This looks so AWESOME

[Goliath]

I just want to express my pure amazemend on how awesome everything looks you have shown us so far!

I feel like the most vocal posters are often just the critics, because the positives are just happy and wait for more. 

 

But i need to tell you guys what an awesome job you seem to do! 

Especially the map design! So much love for the detail!! Big congrats to the artists and designers! 

I was worried about this a lot, because it does so much for the overall feel of the whole game, and especially the ministories that happen in such a lovely handcrafted map when u play in it. 

 

Plus we get destructible enviroment! Finally! 25 years later!! 

Aswell as the timesetting it is in, with not so much ultra modern hightech shit like every 0815 game is in about today. 

The flair of these 90s action movies still captured:D

 

Having these RPG elements in the characters! 

Finally! JA was always like a good RPG, just without dragons but with guns. 

And also gore&blood!decapitation, yes! 

Yes THIS is JA! 

Only wishes:

I just hope that the shootouts are not so close-range like shown in the trailer, that looks close even for pistol fights. 

And that the maps are large enough. And that there are enough "empty" landscape sectors inbetween. Loved just going crosscountry with my mercs, hiding out in a lonely farmhouse in some nowhere, heal up, sudddenly getting ambushed by army latrols that found us... 

I have been waiting for a new JA since Ja2. 

Since there never happened anything that came even close to understand what made JA2 so good i even tried to teach myself to make games so i could make it. 

But that didnt work out, its just too much for 1 guy 😄

 

So much love for what you are doing, i hope the silent majority of hapoy people will also fire up your butts more. Hope you give us more soon and maybe a release date! 

Edited October 2, 2022 by Goliath

[JackofCups]

Came here to do kind of the same thing and say that there are a lot of people out there that wanted an updated JA without changing the feel of the thing and the gameplay.  Looks like they have it spot on.

Wish-listed it on steam and can't wait.  Hopefully this is part of a start back for the game industry that has been seemingly obsessed with everything except making a good game for the last 10 years.  So much money and effort wasted on style over substance.

This is going to be a huge success as long as they get the difficulty levels right, keep the UI intuitive, and the writing is at the same level as the originals.

Don't write this game for the few hundred elitist gamers out there, write it for the millions, who will buy DLC for it for the next 10 years if you get it right.

Edited October 19, 2022 by JackofCups

[LoboNocturno]

4 hours ago, JackofCups said:

Came here to do kind of the same thing and say that there are a lot of people out there that wanted an updated JA without changing the feel of the thing and the gameplay.  Looks like they have it spot on.

Wish-listed it on steam and can't wait.  Hopefully this is part of a start back for the game industry that has been seemingly obsessed with everything except making a good game for the last 10 years.  So much money and effort wasted on style over substance.

This is going to be a huge success as long as they get the difficulty levels right, keep the UI intuitive, and the writing is at the same level as the originals.

Don't write this game for the few hundred elitist gamers out there, write it for the millions, who will buy DLC for it for the next 10 years if you get it right.

DLC would not be bad at all, even very good for marketing and business, its also a must to bring it to console once it becomes a successful game, guess i mentioned it here 100 times already but not shy to mention it 101th time. 😉

 

I can imagine DLC`s already such extra mercs, additional outfits, a new weapon pack, extra missions etc....

[Solaris_Wave]

One of the things that drew me to the original Jagged Alliance games was not just the fact that I love turn-based squad games, but the modern day setting. I also liked the freedom of choice in how you preferred to play the campaign. It wasn't just 'do this mission', 'now do the next mission'. You still had objectives but it was up to you how you approached them.

