FTL: Trolley Problems in Space

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ย. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 873

  • @xyldkefyi
    @xyldkefyi 3 ปีที่แล้ว +842

    "Hey so does anyone remember faster than light"
    Well, I played it today, so yeah.

    • @Helperbot-2000
      @Helperbot-2000 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Same lol played it 20 min ago

    • @roaringbeardragon4531
      @roaringbeardragon4531 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      SAMMME

    • @TrueGamer22887
      @TrueGamer22887 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      This and Isaac are the only games I’ve played consistently for nearly a decade each. Legends of their genre.

    • @gungho8180
      @gungho8180 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      My Dude....I just played it this week to finally unlock the crystal cruiser on my new machine...

    • @optiphonic_
      @optiphonic_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TrueGamer22887 💯% with you there

  • @kamerona4723
    @kamerona4723 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1693

    Ive played FTL for 100 hours and i never realized that whole morals part to be honest i just focused on how much money i could get

    • @OliverLugg
      @OliverLugg  3 ปีที่แล้ว +383

      38:42

    • @tiagobeaulieu1745
      @tiagobeaulieu1745 3 ปีที่แล้ว +181

      @@OliverLugg 38:42 has to be my favorite moment of the whole video. While in my personal life it is very far from my political ideology, I am a full blown capitalist when it comes to FTL playthroughs.

    • @helohel5915
      @helohel5915 3 ปีที่แล้ว +55

      For me, it was always what provided the most benefit, whether it be money, crew or resources. The game is just too difficult to be moral in most cases

    • @JB-fp3fb
      @JB-fp3fb 3 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      @@helohel5915 Not a personal critisism, but it's interesting to me that you say "The game is just too difficult to be moral". You seem to be saying that overcoming the difficulty of (winning) the game is the 'right' or most worthwhile choice; yet you see that as being at odds with the utilitarian argument that destroying the Rebel flagship (winning the game, saving the galaxy, etc) is the the most moral choice. Is it that your enjoyment and satisfaction of the game, as the player, trumps the in-game consequences of your actions? Because that type of Ethical Egoism (as briefly described in the video) is itself a form of morality.

    • @helohel5915
      @helohel5915 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      @@JB-fp3fb Well, I was playing hard mode with stealth A. It's not like I agree with what I was doing, not that I ever thought about what I was doing, simply because of something he brought up in the video - it's still a game, you aren't punished by being evil

  • @Ryan50Ryan
    @Ryan50Ryan 3 ปีที่แล้ว +692

    My favorite Trolley Problem meme is:
    You are far away.
    The only way to pull the lever is to use the teleportation machine.
    If you do it, will it be _you_ pulling the lever?

    • @Kowzorz
      @Kowzorz ปีที่แล้ว +53

      Yet future me who pulls the lever is not me-now. What a strange universe.

    • @alcedob.5850
      @alcedob.5850 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      You should check out the quantum wave-trolley problem

    • @impishlyit9780
      @impishlyit9780 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      My favorite question to get from this is: Does it matter if it's you who pulls the lever, since you made the choice?

    • @iago110
      @iago110 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Even if you run and reach the lever in time, will the you pulling the lever be the same one that saw the lever from far away? It is a strange and at first absurd question, but ponder it legimately.

    • @davisdf3064
      @davisdf3064 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      and even if you are the one pulling the lever, are you the same person AFTER pulling it?

  • @FireStormOOO_
    @FireStormOOO_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +267

    FTL really puts the "You only have the ethics you can afford" thing in the spotlight; moreso on higher difficulties. Most people will jump through all kinds of hoops to avoid engaging with that idea directly.

    • @DickCheneyXX
      @DickCheneyXX ปีที่แล้ว

      Ethics is for sheltered people with no skin in the game. When its your crew on the line, the only ethics is doing whatever gets you more scraps. The more scraps you get, the more morally correct you are.

    • @jimster1111
      @jimster1111 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      rimworld is the same way. except 90% of players give into the warcrimes

    • @mattjk5299
      @mattjk5299 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      ​@@jimster1111I suppose, though Rimworld's punishments for awful things (maybe until ideology) were harsh enough to make those kinds of things un-optimal. Then again if it's between starving or cannibalism...

    • @TheDancerMacabre
      @TheDancerMacabre 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      True, but there also isn't any consequence for holding people for ransom or taking a pirate bribe if they offer you a Halberd Beam.
      It's also a bit harder than it needs to be for a philosophy lesson considering that you are supposed to be a federation but are always on the back foot.
      If they toned it down a bit so you can make those "good choices" without also resigning to a lost; I think it would've been more obvious.
      Instead it's just a series of small puzzles with no consequences

    • @spacebassist
      @spacebassist 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      ​@@jimster1111 one time i was doing a multiplayer game and we just repelled a raid, nothing too challenging. we had decent guns by that point: SMG's, ARs and Chekov's semi-auto shotgun. if i remember right they might've been pure melee, maybe one gunman in the mix, overall it wasn't a fair fight
      i selected the retreating bandits as usual to check their skills, weigh up their worth before they got out of kidnapping reach and i saw that one of them was 15, still a kid. brought out to this doomed raid because his faction demanded it, because he had to do his part to survive. i instantly told my friend, "he's just a kid!" and advised him not to shoot and he just went "nah" and gave him the 12-gauge ending. two shots and he was worm food
      thinking on it, it's funny that i was bothered by that death even though i was ready to essentially kidnap him for our own gain if his stats were promising enough. he belonged to a faction, one we'd have to weaken his dedication to until he accepted us as his new carers and peers.
      i'd rather still be bothered by that obviously, to maintain some idea that i'm a good person and a video game can somehow reinforce that, but i think it also speaks a little to our humour and my dislike for killing video game civvies extends to sparing them and any potential jokes that could come from their deaths
      all that being said, i am a "pull the lever" guy. maybe throw a 15 year old on the other track and then i'd struggle
      (also i can't bring myself to download the war crimes mod, which i know is obviously a joke. it feels weirdly cruel even if it isn't real. like i'd have to derive some joy from imagining it (as is rimworld's design) and i can't get in on the joke)

  • @cerocero2817
    @cerocero2817 3 ปีที่แล้ว +619

    TAS stands for Tool Assisted Speedrun. In general they aren't just "a computer doing a speedrun", but rather a person painstakingly crafting a playthrough that is as perfectly optimized as they are willing to make it through the use of save states, frame by frame inputs, analysis tools and their overall knowlege of the game.

