So I just picked up Space Rangers 2

[Funkula]

...and I'm not doing too well. Any tips?

I've made a Human Fighter, since they have mostly good relations with people, and that seemed to be a bigger factor than bankroll/starting crap. However, I've been zipping around for a good 2 years of game time and I can't win a fight to save my life (which it would have, on several occasions). And I'm not talking about the enormous Dominator battleships...I have not yet managed to kill a single pirate ship. Some of them absolutely smoke me, some will just run away once I whittle them down, some will land on a planet and station tank, to borrow a phrase from EvE. I've gotten a couple of Dominator kills in fleet actions, but I just don't feel like my ship is up to anything more than courier missions, and I hate courier missions.

Honestly, I can't even see an improvement path. I've seen two or three items in each category of equipment and maybe the same number of hulls for each race. How the fuck am I supposed to build up my strength?

[idrisz]

hire wingmans

[Rock8man]

I can't really help you. I was pretty excited about this game too when I read about it in CGM a few years ago, but when I actually got the game, I couldn't figure out how to stay alive even in the tutorial fight.

To be fair, the CGM review did warn everyone that it had a brutal difficulty curve, but it said something about there being plenty of help available from people online. But I tried to find some kind of forum for advice but was unable to find one. And the people here at Qt3 had already moved on from the game, so I just shrugged and classified the game as "not for me", aka "games where I have no idea how to get started and can't be bothered to find out".

EDIT: However, I do remember there being some advice in a later issue of CGM, that came out after I'd already given up on the game. It said something about choosing a missile launcher or something like that, for your initial weapon, when making your first ship. I'm sure someone here will be able to expand on that.

[Chuck]

Yeah, add this one to my list of games that most everyone loved, but I could not get into.

The List:
Sins of a Solar Empire
Armegeddon Empires
Civ 4
SR2
Dominions 3
Dwarf Fortress
F.E.A.R.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
KOTOR
Gal Civ 2
Pirates!
Company of Heroes
Gothic 2

(Shit, Chuck.... what games do you like?)

[Disconnected]

Familiarise yourself with the in-game search function. You'll need to use it extensively to trade & upgrade your stuff. Check for a list of useful search terms somewhere online. they're sadly not in the manual (edit: you can search for anything, but "plan" for example will list the closest 30 planets. That's what I meant by useful search terms).

Use all the drugs you can, all the time. Drugs can make you a better trader, a better fighter, a better leader, tougher to kill, earn you more money on missions and serve breakfast & blowjobs in bed. Drugs are goood, M'kay?

Restart the game, pick better skills & pick a rocket launcher (and I'd suggest an engine) as your starting gear. Early in the game rocket launchers kick ass, especially upgraded rocket launchers like the one you can start with.

Talk to the other ships. It's pretty hard to piss everyone off in SR2 unless you're really trying, so chances are there's nifty trades to be made with trade vessels, backup to be had if you're getting attacked, and willing cronies if you decide to rob someone.

Get a shield right away. Apart from you and the odd Dominator-hunting armada, nobody are dumb enough to attack people they can't scan. It means that if there's a negative difference between their scanner rating and your shield rating, they'll leave you alone unless you attack first. If the difference is positive (from their point of view), they'll take you if they think they can. And early on, they can.

Explore Black Holes. The gear you find in them is never crap and sometimes pure awesome. Auto-repair, energy weapon boosters, fuel-regenerators & massive improvements to your jump drive are typical examples.

Don't use auto combat. The idea is nice & all, but in practice it's shit. Aim your weapons and remember you can shoot down rockets & the like.

Get your gear & hull upgraded as soon as possible, even if it's shit gear and a shit hull. Money are easier to come by with upgraded gear, and your expenses will be lower.

Pay attention to your faction standings. The more people like you, the more they'll pay you & help you against enemies/pirates. The more some dislike you, the more others will like you.

Learn what services the different bases offer. It's another of those seemingly insignificant things that'll have a major impact on the course of your career.

Check the ranger highscore. Find one of the Top 10 Rangers with the in-game search. Add the info to your info-bar so you don't forget it. Track him down & observe how he plays. One of the coolest things about SR2 is that all the NPCs in the game are playing the same game you are, so hanging out with a proficient NPC is a great way to get a clue. Imagine how cool TES games would be if they worked like that.. I digress, sorry.

Ask specific questions, because SR2 is very much an endless bag of gameplay tips & tricks.