I have been playing video games for 40 years. In the last 10-15 years I have still played some very enjoyable games. However, I have also noticed that my interest and excitement for games isn't what it was. I don't think it is because I am older and that my tastes have changed (I am nearly 47 at the time of writing this). While it can be partially attributed to the fact that I have seen most games before and today's games are the same, just with newer graphics, I think it is that so many games publishers today just don't have a clue anymore on how to make a game that isn't either bloated (you can advertise hours and hours of gameplay but it is often just grinding and constant travelling around an open world), a game that practically plays itself with on-rails gameplay, has no originality (lots of remasters and yearly sequels) or is yet another game loaded with micro-transactions, loot boxes, season passes, live services, daily goals and so on. I miss the days where you bought a game and got the whole package. Then, if there was something really worthwhile, a game would get an expansion that you could buy if you wanted to (rather than feel compelled to buy because the base game feels like it is missing content). Lots of games these days still have excellent DLC but often the DLC is planned to be released alongside the base game to make a little extra money, or is deliberately omitted from the base game to gain extra profit.

I don't enjoy big budget AAA games anywhere near as much as I do the 'lesser' profile games (and years ago you just had 'games' with some having a bigger profile than others. Nothing was classed as 'AAA'). I personally find that with AAA games and many titles that are released today, you are playing the games that the publishers want you to play, as opposed to the games you want to play.

I feel that JA3 will be one of the worthwhile games that will try to capture that 'old school' mentality. I hope that it won't be too influenced by modern games that have to cater for a 'modern audience'. I don't even think it should be conditioned for release on consoles, and I say this as someone who also plays on XBox. I think consoles have had both a positive and negative influence on gaming, because playing on a console is different to playing on a PC. The control interface is different due to lack of keyboard and mouse, the user interface has to be less complex because you are sitting farther away, looking at a TV. Having a game released on both computer and console platforms means the game has to be more accessible and simplified. That can hurt an in-depth game, especially one that might have smaller graphics and more fiddly gameplay (which, with a mouse and keyboard is not immediately a bad thing).

I firmly hope that JA3 will be for those that enjoyed the earlier Jagged Alliance games and doesn't try to reach out to too many new people by adjusting to a modern gameplay mindset. I don't mean that games should never have a refined interface that has been learned through experience in games design, I just don't want things dumbed down.
 

Otherwise, it is like when a movie sequel comes out many years since the previous film: its profile is known to the original fans who fell in love with something for what it was, while newer audiences are into modern things and aren't really aware of it. The new film gets changed in some way, whether it is the lore or the characters/creatures, to appeal to a new audience. The result is that it annoys the original fans because they didn't want the changes, its appeal is lost on new audiences because they didn't have any emotional investment in the first place, the movie bombs and the creators wonder why, plus think that the original fans are ungrateful and that that franchise's time has passed.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Solaris_Wave

[LoboNocturno]

5 hours ago, Solaris_Wave said:

One of the things that drew me to the original Jagged Alliance games was not just the fact that I love turn-based squad games, but the modern day setting. I also liked the freedom of choice in how you preferred to play the campaign. It wasn't just 'do this mission', 'now do the next mission'. You still had objectives but it was up to you how you approached them.

I have been playing video games for 40 years. In the last 10-15 years I have still played some very enjoyable games. However, I have also noticed that my interest and excitement for games isn't what it was. I don't think it is because I am older and that my tastes have changed (I am nearly 47 at the time of writing this). While it can be partially attributed to the fact that I have seen most games before and today's games are the same, just with newer graphics, I think it is that so many games publishers today just don't have a clue anymore on how to make a game that isn't either bloated (you can advertise hours and hours of gameplay but it is often just grinding and constant travelling around an open world), a game that practically plays itself with on-rails gameplay, has no originality (lots of remasters and yearly sequels) or is yet another game loaded with micro-transactions, loot boxes, season passes, live services, daily goals and so on. I miss the days where you bought a game and got the whole package. Then, if there was something really worthwhile, a game would get an expansion that you could buy if you wanted to (rather than feel compelled to buy because the base game feels like it is missing content). Lots of games these days still have excellent DLC but often the DLC is planned to be released alongside the base game to make a little extra money, or is deliberately omitted from the base game to gain extra profit.

I don't enjoy big budget AAA games anywhere near as much as I do the 'lesser' profile games (and years ago you just had 'games' with some having a bigger profile than others. Nothing was classed as 'AAA'). I personally find that with AAA games and many titles that are released today, you are playing the games that the publishers want you to play, as opposed to the games you want to play.

