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JA2 1.13 in 2017?

trais

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What's the status of it nowadays? Yes, I'm aware of existence of the Bear's Pit, but it's such a fucking mess that I thought I'd rather ask monocled gentlemen here first.


It's been years since last time I've played this excellent mod and I'm thinking about replaying it again. But I know that mods which have lots of development behind them sometimes become horrible bloatwares with mishmash of questionable features thrown in that don't really improve gameplay in any meaningful way.

So I'm wondering, should I grab the newest version available or is there some specific, older one that I should use instead?

Also, are there any other mods or 1.13 submods worth using? I'm not really interested in turning JA2 into a simulation, so stuff like having to manage eating and shitting of my mercs is something I can live without. I'm perfectly ok with just enhanced JA2 experience, which is what 1.13 was back in the day.
 

sser

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I played it on Windows 10 but I could never get rid of a freezing problem. Other than that, it worked fine in 5-10min spurts. Really wish I could get to work better because the game still rocks. I did not bother with any of the add-on stuff except more guns as I'm like you, 1.13 is more or less good enough. Or perhaps I just haven't wringed it dry yet like others may have.
 

YES!

Hi, I'm Roqua
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I have it installed now and it works perfectly on windows 10 for me. I used the latest version and no other mods. It is highly configurable. I set it up so I could create a party of six and just recruit merc for baby sitting big action zones like the missile sites. You change the resolution and everything through the utility where you configure the game aspects in. It is pretty easy and simple to install, set up, and get going.

It is really great and can't be recommended high enough.

Some other mods always look good but the seem like a hassle going with an older version of 1.13 or changing this file and that folder. And things aren't explained very well on the bear's pit forums so I take the easy route each time and just go for the latest of 1.13.

If you are more motivated and have a larger attention span then I do there are some overhaul mods on there that look very interesting if not as easy to install as the latest 1.13.

Also, I have it installed in program files and you can safely ignore that part of the instructions. Nothing doesn't work in program files as long as you run the mod install as administrator and the game as administrator. I've never had an issue. Moving shit all around everywhere is far more of an issue to me than installing shit in program files.

The game has never crashed or frozen. But I do run it in a window. I seem to only have an issue in windows 10 when I can't run games in a window. Fullscreen (non windowed) is when I get freezes and crashes and weird shit.
 

spectre

Arcane
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So I'm wondering, should I grab the newest version available or is there some specific, older one that I should use instead?

Had the very same dilemma a few months back. Having checked the then-current SCI, my impression was I'd spend an eternity sifting through all the new features, switching off crap that I do not need.
Some things looked promising, like disguises and spotting for snipers, other features like radio jamming and new skills system felt like too much, though it might appeal to folks who are really, really bored with the base game.
Unfortunately, the Game's interface does not really get along well with this feature bloat.

Anyways, I am planning to do some jagged alliancing in the coming week, my planned routine is as follows: try the most recent SCI version, see if its any good, then fall back to either 4780 or 7435.
Version history is crap for 1.13, but from what I recall, 4780 is stable and doesn't have a lot of added features, whereas 7435 has some bloat, but not as much.
Not sure about compatibility, this might force you to try a more recent build.

Also, 1.13 is a bitch to setup on steam, I managed to get the recent ones working, but I had to dig out my old CDs to run the earlier ones.
 

Nostaljaded

Savant
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Messages
359
I played it on Windows 10 but I could never get rid of a freezing problem. Other than that, it worked fine in 5-10min spurts...
If playing the official release versions (e.g. 4870, 7609 etc.) & you have tried the dll fixes in '..\Docs\Windows Compatibility Fixes\Windows 8 Fix.zip', try installing Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable, as IIRC the official versions are built in VS2005.
Development versions are built in VS2010 or later.

Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
x86: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5638
x64: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=18471

Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable
x86: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5582
x64: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=2092

Report if it solves your freezing problem.

...Also, 1.13 is a bitch to setup on steam, I managed to get the recent ones working, but I had to dig out my old CDs to run the earlier ones.
JA2 (& 1.13) is portable and takes up <1GB space, just keep a zip archive on the original files for convenience and in case of mod installation SNAFU.
 

Severian Silk

Guest
I recommend installing WildFire maps. They're better than the originals, and don't affect anything else.
 

trais

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Had the very same dilemma a few months back. Having checked the then-current SCI, my impression was I'd spend an eternity sifting through all the new features, switching off crap that I do not need.