[wildpokerman]

Not that this could have been posted in any of the SR theads ON THE FRONT PAGE or anything.

http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=45217

[Justin Fletcher]

...and I'm not doing too well. Any tips?

Check it (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showpost.php?p=1379928&postcount=28).

Weapons are very important, but, in my mind, there's nothing more vital than a fast engine. It helps you complete courier missions on time, and also helps you smoke pirates who are inveterate cowards.

This tip may not help you until you're stronger, but what I like to do early on is draw the attention of a pirate by firing on him and then turning and running (hence the need for speed). Then lure him off the map; you can fly waaaaaaaaaay off the edge of your radar. Then turn around for the kill. You'll have plenty of time to nail him before he can reach a planet.

[Sarkus]

Yeah, add this one to my list of games that most everyone loved, but I could not get into.

The List:
Sins of a Solar Empire
Armegeddon Empires
Civ 4
SR2
Dominions 3
Dwarf Fortress
F.E.A.R.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
KOTOR
Gal Civ 2
Pirates!
Company of Heroes
Gothic 2

(Shit, Chuck.... what games do you like?)

No kidding.

[Funkula]

Not that this could have been posted in any of the SR theads ON THE FRONT PAGE or anything.

http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=45217

No, actually, it couldn't, since this is not ABOUT Reboot. I bought the basic game, and I thought I'd be courteous enough not to talk about incredibly basic shit in the thread for people who've been playing this for two years already.

Step 1 of being a threadcop: having some fucking clue what you're talking about.

Everybody else, thanks. I think starting over with a missile launcher sounds like a good idea. It'll also give me another shot at not losing my hetero life partner in the first fight I ever get into, which is what happened.

[Disconnected]

It'll also give me another shot at not losing my hetero life partner in the first fight I ever get into, which is what happened.I'm impressed. How did you manage to get him killed without dying yourself?

[Justin Fletcher]

To be fair, the CGM review did warn everyone that it had a brutal difficulty curve, but it said something about there being plenty of help available from people online. But I tried to find some kind of forum for advice but was unable to find one. And the people here at Qt3 had already moved on from the game, so I just shrugged and classified the game as "not for me", aka "games where I have no idea how to get started and can't be bothered to find out".
I was referring in large part to QT3. The original thread (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=19984) had a ton of great info, though it's spread out among seventeen pages. Inverarity also provided a great service by compiling it into a FAQ over at OO (http://98.175.67.242/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16820). The Google searches I did around the time of the review pointed to QT3 and OO so I figured people wouldn't have much trouble finding the tips.

EDIT: However, I do remember there being some advice in a later issue of CGM, that came out after I'd already given up on the game. It said something about choosing a missile launcher or something like that, for your initial weapon, when making your first ship. I'm sure someone here will be able to expand on that.
I don't know if it's been rebalanced since, but it was nigh on impossible to finish the tutorial mission if you didn't pick a rocket launcher or fragment cannon as one of your pieces of starter equipment.

[Shadarr]

Get your gear & hull upgraded as soon as possible, even if it's shit gear and a shit hull. Money are easier to come by with upgraded gear, and your expenses will be lower.
As an addendum to this, pay attention to the maintenance costs on gear when shopping. I had to start over one time because I went too high-end too early and was spending all my income on repairs and maintenance and couldn't get ahead.

[Funkula]

Well, I got a rocket launcher, which was great until it ran out of ammo, which no one sells apparently.

I'm impressed. How did you manage to get him killed without dying yourself?

I honestly don't know, but I appear to have done it again. Last time I think it was just a pirate, this time I went into a system full of Dominators, which was harrowing but fun as hell. The tip about targeting missiles saved my ass, and my industry laser helped out a lot.

[malkav11]

Well, I got a rocket launcher, which was great until it ran out of ammo, which no one sells apparently.


Not separately, no. There's somewhere on a station where you can bring up a screen of what you already have equipped and then there'll be a button for reloading it, iirc. And I'm pretty sure you can reload just about anywhere.

Though it's been a looooong time since I played.

[DavidKaye]

Yep, it's over by the little windows that open up to give you repair or sell options.

[KieronGillen]

One thing I found useful to know - the game just doesn't play nice.

If you piss off a pirate, he will continue to hunt you down and kill you. You can get yourself into a position where the only option is restarting fairly easily - when you realise that it's a world that doesn't care that you're the player and are used to special treatment, you start making progress. You need to play a lot more conservatively.

KG

[Jonathan Crane]

One thing I found useful to know - the game just doesn't play nice.