    • @OliverLugg
      @OliverLugg  3 ปีที่แล้ว +201

      Yeah, I was aware of that, although I definitely summarised it poorly. Still using a specific software tool to finesse the game, so I think my (admittedly tenuous) point still stands.

    • @dannadx3840
      @dannadx3840 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      So, pretty much computer doing the speedrun

    • @cerocero2817
      @cerocero2817 3 ปีที่แล้ว +73

      @@dannadx3840 not at all, at that point you could say that playing the game normally is "a computer playing the game" since it is handling your inputs.

    • @ergwertgesrthehwehwejwe
      @ergwertgesrthehwehwejwe 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@cerocero2817 You mad, TAS "speedrunner"?

    • @cerocero2817
      @cerocero2817 3 ปีที่แล้ว +98

      @@ergwertgesrthehwehwejwe yep, you can feel my anger through the computer, the notion that some stranger across the world doesn't understand what a TAS is causes boiling, black vile to overflow my veins, my theeth shatter as I clench my jaws in righteous fury while delivering just retribution in the form of youtube comments, I am mad, and, I am, in fact, a "TAS speedrunner", I do so many TASes everyday that my computer begs for rest.

  • @onceuponaban
    @onceuponaban 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1182

    The definition of morality is getting more scrap. The more scrap you have, the more moral it is.
    Jokes aside, I would like to point out something about the Rebel-friendly colony event where you can steal their supplies. While it does not detract from your overall argument (the Great Eye knows there are plenty more situations like it in the game), one detail throws a wrench in this specific thought experiment: they are a _Rebel_ friendly colony. As in, the same Rebels who are bearing down upon you and will soon pop up into that very system with a giant fleet. If the Rebels care in any way, shape or form about the isolated colony that threw in their lot with them, logic dictates that they soon shouldn't have any supply issues.
    _One way or the other._

    • @jojo-wx8kw
      @jojo-wx8kw 3 ปีที่แล้ว +169

      Actually, I believe that joke is more accurate than you think. The more scrap I have, the more I try to take the morally good options, because I can afford it. If not... well, a rebel-aligned civie transport is a small sacrifice to make to stop the rebels, no?

    • @RaeIsGaee
      @RaeIsGaee 3 ปีที่แล้ว +79

      @@jojo-wx8kw
      Psychologically, the amount of wealth a person has isn't inversely correlated to how likely they are to be charitable. If it were inversely-related, then trickle-down economics would've worked for the last 40 years in the US, but they haven't.
      It's similar to the "two people get some money but each can get more if they backstab the other, but if they both backstab then neither of them gets money." Logically, no one would ever backstab because there's a massive amount of risk to doing so, but the draw of wealth and desire to have that at all costs leads people to trying to backstab.

    • @GigaOtomia
      @GigaOtomia 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      According to this philosophy, gaining ownership of a junkyard is the most moral action. The more junkyards, the more gooder.
      The problem @RaelsGae is talking about is the Prisoner's Dilemma, for what it's worth.

    • @entitxy_4810
      @entitxy_4810 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      eeeeh, problem is that I doubt the IRL military would care too much about making absolute certain civvies are being taken care of, even if it was a small war for oil. ....too close to home?

    • @SaintInsanity02
      @SaintInsanity02 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Maybe they're not unwilling, but unable?

  • @DiploStrats
    @DiploStrats 3 ปีที่แล้ว +537

    I've so many memories of losing crew to giant alien spiders. Am extremely hyped for this!

    • @DiploStrats
      @DiploStrats 3 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      D is clearly the best haircut
      As such I am now an ethical ego...ist? Egotist? Ah well, seems like the best approach for a Diplomacy player anyway :D

    • @OliverLugg
      @OliverLugg  3 ปีที่แล้ว +64

      @@DiploStrats I suddenly feel like most of European history makes a lot more sense.

    • @Ethan_Wheeler
      @Ethan_Wheeler 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Fuck those spiders. All my homies hate giant alien enemy spiders

    • @ChannelMiner
      @ChannelMiner 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      If you have a clone bay, you get your crew member back.
      I've also seen other teal options such as:
      Bio beam and boarding drone

  • @Dominator150395
    @Dominator150395 2 ปีที่แล้ว +82

    20:07 As any Ace Combat player knows: if it gives you points, it's a legal target.

    • @SephirothRyu
      @SephirothRyu 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Ace Combat Zero says otherwise.

  • @pyroinferno000
    @pyroinferno000 3 ปีที่แล้ว +182

    I never considered the actual philosophical aspect of my choices in FTL. When I started playing FTL I was too young to understand the moral implications of my actions, I just knew 'slavery bad', 'spiders bad', 'pirates bad' and so went about my merry way, making certain all of the bad people were converted properly into refined gaming fuel. After a thousand hours I can safely say no event has slipped by unread and no dice roll uninternalized, every run becomes an exact science of ensuring every possible thing goes juuust right. But even still after all I've been through, buying slaves always gives me pause, and I never steal supplies from civilians (unless I press the button too fast but we don't talk about that)

    • @zacknattack
      @zacknattack 3 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      "Hey, cap, there's this rebel ship doing a supply run an-"
      "Take the supplies."
      "Uh alright... Done. Can't help but feel a bit bad for the civilians, though..."
      "Oh."

