Space Rangers 2 Profile Preview - The Races and Ships of Space Rangers 2

Space Rangers 2 is an upcoming strategy game that's already being compared to the classic space adventure and exploration game Star Control 2. Indeed, there are a number of similarities between the two. Both games are played from a top-down, 2D perspective, and your goal in each game is to fly around the galaxy, exploring the unknown, charting new worlds, battling countless enemies, and then upgrading your ship with new weapons and technologies. The game is already available in Europe, where it has earned strong praise, and it's coming to North America next month. We've got the info on the five races in the game, as well as the different ship types that you'll encounter. Races There are five major races in Space Rangers 2--the maloqs, pelengs, humans, faeyans, and gaalians--as well as the invading race of robotic dominators. They're listed here by technological development and ship quality, with the least advanced race listed first and the most advanced race listed last. Maloqs The maloqs are large, strongly built humanoids. They have immense physical strength and endurance, as well as a high resistance to the elements. They're also not too bright, and they're afflicted with pantophagy, or the habit of eating all kinds of food. These characteristics allow the maloqs to survive even in the most unfavorable conditions. The maloqs worship power as a cult. They have little liking for the weak faeyans and the overly smart gaalians. The maloqs are the most technologically retarded civilization. This can be primarily explained by their traditional distrust towards intellectual values, as well as their huge expenditures on army and fleet maintenance. Pelengs The pelengs are a race of amphibians. They can live both on land and in a liquid environment and are capable of breathing practically any type of gas mixture, including small amounts of nitrogen. The pelengs are pirates, saboteurs, and provocateurs. Although they are part of the galactic commonwealth, in reality the pelengs do not maintain any strong economic or diplomatic relations with the other races. Direct and quick profit at any cost is the sole goal of any individual peleng and their whole civilization. The pelengs treat all other races equally badly, especially those who are smarter than them. The peleng solution to catching up in the technology race boils down to a very complex and sophisticated system of industrial espionage. No wonder they have the best espionage and sabotage organization in the entire commonwealth. Humans Humans are primarily psychologists, politicians, and diplomats. Rhetoric, psychological games, and political technologies are the main human trump cards. Humans are friends with the faeyans, but they have never really liked the maloqs all that much because of their excessive aggressiveness. Their attitude toward the gaalians and the pelengs is neutral. In terms of technology, the humans are average. All the main achievements in economics have been made by humans, and it was the humans who many centuries ago initiated the establishments of the galaxywide network of trading centers, managing to get even the conservative gaalians and the trade-despising maloqs to support this project. However, humanity's main achievement is the introduction of a common monetary unit--the galactic credit! Faeyans The faeyans are humanoid hermaphrodites with an oversized brain and faceted eyes. They are slow-moving, physically weak creatures, with the larger part of their activity consumed by thinking. A faeyan can, at will, divide its mind and faceted eyesight into sectors that function independently from one another, thus creating a random number of autonomous mind fields. They are philosophers, researchers, and innovators, cultivating their own technocratic culture and their own original picture of the world. The role of the faeyans in the commonwealth is that of leading researchers and developers in the field of science and technology. The faeyans have all the respect for the gaalians and have a sort of a condescending attitude to their younger intellectual cousins, the humans. As for the maloqs, the faeyans really consider them to be more like animals than intelligent beings. And as far as the pelengs are concerned, the faeyans are irritated by their constant espionage attempts to steal their latest technologies. Gaalians The gaalians (the children of Gaal) are humanoids who have spent millennia modifying their biological form through genetic alteration of fetuses. The initial actual form of the gaalian race has thus long been lost and forgotten. At present, the gaalians are the most well-developed race. The history of their people dates back to ancient times, when the gaalians were the only intelligent beings of all the races in the commonwealth. The gaalians are tycoons who use their fleet to maintain stability in the commonwealth. The gaalians treat everyone equally well, with no exceptions. They believe that each race, no matter how badly they behave, still has positive qualities, as well as a minimum of three basic rights: the right to live, the right to determine virtues, and the right to motivation. As a result, the gaalians treat everyone as friends and partners. Dominators Little is known about the dominator robots. In essence, that is something that you will have to learn in the course of the game. It is known that they are divided into three groups, the blazeroids, kelleroids, and terronoids. Scientists think that each dominator series has a command center. It is also thought that only by contacting one of these command centers directly can you find out the real reasons behind the dominator invasion. However, no one has yet managed to communicate with any of the dominator bosses. Dominator ships know no fear. They never enter into negotiations and never ask for mercy. Dominator technologies are no less developed than the most advanced technologies of the commonwealth. The robots also have a powerful weapon that is unavailable to the races of the commonwealth. The commonwealth of five races is actively combating the dominator forces. All efforts have been pooled to fight these machines. Scientific bases are researching antidominator technologies. Meanwhile, ranger centers collect so-called nodes, or salvaged parts of destroyed dominator ships, to produce micromodules to enhance commonwealth ships. The rangers are also recruiting new members and organizing combat operations to liberate star systems. Ships All ships in Space Rangers 2 have their own pilots, and each pilot has his, her, or its own independent personality. They try to analyze the deeds of other pilots and then make decisions of their own. Ships and pilots generally fall into the following categories. Combat is turn-based but with simultaneous resolution, which means the action unfolds in real time. Rangers The rangers' main business is to liberate star systems that have been conquered by the robotic dominators. Their main purpose is to find and destroy the dominator bosses Terron, Keller, and Blazer. Then again, not all of them are loyal to these high ideals. There are some who have enrolled only to profit on the good name of the rangers. These are the immoral type of ranger; they attack and rob civil ships, transport contraband, and so on. Computer-controlled rangers are smart and they can do anything that you can do, with the exception of government missions. Rangers can also serve under your command or under the command of other rangers. Ranger behavior is not easily predictable, because over the course of the game their character may change. A ranger stoically fighting the dominators one day may start transporting goods the next to save some money to repair and upgrade his ship. Civil Ships Civil ships live a life of their own. These are transport, passenger and diplomatic ships. They go about their own business, be it shipping, tourism, or negotiations. As a rule, civil ships are not very well-protected and are constantly attacked by pirates. Pilots of civil ships usually try to reach a compromise. They're willing to pay a "road toll" to the pirates without argument. They never chase their enemies. Even when they win over their opponent they agree to a minimal ransom, although there are some exceptions. Some pilots may have a cherished hatred against a certain ranger and will attack them at every opportunity. Military Ships Military ships serve only to defend their own planet. They'll scramble from orbit every time they spot the dominators or other enemies. Usually they have pretty good weaponry and attack in groups. Facing a squadron of military ships is no laughing matter. If you are not too confident about your chances against military ships, you'd better try to negotiate and buy yourself out of trouble. Pirates Pirates live off pillaging and plundering. They are only interested in their own personal gains. They would even attack their own wounded kin to rob them. The pirates' favorite thing to collect is "road tolls" from passing ships. Anyone who refuses to pay will be attacked immediately. So in order not to become an easy victim for the pirates, you must either have a fast ship or good weaponry. The most bloodthirsty pirates usually do not live long, because angry planetary governments declare a price on their heads, and the best professional bounty hunters then come after them. Space Rangers 2 arrives in the US next month. Dominators There are several types of dominator ships, varying in size, speed, and firepower. It is known that they seldom travel alone; sometimes, in order to overtake a star system, they will gather in groups of up to 20. Dominator ships are piloted by powerful computers. Unknown Ships Sometimes you meet ships of unknown races. The chance of encountering them is especially high in black holes. Nobody knows where they come from or what it is that they are after. However, defeating them in combat may earn you a valuable artifact.