If you piss off a pirate, he will continue to hunt you down and kill you. You can get yourself into a position where the only option is restarting fairly easily - when you realise that it's a world that doesn't care that you're the player and are used to special treatment, you start making progress. You need to play a lot more conservatively.


Is it something of a roguelike in that way? I tried two starts last year, and in both games I felt like I hit a wall. It wasn't immediately clear what I was doing wrong, but I would spend hours making very little progress. The fact that I was not very good at the rts-lite missions might have had something to do with that, of course.

[Dan_Theman]

Something handy to keep in mind:

Early in the game, follow (not join) anti-Dominator fleets into battle and scoop up the goodies left behind while they're still fighting. If you're careful, you can get some very nice stuff if your grabber is hefty enough and your conscience doesn't bother you overly much ;-).

PS - don't forget your afterburner to escape a tight spot

[marxeil]

Is it something of a roguelike in that way? I tried two starts last year, and in both games I felt like I hit a wall. It wasn't immediately clear what I was doing wrong, but I would spend hours making very little progress. The fact that I was not very good at the rts-lite missions might have had something to do with that, of course.
You can opt not to do them at all.

[Desslock]

I missed this game when it first came out, but after playing though King's Bounty and remembering the SR2 love, I'm really tempted to nab it. Still worthwhile?

[Kalle]

The RTS missions are a great way to make money if you can handle them, but feel free to skip them if you think they suck.

[zengonzo]

Wow .. How can I not pick this up after reading all that?

If it includes a detailed system for the harvesting, refinement and sale of ice cubes I'll be lost to the world.

[KieronGillen]

My EG review if anyone is new to SR2 and needs a full on explanation/rant.
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=61014

KG

[Ben Sones]

I missed this game when it first came out, but after playing though King's Bounty and remembering the SR2 love, I'm really tempted to nab it. Still worthwhile?

I'd say definitely yes. It's really your sort of game. My only beef with it was the RTS missions (which were not very good), but they are just a tiny part of an otherwise fantastic, deep, wacky space RPG.

BTW, are you talking about the new King's Bounty--the one by the SR guys? How is that? As a HoMM (and original KB) fan, I've been rather looking forward to it.

Also, Kieron--great review. I love all the unique little stories that unfold in the process of playing this game. I love just about any game that does that, but SR2 is particularly good at it.

[Disconnected]

I missed this game when it first came out, but after playing though King's Bounty and remembering the SR2 love, I'm really tempted to nab it. Still worthwhile?Very. It's still unique in what it offers, and between the "This is all just for laughs" attitude of the game and the 1024x 2D graphics with rather lovely (and consistent) art direction, it is ageing quite well.

The shortcomings remain the limited number of text adventures and government quests, and the horrifyingly hilarious translation.

Likewise, the strengths remain the universal use of goal-oriented AIs, the near-completely randomly generated universe, and the economy (the combination of which offers deeper & more genuine sandbox gameplay than every AAA sandbox game I've ever heard of).Wow .. How can I not pick this up after reading all that?Indeed. If it includes a detailed system for the harvesting, refinement and sale of ice cubes I'll be lost to the world.It doesn't ... But it does include a detailed pizza-making system :D

[Naeblis]

I missed this game when it first came out, but after playing though King's Bounty and remembering the SR2 love, I'm really tempted to nab it. Still worthwhile?

And what if you first comment about King's Bounty? :P

[McBain]

Is there any way to play in a window or something? I started playing again recently and the fact that I can't play in 1280 native res was really jarring this time, for some reason.

[Naeblis]

One thing I found useful to know - the game just doesn't play nice.

If you piss off a pirate, he will continue to hunt you down and kill you. You can get yourself into a position where the only option is restarting fairly easily - when you realise that it's a world that doesn't care that you're the player and are used to special treatment, you start making progress. You need to play a lot more conservatively.

KG

Perhaps that's why i liked it so much, because i am a survivalist, in games like RPGs where i can choose my character evolution and how to play, i usually choose a fairly conservative approach, securing first my % of survival (healing, resistance/toughness, hp, then some charisma/dialog options and money making skills). So it's my natural way of playing these games.

Also, one of the things that really surprised me from SR2 was the texts adventures. As it's one little part of the game, and very different to the rest, i thought it would be an afterthought done by the game designers. Ha! More than twenty different quest, lots of them with were lengthy, and with great variety and originality. From choose-your-adventure-book-like quest, to rock band management quest, prison quest, logical puzzles, racing or depth sea rescues, etc.