    • @SeedlingNL
      @SeedlingNL ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I never bought a slave. I attack them, shoot out their O2 and prevent their escape by knocking out navigation and engines. They will surrender when getting low, giving you a free slave if you let them go. Then I take the slave and watch the slavers die of O2 deprivation or fires spreading throughout the ship, if they are unlucky enough :P

    • @celestialtree8602
      @celestialtree8602 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      aw damn accidentally stole supplies from innocents again. oopsies my bad :3

  • @RatboiPlebAnimations
    @RatboiPlebAnimations 3 ปีที่แล้ว +112

    Hey, I appreciate the shoutout! Loved the video, "digging extremely deeply into silly games" is one of my favorite genres of TH-cam vid. Definitely subscribing.

    • @simonnot8487
      @simonnot8487 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Can't wait for more episodes!

  • @Deathnotefan97
    @Deathnotefan97 3 ปีที่แล้ว +296

    I don’t just get emotionally attached to my crew members, I create personalities and subplots for them
    Like the Mantis tomboy Felicity, tough exterior, but actually has low self esteem and doesn’t like that she is the one usually going into fights because of her biology, she also has a massive crush on her childhood friend and ship engineer, Eric the human, who is of course completely oblivious
    Meanwhile we have J’ace the Zoltan, stoic and rarely speaks, but is basically the crew’s big brother, dispensing sage advice and wisdoms whenever they are needed
    But uh oh! I’ve picked up another Mantis crew member on the journey, and he is trying to seduce Felicity, and Eric doesn’t know why that bothers him so much

    • @bestaround3323
      @bestaround3323 3 ปีที่แล้ว +60

      And then everyone died, the end

    • @gaiusjuliuspleaser
      @gaiusjuliuspleaser 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      I just refer to my Mantis crew as 'giant murder bugs', and treat them accordingly.

    • @npc6817
      @npc6817 3 ปีที่แล้ว +49

      and then transfer student shows up with even bigger bonkhonagahoogs. humongous hungolomghononoloughongous

    • @UCXEO5L8xnaMJhtUsuNXhlmQ
      @UCXEO5L8xnaMJhtUsuNXhlmQ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      I think you'd love the game RimWorld. That's actually the core mechanic the entire game was built around, creating a dynamic story out of the randomly made characters

    • @alwest4472
      @alwest4472 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@bestaround3323 boom, story

  • @Superficial_Intelligence
    @Superficial_Intelligence 3 ปีที่แล้ว +272

    An FTL video? In 2021? Now that's something I thought I'd never see.

    • @letter_e8940
      @letter_e8940 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      same here!

    • @Jack_Dab
      @Jack_Dab 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Modding community still going strong on it

    • @Superficial_Intelligence
      @Superficial_Intelligence 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@Jack_Dab Yup, FTL Multiverse is my favorite mod and it's amazing.

    • @Marcharound
      @Marcharound 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Andrew Colunga’s animated series “FTL: The Kestrel Adventures” series is still going in 2021, even after 6 years.

    • @A-A-A-A-A-A
      @A-A-A-A-A-A ปีที่แล้ว

      Same.

  • @michaelsandy2869
    @michaelsandy2869 3 ปีที่แล้ว +151

    One of the "solutions" to the trolley problem is to identify a more serious problem, namely, somebody SET UP the trolley problem intending to force someone to make a choice. Then, the solution is whatever gets you in a better position to stop the mad trolley scientist is the overriding concern. ;)

    • @bestaround3323
      @bestaround3323 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Which is to save the 5 people as 5 lives means 5 more resources

    • @RRW359
      @RRW359 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      No matter what you do the people/person will die before you are able to stop the person who caused it. Therefore the morality of the original person is irrelevant.

    • @michaelsandy2869
      @michaelsandy2869 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@RRW359 To the contrary, the morality of the person who creates the trolley dilemma is paramount, because it is their actions which endanger lives, and will endanger lives in the future. And presumably endanger more lives than are at stake in any one dilemma.

    • @RRW359
      @RRW359 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@michaelsandy2869 Yes and after you deal with the trolley problem you can deal with that, but right now you have a choice to make and assigning blame isn't going to change the fact that you could have saved all those people and/or killed that person.

    • @blamasterk
      @blamasterk 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      nice one =))

  • @carteradams43
    @carteradams43 3 ปีที่แล้ว +88

    35:31
    Quick solution:
    travel inside the sensors to trip them, retreat. Say to the approaching Klingons that you're on a rescue mission for a ship that drifted into the neutral zone, and ask for permission to carry out the mission. If the response is "no", offer them money/resources to tug the stranded ship out themselves.
    While they're at it, ask why they have not already blown up the stranded vessel if it's so deep into Klingon space, and why it's a "neutral" zone if only Klingon ships are allowed in.

    • @npc6817
      @npc6817 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      the klingons were initially on board with helping you but ultimately decided to blow up the Kobyashi-maru exclusively out of spite for your smart-assery. cut the video feed _BEFORE_ mocking your enemy's compassion next time, cadet.