I feel that JA3 will be one of the worthwhile games that will try to capture that 'old school' mentality. I hope that it won't be too influenced by modern games that have to cater for a 'modern audience'. I don't even think it should be conditioned for release on consoles, and I say this as someone who also plays on XBox. I think consoles have had both a positive and negative influence on gaming, because playing on a console is different to playing on a PC. The control interface is different due to lack of keyboard and mouse, the user interface has to be less complex because you are sitting farther away, looking at a TV. Having a game released on both computer and console platforms means the game has to be more accessible and simplified. That can hurt an in-depth game, especially one that might have smaller graphics and more fiddly gameplay (which, with a mouse and keyboard is not immediately a bad thing).

I firmly hope that JA3 will be for those that enjoyed the earlier Jagged Alliance games and doesn't try to reach out to too many new people by adjusting to a modern gameplay mindset. I don't mean that games should never have a refined interface that has been learned through experience in games design, I just don't want things dumbed down.
 

Otherwise, it is like when a movie sequel comes out many years since the previous film: its profile is known to the original fans who fell in love with something for what it was, while newer audiences are into modern things and aren't really aware of it. The new film gets changed in some way, whether it is the lore or the characters/creatures, to appeal to a new audience. The result is that it annoys the original fans because they didn't want the changes, its appeal is lost on new audiences because they didn't have any emotional investment in the first place, the movie bombs and the creators wonder why, plus think that the original fans are ungrateful and that that franchise's time has passed.

I understand what you trying to say, in some parts i agree with you totally like we love JA2 cause of it freedom and we could play it as we wanted, could even go straight from Omerta to Meduna to the main base to kill Deidranna which was surely like Mission Impossible.

 

It was all great and all as we still love JA1 and especially JA2 but thats all nostalgia, way 25 to 30 years ago!

Yes most of us (hardcore Jagged Alliance fans) want something similar of it, all of us know it cant be the exact same game again, it should be a great mixture of old school and modern gaming imo. Am also 36 years old and playing video games since am 4 so the times changed massively. Mainly (lets say almost totally) am a console player, i mean am not playing PC games since more than 15 years now, it was great back in the days when we didnt even had laptops, playing on our desktops but times changed totally, console gaming took totally over. Its also way better for eyes to play on console, big screen and been away at least 3 m. I cant imagine now days playing a game for so many hours on a laptop just been 40 or 50 cm away, no way. I agree the gameplay could be affected a lil if it comes for both but as example i really loved to play Jagged Alliance Rage or XCom on console, would never do it on PC. Am currently playing JA1 on PC and cant play it more then 2 hours a day. So it is a must for Jagged Alliance 3 to come also on console, especially on PS5, it will increase the amount of players and it will be great for business.

[trueman11]

On 10/2/2022 at 9:48 AM, Goliath said:

I just want to express my pure amazemend on how awesome everything looks you have shown us so far!

I have only two questions: how old are you, and how many hours have you played JA2 and it's mods?

[WILDFIRE]

From day one I am also blown away by the fine detailed maps. I really love that everything is animated and feels alive. Objects are moved by the wind and the weather is also implemented. You did an amazing job with that! 

 

I hope the overall map design for the combat is as good. We need big open areas with multilayered houses with roofs so that you have many possibilities to win a fight.

[Goliath]

On 1/11/2023 at 10:24 AM, trueman11 said:

I have only two questions: how old are you, and how many hours have you played JA2 and it's mods?

38, how many hours? you mean how many years?

[trueman11]

9 hours ago, Goliath said:

38, how many hours? you mean how many years?

Then we don't appreciate JA2 in the same way.

[Solaris_Wave]

On 1/12/2023 at 2:54 PM, WILDFIRE said:

I hope the overall map design for the combat is as good. We need big open areas with multilayered houses with roofs so that you have many possibilities to win a fight.