[ElGuapo]

eMy EG review if anyone is new to SR2 and needs a full on explanation/rant.
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=61014

KG

Kieron, that review is for the first game, correct? Space Rangers? Because I think the PC version I bought has both, and I was thinking of trying the first one instead of the second (smaller footprint, etc.).

Edit: Nevermind, I'm an idiot, it's further down in your review. Anyone play the first one? How is it?

[mystery]

Is there any way to play in a window or something? I started playing again recently and the fact that I can't play in 1280 native res was really jarring this time, for some reason.

The first or second item (I think it's probably second) on the Options/Video screen is Windowed or Full screen mode.

I've noticed that you need to pump your res to 1280 on the ground missions to get them to show up in Windowed mode as well, or you're stuck flipping in and out of full screen.

[Disconnected]

Anyone play the first one? How is it?It's a great game, but since SR2 is a remake of SR (only with different bad guys), there's no reason to play it. All it offers is less content & polish.

If you're afraid to miss out on some snippet of background fluff, don't be. It's all in SR2 & will be explained if you ask.

[ElGuapo]

The reason is because the copy I have of SR2 is starforced and SR1 isn't. D'oh!

[Dan_Theman]

The reason is because the copy I have of SR2 is starforced and SR1 isn't. D'oh!
I can understand the concern, but if you've already got the game ...

Or you can alway just buy Reloaded and not worry about it.

[McBain]

The first or second item (I think it's probably second) on the Options/Video screen is Windowed or Full screen mode.

I've noticed that you need to pump your res to 1280 on the ground missions to get them to show up in Windowed mode as well, or you're stuck flipping in and out of full screen.

Ah, I got it off Stardock and the 1.3 version or whatever doesn't have the option.

It's all good, I used some Google-Fu and found that you can just add the line "Window=True" to cfg.txt and play windowed.

I just couldn't deal with the blurry this time. :(

[Disconnected]

The reason is because the copy I have of SR2 is starforced and SR1 isn't. D'oh!Right, I should have guessed since it wasn't what you said. D'oh yourself mate ;)

Anyway, I played the original to death (Russian version no less). It's a pretty fucking brilliant game. It's just that almost everything that's wrong with SR is fixed in SR2, even more so in SR2:Reloaded, according to some friends of mine (no, I still don't have a copy). Moreover, they're the kind of games that - assuming they appeal to you at all - you'll end up playing on & off for years, so the balance overhaul & tons more content of SR2 makes a real difference.

Whatever, play SR now. And if you like it, get SR:Reloaded when it comes out, because it's SR, only better in every way. The only reason not to do that is that the interface changed very slightly between SR & SR2. Not very much, just exactly enough to be really annoying if you're used to the old one & switch to the new. Then again, I might just have a learning disability or something.

[zengonzo]

Right, I should have guessed since it wasn't what you said. D'oh yourself mate ;)

D'oh, unlike duh, is an expression of abstracted disappointment, and not a one of focused derision.

[ElGuapo]

I was D'ohing the fact it had Starforce on it, not you. I hates me Starforce! I'm one of those who had a DVD-R ruined by it.

Anyway, thanks for the thoughts. I'll be installing it tomorrow.

[Disconnected]

D'oh, unlike duh, is an expression of abstracted disappointment, and not a one of focused derision.D'oh, my American sucks, sorry.

[zengonzo]

D'oh, my American sucks, sorry.

Duh!!

[McBain]

I still have no idea what "Hull capacity" means in the fuel tank tooltips.

I always just buy the highest level Gaalian ones that take up the least space, but I still honestly don't really know what the difference between the two numbers in the tooltip is.

[wildpokerman]

I still have no idea what "Hull capacity" means in the fuel tank tooltips.

I always just buy the highest level Gaalian ones that take up the least space, but I still honestly don't really know what the difference between the two numbers in the tooltip is.

Is that the part where it says how much fuel you have vs how much you can carry?

[Funkula]

Pretty sure, yeah. Hull capacity is the max storage, fuel is the current fuel level. They seem to always be the same in the shop because they sell full tanks.

[McBain]

Is that the part where it says how much fuel you have vs how much you can carry?

Christ, yeah it is. I just figured that out and I feel pretty stupid.

[Justin Fletcher]

I missed this game when it first came out, but after playing though King's Bounty and remembering the SR2 love, I'm really tempted to nab it. Still worthwhile?
It's already been said, but it bears repeating: yes, you should absolutely buy SR2.

