Those that want nothing to do with this mode (which actually drops the game into full 3D) can choose to skip the missions or simply not install them at all. This is pretty damn simple compared to your average RTS, but it's still fun to get out of space and into other gameplay elements from time to time. The computer is aggressive, but pretty damn stupid. For the most part, I've found it's pretty successful to stay with one type of robot and be methodical about taking over the world. The challenge simply comes from deciding what pieces to put on which robots. Each side on the field (there usually are four, but I've seen as few as two) must eliminate the other players by securing resource nodes and eventually sending a robot into an enemy base to capture it. All units on the battlefield are robots with interchangeable parts (chassis, weapons, accessories, treads or legs) that add expense and both attack and defense properties to the unit. Occasionally, planet governments hand out missions that move the action to the planet and into RTS mode to battle it out with Dominators that have landed somewhere in the system. You never know what you're going to get with these and the quality varies pretty widely. These are a happy distraction, but I've been pretty thankful that I can simply dismiss these missions and get a different option when they appear.
#The rts of space rangers 2 is bad trial#
There was also at least one of these missions that actually had the wrong text in the wrong place making it a matter of trial and error to finish the mission. Unfortunately, the translation from Russian is bad enough in parts that it can be hard to understand and follow the clues correctly. Text based missions can be "choose your own adventure" mini-games or puzzles that vary in difficulty, fun, and comprehension. Delivery, seek and destroy, and protection missions are many and give players the opportunity to see all corners of the galaxy. Most missions given will have to do with the space based portion of the game. There are a ton of quests that are pretty varied. Stations can generate new military vessels to invade enemy controlled systems, provide research and more powerful weapons, cure diseases, and most importantly, provide quests. All of the planets and stations serve functions aside from being simple objects floating through space. The random generation of the galaxy at the beginning of the game only adds to the replayability. All of those star systems have different numbers of planets to go along with space stations (scientific, economic, military, and medical) that can be built with the help of donations and then destroyed by the Dominators when they invade a system. The galaxy is huge with 18 sectors of space comprised of three or four star systems each. It's also easy to make decisions in combat by switching the game to turn-based mode with the press of a button. Movement will default to constant travel (until an event like combat or conversation breaks up the movement) and double clicking on an enemy ship will enter automatic combat mode. These turns can be taken without having to give orders constantly for travel and combat which makes it a bit more bearable. Movement is based on turns that last one solar day so depending on a ship's speed, it can move a certain distance in one day. There are definitely some comparisons that can be drawn to Star Control for its fixed top down camera, but it's actually got much more like Freelancer mixed with some turn-based mechanics. Money and experience are gained through quests and actions against the Dominators and can be used to increase character stats and improve ships and equipment.
How that happens is really up to the players. Players begin as meager entries into the ranks of the Rangers and work their way up in notoriety, riches, and strength. How that happens is very open for interpretation. Players will need to climb up the Ranger ranks, gain new equipment, kill lots of dominators, help research thrive, and eventually take out the three main Dominator command units.
The Space Rangers are the first line of defense against these invaders and are pretty much an autonomous organization built as military and trade support. The game (released in Europe for quite some time and finally released in North America) is centered around a galactic struggle with a mechanized race known as the Dominators which showed up out of nowhere to give the five main galactic races a pounding. Space Rangers 2 is at its basics an adventure/RPG set in space.