    • @kevint1929
      @kevint1929 3 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      If I recall correctly, the Klingons entered it when they detected Federation ships violating its neutrality, and the Klingons are moving in on the Kobayashi Maru to destroy it

    • @theuncalledfor
      @theuncalledfor ปีที่แล้ว +21

      You are dismissed from Starfleet for the crime of _making sense._

    • @jessh4016
      @jessh4016 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Ah yes, the smart decision: Flaunting and then aggressively restarting negotiations over a treaty that was tenuous at best. Please tell me you're like 14

    • @carteradams43
      @carteradams43 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@jessh4016 *what the actual heck?*
      No, getting the attention of local patrols through the only available means of doing so then respectfully asking for the time to either carry out the mission or giving compensation if they do it for you and thus not further violating the treaty. The only aggression perceivable here would be the immediate opening of communications as the sensors get tripped.
      And ironically bringing up age would make you seem underaged yourself, since you seem to think it holds any relevant value.

  • @Preisalade
    @Preisalade 3 ปีที่แล้ว +58

    "A game is a box - you can think outside of it" was such a nice line

  • @jucom756
    @jucom756 3 ปีที่แล้ว +50

    It would be cool if a morality mod existed that didn't have a single meter, but instead assigned actions different scores for different races. Then you might get all the crewmembers you got from slavers revolting, or every zoltan patrol being instantly hostile when they recognise you etc.

    • @heartfullofpink6605
      @heartfullofpink6605 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      In the multiverse mod, you can gain notoriety within certain factions (including your own, I think) by attacking non-hostile ships of that faction which makes the guard at the faction's hostile to you.
      Also you can straight up murder civilians in some events.

  • @pikazilla6405
    @pikazilla6405 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    I love how the ftl multiverse mod took a relatively undeveloped story and universe and EXPLODED it into several new species several factions within said species a bajillion unique characters of each species, ftl’s bulk of writing being made at the tail end of its development is felt really hard but it’s so fascinating that it left just enough of a base for the ftl multiverse team to take that base and make the rockmen so interesting I can essentially sit and read what is essentially an essay of the life of 1 rockman and his family and how he got banished from his home

  • @MrMoorfrosch
    @MrMoorfrosch 3 ปีที่แล้ว +53

    27:56
    "If you were a truly virtuous person you would dismiss them as soon as they step on board"
    Uhhmm... anyone who is "dismissed" obviously just goes floating out the airlock xD

    • @semajniomet981
      @semajniomet981 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      What if you were at a station or there was a perfectly intact ship they could fly away in?

    • @Mikey-xz4vn
      @Mikey-xz4vn 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      I always assumed dismissal just meant they were dropped off at the nearest settled planet or station near the beacon. Or perhaps are placed in stasis in whatever hammerspace youre storing your dozens of missiles/drone parts/units of ftl fuel. This is why I never feel bad about destroying ships attempting "surrender" because they *could* come aboard as prisoners and let me scrap their ship; fundamentally the "surrender" is just a bribe by any other name.

  • @codeviper8665
    @codeviper8665 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    "Hey so does anyone remember faster than light"
    Dude, I still play it occasionally, of course I remember it!

  • @Atlessa
    @Atlessa 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    "They were surprised at the lack of ship management games." [paraphrased]
    I SO second this sentiment. I love Star Trek, I like the IDEA behind FTL, but there's so much about the game that makes me not enjoy it very much (the difficulty being only the first entry on my list), and the complete lack of ANYTHING similar to it is mind boggling...
    Where my captain-simulators at??

    • @keithyatsko6327
      @keithyatsko6327 ปีที่แล้ว

      You might enjoy Space Haven although I think it is still early access in August of 2023.

  • @ritenger87
    @ritenger87 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I've gotta say: the whole reason I clicked on this video was that great Thumbnail. The mantis piloting the trolley is so good and accurate to FTL it's just brilliant.

  • @peng6220
    @peng6220 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    "Hey, does anyone remember ftl?"
    How could I forget it? Or into the breach?

  • @exudeku
    @exudeku 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    FTL vanilla: oh dear me we will die
    My FTL heavily modded run: oh dear me we will die, but hell, we will die in styl-

  • @icecrystal7965
    @icecrystal7965 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    27:59
    Waitwaitwait
    The sound effect for "dismissing" a crew member is an airlock!

  • @RoamingAdhocrat
    @RoamingAdhocrat 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    I have traumatic memories of spending entire Saturdays playing FTL in my dressing gown in a dearth of executive dysfunction

  • @averybertram9832
    @averybertram9832 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    28:00 you state that moraly speaking dismissal of the newly aquired slave is the best option which sounds good on the surface. However, you may be intrigued to consider the sound effect that plays when you dismiss a crew member… the sound of an airlock opening into space. The dissmiss button just executes people.

  • @piralos1329
    @piralos1329 3 ปีที่แล้ว +120

    "When facing the ultimate evil, all acts are justifiable" seems to be the core issue with FTL: that is, because the internal narrative places the rebel flagship as the ultimate evil (or the final boss), all actions end up becoming moral and justifiable within it. Overall it is still utterly brutal with the decisions when you're first playing, after a while all actions become justifiable in service of the final end goal.
    Not to mention, in a video game morals can often be set to the wayside, because people just want to see what will happen, or will just become murderous because there are no irl consequences - how often on a doomed run do you simply decide to go apeshit?
    This was a really, really great video overall though, thank you! It was a really interesting, and insightful watch!! The one change that I could potentially see, to make the game more difficult ethically speaking, would be to make the rebels less evil. Allow both sides to be understandable, to remove the rebels from being the ultimate evil, and suddenly a whole lot of things would become far more difficult to do.
    A bigger change would be to add the option of joining with the rebels, which would add endlessly more complex ethical questions - loyalty to your old friends vs your moral duty, which moral side do you agree with, what actions are justifiable when both sides might have an argument that someone could agree with and ethically justify?

