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Space Rangers: A War Apart (SR2 HD Remaster)

Heresiarch

Prophet
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
1,451
The RTS missions...oh boy, I have such conflicted thoughts on them.

The first time I played SR2, I played every RTS mission and enjoyed every single one of them. It has interesting robot customization and most of the maps are interesting, the racing laps and ships-on-sea are quite creative.

However, a few years later I replayed the game I found the RTS to be kind of suffering for me. It could be I got less interested and also slower in reflex in RTS, could be that I have lost patience in enduring a 20 minutes RTS session in between normal space travelling, or it could be just the pretty primitive RTS control/UI/mechanics were just not for me anymore.
 

SerratedBiz

Arcane
Joined
Mar 4, 2009
Messages
4,143
What I like about the RTS battles is that a lot of them play more like puzzles than anything else. Like most maps have a trick to them, and success doesn't depend so much on maximizing resources and micromanagement (like a regular RTS) but rather figuring out the solution. So one map has you clawing inch by inch to get to the enemy HQ, but the next you're having to rush a far away outpost because it's the only base you can defend with your limited starting units, or you need to spread your forces upon starting the map to A and B because you need those strong chokepoints while you build up better bots.

The RTS engine itself is shit, but there's enjoyment to be found.
 
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
14,151
I like the fact that full friendly fire and being able to dodge weapons means that there's heavily diminishing returns on large groups. So instead of just getting 20 bots together and attack moving you are forced to micro separate groups of 3-4 in their own individual fireteams, handling individual objectives simultaneously and pushing forward/pulling back as the situation dictates. Pretty much no "real" RTS on the market does that, large group of units always obey the power square law and you just run around with an ever increasing deathball of units (Starcraft 2 being the posterchild of this phenomena). If someone spent a bit of time fixing the AI/movement/bot balance it could be a good standalone game.

Also what SerratedBiz said.
 

Freddie

Savant
Joined
Sep 14, 2016
Messages
717
Location
Mansion
What I like about the RTS battles is that a lot of them play more like puzzles than anything else. Like most maps have a trick to them, and success doesn't depend so much on maximizing resources and micromanagement (like a regular RTS) but rather figuring out the solution. So one map has you clawing inch by inch to get to the enemy HQ, but the next you're having to rush a far away outpost because it's the only base you can defend with your limited starting units, or you need to spread your forces upon starting the map to A and B because you need those strong chokepoints while you build up better bots.

The RTS engine itself is shit, but there's enjoyment to be found.
That was my experience as well, then said I haven't played latest enhanced version of Reboot (GOG).

In general, for those who suffer from slower reflexes than in youth, use RTS portion difficulty customisation. It would be a pity to leave a good game unplayed because just one segment. Even though RTS missions are optional content, they pay pretty well.
 

adddeed

Arcane
Possibly Retarded
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
1,473
Space Rangers 2 is a better RPG than most RPGs on this site, and a better space sim than most space sims out there.
 

Thal

Augur
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
413
One of most amazing parts of this game (and there are many) is how they managed to balance the sandbox design with the ever present Dominator threat. You can really do what you want in this game and progress through the main quest at your own pace. Even so however, while you can ignore the Dominators, they won't ignore you, and will continue to invade systems while the coalition forces stage invasions of their own. Sandbox rpgs would do well to learn from this kind of dynamic design. Compare it Oblivion's daedra invasion and weep. They supposedly intended to evoke sense of urgency as opposed to Morrowind's entirely static Sixth House invasion, but Bethesda's answer was to spawn copypaste dungeons to a world full of dungeons. With Skyrim, Bethesda learned form their mistake and decided to spawn monsters instead. Nice.
 

Jack Of Owls

Arcane
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
4,275
Location
Massachusettes
I played the original version of SR2 a few years ago. It was enjoyable and it tried something different with its mix of genres but ultimately I think I preferred Starpoint Gemini 2 because of its better focus on one style. I had fun pirating and hijacking ships and commandeering them for my own free full ship upgrades.
 

GreyViper

Prophet
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
1,523
Location
Estonia
Still have it installed and one of my go-to games like Jagged Alliance 2, that you can play years and years. Funny thing is you can discover new stuff that you didn't know before. It came to me as a surprise that some unique ships were locked by default and you had to tweak the settings to make them appear in shops.
The pirates are a menace, BUT they can be a balancing factor to dominators. So you can have coalition fighting Dominators and at the end in jump the pirates, killing the rest.
By the way, what is the best weapon combo? In the beginning the missle launcher rule, later I think stuff from the black hole is the fastest way to tech up.
 

Thal

Augur
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
413
By the way, what is the best weapon combo? In the beginning the missle launcher rule, later I think stuff from the black hole is the fastest way to tech up.