This is exactly right. I mentioned this before about how large maps will create a difference between using one weapon type over another. Not only that but if the map is large, you have multiple ways to approach and can split your mercs up into teams to attack from different directions. Smaller maps just mean you can only attack from one or two different points and just give the impression that the map designer has said, "I want you to attack from this point right here." There is no room for creativity.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Solaris_Wave

[JJ1]

I think other games have shown that the intentions & efforts of the developers are probably more important in creating maps that can be approached in multiple ways than map size or content (like roofs) or anything like that.  Rage seemed like it was meant to be played as a stealth game, taking out one enemy at a time.  It just seemed like all the other strategies were treated with lesser status by the game's design and I ended up just having Raven go around with a knife to stealth kill everyone.  Back in Action had these huge sections of flat or nearly flat maps that the pathing couldn't go through.  It seemed like they just forgot to check something to make those sections traversable.  It just felt like the developers actively wanted to take options away from players in a way that isn't obvious from screenshots.  In both cases, the size and content of the maps didn't matter.  That made both games much worse and more boring.

[Solaris_Wave]

In some games where stealth is an attribute that can be levelled up, it can be quite overpowered by the end. I was almost able to carry out some missions in JA2 entirely solo with my custom character. She became adept in stealth and carried an MP5SD. Luckily, the game didn't make those situations too frequent, otherwise it would have been too easy and killed the squad aspect of the game.

I never played JA:Rage or any JA game after JA2, purely because of the negative reviews that were consistently made. I don't know if I should have bought and played them regardless, just so I could have an experienced opinion on them myself and say what I hope JA3 won't include.

Was stealth forced for JA:Rage (maybe due to difficulty) or was it that it was so effective that it made any other style of play pointless and redundant?

Edited January 31, 2023 by Solaris_Wave

[LoboNocturno]

5 hours ago, Solaris_Wave said:

In some games where stealth is an attribute that can be levelled up, it can be quite overpowered by the end. I was almost able to carry out some missions in JA2 entirely solo with my custom character. She became adept in stealth and carried an MP5SD. Luckily, the game didn't make those situations too frequent, otherwise it would have been too easy and killed the squad aspect of the game.

I never played JA:Rage or any JA game after JA2, purely because of the negative reviews that were consistently made. I don't know if I should have bought and played them regardless, just so I could have an experienced opinion on them myself and say what I hope JA3 won't include.

Was stealth forced for JA:Rage (maybe due to difficulty) or was it that it was so effective that it made any other style of play pointless and redundant?

Of course stealth was also there in Rage and it was pretty effective with Shadow`s special perk.

[Crow]

On 10/22/2022 at 3:15 AM, LoboNocturno said:

i mean am not playing PC games since more than 15 years now, it was great back in the days when we didnt even had laptops, playing on our desktops but times changed totally, console gaming took totally over. Its also way better for eyes to play on console, big screen and been away at least 3 m. I cant imagine now days playing a game for so many hours on a laptop just been 40 or 50 cm away, no way. I agree the gameplay could be affected a lil if it comes for both but as example i really loved to play Jagged Alliance Rage or XCom on console, would never do it on PC. Am currently playing JA1 on PC and cant play it more then 2 hours a day. So it is a must for Jagged Alliance 3 to come also on console, especially on PS5, it will increase the amount of players and it will be great for business.

 

I'm not sure what you mean about laptops, they've been around since the 1980's.

Also, console gamers have ALWAYS outnumbered PC gamers.  And if we are really talking about just reaching the widest possible audience, the correct answer is mobile (i.e. phone games).  Their numbers are stomping every other platform into the ground.  

If they can do a console-port, great!  The core audience for this type of title is going to be PC gamers, though.  Not many console gamers chomping at the bit for TBS.

 

Paradox Interactive runs a very successful model on PC platform gaming.  They are deep strategic titles, and would not interest the average console gamer.  More importantly, they open up the modding scene in a way that consoles just can't begin to compete with.  I hope this studio DOES utilize DLC.  We need them to make money if we want to see the market continue to produce these types of games.

