DevDiary 4 - Character Progression

[WILDFIRE]

@elenhil: Jagged Alliance 2 is really far away from the new XCOMs, so I really hope that JA3 has nothing to do with these games. They are totally different and I really do not like the new XCOMS compared to JA2.

 

The simplified, generic and limited gameplay, characters and maps of the new XCOM Games absolutely bore me.

Edited April 2, 2023 by WILDFIRE

[Rui Carrer]

41 minutes ago, elenhil said:

Personally, *my* concern is whether the core gameplay is up to JA2's standard. No amount of XCOM2-like customization and progression goodies can replace a solid tactical (and strategic) layer.

I get your point, Elenhil. When I touched the matter of customization I was primarily referring to the possibilities of constructing our I.M.P. merc, as well the big number of character profiles that could be implemented by the devs, considering the core attributes, perks, traits and unique talents and how those elements interact with each other to produce a memorable and enticing gameplay. That is what really matters to me the most.

Of course the looks of the mercenaries must be taken seriously and handled with care, but for me it is a secondary priority.

Edited April 2, 2023 by Rui Carrer
putting more information on my reply

[WILDFIRE]

On 4/2/2023 at 7:26 PM, DougS2K said:

No Canadian accent for us Canadians eh? What's that all aboot? Sorry for interrupting, Ill go back to my igloo. 😛

Please be a Canadian merc in JA3. That humor fits nicely.

[Hendrix]

On 4/1/2023 at 4:53 PM, Solaris_Wave said:

• American accent
• British accent
• French accent
• Spanish accent
• German accent
• Russian accent
• Japanese accent
• Indian accent
• Chinese accent

I DEMAND a Scandinavian accent just like the Swedish Chef from The Muppets show!

[DougS2K]

6 hours ago, WILDFIRE said:

Please be a Canadian merc in JA3. That humor fits nicely.

Well MD is Canadian in the old games so I'm assuming he'll be Canadian in this one if they kept with the lore.

Taken from http://arulco.blogspot.com/p/mercprofilesxml.html

Quote

Dr. Michael "MD" Dawson . . .is listed as an Optimist, a Snob and cares that somewhat, is Canadian, and is a Good Guy. He is a recent graduate of med school, and he states his displeasure with "macho freaks" in-game, so we can deduce that his snobbishness is in regards to education and 'civilized behaviour'. As he has appeared in 2 of the Jagged Alliance games we will suppose he has already been on assignment, or at least has met everyone at functions, meetings and such, and upgrade the part in his bio which states he "eagerly awaits his first assignment" to be "he eagerly awaits another assignment". He has been given Helmut "Grunty" Grunther, Luc "Lucky" Fabre, Barry Unger, Alan "Spam" Webster, and Tim "Gumpy" Hillman as mutual Buddies. Grunty & Lucky may seem odd choices. Let us say MD would realize he needs a bodyguard, and Grunty would realize it is always good to have a competent medic around, their working together is not out of the ordinary. As for Lucky, we'll say he has a soft spot for nice guys, especially medics -- being that he got in trouble with the law for killing a bad guy. Barry and Gumpy are also recent graduates, so their friendship is natural for a number of reasons. As for MD's Hated list, the usual suspects, the two guys who can't hide their insanity, Unusually Ruthless Reuben and Bruce "Skitz" Bonner, the guy with the bad haircut, nose-ring and neck tattoos, Tim "Numb" Sutton, and the guy with the abrasive attitude and inclination to use the word "boy" when referring to him, Major Spike Scallion. None of these Hates are mutual as Reuben and Skitz just don't care, and Numb and Spike know better (i.e. a medic is always handy even if you don't like him).

 

[buckadilla]

I'm pleasantly surprised with how the game is developing. 

[Jaywalker]

On 4/2/2023 at 8:26 PM, WILDFIRE said:

The simplified, generic and limited gameplay, characters and maps of the new XCOM Games absolutely bore me.

Are you sure you played the same XCOM everyone else did?
Do you even remember JA2 gameplay at all?

JA1 and 2 were never about the depth of gameplay, you could sneak about at night, but as far as advanced strategy or tactics there really wasn't all that much to it, for the most part you shot your guns while crouched next to cover.

XCOM remakes automate the boring parts of moving places and changing stances, it removes the math of counting your AP's, but in terms of variety of what you can actually do with your two actions per turn (which later become so much more thanks to action-economy perks) it is miles ahead of what JA2 offers (especially once you get to the point where the winning move is to dump all AP into a single sniper shot or using the mortar).

"Complexity" is not valuable for its own sake.
Even the "generic" no name characters of XCOM can have plenty of personality if you give them one using your own imagination or make you care for them if they've been with you for a long enough time (or you name them after a friend, favorite hero, etc.).

Edited June 6, 2023 by Jaywalker

[Tuckus]

2 hours ago, Jaywalker said:

“Complexity" is not valuable for its own sake.

The xcom devs made the design decisions they did because the game was designed for consoles, not because they were better. 
 

small maps, lack of granular control over APs, a vestigial inventory and more all militate against strategy and depth. Plus its fun to closely coordinate the actions of the team within a turn

[WILDFIRE]

@Jaywalker: Generic no name characters is not what I want and I don't want to fill that void with my imagination. The reason why I love JA is, because the characters have a soul and heart. XCOM has smaller maps that do not feel like parts of a real open world rather than small grid levels where you play chess.

 

Also the bullet trajectory looks awful, because bullets fly like a straight line through enemies and don't have an impact on the environment. All this stuff feels generic, limited and unrealistic.

[ArulcoFan]

9 hours ago, WILDFIRE said:

@Jaywalker: Generic no name characters is not what I want and I don't want to fill that void with my imagination. The reason why I love JA is, because the characters have a soul and heart. XCOM has smaller maps that do not feel like parts of a real open world rather than small grid levels where you play chess.

 

Also the bullet trajectory looks awful, because bullets fly like a straight line through enemies and don't have an impact on the environment. All this stuff feels generic, limited and unrealistic.

I dont believe bullet trajectories are that important.

Now can the way bullets move be changed to look better? Perhaps.

[WILDFIRE]

@ArulcoFan: A realistic and authentic bullet trajectory was a key element of Jagged Alliance 2. When you fired a weapon everything could happen with the enemies or the environment. So it seams like a small feature for some people but for the combat it is really important to create intense and chaotic battles.

[Lunokhod]

Is it possible to get 100+ stats? I know that magazines add 1 point to stats. Whats happened if u read magazine with 100 points?

[D13]

Regarding bullet trajectory and environment - in this video, the enemy misses the merc and the bullets hit the ground, setting off a land mine (at 1h53m):

 

 

Edited June 18, 2023 by D13