Space Rangers 2 GAME OF THE YEAR

[Fidatelo]

I've been intrigued by this thread for years, this new price has finally convinced me to give it a go. Hopefully I get some time to play over the next few weeks, it looks fun!

[Izulde]

Not part of the company's lineup or SR2 , but Hollywood Pictures 2 is really tempting me.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Not part of the company's lineup or SR2 , but Hollywood Pictures 2 is really tempting me.

Same here. I wish I knew more about it.

[Flasch186]

yeah, wth is that. Im tempted too, any guinea pigs out there?

[MrBug708]

Iam downloading this game (SR2), the price cant be beat! Is it like Escape Velocity at all?

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Not part of the company's lineup or SR2 , but Hollywood Pictures 2 is really tempting me.

Saw it awhile ago and went looking for reviews. The User Score on GameSpot is pretty bad (16 votes, 3.9 average). The two reviews written by the users don't tell you anything useful, though. They look like they were written by 12 year olds (which is typical of user reviews, I suppose.) But I couldn't find anyone saying anything good about it, so I passed on it.

[Ajaxab]

It looks like the game can be installed without Starforce based on a previous post, but does this download still have Starforce come with it?

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

It looks like the game can be installed without Starforce based on a previous post, but does this download still have Starforce come with it?

I'm not going to claim to be an authority, but the Googling I did indicated that the Impulse version of SR2 does not contain Starforce.

[Flasch186]

im playing it now and hadnt noticed any Starforce stuff.

[chesapeake]

I'm looking for the manual for the game and coming up dry on google. Does anyone have it or can they point me to it?

[WheelsVT]

Saw this thread a little too late. Now I'm interested but it's back up to 19.99. I should get it from totalgaming.net right?

[MizzouRah]

Hello.. 3 hours just went by..

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

I'm looking for the manual for the game and coming up dry on google. Does anyone have it or can they point me to it?

Go here: C:\Program Files\Cinemaware\Space Rangers 2 Complete

Click on manual.exe

[WheelsVT]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Hello.. 3 hours just went by..

Downloading from D2D right now... wondering if I'll sleep tonight. HA!

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by WheelsVT

Downloading from D2D right now... wondering if I'll sleep tonight. HA!

I'm sooo tired tonight... I want to click on the shortcut.. but NOOOOOOO!!!

[Icy]

Finally forgot to buy it at the discounted price as NHL9 online still has the 100% of my gaming time (i can't remember a worse addiction to a game in years).

I know i would enjoy this game and will end buying it, but it's never the right time for it.

[Fidatelo]

I played for the second time last night. I'm through the basic tutorial missions and kind of on my own. I visited Venus and got to play some kind of robot war simulation, it was like an RTS. I'm not sure I was a fan of it, but it could just be that I didn't really understand how best to build and direct my robots as the instructions were less than ideal.

Great game though, I'm definitely enjoying it so far.

[thesloppy]

I've probably put 80 hours into Space Rangers 2, but I have yet to play a single of the RTS missions, I just refuse 'em immediately. Not an RTS fan, and I have no desire to interupt the turn-based goodness with a tagged-on RTS. Am I missing anything?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I've probably put 80 hours into Space Rangers 2, but I have yet to play a single of the RTS missions, I just refuse 'em immediately. Not an RTS fan, and I have no desire to interupt the turn-based goodness with a tagged-on RTS. Am I missing anything?

You're not missing anything. If you like RTS games, those missions are decent enough, but they're not worth the time if that's not your style. I played them a couple of times, and I found that I didn't enjoy them as much as the turn-based game. I declined all the RTS missions after that.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

You're not missing anything. If you like RTS games, those missions are decent enough, but they're not worth the time if that's not your style. I played them a couple of times, and I found that I didn't enjoy them as much as the turn-based game. I declined all the RTS missions after that.

If you decline the RTS stuff, what kinds of things are left for you to do? I think I'm a little confused right now as to what I'm supposed to be doing with myself in the game. I have this friend who follows me around, which is cool, but, other than waiting on the probe we left on Mercury, we don't really have any stuff going on anymore.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

If you decline the RTS stuff, what kinds of things are left for you to do? I think I'm a little confused right now as to what I'm supposed to be doing with myself in the game. I have this friend who follows me around, which is cool, but, other than waiting on the probe we left on Mercury, we don't really have any stuff going on anymore.