    • @dr_birb
      @dr_birb 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      Problem is, FTL isn't a story game.
      The story is just a background for the gameplay.
      And yes morally everything you do is justified, as you're on a mission to stop space nazis.

    • @bennyblubman9476
      @bennyblubman9476 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I always used to played FTL with morals. After I got back into it I played faster and on a harder difficulty and no time for morals.

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      " how often on a doomed run do you simply decide to go apeshit? " yeah, just like brexit or something.

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@dr_birb Even if you were not. the survival of the human species is of paramount. we are lucky we didn't saw any other aliens yet, they would probably think the same.
      just go and see how many upper intelligent homonidae is there left ? no other, only us. We already did it, and will do it again.
      Its not about morality, its about survival.
      I don't care they are space nazis or whatever, they must die, so we survive. Because that's the game, and that's the objective, to win.

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      This probably means I trend strongly towards objectivism, and less strongly to egoistic moralism.

  • @RosDalton
    @RosDalton ปีที่แล้ว +1

    ‘Dismissing’ a crewman in the depths of space with no other vehicle or livable area around is just ejecting them into space to die. A dismiss is an execution.

  • @cookies23z
    @cookies23z 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Ftl was and is wonderful :) busy emptying an office right now, but in a few hours I will sit down, relax, drink some wine, and watch another oliver video. Very excited :)
    Love the modding for ftl too, although base game set up a lot of interesting ideas that I would lose a leg for to see implemented in a space rpg

    • @Helperbot-2000
      @Helperbot-2000 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      If you havent tried it you should check out FTL Multiverse, great hard coded mod that makes captains edition look like a minor update!

  • @seastilton7912
    @seastilton7912 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Finding out a new TH-camr I love is from a place very near me is always cool

  • @Chelle_Vibes
    @Chelle_Vibes ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Substantially annoying that someone good at math can be this well written and funny.

  • @Jaydee-wd7wr
    @Jaydee-wd7wr 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    14:23, Now that’s my kind of reference! Good man yourself! (I referenced it under the Darkling Plain video and I’m happy that someone might have got it.)

  • @CraftsmanOfAwsomenes
    @CraftsmanOfAwsomenes 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    The efficacy of strategic bombing is actually pretty debated now. It was at the time as well.
    With that in mind I think the answer would be do nothing, because you're killing civilians either way for dubious benefit toward the push to the ultimate goal.
    I would argue inaction is a decision in itself so I think it's possible for someone working from a more deontological framework to pull the lever. It has to be established whether or not refusal to engage is an action in and of itself.

    • @RRW359
      @RRW359 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That's exactaly what I thought (at least with the School, bombing a factory can actually be useful in war). Whether I think the war justifies destroying the School or not, I wouldn't because all that will do is make the enemy more resolved to defeat you and will hurt the war effort in the long run.

    • @rmsgrey
      @rmsgrey 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The general conclusion from exploring the trolley problem in real life is that people consider taking definite action (pulling the lever) to be in a different category from refusing to act (not pulling the lever).
      So long as you aren't yet engaged in a situation, it's generally acceptable to invoke "somebody else's problem".

  • @eliusswordofblaze8866
    @eliusswordofblaze8866 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    34:40 I always play as peacefully as possible, while it does make the game harder it certainly isn't impossible. As long as you have enough scrap to buy cloaking when it comes up, and have enough DPS to get through the bosses shields, its not that hard to defeat it when you get there.

    • @hedgehog3180
      @hedgehog3180 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Yeah FTL is sorta similar to Frostpunk in that the moral quandaries disappear if you're just good enough at the game, it's easy to forgo a bit of scrap for the more moral option if you're already cruising through the game.

    • @A-A-A-A-A-A
      @A-A-A-A-A-A ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Hard on Engi B: Bonjour

    • @minimumapature3361
      @minimumapature3361 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@A-A-A-A-A-AI will personally commit planetary genocide just to get past that piece of shit

    • @PragmaticAntithesis
      @PragmaticAntithesis 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@hedgehog3180 In a way, that becomes a moral principle in its own right. One's righteousness is limited by one's capabilities, so self-improvement is virtuous.

  • @BlazeMakesGames
    @BlazeMakesGames 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Another part of FTL is that because it’s so zoomed out, it also leaves a lot up to the imagination, which makes it easier to fill in the gaps with your choice of moral philosophy. When a slave joins your crew, of course you free them, but when they ask what your mission is, they want to help you defeat the xenophobes and naturally join your crew willingly. You control their every action but that’s just an abstraction of giving orders and them carrying them out to the best of their ability, it’s just that you’re technically playing as not just the captain, but every member of the crew at once. Etc etc.

  • @Rolepgeek
    @Rolepgeek 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A video essay analyzingng philosophy and video games? Inject that directly into my veins, please

  • @danielguy3581
    @danielguy3581 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Related to your discussion of Jubert's game writing often involving themes of philosophy and identity: the FTL AE ship optimized for sending out crew members to board, fight and die on other ships, then be cloned back on yours, is called the 'Theseus'.
    Also, I'd like to point out Ma and Davis released AE for free, when they could have easily made millions off it (I haven't looked up sales figures, but considering Subset's a tiny indie company founded by them, we're probably talking about a big amount of millions going directly to their pockets). They repeated this with Into the Breach later.

  • @gleep23
    @gleep23 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm not a great fan of indie games, I dabble, but still like to be aware of what is out there, so I watched a few FTL videos. This video however has convinced me to give the game a try (next Steam sale). Also, fun and interesting philosophy video. I'm enjoying your channel man! Cheers.