Elemental Games did a great job in creating the illusion that you are zipping around a living universe. Much of this has to do with Kieron's point that the "game plays mean." You are not the star, and your neighbors don't sit around waiting to see what you're going to do before they act.

And the variety in SR2 is insane, with the gameplay touching on almost every genre you could name. No, some of it isn't very good (i.e. the FPS/RTS "planetary battles" are mediocre at best; the black hole fights are a love it or hate it proposition), but the turn-based fighting, text adventuring, loot collecting, ship configuring, stat enhancing, and trading elements are golden.

The learning curve is brutal as are the consequences of mistakes, but it makes your eventual climb up your chosen career path all the more rewarding. Buy it.

(Damn it, I think I just talked myself into buying SR2 again from Stardock so that I can get Reboot.)

[DoomMunky]

WOW this game is heavy-duty. It's like the definition of a PC game.

I just finished the tutorial (thanks for the rocket-launcher tip, guys!) and now I'm completely at a loss for what to do. I wanna be a pirate and demand stuff from other rangers, but I'm very, very lame and noobish at this point. After reading through the other stuff linked in this thread (OO tips guide has some great info in the second post, as well as some awesome newbie tips, repeated below) I'm feeling pretty good about starting out.

Thanks for all the help!

Quick Newbie Tip of the Day: When you create a new character you have the option of selecting a couple of ship components along with your race, attributes, ect. I didn't understand why after doing this my ship's components seemed exactly the same. This is because the upgraded components are stashed in the storage area of the starting base. You should also be careful which upgraded components you choose; some of them like the repair droid are quite nice but very costly to keep running. They also can eat up all your available space.

Newbie Tip 2: Choose the easy mission option as a newbie pilot. I've run out of time on a quest countless times, although generally by a couple of days. It has nothing to do with skill and everything to do with your components. Don't screw around 70 days is a lot shorter than you would think. Mission completion speed is mostly dependent on your jump radius. If you have to make 4 different jumps you'll have to land 4 times and refuel, which eats up a ton of time. Getting a faction penalty hit sucks.

Newbie Tip 3: When you choose a Corsair or Pirate class and they say "You have a bounty on your head in system X" BELIEVE THEM. Also don't attack a Merchant ship near its race's planets, as the Mob Squad will be after your butt shortly

Newbie Tip 5: Unless you have a pretty solid reason to choose otherwise, a Faeyian Merchant is the best starting race/class. Faeyian and Humans are the only ones that start with boosters (very critical) and the Faeyian starting merchant ship is one of hte larger starting hulls in terms of internal space. Since hull upgrades are very expensive, the bigger starting hull really lets a player do more early on which is nice.

Newbie Tip 6: If confused about what equipment to start with, a scanner and a rocket launcher are good choices. Assuming a player took tip 5 above, the Faeyian starting ship doesn't come with a scanner. The rocket launcher is the only item on the starting equipment selection list that isn't available normally at base technology, so if that rocket launcher is passed up then the player won't get another crack at one for a long while. All the other starting items can be purchased by a player as soon as they get their hands on some funds

Also remember to onload this equipment by hitting 'S' (ship screen) in the starting ranger base and moving it from the storage box to your ship.

Newbie Tip 7: Combat skills are very important, even to people planning on a non-violent mercantile focus. With the tangle of race relations and the ever present pirates, skirmishes are inevitable. I always put one of my two starting skill points into either attack or defense skill, and the one into maintenance.

Newbie Tip 8: Do the goddang tutorial. It's fairly easy missions with some decent payouts.

Newbie tip 9: Do NOT fight the IP-47 drone craft in the tutorial until your ship is armed with better stuff than the default laser. A rocket launcher + the starting laser will work if you started with the rocket launcher. A rocket launcher + a frag cannon is better. I've never tried it without the rocket launcher because starting without the rocket launcher is silly.

Newbie Tip 10: Once clear of the tutorial, buy a probe and deploy it on a uninhabited planet. The probe scans the planet and finds free equipment/cargo/modules. This is generally time consuming, so the probe can be deployed and then you can go about other missions or trade runs for 50-100 days. The probe cargo can make a great insurance policy if things have gone wrong and a player is broke and needs money for repairs/seed cargo. Just go to the planet, pick up the free cargo, and go sell it.

Don't forget to pick up the probe before leaving the planet, and have the probe repaired at a planet/station before deploying it at another planet.