I don't mind doing that, so I guess using the newest SCI version is the way to go for me.

After all, editing ini files is an integral part of ja2 1.13 experience, isn't it? ;)
 

Epsilon

Cipher
Joined
Jul 11, 2009
Messages
428
I played it on Windows 10 but I could never get rid of a freezing problem. Other than that, it worked fine in 5-10min spurts. Really wish I could get to work better because the game still rocks. I did not bother with any of the add-on stuff except more guns as I'm like you, 1.13 is more or less good enough. Or perhaps I just haven't wringed it dry yet like others may have.
The reason it freezes is because windows is trying to assign more threads to the process. Get process hacker http://processhacker.sourceforge.net/ and set permanent affinity of the ja2.exe process to one core only and your crashes and freezes should stop, even in fullscreen.
Get https://github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat/releases/download/experimental/ddraw.zip and extract that in the JA2 directory for general smoothness of the game on Winten.
 

trais

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OK, so I've tried the newest SCI build and it made my head hurt. Radio operators, calling in artillery strikes, tanks, merc backgrounds and disabilities, food and water system (fortunately no shitting and pissing system... yet) etc.

Fuck that shit, gonna try again with 4780.
 

Plisken

Learned
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Oct 8, 2017
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255
The latest stable release seems to be from October 2014 - is that correct?

http://ja2v113.pbworks.com/w/page/4218339/FrontPage

The Bear Pit Forum are a mess, and like other said, I‘m not really too hot on the feature bloat. So I‘m fine with installing 7435, just wanted to make sure it’s the latest official one.


the bear pit forum is easily one of the worst ive ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Apart from the bad software, the organisational skills of the members themselves are horrid, frequently having key posts with information hidden somewhere in a 100 page thread instead of having it stickied, or having mod pages with absolutely no information on what the mod actually does because its just assumed you'd already know.
 
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Strap Yourselves In Codex+ Now Streaming!
Well yeah, they make a horrible impression, not going to wade through all that shit. I'm sticking with the latest stable build from 2014 then. Seeing the feature list in the ini Editor I already want to turn half that stuff off, I can't imagine how bloated the current releases must be.
I wish there was a minimum patch that just adds the suppression system, improves AI and adds some new weapon without changing anything else.

Anyways, scrolled through the INI editor and there's some stuff concerning zombies. Can'r remember the original game had them? The section contains various settings for the Zombie stuff, but no setting to just turn it off. Do you guys know anything about this?

Also - Drassen counter attack - on or off, what do you recommend?

Edit: Ok zombies can be set ingame in the preferences and are turned off by default. Good. Just like the stupid food stuff.
 
Last edited:

spectre

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So this is in general RPG now, huh? You guys forgot that laptop guy has no stats?


Anyways, scrolled through the INI editor and there's some stuff concerning zombies. Can'r remember the original game had them? The section contains various settings for the Zombie stuff, but now setting to just turn it off. Do you guys know anything about this?

Also - Drassen counter attack - on or off, what do you recommend?

I'm not going to be very helpful about the zombies, because I wasn't interested in that mod at all. From what I saw on yewtube, there's a mod that adds zombie sounds, but it looks pretty shite overall, the animations and enemy models are still the same.
Could be seen as an interesting change of pace when polished, but I don't see myself playing that for more than a few sectors.

When it comes to the counterattack, turn it on if you haven't seen it, especially if you're a veteran.
I'm not a big fan of it myself, because how unbalanced it is - when you don't expect it, it can give you a nice adrenaline rush, but if you do see it coming, you'll most likely game the system to win.
This will screw up any semblance of balance if you have "enemies drop all items" and don't handicap yourself in some way.
 

octavius

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I wish there was a minimum patch that just adds the suppression system, improves AI and adds some new weapon without changing anything else.

There's always 1.13 Vanilla, which is one of the INI options.
Unfortunately it's pretty buggy. Most of them can be fixed, but I still didn't find any of the "Wanted" ones, nor did the rocket rifle work for my guys.
 
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I wish there was a minimum patch that just adds the suppression system, improves AI and adds some new weapon without changing anything else.

There's always 1.13 Vanilla, which is one of the INI options.
Unfortunately it's pretty buggy. Most of them can be fixed, but I still didn't find any of the "Wanted" ones, nor did the rocket rifle work for my guys.

Hmm I can't seem to find a global vanilla option in the ini file...using 7435 with the 7609 update.
 
