Well, at the suggestion of Gerard over at the Tensided Forums, I'm getting this game and trying it out.
To get an idea of what this game is about, rather than fill up space here with my half-assed explanations, Bill Harris can give you the low down. Be sure to check out the forum links at the end of the article for a boatload of hands-on game reviews.
Bottom line, if you liked Escape Velocity, chances are good you'll love this game.
Space Rangers 2
#2
So I've had some time to play it. If you've already read the link and the forums linked to in said article, I'm not going to say much of anything new.
However, I would like to point out that this game, especially early on, has nailed one thing that makes it very great, the mentality of Firefly. Get a ship, get a job, keep flying.
You can do as much (or as little), combat as you like. However, you have to deal with the fact that it's a dangerous universe. Sure, you can buy a ship with no weapon slots (or combat-related slots at all), but if a pirate decides to make you his next target, you could be in trouble, unless you can run. It's usually best to at least have some form of deterrant, even if it's just a strong shield system to keep bad guys from scanning your ship.
Trade is hard, you have to do research to see what goods are in good supply and high demand, which will change as you and others run to fill those economic urges. While planets will tend towards certain prices for various items, you have to be careful not to play them out.
There is a war going on. How agressive the enemy are depends on difficulty settings, but you can easily play the game without having to fight them and the AI will do a reasonable job of fending them off. Technically, you don't "win" until you defeat the enemies, but hey.
Other Rangers can be your best friends, or your worst enemies. Other NPC ships can fall into the same catagory. In my game, I've had decades-long rivalries with other pilots (usually pirates), many of which are still ongoing (bastard had a fast engine, I'll give him that much).
Five races, which determine your standing with the other races at the beginning of the game, and five classes, which determine what sort of ship and skills you start with. You also get two special pieces of equipment that you get to choose at character creation, things that will give you a significant edge in whatever you choose.
In short, good stuff. :)
However, I would like to point out that this game, especially early on, has nailed one thing that makes it very great, the mentality of Firefly. Get a ship, get a job, keep flying.
You can do as much (or as little), combat as you like. However, you have to deal with the fact that it's a dangerous universe. Sure, you can buy a ship with no weapon slots (or combat-related slots at all), but if a pirate decides to make you his next target, you could be in trouble, unless you can run. It's usually best to at least have some form of deterrant, even if it's just a strong shield system to keep bad guys from scanning your ship.
Trade is hard, you have to do research to see what goods are in good supply and high demand, which will change as you and others run to fill those economic urges. While planets will tend towards certain prices for various items, you have to be careful not to play them out.
There is a war going on. How agressive the enemy are depends on difficulty settings, but you can easily play the game without having to fight them and the AI will do a reasonable job of fending them off. Technically, you don't "win" until you defeat the enemies, but hey.
Other Rangers can be your best friends, or your worst enemies. Other NPC ships can fall into the same catagory. In my game, I've had decades-long rivalries with other pilots (usually pirates), many of which are still ongoing (bastard had a fast engine, I'll give him that much).
Five races, which determine your standing with the other races at the beginning of the game, and five classes, which determine what sort of ship and skills you start with. You also get two special pieces of equipment that you get to choose at character creation, things that will give you a significant edge in whatever you choose.
In short, good stuff. :)