This may sound like a cop-out, but you can pretty much do whatever you want. You can go on trading runs and make some money, or you can go shoot down pirates (or even be a pirate if you want). You could also go to some planets and talk to their governors, and they might give you some missions to do.

Of course, the "goal" of the game is to destroy the Dominators, but you don't necessarily have to do that. If you're still pretty early in the game, you're not going to be powerful enough to handle the Dominators. If you want to go that route eventually, you may want to head to a sector that's recently been cleared of Dominators and try to pick up spare parts that may have been left behind when their ships were destroyed. You can then sell them or turn them in for research.

The RTS missions don't advance the game at all. They're just additional ways to earn rewards and build your reputation. You can do those things through the turn-based game or the several text missions that you can pick up from planet governors.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

You're not missing anything. If you like RTS games, those missions are decent enough, but they're not worth the time if that's not your style. I played them a couple of times, and I found that I didn't enjoy them as much as the turn-based game. I declined all the RTS missions after that.

I almost agree. The very first mission is really easy as the enemy doesn't come after you or rebuild. It's good for some easy experience and cash and it's a nice little boost in the very early games. I try to it before finishing the tutorial which really helps.


{spoiler]
















It takes a bit to get used to but just build the most expensive robot you can with the strongest weapons. Make sure you choose a mortar and a stunner and a repair gun.

Build away, move up. Take manual control of the lead guy and start shooting
the turrets from range. They never shoot back as they never see you. The enemy will come after you and start shooting you but your backup guys will shoot them back ( stunning them too ) and/or repair you. Kill the ones your buddies don't and hit the next turret.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Takes about 10 minutes and I haven't lost a guy in ages on this battle. I get my loot for this and then turn off rts forever.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

This may sound like a cop-out, but you can pretty much do whatever you want. You can go on trading runs and make some money, or you can go shoot down pirates (or even be a pirate if you want). You could also go to some planets and talk to their governors, and they might give you some missions to do.

Of course, the "goal" of the game is to destroy the Dominators, but you don't necessarily have to do that. If you're still pretty early in the game, you're not going to be powerful enough to handle the Dominators. If you want to go that route eventually, you may want to head to a sector that's recently been cleared of Dominators and try to pick up spare parts that may have been left behind when their ships were destroyed. You can then sell them or turn them in for research.

The RTS missions don't advance the game at all. They're just additional ways to earn rewards and build your reputation. You can do those things through the turn-based game or the several text missions that you can pick up from planet governors.

How do I know if a ship is a pirate? I see other ships flying around, will pirates have little black skull and crossbones flags or anything? Where do I get trade missions from?

Also, is there a penalty for taking too long to do things? For example, if I just fly around in space for a couple years worth of game time, will my ranger career be negatively impacted? I've been harvesting materials that I see floating around in space, but it always takes a few turns to collect them and I'm worried that I'm wasting precious time or something.

The other thing I haven't figured out is all the different pieces for my ship. Every weapon or module seems to have the same name, but sometimes different values? I got some kind of module last night that has some bonuses to my engine or something, but I can't figure out how to attach it to my ship at all. So it sits in my hold, and I'm not sure if that helps me out at all or not. I also have a little notification saying that I own some property that isn't on my ship, but I don't know why it's not on my ship or how to get it on there (or even if I do want it on there).

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

How do I know if a ship is a pirate? I see other ships flying around, will pirates have little black skull and crossbones flags or anything? Where do I get trade missions from?

Scan them.

The other thing I haven't figured out is all the different pieces for my ship. Every weapon or module seems to have the same name, but sometimes different values? I got some kind of module last night that has some bonuses to my engine or something, but I can't figure out how to attach it to my ship at all. So it sits in my hold, and I'm not sure if that helps me out at all or not. I also have a little notification saying that I own some property that isn't on my ship, but I don't know why it's not on my ship or how to get it on there (or even if I do want it on there).