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I got the GoG version on my Win 8 system but it is so atrociously slow that I stopped bothering.

It's probably a Ddraw issue.

Create a txt file, copy and paste this:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers]
"C:\\GOG Games\\Jagged Alliance 2\\ja2.exe"="~ DWM8And16BitMitigation Layer_ForceDirectDrawEmulation 8And16BitAggregateBlts"

(replace with your JA2 directory path, doubl slashes are necesserary)

save it and rename it to .reg
Run the .reg file.

Game should run smoothly.
There's also the option to copy 3 files into the JA2 folder which help with the stuttering, but they fuck up the helicopter map.

More info here:

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/ja2-and-win10.104599/
 

GarfunkeL

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I got the GoG version on my Win 8 system but it is so atrociously slow that I stopped bothering.
TalesfromtheCrypt already linked the fix and if you had bothered to google the issue, you'd have found threads here, at GOG and at Bear's Pit with the fix. There is actually no need to fiddle with Regedit for most people. Don't be a clueless mouth breather dude, you can be better!

The latest stable release seems to be from October 2014 - is that correct?
Not really. It's not anymore stable than more up-to-date versions. Latest version is 8560 and you can get it as well as others from here:
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=13A6926EAC52083!202&cid=013A6926EAC52083

When you go to http://thepit.ja-galaxy-forum.com/ and see the main forum page, you click on the first link under the big text DOWNLOAD REPOSITORIES. Like this:

Iy6ZwQy.png


which takes you directly to the Onedrive they use for storage. Now pay attention here, this is where it gets really tricky. There are so many options here to click. I made this picture to help you navigate your way through this maze:

Ut2Cyfu.png


I know, what a mess right? Who could fathom that the first link under download would lead to a selection of folders where you have to click on "builds" folder, and after that you still have to pick which version you want!
 

Wizfall

Cipher
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
816
Zombies are off by default, don't touch the ini.
I strongly suggest you to disable Drassen Counter attack (DCA), it's "impossible" to manage without cheesy exploits or without completely unnatural game progression (unless on easy difficulty).

Overall 1.13 is awesome (much imporved NCtH the last 2/3 years by the way) IF you don't mind going through all the inie and difficulty setting files (that's...a lot).
Otherwise i have read lot of good about AFS a balance mod for weapons i would install if by now i was not so used to fine tune almost everything to my liking that it's "perfect" for my taste.

Bear Pit forum is a total mess but people there are really great.
 

KazikluBey

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PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015
I got the GoG version on my Win 8 system but it is so atrociously slow that I stopped bothering.
TalesfromtheCrypt already linked the fix and if you had bothered to google the issue, you'd have found threads here, at GOG and at Bear's Pit with the fix. There is actually no need to fiddle with Regedit for most people. Don't be a clueless mouth breather dude, you can be better!

The latest stable release seems to be from October 2014 - is that correct?
Not really. It's not anymore stable than more up-to-date versions. Latest version is 8560 and you can get it as well as others from here:
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=13A6926EAC52083!202&cid=013A6926EAC52083

When you go to http://thepit.ja-galaxy-forum.com/ and see the main forum page, you click on the first link under the big text DOWNLOAD REPOSITORIES. Like this:

Iy6ZwQy.png


which takes you directly to the Onedrive they use for storage. Now pay attention here, this is where it gets really tricky. There are so many options here to click. I made this picture to help you navigate your way through this maze:

Ut2Cyfu.png


I know, what a mess right? Who could fathom that the first link under download would lead to a selection of folders where you have to click on "builds" folder, and after that you still have to pick which version you want!
giphy.gif




The Builds directory contains only the .exe, not the 1.13 GameDir files. To get the GameDir too, go here:
xqGbCTL.png


The following does not apply to the latest SCI versions!
As for the stable version, there are bugs in the latest stable+update that have been fixed in newer versions but which the developers can't be bothered to backport, and so they recommend the latest versions. There is a guy (Sevenfm) who made his own patch for the stable+update version which also includes AI improvements and some other stuff, however. Link here. He also has a thread at Bear's Pit. He has a Youtube-channel where he shows off his stuff:
 

Covenant

Savant
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Aug 3, 2017
Messages
343
Assuming that I've given up on NCTH entirely, aside from the bug fixes mentioned by KazikluBey (two seconds before I hit post, nice timing) is there any real benefit of upgrading from 7609 to whatever the current release version is? Does it improve anything significant or add any systems that are better thought-out than the ridiculous 'background racism' one? Or would I be better off sticking with 7609 and using Sevenfm's patch instead? AI improvements sound very tempting - one thing I'd really like in Jagged Alliance is something to better balance hit and run tactics. It's overpowered to be able to pop onto a map, stay by the edge, fire a rocket or mortar or just shoot a couple of guys, and then instantly retreat (regardless of whether you have AP) without any danger of being pursued and only a morale drop as your penalty. A better strategic AI would be amazing. Tactical would be nice too, of course.

