how many hours it took, but I guess more than 10 as I take my time each turn.

I ... Just Beat It, Beat It, Beat It, Beat It
No One Wants To Be Defeated
Showin' How Funky Strong Is Your Fight
It Doesn't Matter Who's Wrong Or Right

Well, it's fun to win ;-)

Nice going! My first win was the Kestrel B-I love the ship because it can punch any early shield down, and with cloaking and some advanced lasers you can disable weapons on nearly any ship without a scratch-especially if you can get several burst lasers and/or a breach bomb.
I didn't even come into this forum until I beat it :D

I'm not sure how long in time. Some point in my first day with the game. Third or fourth attempt maybe. (On Easy though. Still working on Normal, though I got to the Flagship a couple times)

My first game ended in about 20 seconds because I opened all the doors and air locks by accident and everyone suffocated before i got them closed. XD That gave me Dwarf Fortress flashbacks for some reason.

I'm a bit amused by some some of the comments in here about how horribly random and unfair the game is. I suspect, without being too judgmental it might be because for the last few decades there have been very few games where loss is a common outcome in any real sense. (Save/Reload, Checkpoints etc) So if someone makes a game you can actually lose people think it's broken.

Thats exactly right, SrJoben, every new strategy game, thats not fool proof has this kind of complaining on their forum,Fantasy Wars,Elven Legacy,Kings Bounty, Eador, you name it.

I have only ever played on normal, never easy. If my memory is actually correct (often it isn't), I beat it on my third try - about 9 hours in, assuming each try took 3, as it usually does now. I was using the Torus that time. My very first run with the Kestrel, I began feeling outgunned in the last few sectors, but managed to reach the flagship fight by dashing straight through each sector and fleeing from battles. I've since realized that is not a good strategy, but it allowed me to beat the boss - I thought, until I realized I had only beaten the first of three separate stages. Oops. My second run, trying out the Torus, I believe I did reach the second boss stage, then on the next run, victory. Sadly, I don't remember what loadout I possessed at the end, except that I had a cloaking device, which helped. What has been more difficult for me is unlocking the other ships. I have the Osprey from the victory, and the Adjudicator, but have since been through about a dozen games without unlocking any others.

Took me 15 tries, but I finally managed to beat the game with the Red-Tail. In the last beacon of sector 7 the game gave me an Ion Bomb, which certainly made the last battle easier ;) I just shot his shield with all I had and prayed for victory, lol...drones were really helpful as well!

First try!

Since I reset my stats.

On easy.

Going for all the accomplishments, and a win on easy is one of them. I hadn't played on easy in so long that it really did feel easy!

FYI, a win on Normal includes the win on Easy.