[Desslock]

And what if you first comment about King's Bounty? :P

I liked it. I wrote a short preview for the next issue of PCG which I probably shouldn't pre-empt, but it's definitely a new HOMM except in a RPG-ish 3D world to explore.

[Naeblis]

WOW this game is heavy-duty. It's like the definition of a PC game.

I just finished the tutorial (thanks for the rocket-launcher tip, guys!) and now I'm completely at a loss for what to do. I wanna be a pirate and demand stuff from other rangers, but I'm very, very lame and noobish at this point.

While the idea of being a pirate in this game looks cool and dandy, it is one of the most difficult 'roles' to be in SR2, you should only try it after some hours of experience with the game and even then it will be hard.

[McBain]

I had forgotten how good this game is. Played for hours yesterday when I should have been doing something productive. :(

[zengonzo]

Productive?! You were perfecting your space privateering skills! Someday we'll be up there, man - you want to be eating some mook's space dust?

Get back to it!

[Tyjenks]

I liked it. I wrote a short preview for the next issue of PCG which I probably shouldn't pre-empt, but it's definitely a new HOMM except in a RPG-ish 3D world to explore.

Yay!!

[DoomMunky]

I have a question: Why are the various system names in different colors on my Galaxy Map? Is that a difficulty scaling system?

I'm still a total noob and can't really kill anyone quickly. I'm currently looking for some lazer thing to slow them down (no escape for you!), and when I'm not salvaging random stuff that's lying around I'm trying to trade effectively. Sort of a slow early game, it appears. Addictive as hell though.

[Lamalo]

The colors in the system names represents who controls the systems, yellow for Gaalians, red for Maloks, etc.

[mystery]

I have a question: Why are the various system names in different colors on my Galaxy Map? Is that a difficulty scaling system?

I'm still a total noob and can't really kill anyone quickly. I'm currently looking for some lazer thing to slow them down (no escape for you!), and when I'm not salvaging random stuff that's lying around I'm trying to trade effectively. Sort of a slow early game, it appears. Addictive as hell though.

Early on, beware the systems that are a pulsing red flare. These systems are currently under attack by Dominators. If you fly into them, most likely your newbie ship won't have the range to fly back out, and you certainly can't take them on by yourself, yet....so, game over.

[Gendal]

I liked it. I wrote a short preview for the next issue of PCG which I probably shouldn't pre-empt, but it's definitely a new HOMM except in a RPG-ish 3D world to explore.
I keep trying to like HOMM but everything else outside of the tactical battles is so thin that I quickly get bored of the game. Hopefully this will be what it needs to keep me interested beyond a few hours.

Oh and yes, SR2 is awesome. Curse my Starforce infected copy I picked up at Frys!

[DoomMunky]

FUCK. I have to leave my house in 3 minutes. For the last 40 minutes I hopped through 5 systems to get to an outlaw who was ferrying human cargo full of bioweapons when I was chased by his angered buddies onto a planet and was just getting ready to save when I was arrested, thrown in jail, and discovered I CAN'T save until I go through 67 days of confinement! I turned it off, and now I have to DO IT ALL AGAIN.

FUCK.

Save your game before you're thrown in jail!

ps. Or, as I'm sheepishly now realizing, minimize your game.

pps. FUCK.

[Tankero]

Goddamn.

I wonder if I can buy these games internationally...

A man can only take so much positive second-hand impressions for so long.

[MMcGlumphy]

Curse my Starforce infected copy I picked up at Frys!

Reboot removes the copy protection...

[Equis]

So I managed to pick this game up via Impulse (Yay! Brad) and am liking a lot of what I see. Was really starting to get into it when I found myself at the planetary mission training quest. And everytime I try to start this quest, I get a CTD. (Sigh)

Did anyone else encounter this problem? I'm playing it off Impulse and assumed that impulse downloaded the most recent patched version into my comp. Surfing the various sites has yielded no clues.

Thanks

[Quitch]

Usual fixes for that problem were turning down the planetary resolution and or colour depth, both of which are configured separately from the space graphics.

[Qenan]

Yeah, add this one to my list of games that most everyone loved, but I could not get into.

Your list is a lot like mine. You aren't alone.

[Quitch]

I think there was a lot of that. Space Rangers II was, in many ways, a pretty hardcore game. To me that was the appeal, you took off and could die during the tutorial. It didn't dick around.

