Is the precursor Ranger way too powerful?

from GalCiv2 Forums

I just finished a game as Drengin. 3 tough opponents (Altarian, Arcean, Iconian) and 2 minor races (Paulos and Jagged Knife). I fought against Iconian for a long time while Altarian got really powerful economically and technologically (Arcean was a non-factor). Finally when I finished the Iconian, the Altarian had caught up with me militarily. Initially, I was winning my battles against her but since she was economically and technologically superior she started surpassing me militarily as well. Just as I thought I lost, I found a precursor Ranger ship.

 

That single ship was vastly superior to anything anyone had so much so it lost maybe 5-10 HP total during the rest of the game while single-handedly destroying maybe close to 100 ships. So basically I won the game because of that single ship that I didn't even produce.

 

Now, it isn't the first time I saw this so I know it exists but isn't it way too powerful? I think the stats of the ranger ship should be set more carefully based on various factors when you get it. What are your thoughts?

13,188 views 14 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

I guess it depends on the game parameters. I almost always play in Immense galaxies with 20 other factions. My games go a long time. Usually everybody is closer to the Precursor Ranger level (but not always); still, it showing up is not an automatic win. On the other hand, if you had Dread Lords on the map, you would be praying for the Ranger to show up. Bottom line is: it depends.

Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

The last time I got the ranger is was probably more like how you wanted it to be.  It was extremely powerful offensively, but it's defenses could be overcome.  I had to be a little careful not to get it in over it's head.  Ultimately I got a good offensive push from it, but eventually lost it.  I overcame the iconians though, only to be swept over by the Altarians after a Jagged Knife hit that was particularly bad to me.

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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Same question/problem as the OP here. I'm on my third playthrough of this game and have received Precursor Rangers on the first and third playthrough. Both times, they were vastly superior to anything else around. The current one has attack ratings 112/78/72, defense 21/24/34, 117 HP. My opponents ships look something like 0/0/8, 4/0/1, 66 HP (my own are 10/0/0 0/0/10, 39 HP). The Precursor ship seems invicible or at least way overpowered in this context. (Nobody could touch it on the first playthrough.)

So I have two questions. First, do these ships appear to frequently (two out of three games in my case! Which granted may be a fluke)? And second, are they too powerful, at least in human hands (having searched the forum before posting, apparently the AI will sell them cheaply)?

Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

I've just had another game ruined by a Precursor Ranger. I get it for doing nothing and it can easily wipe out everything in the galaxy. Completely kills my fun. Hours of gameplay become irrelevent because of a stupid random event.

It doesn't seem to be a Mega Event. How the hell do I disable this moronic thing?

Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

You could just decommission it when you get it. Or if someone else gets it, buy it from them (they will usually sell absurdly cheap) and then decommission it.

I don't get them that often, and rarely at the tech level you seem to be getting them at. The biggest weakness is the laughable lack of speed, so I usually end up upgrading it anyway.

Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Quoting WIllythemailboy, reply 5
You could just decommission it when you get it.
End of WIllythemailboy's quote

Oh I did, but I would hardly call that a solution to this. I'm not morally opposed to random events or anything, but I don't want them to seem like they were thought up by an eight year old. A random event needs to be considerate of gameplay. GalCiv2 is a game that I like to invest some time in, so when a lazy and stupid design choice like this happens it makes me question why I'm bothering. I don't want to fix this by pretending it didn't happen. I'll just quit playing my game.

Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Just load in the last autosave and poof the evil ranger megaevent is gone and hours are not wasted.

Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Quoting caesarbear, reply 6

Quoting WIllythemailboy, reply 5You could just decommission it when you get it.
Oh I did, but I would hardly call that a solution to this. I'm not morally opposed to random events or anything, but I don't want them to seem like they were thought up by an eight year old. A random event needs to be considerate of gameplay. GalCiv2 is a game that I like to invest some time in, so when a lazy and stupid design choice like this happens it makes me question why I'm bothering. I don't want to fix this by pretending it didn't happen. I'll just quit playing my game.
End of caesarbear's quote
Or instead of bitching about a random event you can just turn them off.

Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Hi!

Or instead of bitching about a random event you can just turn them off.
End of quote

AFAIK you can turn off only mega events, which precursor ships aren't. Also AFAIK they "become available" only after 5 game-years have passed, and if game "decides" you're not doing well. If my memory serves me well I got them (actually it) in only one game of all I've played.

BR,  Iztok

Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Quoting IztokBitenc, reply 9
Hi!


Or instead of bitching about a random event you can just turn them off.
AFAIK you can turn off only mega events, which precursor ships aren't. Also AFAIK they "become available" only after 5 game-years have passed, and if game "decides" you're not doing well. If my memory serves me well I got them (actually it) in only one game of all I've played.

BR,  Iztok
End of IztokBitenc's quote
Need to learn to pay attention to your options then. When starting a new game, bottom Right hand Box, Random events lets you set the frequency, one of those options is Off. Not hard you know.

Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Hi!

Need to learn to pay attention to your options then. When starting a new game, bottom Right hand Box, Random events lets you set the frequency, one of those options is Off. Not hard you know.
End of quote

Umm, there must be something wrong with my eyes, because I can't see that Random Events Box neither in my DL nor in my DA game. Strange. Probably I'll have to see the oculist. :grin:

BR,  Iztok 

Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Quoting IztokBitenc, reply 11
Hi!


Need to learn to pay attention to your options then. When starting a new game, bottom Right hand Box, Random events lets you set the frequency, one of those options is Off. Not hard you know.
Umm, there must be something wrong with my eyes, because I can't see that Random Events Box neither in my DL nor in my DA game. Strange. Probably I'll have to see the oculist.

BR,  Iztok 
End of IztokBitenc's quote
Hey you are in the Twilight of Arnor forum for starters. You need to quit posting in this forum probably if you aren't playing this version of the game as you have no clue what we are talking about. :p

Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

This topic already came up a couple of times I think.

As I understand it, there are actually 2 versions of the precursor ranger you can find.

One is simply a mid-level dreadnought similar to what you could build at this tech-level, i.e. not all that powerful.

That would be the "standard" random event.

 

And then there's the mega-event version, what is what you got.

This one is extremely powerful, similar to the ships you get late in the ToA campaign.

 

Early in the game, those mega-event rangers can be effectively game-braking, as there is not very much you can do about it.

Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Yeah, ElZoido is right on the money. There's an event where you find a "Ranger-class starship" which is then named the Lucky Ranger, and another where you find the PreCursor Ranger.

The event is kind of annoying, because every time I've seen anyone get the PreCursor Ranger it's made a VERY noticable spike in the military graph.

Of course, there was one very strange playthrough where over the course of a couple of years, all six races in my game got a PreCursor Ranger. That was pretty shocking.

But yeah, they can basically screw up the playthrough if they happen too early, or you can't manage to get the other race to hand it over. Definitely a massively over-powered ship.