  • @Myserval
    @Myserval 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    babe wake up new oliver lugg video essay

  • @ThePCguy17
    @ThePCguy17 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Something interesting I discovered: surrenders are actually useful sometimes. You get more scrap from destroying a ship, but you still get some from surrenders, and you get more of everything else. If you're low on, say, fuel (a common experience for me) you can find yourself being 'merciful' simply out of necessity. And there are times when you just have so much scrap you've stopped caring about getting more, especially in later sectors. Sure, I'm not being nice because of morals in these situations, but then I noticed that by doing this I took less hull damage too. Usually ships surrender right before their weapons finish charging. Basically, 'accept our surrender or lose ~5 hull durability.' One last act of spite if you refuse? An accident of programming? Who could say.
    I certainly don't usually weigh the morals of surrender acceptance anymore, but I think reducing the calculation down to 'I need scrap, I accept no surrender' is a mistake. The equation is a LOT more complicated than that even if you've played enough for the morals to have faded from the picture.

    • @rmsgrey
      @rmsgrey 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Of course, the most efficient option is generally to kill the crew but not the ship (except for automated drones, which can cause problems, and the Rebel Flagship which has an evil autopilot) - that way you get more of pretty much everything than if you destroy the ship.
      Which is morally worse? Blowing up a ship (thereby killing everyone aboard) or murdering the crew individually?

    • @theuncalledfor
      @theuncalledfor ปีที่แล้ว

      @@rmsgrey
      They're all rebel scum. Any outcome that flays their skin off their flesh is morally superior to any outcome where they live.
      Besides, slaying the monsters personally means my crew gets to enjoy bathing in their blood. Or watching them burn and suffocate from afar.

  • @wittyson
    @wittyson 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great video! You inspired me to get all 4 Mortal Engines books and now I suppose to return to FTL once again! Keep making vids, cant wait for the into the breach video, also an amazing game!

  • @tonyhakston536
    @tonyhakston536 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    1. E, pull the lever as the trolley goes over the switch track, either jamming it or leaving who dies to chance
    2. E, Tell the man my idea, push him if he shows no concern for the people on the track OR if he asks me to push him, otherwise let him be.
    3. E, Ask for a bribe, THEN lie and tip off the police
    4. N/A, I’m not flying a bomber plane because I don’t trust myself to operate a vehicle
    5. N/A, I plan on none of these things
    6. N/A, all these haircuts are bad

  • @olly123451
    @olly123451 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    This is great ☺️ I just started replaying this the day before I saw it appear as a premier on here!

  • @Harbinger_Raven
    @Harbinger_Raven ปีที่แล้ว +1

    bro i was literally thinking about her when you faded her in with the egoism thing lol

  • @harrisonfackrell
    @harrisonfackrell 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The "DEVS CONFIRMED UTILITARIANS?" sting is one of the best jokes I've heard in the last two months.

  • @Sudo_Nimh
    @Sudo_Nimh 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    "In Mass Effect you can load a save, in FTL you Kant" Man this guy's really harping on Emmanuel Kant

  • @SocialDownclimber
    @SocialDownclimber 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    The Multiverse mod has really carried on the tradition of philosophical engagement. Can't recommend it highly enough. As much of a dilemma as the giant alien spider sector or the Jerome protectorate are, nothing poses more questions than the cloner cannon (!)

    • @Atherach
      @Atherach 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      The best thing in relation to this video is the notority system, while yes it doesn't have many use, if you do to much bad thing you will get consequences like friendly guard attacking you on seight or store refusing to trade, even if it is for "the greater good"
      If you general notority is to high even Tully and the federation at sector 8 will simply refuse to help even tho they are well aware of your mission

  • @dieSpinnt
    @dieSpinnt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The hairstyle choice question is unethical in itself.
    4 dead-old *man* styles? It lacks the answer E: none :P
    Thanks for the great video, Oliver!:)

  • @ndb6ndk99
    @ndb6ndk99 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Just found your channel via my introduction to the game Diplomacy. Plus you have multipule videos on one of my favorite games ever. Cheers mate, looking forward to watching

  • @theencolony5595
    @theencolony5595 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    2 years late, but a 45 minute essay on one of my favorite games of all time, thank you! ^^

  • @renovatioimperii9205
    @renovatioimperii9205 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    that part about philosophy, with the fourth choice made me recoil in disgust
    but it also reminded me of my favorite quote ever : "Saint Petersburg in revolt gave us Vladimir Nabokov, Isaiah Berlin, and Ayn Rand. The first was a novelist, the second a philosopher. The third was neither but thought she was both." - Corey Robin

  • @tomthecat9546
    @tomthecat9546 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    you are surely the best channel under 20 thousand subs on all of youtube ! Keep up the good work!

  • @jordanpickering6912
    @jordanpickering6912 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I think you might be interested in SMT: Nocturne, the ethics are very interesting and has a big message about needing nuance in descions, not just picking the options it gives you

  • @UCXEO5L8xnaMJhtUsuNXhlmQ
    @UCXEO5L8xnaMJhtUsuNXhlmQ 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I've only seen two of your videos, this and the 5d diplomacy video and both are absolute bangers, definitely subscribing

  • @exu7325
    @exu7325 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    More like, FTL: Gambling Problems in Space.

  • @smileyp4535
    @smileyp4535 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love the editing and titles very well done
    Edit: and of course so is the whole video, I'm just very impressed (as always) with your visuals and editing. Overall always love your stuff!

  • @WedgeKahr
    @WedgeKahr 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Where my multi-track drifting gang?

