Jagged Alliance: Back in Action

[Father Walker]

So, I decided to play JA2. I haven't played it for a long time. What mods, patches or whatever should I install? I don't want any fancy stuff, I just want the best version available. Or should I just play the vanilla game?

Go for vanilla. Really. Mods may add ton of kewl stuff, but classic JA2 proves that sometimes less is more. If you decide to try 1.13, go for older release, like 2085. Though Khor says that 687 was the best one (didn't play this one that much, so can't comment).

Nah start with a version 1.13, if only for the resolution hax.

Using 1.13 only for the higher resolution is pointless, since it adds ton of features. There was a dedicated mod which added resolution only, and JA2 Straciatella had higher resolution if I recall correctly.

 

[bonescraper]

Played it for 10 more minutes before i ragequit. Dammit, nevar again!

These guys should just buy a different old franchise instead of JA, and call this game Cannon Fodder: Modern Warfare. It plays a lot more like CF, meaning - it's just a simple shooter. Well, maybe simple isn't the right word here, because the interface and controls suck, and it's really hard to tell what my mercs are going to do next. The guard mode just doesn't work like it should, there is no way to change your mercs' facing, and they get easily confused when you tell them to shoot at a moving target from cover. What's funny for a real time game - there is no autofire option, so, if you want to kill your target, you have to click him 10 times to make sure your mercs will keep firing at him 'till he drops dead. Actually, the RT shooting mechanics suck in general. In reality, you can unload a full clip from Beretta 92F in 4 secs, in this game it takes about 30... This game simply can't be fun without TB combat.

I hope the creators of this turd will go bankrupt soon, so that Paradox can step in and buy out the rights to the JA franchise off their incompetent hands.

 

[MetalCraze]

So, I decided to play JA2. I haven't played it for a long time. What mods, patches or whatever should I install? I don't want any fancy stuff, I just want the best version available. Or should I just play the vanilla game?

Go play vanilla 1.12 first then an OLDER version of 1.13 like 3042, NOT the latest as suggested by others (!)
The reason is that NOTHING but herp derp was added in the last 2 years.

Listen to the bro here.

Go 3042 or slightly older.

Past that there's a lot of unneeded shit. Like a lot of new stuff that adds new gameplay features. You may say - well isn't that great? Well... Fuck you and no. When you will see half of enemies drop helpless on the floor thanks to a single gas grenade from a grenade launcher shooting over fences and into windows from afar or start wiping out whole sectors at night all with a single merc due to ridiculously overpowered Gen4 NVGs - you'll know why. Worst thing is - enemies use GLs too - so levels quickly turn into a foggy scenery for a trash zombie flick.

Prior to this shit 1.13 was just 1.12 with upgraded stuff and MORE stuff, but nothing gameplay changing/balance fucking.

 

[J_C]

So, I decided to play JA2. I haven't played it for a long time. What mods, patches or whatever should I install? I don't want any fancy stuff, I just want the best version available. Or should I just play the vanilla game?

Go play vanilla 1.12 first then an OLDER version of 1.13 like 3042, NOT the latest as suggested by others (!)
The reason is that NOTHING but herp derp was added in the last 2 years.

Listen to the bro here.

Go 3042 or slightly older.

Past that there's a lot of unneeded shit. Like a lot of new stuff that adds new gameplay features. You may say - well isn't that great? Well... Fuck you and no. When you will see half of enemies drop helpless on the floor thanks to a single gas grenade from a grenade launcher shooting over fences and into windows from afar or start wiping out whole sectors at night all with a single merc due to ridiculously overpowered Gen4 NVGs - you'll know why. Worst thing is - enemies use GLs too - so levels quickly turn into a foggy scenery for a trash zombie flick.

Prior to this shit 1.13 was just 1.12 with upgraded stuff and MORE stuff, but nothing gameplay changing/balance fucking.

Thanks, this sounds good.

 

[Oriebam]

you can't edit items out? or find some way to nerf things or make them inacessible on the whateveryoucallit.ini file, p. sure it's possible though it's a retarded solution

there's an option to teleport reinforcements too in 1.13, though it can be edited out(actually I think it's turned off by default, not sure though ), pretty annoying because literally as soon as you fired a shot people would teleport to the borders of the map, generally behind you too

 

[spectre]

Yeah, it's the call orders from adjacent sectors option in the ini, iirc.

Sure you can edit most of this stuff (the changes they made to the aiming calculations are here to stay it seems). Point is, do you have better things to do with your life? Even if you know exactly what to change, it still takes some digging in the ini, and then in a few xml files.
I once ventured to edit one of the more recent 1.13 builds so that it's as close to vanilla (of course, it wasn't 100% possible), took me a few hours, and then I missed some of the stuff.

Actually, changing the stuff in the ini editor is pretty easy and convenient. Problems arise when you need to touch the xmls (and there is a bit of derp there, my personal fav is chance to hit penalty for scopes, I realize it's largely a balancing decision, but it still feels wrong) - and it doesn't help if you don't know where to look for stuff, and what exactly are you looking for.

Overall, it's a shame, because I really enjoy some of the stuff added by 1.13, but I can't picture myself going over this shit again.

 

[Khor1255]

Prior to this shit 1.13 was just 1.12 with upgraded stuff and MORE stuff, but nothing gameplay changing/balance fucking.