Also the Drassen counterattack is fine if you just fuck off out of Drassen and go take over Chitzena or something instead. It's ridiculous to expect to be able to counter the Queen's every strategic move, particularly on Day 3 when you're 6 guys with .38s and maybe a couple of rifles at best. If you go elsewhere the soldiers will (mostly?) disperse, leaving their original garrison back in place plus perhaps a few elites. Much more manageable by the time you've gone over to Chitzena and got a couple of better rifles and, if you're fortunate, some periphery gear like Extended Ears.

As for the other side, about how killing them all with Drop All Loot on ruins the balance of the early game - I'd say DAL is the culprit with regards to fucking up balance, not the counterattacks.

EDIT: Just watching the above-linked video. If it's supposed to be demonstrating a superior AI, it's a very poor job considering A) The player is playing like utter shit and B) The enemies are administrators, who are supposed to make dumb mistakes. But even taking that into account I don't see any improvements in AI. Take the guy who ends up shooting Ira, the last one to die - how many turns does he spend just lying behind that rock after his allies start dying to the mercs, and even after seeing Ira?

I did like the delayed explosion grenade and the alternate Ira portrait though, hadn't seen either of those before.
 
Last edited:

KazikluBey

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Assuming that I've given up on NCTH entirely, aside from the bug fixes mentioned by KazikluBey (two seconds before I hit post, nice timing) is there any real benefit of upgrading from 7609 to whatever the current release version is? Does it improve anything significant or add any systems that are better thought-out than the ridiculous 'background racism' one? Or would I be better off sticking with 7609 and using Sevenfm's patch instead? AI improvements sound very tempting - one thing I'd really like in Jagged Alliance is something to better balance hit and run tactics. It's overpowered to be able to pop onto a map, stay by the edge, fire a rocket or mortar or just shoot a couple of guys, and then instantly retreat (regardless of whether you have AP) without any danger of being pursued and only a morale drop as your penalty. A better strategic AI would be amazing. Tactical would be nice too, of course.
I don't quite remember the exact new features between stable and latest. Someone mentioned the radio stuff (if you have a radio operator, he can listen in and notice patrols in neighboring zones, or jam their calls for artillery/reinforcements), and I think that's one. There are mods that increase zone size which should make hit-and-run tactics more difficult.

EDIT: Just watching the above-linked video. If it's supposed to be demonstrating a superior AI, it's a very poor job considering A) The player is playing like utter shit and B) The enemies are administrators, who are supposed to make dumb mistakes. But even taking that into account I don't see any improvements in AI. Take the guy who ends up shooting Ira, the last one to die - how many turns does he spend just lying behind that rock after his allies start dying to the mercs, and even after seeing Ira?

I did like the delayed explosion grenade and the alternate Ira portrait though, hadn't seen either of those before.
I don't think it's a special show-off video, just part of a play-through he did with his patch (much of the rest is also on YT), but which happens to show "- enemy using cautious tactics, trying to suppress and ambush mercs - using delayed grenade explosion to prevent enemy from moving into good firing position - red locators show armed bombs/grenades - improved suppression allows better tactical balance". I haven't actually played with this versioin myself, as when I found it I was already underway with a playthrough using the latest SCI.
 

octavius

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I wish there was a minimum patch that just adds the suppression system, improves AI and adds some new weapon without changing anything else.

There's always 1.13 Vanilla, which is one of the INI options.
Unfortunately it's pretty buggy. Most of them can be fixed, but I still didn't find any of the "Wanted" ones, nor did the rocket rifle work for my guys.

Hmm I can't seem to find a global vanilla option in the ini file...using 7435 with the 7609 update.

I think that's the same one I use, based on the Changelog texts. Doesn't seem to be any way to check in-game (there is some message that flashes too fast to read).

The INI Editor should look like this:
YJlHUZc.jpg
 

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