Review Space Rangers 2 lubbin' at 1Up

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Space Rangers 2: Dominators

There's a <A href="http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3151332">review</a> of <a href="http://int.games.1c.ru/sr2/">Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators</a> over at <a href="Http://www.1up.com">1Up</a>. They give it an <b>8/10</b>, mention the StarForce thing, as well as these complaints:
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<blockquote>The only serious flaw of the game is kind of a subjective one. There are some optional tutorial missions when the game starts, but it's not long before the player is thrust into the universe without much in the way of hints as to where they need to be and when. Wandering too far from home too early can result in repeated ass kicking. It's the usual penalty paid by open-ended games, and it makes for one of those infrequent modern cases where reading the manual is a must and easy mode is actually worth playing for a bit. For those who don't like being babysat this is hardly a flaw at all, of course.</blockquote>
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It's not like you can wander too far from home with the cost of space maps anyway. However, there are lots of serious flaws with the game that aren't exactly what I'd consider subjective.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.bluesnews.com">Blue's News</A>

 

[bryce777]

It's not like you can wander too far from home with the cost of space maps anyway. However, there are lots of serious flaws with the game that aren't exactly what I'd consider subjective.

Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.bluesnews.com">Blue's News</A>

...except you are the only one who seems to find any of them to be a big issue. Well, and kingcomrade teehee.

 

[aboyd]

Hmm. I'm not sure Saint is alone on that one. I tried to love the game. I put probably 30 hours into it before I finally gave up.

It does have good aspects, which is partly why I was able to get 30 hours in. I do like it in concept. Ever since playing Taipan on my Apple II GS, I've had a propensity for playing traders and building up my store of loot & arms. The problem with SR2 is that the payoff comes very slowly. I know some were able to advance in the game quickly -- I wasn't.

After 30 hours, I had very little sense of accomplishment. That was just too discouraging to continue.

-Tony

 

[bryce777]

I don't think it's for everyone, but the issues he raised were things that most people seem to disagree with.

There is a really big difference between not liking a game because you don't like certain types of gameplay and making a ridiculous statement such as what he has made, when the fact is that all of his complaints were excellent features to me and to other people who have played it. So, it's not his cup of tea, but if he had some maturity he would be able to see that doesn't necessarily make it a bad game, especially when other people think the EXACT same features he listed as horrible were done fantastically well - such as the upgrades.

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

I don't think it's for everyone, but the issues he raised were things that most people seem to disagree with.

There is a really big difference between not liking a game because you don't like certain types of gameplay and making a ridiculous statement such as what he has made, when the fact is that all of his complaints were excellent features to me and to other people who have played it. So, it's not his cup of tea, but if he had some maturity he would be able to see that doesn't necessarily make it a bad game, especially when other people think the EXACT same features he listed as horrible were done fantastically well - such as the upgrades.

Hah! you are yourself not one to use that courtesy regarding games YOU don't like, my dear. Of course then it's all objective truth that doesn't need to be further substantiated by argument because it's so self evident...

 

[bryce777]

I don't think it's for everyone, but the issues he raised were things that most people seem to disagree with.

There is a really big difference between not liking a game because you don't like certain types of gameplay and making a ridiculous statement such as what he has made, when the fact is that all of his complaints were excellent features to me and to other people who have played it. So, it's not his cup of tea, but if he had some maturity he would be able to see that doesn't necessarily make it a bad game, especially when other people think the EXACT same features he listed as horrible were done fantastically well - such as the upgrades.

Hah! you are yourself not one to use that courtesy regarding games YOU don't like, my dear. Of course then it's all objective truth that doesn't need to be further substantiated by argument because it's so self evident...

I don't think that's really true. I admit there is a dressup dolly appeal to games like oblivion and the graphics and action might appeal to some - I just think when you try to pass it off as an rpg like the older rpgs that it doesn't fit well.

Unfortunately many of the actual fans of oblivion are complete morons, which is the real issue.

If saint said simply I don't like this and that because of this, that is one thing, but instead he is unable to evenc onceive of the idea that some people love those same qualities he is bashing.

 

[Kendar]

Wandering too far from home too early can result in repeated ass kicking. It's the usual penalty paid by open-ended games

Depends wich one. I for one am absolutly for a mostly fixed world where you have to "unlock" the locations through something else that arbitrary events. Basically, "you perfectly do have the right to go there, even if you are weak. Use your freedom to get anihilated".

 

[aboyd]

If saint said simply I don't like this and that because of this, that is one thing, but instead he is unable to evenc onceive of the idea that some people love those same qualities he is bashing.

/me shrugs

This is par for the course here at the Codex. Right now over in another topic Roqua is making derogatory comments about anyone who likes RTwP. LlamaGod ripped into somebody for thinking that the Ultima games were boring. The Codex is intolerant of opinions that are different, and Saint is just setting the bar, I guess.

