Jagged Alliance Jagged Alliance 2, Temple of Elemental Evil & Silent Storm Retrospectives

[BrotherJayne]

Spending AP to aim and all is awesome, but the feature that I want most to see in another game is supression. Pinning down a bunch of dudes in an L ambush then crawling up for nadespam when they're pinned down is just amazing, and I've yet to find another game after 1.13 that does that (except close combat, graviteam etc)

Check out the combat mission demos if you like that kind of thing

When they add the campaigns they promised.... 8 years ago? 6? .... I totally will

 

[Severian Silk]

Unfortunately, I don't think it'd be quite that easy, since people would find all kinds of reasons not to shell out $30 and pirate or wait for a 75% off sale on steam instead. Even if it was a feature-complete remake.
Personally, I feel the best course of action is the OpenXCom approach, where a 1:1 remake is created first, even using the original graphics. However, that usually rules out commercial projects.

This is stupid. Modders already have access to the game's source code. Why would they remake it from scratch?

 

[rezaf]

This is stupid. Modders already have access to the game's source code. Why would they remake it from scratch?

Maybe, I was mostly basing it on the earlier remark that the games source is a bit of a mess. It can be easier to recreate something from scratch.
Also, imagine you'd recreate JA2 1:1 but write and engine that COULD handle multilevel floors, fully destructible terrain and physics - you just make it behave 1:1 like JA2 for starters.
Now, maybe you'll still think this is a stupid approach - maybe it is, I don't have perfect knowledge, it's just what I feel would be the best course of action in order to get the old fans onboard.

 

[Doktor Best]

Nah, it should be aweigh. He could probably do the whole book in an evening.

And it will be just about Wizardry and nothing else.

 

[V_K]

And it will be just about Wizardry and nothing else.

What else do you need?

 

[Althorion]

This is stupid. Modders already have access to the game's source code. Why would they remake it from scratch?

When you work with legacy code it is sometimes easier and faster just to rewrite it instead of first changing it to fit modern code standards (so it will work in the first place) and then changing the architecture to support new features. It’s somewhat akin to building a higher building in place of the old one—sometimes it is faster to just build up, but if the foundations aren’t solid enough you’ll do yourself a favour if you just level it up and start from scratch instead of trying to change it.

 

[Severian Silk]

This is stupid. Modders already have access to the game's source code. Why would they remake it from scratch?

When you work with legacy code it is sometimes easier and faster just to rewrite it instead of first changing it to fit modern code standards (so it will work in the first place) and then changing the architecture to support new features. It’s somewhat akin to building a higher building in place of the old one—sometimes it is faster to just build up, but if the foundations aren’t solid enough you’ll do yourself a favour if you just level it up and start from scratch instead of trying to change it.

JA2 has no shortage of interested programmers adding all sorts of dumb shit no one asked for. What are missing are content developers.

 

[Grotesque]

The author of this article can't write for shit. His English is worse than a primary schooler. He doesn't know JA2. And this is also very poor editorial work on behalf of felipepepe. Lots of the cRPG book articles are of this low standard, btw. And yet, the Codex holds it up as something not shit?

You know, if you gonna shit talk me, might at least have the courtesy to tag me.

I do appreciate criticism of the book, but all you did was point out grammar mistakes and say that Shanga - the guy who's been adm of the biggest JA2 fansite out there for 17 years - doesn't know JA2.

Good criticism would've have pointed out that the article focus too much on the experience, without explaining the underneath mechanics like stances, aiming, action points, mercenary creation, etc. Which BTW, you're also partially guilty of: you tell readers to reserve their AP, but nowhere did you explain how AP, stances and aiming your shots work.

It's too easy to assume readers know what you're talking about, especially when you're extremely familiar with a game. The JA2 was one of the first reviews I got, back in 2014 - I've learned a lot in the past years and now I take care that every review should explain the basic gameplay to those who never heard of it before. Still need to update a few older ones like this one, but I'll get there. Grammar is the smallest of issues here, I'm kinda disappointed you wasted all your time on them.

You should also feature Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Drakan: Order of Flame in your book

 

[The Red Knight]

Here, tanks are shown rolling into the town of Omerta and blowing things up, and the citizens of Omerta are shown being mowed down by automatic weapons. This is how a dictator took control.

That's pacifying a town that's been confirmed to be aiding pesky rebels. She's been "legally" ruling the country for years after her husband "murdered" his father and "died" soon after, leaving her the only one still in power (which she kept through blaming both deaths on the opposition and declaring martial law).