[DoomMunky]

Holy crap this game is addictive. I sat down to play this morning around 9:30, and all of a sudden it was 1:45pm. I've got a new hull with twice the space (340 spare cargo area on a ship with 3 weapon slots AND a booster! Sweet!) and have great relations with just about everybody. I love it when your job is to deliver something to a planet that hates you, and when you land they're like, "No trading for YOU!" and then you turn in the quest and they're like "Hey, man! Can we sell you a system map? Want a special quest, buddy? Come back any time!"

I'm also loving how, if you get bored doing one thing, there's 3 other things to do. Tired of running planetary missions? Go extort a cruise liner! Sick of hunting down pirates? Take a reputation hit and become a drug runner! Recruit others to take on the Dominator-controlled systems, or just sneak around the edges of Dominator fights and pick up all the sweet space-loot!

Btw, anyone know if the reputation penalty affects more than the single planets you trade the illicit goods on? Is it faction-wide, or just local?

[Quitch]

I believe it scales, so it's largest on that planet, but will likely affect your relations with all planets of that race to a lesser extent. Not entirely sure though, I'm afraid I tended to be a do-gooder :)

[lesslucid]

Goddamn.

I wonder if I can buy these games internationally...

A man can only take so much positive second-hand impressions for so long.

http://totalgaming.stardock.com/

[Tankero]

Not on sale in my country.

[Desslock]

I'm convinced - this the one to get?: http://gogamer.com/Space-Rangers-2-DVD-Edition-Front-Page_stcVVproductId4761207VVcatId444710VVviewprod. htm

[MMcGlumphy]

I'm convinced - this the one to get?: http://gogamer.com/Space-Rangers-2-DVD-Edition-Front-Page_stcVVproductId4761207VVcatId444710VVviewprod. htm

Yeah, that's the game. Though, I'm pretty sure that version has Starforce copy protection. But, if you buy the Reboot expansion it will remove the need for it.

[Naeblis]

Or also, put the no-cd crack after installing the game.

[Justin Fletcher]

I'm convinced - this the one to get?: http://gogamer.com/Space-Rangers-2-DVD-Edition-Front-Page_stcVVproductId4761207VVcatId444710VVviewprod. htm
If you choose the North American version (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EOOZ5S?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pricegrabber-vidgames-20&linkCode=asn), you get a printed version of the in-game HTML manual and a copy of the original Space Rangers (1) .

If you have any stores nearby that carry those stripped down, disc-only, endcap versions of discount software, you might find a manual-free copy for a third of the price.

[malkav11]

That DVD version has Space Rangers 1 as well, and is on DVD. And doesn't have Starforce, I don't think. Although frankly I'd just buy the whole thing off Impulse and skip SR1, which is pretty vestigial.

[Quitch]

Since Space Rangers 1 is nothing but Space Rangers 2 with less, I'm not sure it's worth caring about.

[Papageno]

Yeah, that's the game. Though, I'm pretty sure that version has Starforce copy protection. But, if you buy the Reboot expansion it will remove the need for it.

OK, let me get this straight. I have the original import (UK) release that I bought at Fry's, I think. As soon as they had a good no-CD crack at GCW, I applied it and removed Starforce. My questions--if I buy the digitally-distributed expansion from Stardock, will I have to use the original .exe (the uncracked one) and will the expansion pack modify the .exe to not require Starforce? If so, cool.

[Justin Fletcher]

That DVD version has Space Rangers 1 as well, and is on DVD. And doesn't have Starforce, I don't think.
The former is true, but the latter is not, unfortunately. Though the main strength of the NA version is the printed manual. I find it much easier to reference while playing the game.

[DoomMunky]

Help! I'm trying to kick the Dominators out of a system, but I'd love to have some buddies help me. Where do you meet the groups of ships massing to take on the Dominators? Are they generally in the same Sector as the system that's Dominator controlled, or is it random?

[lesslucid]

Help! I'm trying to kick the Dominators out of a system, but I'd love to have some buddies help me. Where do you meet the groups of ships massing to take on the Dominators? Are they generally in the same Sector as the system that's Dominator controlled, or is it random?

You can often get advance warning of where a group is going to assemble and when they're going to attack by reading the news when you're planetside.

[Tyjenks]

I started this up again and damned if I have not gotten myself into a debt hole. I keep getting enough to pay, but am not ever close enough to a business center before the deadline and they charge me a phat penalty. Then I got tossed in jail and blew about 5,000 credits. I think my debt is at around 37,000 of which I have ~27. I think the juice is running after I shut the game off. That business center is a racket.

[Shadarr]

It's a life lesson.

[Tyjenks]

It's a life lesson.

