Sneaking in JA2

[suibhne]

Finally started playing this game, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit (though D&D has ruined me, so at first I was totally baffled by the simple system of alternating player vs. opponent turns ). Here's a question, though: does Stealth actually play any role at all in daytime missions?

Sure, it's mighty valuable in night ops, but during the day it seems to have virtually no effect on when I'm spotted - which is to say, I'm spotted pretty much immediately when I enter any baddie's LOS, even when using a prone, Stealthy character and hiding behind trees and rocks. (Yet baddies seem to occasionally appear out of nowhere, so clearly daytime stealth works for them.) Does it get more useful later, with camo kits and the like, or is it pretty much always useless during the day?

 

[Walks with the Snails]

How close are you getting? The usefulness has a good bit to do with range. I didn't have much problem sneaking up close enough to get a good shot later on. You just don't have to get as close with a Steyr as with an MP5, and the range penalties aren't as severe in daytime. There's no way in hell you're going to get the drop on a guy trying to sneak up on him with an SMG in the daytime, that's just logical. If you stay prone and behind cover with good long-range rifles, you'll still have the advantage over guys running over to shoot you. There's just a different strategy to daytime vs. nighttime combat.

 

[Greenskin13]

Looks like New York. Call the apes....

I'm playing the Urban Chaos mod, so I almost have to always strike at night, in full camo and with all silenced weapons. Stealth becomes very important when I'm fighting indoors. If I have to sneak past a wall, I certainly don't want my footsteps to alert the guard. In the very least, it will give you an advantage on who gets to shoot first. Then it's only a matter of aiming.

 

[Crazy Tuvok]

Sneak can be huge, especially later in the game when you can afford some mercs with high points in it. Camo kits are also incredibly useful. Naturally it is less effective in the day. But I always, *always* ran my ops at night. A coupla of stealth mercs and a few heavy gunners with night combat training and you will see the direct benefit of sneaking. Once engaged it is a little less important but getting the intial jump on the bad guys can make all the difference.

Short(er) version: sneak gets better and yes it is useful. But by and large it is not that useful during the day.

 

[Lasakon]

In my experience it's virtually impossible to sneak in wide open areas at day. I have become rather good at sneaking in urban areas at day. Camo and good concealment help quite a bit in those situations. I also find knifers to be very useful in all sneaky ops. Having someone like Shadow is invaluable in all stealth ops. Silenced Glock 18's or Berretta's are usually your best bet for silenced weapons assuming you have a good marksmanship and stealth character. So yes, sneaking can be though at day, but can work.

 

[suibhne]

Glad to hear it improves slightly, but also that my characters and tactics aren't uniquely bad.

Yesterday I attacked a SAM site by night, sneaking into the area with several Night Ops folks on point. Two Night Ops marksmen (or markswomen, actually) climbed the roof of the building, and I laid a trap around the corner with two other mercs. I dropped about 12 baddies, each one in a single turn, without taking a single point of damage - and I finally saw the critical death animation of the exploding head.