  • @cookies23z
    @cookies23z 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    1) the disclaimer is golden, but you cant tell me what to do, im using your videos in the education section of my resumes
    2) the monte trolly problem... genius

    • @XxXValtenXxX
      @XxXValtenXxX ปีที่แล้ว

      Never really understood the Monty Hall problem myself. The existence of the dilemma means your original choice was already a 50/50. Making the choice again still changes nothing.

  • @eirikrcopeland8683
    @eirikrcopeland8683 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    dismissing them is the good option? i didn't know murder by forceing one out of the airlock is so virtuous

  • @spectro742
    @spectro742 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Your crew leaves in captain's edition if you go through with stealing / attacking neutral ships.

    • @spectro742
      @spectro742 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Oh shit you cover this in the video.

  • @overtoast1105
    @overtoast1105 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Wow, this is like the dark souls of game design analysis viewed through contemporary philosophical ideoligy video essays.

    • @ashtongiertz8728
      @ashtongiertz8728 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Ah, I see you are a game journalist.

  • @untainted_snail819
    @untainted_snail819 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is the second video I have seen where you make a Q-base joke. Keep up the consistency, my man! 10/10 comedy.

  • @cryptosporidium1203
    @cryptosporidium1203 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This reminds me a lot of the game Frostpunk, which is all about how far you're willing to go to make sure that Humanity survives.

  • @asrielinator
    @asrielinator 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    As of right now, I have 309 hours in FTL, and this video really sheds light on why FTL is such a good game. Not just the mechanics, but the story writing and ethical dilemmas posed in FTL are fascinating, and some I did not think about on an advanced level until I watched this video. Thank you for making this!

  • @kras_mazov
    @kras_mazov 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    People answering D usually consider their point of view (which is not actually D) so obvious, that it's not even worth discussing (in some cases thinking) about.

  • @jessh4016
    @jessh4016 ปีที่แล้ว

    It's good to see them developing really responsibly the whole time! Setting a time limit, using placeholders, etc.

  • @LtCaveman
    @LtCaveman 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    FTL will always be a fun game to go back to. That's the hallmark of great game design. I love it so much

  • @alexanderhart8676
    @alexanderhart8676 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Don’t forget the series FTL Kestrel Adventures. It’s a wonderful series.

    • @Divisor82
      @Divisor82 ปีที่แล้ว

      And it even finally became a complete series four months ago.

  • @duncanmackenzie321
    @duncanmackenzie321 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    My main memory of this game was endlessly creating new games to get the right layout of system types to unlock the crystal ship, only to inevitably not get the event :')

  • @esther9276
    @esther9276 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    i demand a full version of the MilkyWay cat cover

  • @Jaydee-wd7wr
    @Jaydee-wd7wr 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    33:42, A poem for FTL too?! You have some good references indeed.

  • @mapor4705
    @mapor4705 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Let's just say whenever I play FTL I'm constantly repeating the phrase "It's just a game" in my head to get over the fact that I'm doing hella warcrimes

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      me IRL when I do things I consider wrong, but they aren't technically illegal. governments are just a game. why isn't this illegal, that must be wrong, but I'm still exploiting the game mechanics to my advantage.

    • @agusti92
      @agusti92 ปีที่แล้ว

      the way I separate myself from all the terrible stuff my captain orders, is by determining that the captain truly believes that the war against the rebels is just and the Galaxy is at stake, therefore justifiying to himself a completely utilitarian approach. Essentially, I roleplay as his character.
      Me, on the other hand, I am not convinced that we have a reliable narrator, and that an unrerormed Federation really is the best outcome for the Galaxy.

  • @bekcorvus823
    @bekcorvus823 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    by having thoughts and talking about philosophy that does make you a philosopher

  • @nataliealper-leroux631
    @nataliealper-leroux631 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I’ve only just started playing FTL, but I find the way the setting and the game mechanics affect moral choices ends up reinforcing a narrative, rather than detracting from it (whether this was the intended narrative is unclear, but that’s probably on purpose tbh). Hear me out: when you start the game, you are a small human-crewed Federation vessel fleeing an advancing army in a desperate retreat. How long would it take for the ideals you hold onto as a Federation species to fall by the wayside as you try to maybe not die so much this time? You might, as I did, start a run by trying to make choices that feel “morally right” according to whatever ethic is implied by calling an interstellar government a Federation; as time goes on, though, ideals of any kind matter less and less as the fabric of that interstellar government and the stability it provides erode with each system lost, and with each ouch deeper into hostile territory. So yeah, it may not be ethically consistent, but it’s fertile ground for narrative complexity supported by its game mechanics in a medium that tends to widely oversimplify morality anyway.
    TLDR; I feel like the de-emphasis on ethical decision-making supports the game’s storytelling in the long run. Super ready to be proven wrong after logging 200 hours in game tho!

    • @theuncalledfor
      @theuncalledfor ปีที่แล้ว

      It helps me personally that I consider "the best decision I can afford" to be the morally right one.
      Yeah, buying a slave might be bad, but it's better than losing the war and having a bajillion alien people become slaves to the rebels. Besides, if we live through this, they've earned their freedom.
      Buying a slave is very rarely the optimal play anyway.

  • @RelativelyBest
    @RelativelyBest ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Just a nitpick: In your virus dilemma the test subjects are volunteers who are presumably aware of the risks. Also, it's not guaranteed that any lasting harm will come to them. In the trolley problem, the people on the tracks are at least heavily implied to not be there voluntarily, and there will be casualties no matter what you do. These two scenarios don't compare well, is what I'm saying.
    Anyway for the slaver dilemma, the best choice is obviously to fire on the ship and then take one slave for free. That way at least one of them is liberated, you don't support the slave trade, and nobody dies. This is the optimal outcome in regards to how much good I can do in this situation. However, since I wouldn't know ahead of time they'd offer a free slave as tribute, I would probably have just ignored the slavers rather than kill the slaves by destroying the ship. In that case I'm simply not making the problem worse, which will have to suffice.
    For the rebel dilemma, the best thing would be if you could defeat them and then hand the supplies to the civilians. If that's not an option, well, apparently the rebels are dangerous fundamentalist xenophobes who need to be stopped. And, really, the civilians shouldn't be associating with that sort of people in the first place. So, yeah, I guess I'd just do my job.