-Tony

 

[Awakened_Yeti]

this game was awesome... multiple paths to victory, even diplomatic options with the dominators, dialogs with other ships, military campaigns, pirating, bounty hunting, scavenging, trading, exploring, researching, and my personal favorite: text questing

cant wait for the 3rd one

i played thru this one twice and had vastly different games each time, although i ended at ranking as num 1 space ranger at the end of each play thru.. different defeats for the dominators tho - i was only able to deal with 2 of them personally each time... spent most of my time beefing up my ship and so forth

 

[roguefrog]

I know there was a few ways to defeat each Dominator overmind, but I'm not sure what I others would be other than just through combat. I took the science route, researched the technology and deployed it.

 

[Awakened_Yeti]

you can convince one of them to join the ranger side.. you can also land inside their planetoid and fight it out with them in RTS mode

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

If saint said simply I don't like this and that because of this, that is one thing, but instead he is unable to evenc onceive of the idea that some people love those same qualities he is bashing.

You're the only one who disagreed with all the points I made, and you've been stupid before. It's not a huge surprise.

 

[headache]

Some here are on the Dominators side. I stand with Bryce and the noble rangers! :D

You're the only one who disagreed with all the points I made, and you've been stupid before. It's not a huge surprise.

Hey, maybe I'm just some dorky lurker but I also openly disagreed, on 1 point (I'm not sure what "all the points" you made are, but) : http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13071

As for specific complaints, it seems is the trading isn't up to par for those that like to specialize in it. I can see that. It certainly becomes less profitable, relative to what you need, as the game goes on... or maybe you have to become a drug dealer, and maybe the penalties are too steep. (Anybody tried it? I want to now.)

It would be nice if the trader option was a more balanced one, but the game still leaves open a lot of options. Look, I didn't take it too serious-- especially not as a RPG. If you have to evaluate it as an RPG, I'd actually compare it's appeal to Diablo, with turn-based combat (or I think Saint would call it phase-based). It comes down to an equipment-centric cycle, skill development thrown in a bit, to get more and better stuff for your character (with a greater breadth of options as to how, like crazy text quests, which I found very appealing).

I think that is plenty to make it fun, if not super-deep in the end. There. I ended up rambling, hope this makes sense. Saint: you liked Fate (right?), you like turn-based. I'd think that'd be enough to be able to have fun with it... unless you just don't like SR2's eclectic gameplay.

 

[flushfire]

i didnt like fate but i liked both SRs. loved the text quests, especially the one where you had to serve maloq royalty.

It's not like you can wander too far from home with the cost of space maps anyway.

they're actually pretty cheap at the beginning of the game.. but id have to say i didnt find the trading to be a good source of income too. more like a sideline, for xtra creds when landing for fuel.

you can convince one of them to join the ranger side..

i guess that's for the blazers, didnt find a diplomatic approach for them. ill try on my 2nd game.

anwyays, as for SR2's flaws, it didn't corrupt my saved games, and that's enough for me.

 

[bryce777]

Some here are on the Dominators side. I stand with Bryce and the noble rangers! :D
.

 

[bryce777]

Some here are on the Dominators side. I stand with Bryce and the noble rangers! :D

You're the only one who disagreed with all the points I made, and you've been stupid before. It's not a huge surprise.

Hey, maybe I'm just some dorky lurker but I also openly disagreed, on 1 point (I'm not sure what "all the points" you made are, but) : http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13071

As for specific complaints, it seems is the trading isn't up to par for those that like to specialize in it. I can see that. It certainly becomes less profitable, relative to what you need, as the game goes on... or maybe you have to become a drug dealer, and maybe the penalties are too steep. (Anybody tried it? I want to now.)

It would be nice if the trader option was a more balanced one, but the game still leaves open a lot of options. Look, I didn't take it too serious-- especially not as a RPG. If you have to evaluate it as an RPG, I'd actually compare it's appeal to Diablo, with turn-based combat (or I think Saint would call it phase-based). It comes down to an equipment-centric cycle, skill development thrown in a bit, to get more and better stuff for your character (with a greater breadth of options as to how, like crazy text quests, which I found very appealing).

I think that is plenty to make it fun, if not super-deep in the end. There. I ended up rambling, hope this makes sense. Saint: you liked Fate (right?), you like turn-based. I'd think that'd be enough to be able to have fun with it... unless you just don't like SR2's eclectic gameplay.

Trade was a big complaint, but most of his dislike of it seems to stem from having a pea brain and no patience. I have gone the drug dealer route and horded thousands of units of drugs and sold it off for millions. You CAN make a TON of money through trade, but it is not obvious what you need to do so and takes some brains and patience.