Concentrated enemy fire and repair costs are what kills you in this game. Hence, you will usually want to keep your distance and obliterate enemy ships with long range weapons. This is the reason why Missile Launchers shine throughout the game. Look especially for Dominator versions which pack way more punch than the coalition tech. I would use two at the time but it's a matter of taste. Also keep in mind that you can store additional ones in your ship's cargo hold and switch them on when you run out of missiles. Besides that, I'd use whatever high power long range weapons you can find. If you need to take out a pirate or another ship before landing, same weapons will tend to do the job for you.

Keep in mind that some weapons are more useful in hyperspace than others (IIRC missile launcher sucks here)
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
14,151
IMO you pretty much want to go all-or-nothing when it comes to missile launchers. Fill all your weapon slots and put up more missiles in the air then anything can hope to shoot down (except with the AoEs) or take 0 and go in.

The Multi-Resonators are the best mid-game weapons IMO, having good damage output vs. groups while also being obtainable in small size and upgradable for decently long range. Even late game they aren't bad, though the "true" AoE weapons are better when you have the defenses to dive right into giant groups.
 

tindrli

Arcane
Joined
Jan 5, 2011
Messages
4,465
Location
Dragodol
Still have it installed and one of my go-to games like Jagged Alliance 2, that you can play years and years. Funny thing is you can discover new stuff that you didn't know before. It came to me as a surprise that some unique ships were locked by default and you had to tweak the settings to make them appear in shops.
The pirates are a menace, BUT they can be a balancing factor to dominators. So you can have coalition fighting Dominators and at the end in jump the pirates, killing the rest.
By the way, what is the best weapon combo? In the beginning the missle launcher rule, later I think stuff from the black hole is the fastest way to tech up.

what ships and what settings tweak
 

GreyViper

Prophet
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
1,523
Location
Estonia
Still have it installed and one of my go-to games like Jagged Alliance 2, that you can play years and years. Funny thing is you can discover new stuff that you didn't know before. It came to me as a surprise that some unique ships were locked by default and you had to tweak the settings to make them appear in shops.
The pirates are a menace, BUT they can be a balancing factor to dominators. So you can have coalition fighting Dominators and at the end in jump the pirates, killing the rest.
By the way, what is the best weapon combo? In the beginning the missle launcher rule, later I think stuff from the black hole is the fastest way to tech up.

what ships and what settings tweak
The unique ships were disabled in HD version and you can only get them if you enable them in advanced options. It's at the bottom of the difficulty settings, advanced configuration. When you select it'll ask you if you're sure you want to enable it, then when you move onto the next screen a new menu shows up with the advanced options.
 

Raapys

Arcane
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
4,960
I always thought the difficulty was a bit off. Most of the settings really just affect how long it takes to win, but the one that matters, dominator strength, either has them take over the universe before you can even afford a new ship, or is at the point where the rangers can defeat the dominators without you.
 

Jack Of Owls

Arcane
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
4,275
Location
Massachusettes
When I played SR2 prior to the remastered release, I accidentally selected an option that turned off the RTS minigame on the planets' surfaces. But I heard that they weren't fun or deep so perhaps just as well I missed them. Did the remaster have a better RTS mini-game? I remember rushing through the text adventures because I wasn't that interested in them though they had LOADS of C&C but it broke the pacing of this interesting and unique game for me.
 

adddeed

Arcane
Possibly Retarded
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
1,473
I love the text adventures, nice change of pace and makes the game feel larger.
The RTS missions i enjoyed as well, treat them more like puzzles and they are fun. Not sure if they were redone in the remastered version.
 

GreyViper

Prophet
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
1,523
Location
Estonia
In my current game, the pirates are proving to be more nuisance then Dominators and you have to whack a mole with their raids. What annoys me the most, is that they keep destroying stations. Even helping to develop them and equipping them with decent equipment does not always help if you have 3 lowest tier ships pounding on it. Pitty that the dreadnought ships governments have are not always around.
 

adddeed

Arcane
Possibly Retarded
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
1,473
Not sure if you can get it digitally, but you can play Space Rangers 2 original which doesnt have the pirate faction.
 

GreyViper

Prophet
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
1,523
Location
Estonia
Sorry I may moan and complain, but I'm fine with them being in, it would be otherwise easier game and I do like the extra challenge. Just word to a wise, if you start a new game, make them weaker then dominators.
Currently, my favorite thing to do is to jump into a pirate occupied system, activate the beacon you can get from the black hole. Get out and jump back in when dominators arrive, then watch them kill each other and mop up the rest. IF I feel risky I dive in scoop up some dropped equipment dominator or pirate and boost out. Reason for this, both sides keep destroying other sides equipment. For equipment, pirate one seems best, because you can upgrade it with money.
 

Jinn

Arcane
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Messages
4,930
Sounds like my first solid playthrough might be better off without the pirates in the game. Seems like they kind of make everything an overly hectic shit-show. Thanks for the mod link, Latro.
 

Latro

Arcane
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
7,345
Location
Vita umbratilis
imo, just mod out the pirates on a first playthrough, and then re-enable them for the extra content and shenanigans
 

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