 

P.S. For anyone who hasn't tried BattleTech, I highly recommend it.  It hits many (but not all) of the JA2 notes.  I would hold off on the RougeTech mod until you have finished the original campaign, much like 1.13.  

 

[LoboNocturno]

3 hours ago, Crow said:

 

I'm not sure what you mean about laptops, they've been around since the 1980's.

Also, console gamers have ALWAYS outnumbered PC gamers.  And if we are really talking about just reaching the widest possible audience, the correct answer is mobile (i.e. phone games).  Their numbers are stomping every other platform into the ground.  

If they can do a console-port, great!  The core audience for this type of title is going to be PC gamers, though.  Not many console gamers chomping at the bit for TBS.

 

Paradox Interactive runs a very successful model on PC platform gaming.  They are deep strategic titles, and would not interest the average console gamer.  More importantly, they open up the modding scene in a way that consoles just can't begin to compete with.  I hope this studio DOES utilize DLC.  We need them to make money if we want to see the market continue to produce these types of games.

 

P.S. For anyone who hasn't tried BattleTech, I highly recommend it.  It hits many (but not all) of the JA2 notes.  I would hold off on the RougeTech mod until you have finished the original campaign, much like 1.13.  

 

Of course there been laptops also way before then the 90s, may used for different purposes; mainly military.

But most of us used desktops still late 90s to early 2000s, i had my first personal laptop somewhere around 2008, before that period desktops were popular all around the world and those famous Internet (cyber) cafes in every corner as some of us dont even had internet in their homes still 20 years ago.

 

Mobile could be cause its the easiest & most comfortable way to access to games, most mobile gamers playing simple indies though like Candy Crush, League of Legends etc.... Some of those simple mobile games can even bring serious addiction, i played Narcos Cartel Wars few years ago for good 2 years and spent more then 1000 $, those pay to win games can make serious addition and eat your money really quick. But other then that mobile gaming`s only advantage is you can play in almost everywhere but looking to smaller screen and just using the touch screen isnt real gaming to me, it will also destroy your eye sign much faster.

 

The best gaming platform is surely on console, maybe for strategy gaming is PC better but i still would love to play Jagged Alliance 3 on my PS5. 😉

[Solaris_Wave]

The best gaming platform is actually dependent on the type of game being played. Consoles are definitely more accessible and compact but PCs are more versatile. As a general rule, any game that works on a console, will be just as good on a PC…provided it is made well enough. Some companies have created poor PC ports or even used older generation technology in the PC version of the game.

If the games are handled correctly, the PC is capable of superior resolutions, better effects and faster frame rates. If your PC is powerful enough, it can look better than the console version and still have a faster frame rate. Most people won't mind, especially if they are just sat in their lounge and playing a game on their TV.

Versatility-wise, the PC blows the console out of the water. There are more control options and gamepads can be used on the PC if desired. That is important because gamepads are the best option for certain games, instead of trying to use the keyboard. The PC can have steering wheels like the consoles have (and often ones with more authenticity and function). You've also got high quality joysticks and throttles. Finally, using a mouse is superior for aiming instead of a thumb stick on a gamepad. Yes, gamepads can be used for First-Person Shooters and successfully so but much of the interactivity between the player and their onscreen weapon is in conjunction with aim assist to compensate.

The PC also allows for a far wider choice of games. Strategy games, whether they are real-time or turn-based are so much easier to control with a mouse and keyboard. Being closer to the screen also allows for smaller graphics, icons and text, which a more precise mouse can click on. Most simulators, with the exception of driving sims, need a keyboard to handle the extra functions. You might be able to use a keyboard with a console these days but games designers will often assume the the average console gamer will just have a gamepad and base their game off of that.

As I said, it really comes down to the game being played. Consoles can be sufficient for a variety of game genres and the gamepad (being the main interface) will accommodate for that but it is more of a 'readily accessible' device for the lounge or bedroom. The PC is what you will choose if you have the money, a bit more space and more desire for the best experience that the games can offer.

Edited February 1, 2023 by Solaris_Wave