He also complained about stores running out, but that is again another peabrained comment. You ALWAYS have scarcity. ALWAYS. This is economics. Lets compare this to ships of olden times and look at food. Yeah, there is a ton of food on a planet, but when you have a store you buy ahead weeks and months at a time. Same with a shipyard. There may be a million pigs in the breton countryside, but a spanish ship pulling in to port that needs salted pork and needs it that day will have to be satisfied with what's on hand.

Yes drugs are luxuries are fairly scarce, but even one ton of drugs is a huge, unbeliavable quantity. Same with weapons - that would be millions, even hundreds of millions in cargo.


Another big thing was the upgrades. Shit! Who the fuck couldn't love that? You have actual complex strategies you can implement aside from the obvious ones.

Both of these are things that people who like the game hink are great.

 

[Gwendo]

When it turned out to be more work than fun, I've quit the game.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

He also complained about stores running out, but that is again another peabrained comment. You ALWAYS have scarcity. ALWAYS. This is economics. Lets compare this to ships of olden times and look at food. Yeah, there is a ton of food on a planet, but when you have a store you buy ahead weeks and months at a time. Same with a shipyard. There may be a million pigs in the breton countryside, but a spanish ship pulling in to port that needs salted pork and needs it that day will have to be satisfied with what's on hand.

Bullshit. No ship at any time in history could ever stand to hold all of one good, let alone buy out all of several goods, at any given port. If the ports were that low on any given goods, they wouldn't be selling those goods or they would have sold them at such a ridiculous price, no one would have bought them. But hey, we're not talking about 17th century ports here, we're talking about entire planets!

It's not even a question of realism, though it's complete ass from a realism perspective. It's more a question of gameplay. There's no damned way one ship in one haul should be able to drastically change a trade route. A trade route should be good for at least 6 or 7 hauls before the the player has altered the route to the point where he is better off moving on to another route.

Yes drugs are luxuries are fairly scarce, but even one ton of drugs is a huge, unbeliavable quantity. Same with weapons - that would be millions, even hundreds of millions in cargo.

Yet we fit more than one ton of drugs in a standard tractor trailer today. One ton of drugs is not a lot.

Another big thing was the upgrades. Shit! Who the fuck couldn't love that? You have actual complex strategies you can implement aside from the obvious ones.

Both of these are things that people who like the game hink are great.

And people agreed that EVN, a game which is nearly ten years old, developed for a small user base of Mac owners, and released as shareware actually had more options for upgrading and a better ship structure than the recently released SR2.

 

[bryce777]

"And people agreed that EVN, a game which is nearly ten years old, developed for a small user base of Mac owners, and released as shareware actually had more options for upgrading and a better ship structure than the recently released SR2." I didn't see that, and your argument is WORTHLESS anyhow. EVN is not space rangers. If the whole game is upgrading ships and it does it a million times better than any game out there, it still doesn't make the way space rangers does it bad.


Back to trading - it is not a trading game, but the trading is still well done. For commodities worth trading in a spaceship, yes there is going to be scarcity, and there will even be scarcity for items when the planet itself has lots of them because that is how trade works.

In the 17th century ships would be weeks or even months in port outfitting. Here they are in and out in one day so it's hardly any surprise.

For stuff like drugs and weapons the quantities will be fairly small, period. A ship can usually carry 100-200 cargo anyhow. If anything for deals like drugs the economy is too forgiving. If I had a hundred tons of cocaine who the fuck am I going to sell it to in one day?

Your brain if fucking broken, especially since these 'serious' complaints are niggling in the first place.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Back to trading - it is not a trading game, but the trading is still well done. For commodities worth trading in a spaceship, yes there is going to be scarcity, and there will even be scarcity for items when the planet itself has lots of them because that is how trade works.

It's not a space trader? That's odd, considering it has gobs of goods, goods affected by planet type, trade score tracking, buying trade info, trade route net searching, and so on. Seems like a pretty large aspect of the game to me.

For stuff like drugs and weapons the quantities will be fairly small, period. A ship can usually carry 100-200 cargo anyhow. If anything for deals like drugs the economy is too forgiving. If I had a hundred tons of cocaine who the fuck am I going to sell it to in one day?

I would find it acceptable if drugs were low volume, high profit, and high risk type commodities. Food on the other hand, should be found in huge quantities on agricultural planets. Quantities much larger than any ship can haul in one run considering the whole planet is basically devoted to making food!

Your brain if fucking broken, especially since these 'serious' complaints are niggling in the first place.

Is it? The trade system is broken. That's a fact, and it's broken for the reasons I've given. The fact you can make way, way, WAY more money just running ferry missions with a hell of a lot less effort shows how broken trading is. If routes lasted a little more than a few days or one ship run, then trading might be a bit more viable. Instead, it's really a very, very secondary aspect as a money maker to running missions.