That's not true. Builds as far back as the 302 offered significant gameplay features in that enemies could climb on roofs and drop all etc. Those are the only two changes I can think of off the top of my head but they change the game in an enjoyable way.

Actually in one of the builds they inabled the airstrikes code but this was apparently problematic so the removed it pretty quickly.

As for the 687 being the most enjoyable gameplay wise that may be a matter of opinion. What I like most about it is that it is still quite moddable and contains the coolest gameplay additions as well without the massive derpery. The sucky part is that some of the newer builds have very cool mapping xmls and the 687 lacks a few of those as well as some other stuff that would be fun to mod.

 

[Angelo85]

So someone posted a merc selection screen earlier. It was a screen from a beta build, here's the final merc selection:



A bit of an improvement at least.

 

[Khor1255]

Why are the faces so retarded looking? Is this something to do with 3d?

 

[circ]

Just a really shitty 'artist'. Shadow is literally crying.

 

[Khor1255]

Wow. You normally think newer tech = better. Why wouldn't they just sample 'portrait actors' and maybe cartoonise them if this is the best they could do? It's almost as if they didn't care at all about making a game with any kind of quality.

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

That looks fucking awful.

 

[Ion Flux]

Looks like Prosper found a job.

 

[groke]

MD looks like the biggest douchebag.

edit:

Wow. You normally think newer tech = better.

lolwut? if you really think so aren't you on the wrong forum?

 

[MetalCraze]

No you fucking newfag.

Please tell me how VGA 2D is completely superior in comparison to current graphics tech and if you are feeling like being superhardcore - EGA.

Shitty "artists" will ruin any tech, no matter how much colours and detail it allows to show.

 

[groke]

holy shit, settle down skyway, I didn't realise you and khor were an item.

was JA ever about authentic looking faces (read as: everyone uses the same model with different textures stretched over them Leatherface-style)? I'd much rather some nice portraiture like the original in the place of this hideous 3d shit.

actually, fuck you. this is the same bullshit as "TB is just the product of technical limitations".

 

[spectre]

So someone posted a merc selection screen earlier. It was a screen from a beta build, here's the final merc selection:

Like I said, the various hats, glasses and hair models make it more bearable. There also seems to be a bit more background variety, which is good.
Still, it's the same fricken model. Look at the bottom row, all mouths are the same. I suspect they just bought a ready made package and ran with it.
(funny how it also justifies the no-imp option - it seems that all the face color/hair combinations are already taken (-:

 

[Khor1255]

Shitty "artists" will ruin any tech, no matter how much colours and detail it allows to show.

This is true. But newer tech makes the task of model to avatar almost effortless. It is unimaginable that they would use something so crappy looking when it would be easy to get results 500 times better.

Step 1 Draw or sample face.

Step 2 Run through image converter.

Step 3 Fine tune facial movements by altering 'static' face image.

Step 4 Process into game format and drink a celebratory beer (while collecting your $10 per face or whatever they can afford to pay).

 

[Father Walker]

It is unimaginable that they would use something so crappy looking when it would be easy to get results 500 times better.

True. Drawing 2D character portrait and animating it wasn't that different back in the 1999, I think. They've probably taken some photo samples, touched them up in Photoshop and then animated. Yeah, today we've got larger color palette and higher resolutions, but it wouldn't be that hard for any decent 2D artist to make such portraits for BIA. So, either guys in suits have decided to cut the costs or the dev team has no clue how to make a decent game (or both).

 

[Stabwound]

Played it for 10 more minutes before i ragequit. Dammit, nevar again!

These guys should just buy a different old franchise instead of JA, and call this game Cannon Fodder: Modern Warfare. It plays a lot more like CF, meaning - it's just a simple shooter.

Bizarrely, I just saw that an actual Cannon Fodder 3 was released today. And it looks a hell of a lot more fun than this piece of shit.

 

[groke]

skyway stop editing your fucken post.

Please tell me how VGA 2D is completely superior in comparison to current graphics tech and if you are feeling like being superhardcore - EGA.

I didn't say anything like that. why the fuck even bring up VGA when the subject of comparison (JA2) wasn't VGA? my argument was that newer tech does not = better. you're projecting like mad.

but, dude, it's totally ok for you to like godawful 3D art over 2D. I just think your taste is (banal)shit(boring).

 

[Angelo85]

Machete rape squads confirmed:

Massive incline!

/Edit: also the Steroid voice actor is awesome, he sounds exactly like your average polish bodybuilder - Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 

[Hoaxmetal]

Played it for ~2 hours, it doesn't do anything better than JA2.

Their real time just feels wrong, AI derps around and actions have long pauses, doesn't make it more boombastic or anything.

Only thing I like is world map :< Everything else is mostly "meh".

 

[anonyboy]

there is no way to change your mercs' facing,

What? Yes there is. Right click hold and drag. If you want to stay in current position and turn around, right click hold on left or right side (over menu areas) and drag over map.

 

[Angelo85]

Yeah you can change the facing like anonyboy described, but sadly you can't strafe which I really miss. Makes it much more harder when theres only one entrance and the enemy is aiming at it, or if you want to shoot inside a window before the enemy turns around and shoots you first.
Also apparently you hire mercs for life, was wondering why I hadn't the option to negotiate the length of the contract while hiring my first team.