Information Book on the Making of Jagged Alliance 2 Published, Excerpt Available

[Gozma]

Committed to having a printed-on-demand paperback option -> no pics

 

[Morkar Left]

I guess he will make most of the money with ebooks anyways. Furmost the book is for collectors and fanboys and these will probably look for a shiny appearance anyway. If can't deliver that, than better left the hardcovers behind and go all for the ebooks imho.

 

[Gozma]

Eh if it were only e-books people would be like, "hey this is just a fucking pdf, an internet good and thus unfitting for compensation with real money"

 

[felipepepe]

Committed to having a printed-on-demand paperback option -> no pics

Not true. Both Amazon's Createspace and IngramSpark print-on-demand and make no disticntion between text and black-and-white pictures. Obviously having them colored would be better, but at least it would be something.

I haven't played as many JRPGs as I have Western, but I know 90's era FF, Vagrant Story, Castlevania: SOTN, Dark Souls and some others have interactive & complex enough TTRPG systems similar to western RPGs that allow for strategy, C&C and more involving gameplay. Fantastic stuff and worthy of halls of fame. So no drugs, I just don't like RPGs that may as well cut the BS mindless battles and be point & click games instead.

Again, you just don't like JRPGs, you are playing them looking for things that WRPGs do better. Is like going "Wizardry 1-6 sucks, Skyrim has much better side-quests and a open world!".

And I call bullshit on the Final Fantasy games, they all fit the same criticism you made towards CT.

 

[Roguey]

So is there anything about the Barkmore reference in the book?

 

[Declinator]

Bought, downloaded, and read most of it. Interesting read but does not go all that deep.

Of limited interest to programmers looking for insights as "The Code" part is largely parts of the code (AI mostly) explained for the code illiterate. Might get something out of it but delving into the source code will most certainly be more fruitful.

Goes deeper on the design level and offers explanations for certain decisions including why they went TB instead of RT. Also gets into the problems originating from not being "data-driven" and other mildly amusing anecdotes and interviews.

Overall worth a read at least for the JA2 aficionados but don't expect to get your mind blown.

So is there anything about the Barkmore reference in the book?

No mention of Barkmore or Blakemore for that matter.

 

[Shaewaroz]

Another Jagged Alliance thread spoiled by nerds raving over Final Fantasy.

*Being awesome*

So what's the final verdict? Is the book worth reading? And how much of the book is about the original Jagged Alliance - the part from 13 — 33? How much of the book is straight up interviews?

 

[CyberP]

And I call bullshit on the Final Fantasy games, they all fit the same criticism you made towards CT.

False. Level and overworld design is more open. Going off to explore can reward you with unique equipment off the main plot path, and sometimes new summons or characters for your party. You hold greater influence over RPG systems, namely attributes, and in some of them skills also.

 

[CyberP]

Oh look I made a mistake, didn't preview my post beforehand and cannot edit it so therefore I am possibly retarded. Fucking Codex admins.

 

[Morkar Left]

Another Jagged Alliance thread spoiled by nerds raving over Final Fantasy.

*Being awesome*

So what's the final verdict? Is the book worth reading? And how much of the book is about the original Jagged Alliance - the part from 13 — 33? How much of the book is straight up interviews?

Go with what Declinator said, I hadn't the time to read it. Interviews are mostly citations within the text from what I saw.

 

[Declinator]

how much of the book is about the original Jagged Alliance - the part from 13 — 33?

Yes, that part is largely about JA1. There is quite a bit about X-COM too (comparisons to JA1 and how it affected the market.) JA1 is referenced later too but the rest of the book deals with JA2 mostly.

That chapter, "Genesis of Jagged Alliance", also concentrates a lot on the production side of things (who they hired, voice-acting, the inception of Sir-Tech Canada etc.)

How much of the book is straight up interviews?

I'd say about every third page has a quote from someone. There is never a back-and-forth interview but just snippets of pertinent answers.

Interviewees that I remember:
-Ian and Linda Currie (designers)
-Shaun Lyng (designer)
-Camfield (programmer)
-Meduna (programmer)
-Robert Sirotek

One of the more interesting things in the book was how these people became different during the time period the book covers (e.g. Meduna was a rookie when JA1 was being developed but becomes this veteran programmer fixing the blunders of others during JA2's development.)

Worth reading as I said earlier.

 

[felipepepe]

Sounds way better than the CT book.

 

[The_scorpion]

Eh if it were only e-books people would be like, "hey this is just a fucking pdf, an internet good and thus unfitting for compensation with real money"

someone send me their copy of the pdf plox?