He went into exile when she turned against him, but is assumed to be dead by Deidranna and the rebels.

The rebels are aware of him being alive (they helped him escape after all), they just wrote him off as living happily and forgetting about them.

 

[octavius]

Is there any point in checking every house for items in JA2?
I killed three enemies on the first map, gave the letter to Fatima, followed her and moved to the next area. Did I miss any items (I checked the falled enemies)?

 

[Lilura]

Crowbar/wire-cutters are itemized elsewhere, too.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Always check cabinets in toilets - they often include first-aid kits or medical kits. Any container can have loot in them, but it isn't usually anything super important. If you encounter a locked door or a locked container, that's generally a sign that something valuable is inside.

Use your canteen to drink water to replenish your energy after using a crowbar or running.

 

[octavius]

Those short ranges for pistols are no fun.
So I restarted and hired Len and Lynx for a day to get some rifles (and better armour). Much better! Even if it may be a bit cheesy.

 

[Citizen]

Those short ranges for pistols are no fun.
So I restarted and hired Len and Lynx for a day to get some rifles (and better armour). Much better! Even if it may be a bit cheesy.

Rifles? Pistols? JA2 is about tossing the knives.

 

[Renegen]

I've been playing this game (1.13 ofc) to death every few months. Had a run where my main girl was a shotgun specialist, I now know all the minor differences of the 20 or so shotties in the game. Pistol specialist is one of the easier starts to the game.

Want a fun game? Reduce the size of your team by picking a common denominator, like they all have stealth, or they are all women, or european etc

edit: And as far as melee or knives are concerned, they have their places. A Melee + Athletics specialist can make scissors rope out of enemies in urban environments.
Hand to Hand expert is great for knocking someone out, which then allows you to loot their items, or even put them in a prison for extra cash.

I play on soft Ironman (no saving during battle), and combined with a reduced team size and sometimes using melee or hth, it's suspenseful.

 

[luinthoron]

Rifles? Pistols? JA2 is about tossing the knives.

Honestly, I think I've done this exactly once in all the time I've played this game, just happened to have a throwing knife at hand and needed to quickly and quietly take out a guard in Alma. That knife through the head one hit kill was unexpectedly one of the greatest moments I've seen in the game, though.

 

[octavius]

This game is full of glorious bitch slapping.
First two cutscenes with the queen slapping her sniveling little snaga. Later Ira slapped Doreen to death.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Only problem with throwing knives is that they encourage save-scumming. If you're close enough to use them AND your first throw misses, the target is alerted and follow-up knives will not insta-kill them. You might get lucky and kill them in 2-3 throws by a fast merc with loads of AP, or you might miss more and then the enemy will either get an interruption or when it's their turn they will burst-fire you to death. If follow-up knives also had an insta-kill ability, the style would be far more reliable - but then it would probably be too easy to just sneak around at night and throw knives at enemies.

 

[octavius]

So what time of day do you get the daily income from mines?
I assume you need to own a mine a full day before it starts to generate money? I liberated the one in Drassen an hour or two before midnight.

 

[octavius]

So how do you cancel a merc's "Continue" status in combat? I mean when I want to use the End key to check LOS, instead of continue movement.

Also, how you do upgrade the Militia? I get the option to train more, but not to upgrade the current ones.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Defense by a militia against attack will result in some of the survivors being upgraded. I think training when a map square already has 20 militia will improve rookie militia to regular militia, but only combat can improve regular militia to veteran militia.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Ha, 100 dex and Fox can't catch a damn ammo clip.

 

[octavius]

Is there any point in going after enemy patrols, except for the experience?
Will eliminating enemy patrols reduce the chance of attacks on Drassen, for example?
And is ts there a finite amount of patrols?

 

[boot]

Mines generate income at 9:00, 12:00, 15:00, and 18:00 (I think, it's been a long time).

And is ts there a finite amount of patrols?

this depends on your settings, after a certain point more troops will be generated, but you can thin them out. I'm pretty sure counterattacks are made up of nearby patrols massing together and joining a force that is spawned from Meduna, so it makes defense much easier.

One game I had a budget team dedicated to wiping patrols and it worked out very well, I'd recommend it.

 

[octavius]

Ha, 100 dex and Fox can't catch a damn ammo clip.

She throws like a bimbo, ja?