  • @OlaftheGreat
    @OlaftheGreat ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I, too, forgot what this video was about because I was so invested in the lecture on ethical philosophy.
    I don't know what's wrong with me

  • @richreper4375
    @richreper4375 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    5:07
    ... Beverly...
    I couldnt help myself from hearing it, I just recently rewatched the next generation and yes, this scene stuck out in my mind over everything else. Love yall

  • @three_seashells
    @three_seashells 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I've never played FTL, but I totally adored the story and ideas explored in The Swapper, Talos Principle and Subnautica when I played them. I never thought to look for a common thread between them - I had no idea who Tom Jubert was until this video! Thank you.

  • @anarchosnowflakist786
    @anarchosnowflakist786 ปีที่แล้ว

    for the whole video I wanted to say what you mentioned at the very end about the fact that you can always think outside the box ! I guess I'm not very patient lol, great video btw

  • @Googolplexed
    @Googolplexed 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Another wonderfully captivating video

  • @prototypelq8574
    @prototypelq8574 ปีที่แล้ว

    I can`t NOT subscribe after essay of This high quality. Incredible job

  • @UnproductiveSunbeam
    @UnproductiveSunbeam 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very good! Thank you for making this, I really appreciated it

  • @johnturner7790
    @johnturner7790 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Flip the lever, then try to untie the one person because that's faster than untying 3 people (assuming the 1st one you untie can also help, otherwise it's 5)
    Don't push the man, he may not stop the trolley & then it kills 6 instead of 5
    Tell the truth if you like your friend's odds in that fight, lie if you like yours better
    Bomb the munitions factory, it's a military target & "morale boost" kills backfire unless they're unimaginably devistating (HMS Hood, Pearl Harbor, and the Alamo VS Hiroshima)
    Parts of all 4 in moderation
    I'd prefer a cowboy hat. . .

  • @UberFacundia
    @UberFacundia 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    such a solid video!! so well done, hope your channel takes off :)

  • @Tobi_Triskelion
    @Tobi_Triskelion 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Beat it twice with the 'always be a good boy' approach. Actual. Nightmare.

  • @swankypants9366
    @swankypants9366 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is probably the best reminder I've gotten to play a game. Good video.

  • @potatoheadpokemario1931
    @potatoheadpokemario1931 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I thought the neutral zone was a tready with romulans, not kligons

  • @I_Am_Kas
    @I_Am_Kas ปีที่แล้ว

    Amazing video!
    Wish I'd've found it when it came out as I spent a lot of time actually making the moral choices in the game and enjoying it as a narrative.

  • @ComradePhoenix
    @ComradePhoenix 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I do appreciate the point towards the end that there are more than a small handful of choices, that there is room for more creative thinking about ethical dilemmas. For instance, in the trolley problem, I choose to flip the lever right as the trolley is crossing the switch, thereby derailing it, so that nobody dies.

  • @coreblaster6809
    @coreblaster6809 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    It's insane how catered to my interests this channel is

  • @Chelle_Vibes
    @Chelle_Vibes ปีที่แล้ว +1

    When the math nerd actually paid attention in language arts

  • @fnutarf2085
    @fnutarf2085 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The problem lies in seing a morally obligated responsibility for the actions of others, in that case not stopping a slave trade would be as bad as not knowing that it existed in the first place, which you should be hard to blame you for.
    It's like telling you how evil you are for bying a car when corporate lobbying has made it impossible to live without one.

  • @danthespaceman9747
    @danthespaceman9747 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    *We Will Not Accept Surrender!* (in Stereotypical German Accent)

  • @kensvideos1
    @kensvideos1 ปีที่แล้ว

    I've never had a "favourite" creator, but you won the title with the Kestrel nonsequator.

  • @TsubataLately
    @TsubataLately ปีที่แล้ว

    I watch just enough astrophysics videos and random video game content that I honestly had no idea what to expect from this when I clicked on it.

  • @Fraggerman222
    @Fraggerman222 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    ugh >_< wonderful editing btw, got a lot of professionalism that shines through, hope more people watch, you're hitting above your weight class if you push it you can for sure rein in more people, well done!

  • @Romanticanime4ever
    @Romanticanime4ever 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I wrote my master's thesis on ludonarrative balance and I wish I'd seen "Gameplay is Story's Bitch" back then

  • @Kalpen_
    @Kalpen_ 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This continues to be a simply excellent video, 10/10 mate

  • @StarshadowMelody
    @StarshadowMelody 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Does Buzzfeed only let you add four answers to a question? My answer to the axe madman problem would be "Kill the madman to protect my friend. Preferably slowly." Comically reckless, and the best way to do it would be to steal the madman's axe from him, then use that.

    • @StarshadowMelody
      @StarshadowMelody 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Also none of those hairstyles are paticularly feminine so none of them are paticularly good matches for me but either A or B. A makes me think of a mad scientist, and B has curly bits.
      Probably A, honestly.

  • @acompletelynormalhuman6392
    @acompletelynormalhuman6392 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    10:39 due to the fact that they lose all skills when they died I assume that their Consciousness is not preserved and only basic knowledge like a language is "reprogrammed"