Agreed, however those penalties are criminal. CRIMINAL, I tell you!

[Tim James]

Back from the dead, etc.

I decided to grab this for 5 bucks used rather than get the gold edition off Impulse for $40. Hoping there is a Starforce crack! Has anyone tried the expansion yet? Is it worth getting for a first-playthrough?

[Papageno]

I know there's a crack for the UK version-- I would hope there's also one for the US version too. Just check the usual place.

[malkav11]

There isn't. Generally, the cracking groups will only bother to crack one English-language/multi-language version - the one with the easiest DRM, or the earliest. In this case, the UK version.

And I've tried the crack I found with my copy. No dice.

[Netriak]

Note that you do not truly need a crack, just an executable that isn't protected by starforce. And those DO exist, the Stardock version supplying one for example.

The expansion should be compatible with the DVD release, which means that if you do decide to buy the expansion after all, you would have spend 25$ instead of 40$ if you bought the complete version.
And yes, getting the expansion is worth it for the first playthrough since it greatly improves certain game mechanics, such as the search functionality of planets. All in all, playing with the expansion simply makes it more fun, furthermore, the act of installing the expansion will make your version Starforceless, so getting it will solve your Starforce problem.

That said, the translators introduced a couple of stupid bugs into the expansion, which makes a LOT of new content not work. I have managed to fix said bugs, so that isn't truly a problem, but if you do get the expansion, I highly recommend you download my bugfixed executable from here:
Mediafire download link for bug-fixed executable (http://www.mediafire.com/?azyrb1we1da)

[Tim James]

Installed Space Rangers 2 tonight, and then bought the expansion off Impulse. Everything installed okay, but when I go to run Reboot, there is a split second of activity and then nothing happens. I usually see this with either some sort of DRM that doesn't like installed or running programs, or maybe with video card drivers.

Going to try reinstalling everything and making sure I can run the original at least. This is the 2-CD version. Oddly, the included Starforce driver removal tool didn't find anything. Maybe I need to run the game once first... [EDIT] Yeah, this is looking more promising. Too bad I have to download Reboot all over again. [EDIT2] Yep, unlocking with Starforce did it. Completely painless to install, run, get Reboot, and remove Starforce.

[Papageno]

So Tim, just to make sure, you installed the Starforce version, then ran it, then got and installed Reboot, and only then removed Starforce? So Reboot only installs successfully over the activated Starforce version?

To all who've tried the expansion, what's so improved about the search function of planets?

[Netriak]

To all who've tried the expansion, what's so improved about the search function of planets?

You no longer need to search by name, but by requirements.
For example, if you need a new hull, you enter the maximum price, minimum size, minimum armor, and which slots need to be open, which races are allowed to make them etc. Furthermore, you see the open slots of every ship returned in the results.

[Tim James]

So Tim, just to make sure, you installed the Starforce version, then ran it, then got and installed Reboot, and only then removed Starforce? So Reboot only installs successfully over the activated Starforce version?It installs successfully, but doesn't seem to run. I could have been doing something wrong that was fixed by a full re-install, but it seems logical enough that my guess is Starforce has to unlock some shit outside of the executable, which is replaced by Reboot (or Netriak's fix) so that can't be the only file. I was briefly worried about this because Starforce kept asking for disc 2 and giving an error, but it actually needed disc 1. Stupid Starforce.

If you're really curious, I bet you could ask a question in the Impulse forums. They seem fairly active.

[Papageno]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Those search changes mean I may have to pick the expansion up, especially if it removes the need for Starforce in a legit way. I hope it does that with the UK DVD release (that came out well before the U.S. one).

[Quitch]

Someone wake me up when I can get this in the UK... I mean, FFS, I'm dying here!

[Aeon221]

Someone wake me up when I can get this in the UK... I mean, FFS, I'm dying here!

Couldn't you switch to OpenDNS and then pay with Paypal? OpenDNS should mean they can't get your region, and Paypal has their debit card thing that works just like a credit card, so you could pay without it being in your weird weight money. All you'd have to do is buy SR2 from something like d2d or whatever site they have linked on the SR homepage.

[Quitch]

And then risk needing to go through that shit in case they check during downloading too? I'll pass. They can release in the UK or I can keep my money.

[Aeon221]

Well in that case you could make a complaint to paypal about non-delivery of goods and get your monies back. A screenshot with the "We refuse to take your perfectly good monies and give you your game" would probably do it. And it's twenty bucks, thats, what, like four of your quatloos?