Click on the module and the box that lights up on the ship model is where it goes. Move it there

As for property, fly to the planet it's on and on the left side of the screen, there are cargo boxes. This is what you have on planet. Click on it and move it to the ship.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

How do I know if a ship is a pirate? I see other ships flying around, will pirates have little black skull and crossbones flags or anything? Where do I get trade missions from?

Axxon is right about scanning the ships. Unfortunately, I don't remember how to scan a ship. It's been a while since I played. Maybe just click on them or something? I forget. Anyway, most pirates actually have the word "Pirate" in their name, so they're pretty easy to spot. If you see them chasing another ship around, that's a pretty good clue, too.

I don't think there are really trade missions. When I mentioned trading, I just meant buying low at one planet and selling high at another. Occasionally, the news ticker will mention that certain planets are buying or selling a particular product at an outrageous price. If you're close to that planet, it's time to swoop in.

Also, is there a penalty for taking too long to do things? For example, if I just fly around in space for a couple years worth of game time, will my ranger career be negatively impacted? I've been harvesting materials that I see floating around in space, but it always takes a few turns to collect them and I'm worried that I'm wasting precious time or something.

There's no tangible penalty. I mean, the Dominators get stronger and stronger as the game progresses, but a couple of years isn't going to make much difference. It's good to explore!

This may be a silly question on my part, but you do know about the different sectors, right? You don't have to hang out around Mercury, Venus, Earth, etc. forever. There's a huge universe to explore, as long as you have the engine and the fuel to get from one sector to another. If you bring up the map (I think it's the M key), you can see all the different places that are out there.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Axxon

Scan them.

Click on the module and the box that lights up on the ship model is where it goes. Move it there

As for property, fly to the planet it's on and on the left side of the screen, there are cargo boxes. This is what you have on planet. Click on it and move it to the ship.

When I clicked on the module none of the boxes lit up. What does that mean?

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Axxon is right about scanning the ships. Unfortunately, I don't remember how to scan a ship. It's been a while since I played. Maybe just click on them or something? I forget. Anyway, most pirates actually have the word "Pirate" in their name, so they're pretty easy to spot. If you see them chasing another ship around, that's a pretty good clue, too.

I don't think there are really trade missions. When I mentioned trading, I just meant buying low at one planet and selling high at another. Occasionally, the news ticker will mention that certain planets are buying or selling a particular product at an outrageous price. If you're close to that planet, it's time to swoop in.


There's no tangible penalty. I mean, the Dominators get stronger and stronger as the game progresses, but a couple of years isn't going to make much difference. It's good to explore!

This may be a silly question on my part, but you do know about the different sectors, right? You don't have to hang out around Mercury, Venus, Earth, etc. forever. There's a huge universe to explore, as long as you have the engine and the fuel to get from one sector to another. If you bring up the map (I think it's the M key), you can see all the different places that are out there.

Thanks for the tips. I didn't realise that the Dominators get stronger as time passes. Is it conceivable that the Dominators could take over the galaxy and kill off you and every other Ranger if all you did was fly around in space for a long time?

I did know about the other sectors, although aside from flying to one as part of my training I haven't visited any of them yet. I'm a little gun shy with these open ended games, I tend to like having my hand-held a little bit more.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

When I clicked on the module none of the boxes lit up. What does that mean?

It probably means that the module is incompatible with your ship's hull. If I remember correctly, every hull is made by one of the five races or by the Dominators. Some (maybe all) equipment only works with hulls made by the same race, so if you have a Maloq hull, you may not be able to put a Peleng module in it, for instance. You can tell which race made a module by the little colored icon next to the module's stats when you hover your mouse pointer over it.

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Thanks for the tips. I didn't realise that the Dominators get stronger as time passes. Is it conceivable that the Dominators could take over the galaxy and kill off you and every other Ranger if all you did was fly around in space for a long time?

I did know about the other sectors, although aside from flying to one as part of my training I haven't visited any of them yet. I'm a little gun shy with these open ended games, I tend to like having my hand-held a little bit more.