Trading obviously isn't supposed to be secondary because there's a nice thing that tracks how good of a trader you are, yet it is because the production of planets is way too low.

 

[MINIGUNWIELDER]

The only TQs I have had are
GODDAMN FLOWER PUZZLE!!(Is it possible to win?)
Jail
Gaalian anti-terror op on Maloqi planet(PROBALYSTIC ANALYZER!!)

I would play SR2 if it werent for the fact that it is scratched up, how can I clean

 

[MINIGUNWIELDER]

But I'd have to say I didnt find the trading to be a good source of income too. more like a sideline, for xtra creds when landing for fuel.

I made 4200 on food I found in space during a natraul disaster in Velles(not that it matters as the placement of sectors is one fourth random(Beatulgeuse, Orion and all of those ones are Klissan controlled and on the other half of the galaxy)
P.S.Can you save that gaalian liner that appears on the second year in whatever sector you are in, explains the bit about Rachenkhanen and Machpella, and then explodes three turns after, leaving no equipment behind, also do sleuths drop their awesome equipment like that grappler, and are they worth the fight?

 

[headache]

The only TQs I have had are
GODDAMN FLOWER PUZZLE!!(Is it possible to win?)
Jail
Gaalian anti-terror op on Maloqi planet(PROBALYSTIC ANALYZER!!)

I would play SR2 if it werent for the fact that it is scratched up, how can I clean

Is the "flower puzzle" the one where you have to switch the B's and W's? I remember if you get them alternating BWBWB.. as soon as possible that's the key. If that one's not the BWBWBW I've played all the way through once and I haven't even seen any of those three. Bodes decently for replaying.

It sounds like you need one of those CD-scratch repair kits if you never heard of them.

And 4200 isn't a whole lot, even for free, except maybe at the very beginning or on easier difficulty settings. Yeah, trading goods is not too balanced compared to taking plantary missions and fighting but how significant one finds that may vary... obviously.

 

[Roqua]

If saint said simply I don't like this and that because of this, that is one thing, but instead he is unable to evenc onceive of the idea that some people love those same qualities he is bashing.

/me shrugs

This is par for the course here at the Codex. Right now over in another topic Roqua is making derogatory comments about anyone who likes RTwP. LlamaGod ripped into somebody for thinking that the Ultima games were boring. The Codex is intolerant of opinions that are different, and Saint is just setting the bar, I guess.

-Tony

I told you I am a big jerk, what do you want free me? To have an epiphany that being nice is awesome?

I would’ve been a lot more civil if people were a lot less stupid. Lets say what people were saying in that thread was that even though TB games obviously, without room for discussion, are or can be a lot more strategic and tactical but they just happen to like RT w/ P better due to that model of combat being more too their particular fancy I wouldn’t have been a dick. When people spout of a bunch of jibber jabber based on stupid how am I supposed to respond? I’m not Jesus. Why should I be nice to retards? Liking is one thing, having an opinion is one thing, entering a debate with a bunch of hippy nonsense opinion stated as fact that goes against common sense and fact is intolerable.

If you can’t get to 2+2=4 or your own, I’m not going to hold your fucking hand and walk you through why it equals 4, I’m going to call you stupid and walk you through why you are stupid. Stupidity should not be subsidized.

 

[bryce777]

If saint said simply I don't like this and that because of this, that is one thing, but instead he is unable to evenc onceive of the idea that some people love those same qualities he is bashing.

/me shrugs

This is par for the course here at the Codex. Right now over in another topic Roqua is making derogatory comments about anyone who likes RTwP. LlamaGod ripped into somebody for thinking that the Ultima games were boring. The Codex is intolerant of opinions that are different, and Saint is just setting the bar, I guess.

-Tony

I told you I am a big jerk, what do you want free me? To have an epiphany that being nice is awesome?

I would’ve been a lot more civil if people were a lot less stupid. Lets say what people were saying in that thread was that even though TB games obviously, without room for discussion, are or can be a lot more strategic and tactical but they just happen to like RT w/ P better due to that model of combat being more too their particular fancy I wouldn’t have been a dick. When people spout of a bunch of jibber jabber based on stupid how am I supposed to respond? I’m not Jesus. Why should I be nice to retards? Liking is one thing, having an opinion is one thing, entering a debate with a bunch of hippy nonsense opinion stated as fact that goes against common sense and fact is intolerable.

If you can’t get to 2+2=4 or your own, I’m not going to hold your fucking hand and walk you through why it equals 4, I’m going to call you stupid and walk you through why you are stupid. Stupidity should not be subsidized.

I can see with the rtwp. First off, I think that is super lame. I can deal with it, though, if it is just one player. With BG it gets ridiculous, though, as an example.

If people just said "I like combat where I don't have to think much" that would be one thing, but the idiocy where they talk about it actually being more tactical than turnbased combat is pretty sad....