Yes, it is certainly conceivable that the Dominators could eliminate everyone. They come out with some really, really scary ships after several years. Not trying to spoil anything, but I once ran into a dominator ship that was bigger than a planet, and it was fast as hell. It was able to kill me in one or two shots. It had a bunch of friends with it, too. I didn't stand a chance.

I don't think the Dominators would always win if you never joined the battles, though. After all, you're just one guy. I don't think you could completely stop them by yourself. You could certainly do your part to slow them down, though. It really is satisfying when you destroy a Dominator all by yourself, even if it's just a little one.

In order to make money and get better equipment, you'll have to travel around to different places. There's only so much that you can get one place. It's a bit intimidating at first, but you'll learn as you go.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

It probably means that the module is incompatible with your ship's hull. If I remember correctly, every hull is made by one of the five races or by the Dominators. Some (maybe all) equipment only works with hulls made by the same race, so if you have a Maloq hull, you may not be able to put a Peleng module in it, for instance. You can tell which race made a module by the little colored icon next to the module's stats when you hover your mouse pointer over it.


Yes, it is certainly conceivable that the Dominators could eliminate everyone. They come out with some really, really scary ships after several years. Not trying to spoil anything, but I once ran into a dominator ship that was bigger than a planet, and it was fast as hell. It was able to kill me in one or two shots. It had a bunch of friends with it, too. I didn't stand a chance.

I don't think the Dominators would always win if you never joined the battles, though. After all, you're just one guy. I don't think you could completely stop them by yourself. You could certainly do your part to slow them down, though. It really is satisfying when you destroy a Dominator all by yourself, even if it's just a little one.

In order to make money and get better equipment, you'll have to travel around to different places. There's only so much that you can get one place. It's a bit intimidating at first, but you'll learn as you go.

That sounds really cool! When you died, was that it? Game over? Does the game last forever, or is it like Civilization where there is a definite ending (you die or you win)?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

That sounds really cool! When you died, was that it? Game over? Does the game last forever, or is it like Civilization where there is a definite ending (you die or you win)?

Yeah, if you die, that's the end of the game. Saving your game often is essential.

I'm not really sure if the game has an ending. I am trying to think of a possible win condition, and I can't come up with one. I guess you could be the #1 ranked ranger in the universe, but the game wouldn't end there. You'd still be able to continue. The only thing I can think of is that an ending must involve the Dominators somehow. Either they are completely destroyed or they take over every sector of the universe. I don't know. Either case would take many game years, and you wouldn't have to get involved personally in either one.

The short answer is that I really don't know.

[WheelsVT]

It seems it auto-saves when you visit a planet. So if you die you can start from what was most likely a few minutes prior. Good luck if you've got guys waiting to destroy you right outside the space port though.

I've played for a several late night-morning sessions now. I found that trade runs didn't give me much (b/c I couldn't store a lot of cargo). Plus, pirates kept catching me and forcing me to give them a lot of money to not be destroyed. It was frustrating... very.

THEN, I realized I could take stimulants at a medical station that increased my ship speed and mobility just enough that I could outrun the occational pirate. With a little cash I then bought a droid that repairs my ship while flying around, and realized I left my missle launcher on Earth. Now I could complete some good missions and fend off pirates.

Right now I'm into upgrading the ship. I kept looking for a good hull and finally found one that was enhanced to outright block 10 damage, and with my enhanced droid I could now take people on! Killed my first dominator today. He was invading and didn't have the swarm that you find in dominator controlled systems.

Addictive game so far!

[mauchow]

There is an end game, kill all the dominators.. Not sure how that isn't easily known.

Anyhow, as far as the RTS Robot game goes. I absolutely LOOOOVED those games. They get so much harder as you go so it's suh-weet! I'm a fan of the Warcraft series, Command & Conquer, bla bla bla.. so that probably helps.

[wahoomac]

If you want to keep pirates from attacking you, get your shield % up, so their scanners can't scan you (to know how weak or powerful you are). I love the game, I play the RTS parts, just for a change of pace. Some of the text-based missions are pretty hard, and some of the writing is somewhat hard to understand sometimes, but it is a well-designed open-ended game.

[WheelsVT]

After some dominator hunting I found I had spent all my money on repairs and reloads. I was nearly stranded in a system. Found a planet that offered me an RTS mission and had a blast! Took me an hour to beat it. A great change-up.

[Edward64]

I had the starforce version and played it earlier this year. I recently bought the stardock impulse version last month and I have been playing SR2 again. I am impressed at how it has hooked me again.

Definitely one of my top 10 computer games.

[WheelsVT]

I've been hooked, and also hooked my dad and brother on it too. I wish the trading part was a little more lucrative or they had more than the standard list of goods, but that's a minor complaint. It does enough to keep you afloat between big missions. The rest of the game has been a blast so far.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by WheelsVT

I wish the trading part was a little more lucrative or they had more than the standard list of goods, but that's a minor complaint.

You can modify how lucrative trading is at the beginning of the game, as part of the difficulty sliders, when you create your character.

[Edward64]

Okay, I think I am at the tail end of the game. Militarily we control 80+ and I jumped into a system with one of the cubes and promptly got my butt handed to me.

My tactic has been load up on missile launchers (the F series), jump in, have them chase me off the radar where I can do mano-to-mano (for the most part) with the fastest ships and then ultimately destroy them and pick things up. When I do return back to the system, other rangers will have joined the fight and it would be a mopping up exercise then.

With the cube, it looks as if it regenerate more enemy ships? I run low on missiles and or my engine gets damaged and I am toast.

What are your strategies on taking out the big boys by yourself? or do you always need to have others with you?

[bhlloy]

Finally broke down and bought this game. Seems like fun so far, but the issue with ships just landing at a planet for repairs every time they enter combat drives me insane to the point I'm not sure I can get past it. Am I doing something wrong?

Scenario goes like this - somebody asks me to help them attack a pirate, I attack for a couple of rounds, pirate gets under 200 structure and lands at nearby planet for repairs. Rinse and repeat. I'm not sure how the hell you ever kill anything... do you just have to get far enough in the game to get good enough weapons that you can kill things in < 2-3 turns?

IMO this one is crying out for a turn based battle mode like some other space sim games have where you can try and retreat if your ship is fast enough, but it's a risk/reward thing. To me, the amount of damage you can do in a turn compared to how far you can travel in a turn makes combat absolutely no fun at all.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

do you just have to get far enough in the game to get good enough weapons that you can kill things in < 2-3 turns?

Yes.....OR catch them far enough away from a planet that you have more than 2-3 turns to plink at them, or get high enough charisma that you can hire a henchman (or two or three) to pile on with you, or there are some weapons/artifacts/etc available that slow down opponents (or speed yourself up) adding up to an extra turn or two, or you can just wait for them to keep landing and repairing and eventually they'll run out of money.

Basically combat is a big challenge in the early going, and you're going to have to pick your battles (or just avoid them altogether) until you can get yourself at least 3 decent weapons, at which point things'll get a little bit easier. If you're trying to plink away at people with one or two weapons, or a bunch of lasers, than I can understand your frustrations, but I personally think the combat is great, and you can totally swing things in your advantage, as long as you invest the time and the cash into finding the right equipment (and it does take time...you simply don't have the cash available to be any kind of threat in the early game)

....but bastards landing on a planet right before you can kill them is something that will happen a lot, throughout the game, regardless of your weapon load. If combat is your thing, in the beginning your best getting a decent array of weapons and/or armor and tagging along on Dominator raids (check the news every time you land on a planet for raid dates/locations), playing clean up. Find a group of battleships/rangers getting ready to jump, and then jump in to the same system a few turns later, so they'll be attracting the Dominators and you can get your bearings, go for the little guys at first, and be prepared (and have enough fuel) to jump back immediately if the odds suck (as they often do). Dominator loot also pays a bunch more than whatever pirates give up, provided you can get to it safely and quickly.

Just keep at it, and if you get frustrated with one activity (like fighting pirates) try something a little different, and you should be able to find something to your liking.

[Edward64]

After finishing DAO, started playing the Impluse Reboot version again. Enjoying it, especially the early half of the game. Wish they would update/refresh this more often.