random crap and unclear objectives in this game is driving me mad

[username55]

Hi,

I really had a blast with this game so far, enjoyed it very much.

But the random shit that is happening all the time made me stop playing because I am frustrated.

I used the "dead is dead" mode which was a huge mistake because while I enjoy "dead is dead", the game saves after each and every random crap that is happening to you that fucks up your playthrough.

Spoilers ahead:

x) stupid poachers attack me out of the blue just because I attack the "abuser" in their camp. Wiped half the squad, kept playing still

x) dialogue with certain bomb maker on first island, I made a joke or something, suddenly something blows up, whole team ends up with 2+ wounds. Great fun

x) at some port in the south, I go there after some N-night incident which I missed to free the sector. Have to release some hostages. I am in the room in time (where the actual marker for the stupid "quest" was at), but cannot find a bomb nor free the hostages. I try to fight the goons hoping to win to resolve the issue. Turns out the stupid bomb is below the hostages AND DID NOT SHOW UP WITH A MARKER OR ANYTHING, I found it by accidentally mousing over the area (yeah I know about the ALT key). Building blows up and takes 4 mercs with it...

x) counter-attack ability - just how many attacks do you get with that nonsense? that ability is just so OP and stupid, enemies can spend  their AP to run up to me and then shoot me during their turn? o_O

x) and various other minor crap which is really annoying and too fucking random, like mines running dry etc

x) mines are also annyoning as hell, who the hell can "spot" a landmine without detector FFS?

x) crafting ammo doesn't work for me, always says "no crafter present", no matter what skill I have. Is there a perk for that?

cheers,

 

 

EDIT:

just wanted to add, after loosing a few mercs it is really hard to get any mercs that are affordable and also capable, especially with mines running out.

Edited July 18, 2023 by username55

[D13]

16 minutes ago, username55 said:

dialogue with certain bomb maker on first island, I made a joke or something, suddenly something blows up, whole team ends up with 2+ wounds. Great fun

This one is a really bad game design decision. Not just because it feels unfair but also because is discourages exploration of the game world, like exploring dialogue options with other characters. Even more so because in other dialogues, for some options you get an asterisk (*) and the warning "this action may have major consequences". But in this particular situation, there is no such warning, which means we cannot rely on it.

[Image Miroir]

I already played the "mode" Dead is dead in Jagged Alliance 2. It was rather simple: when a character was killed I wasn't coming back to a save, and when my main (IMP) character was killed, I was starting a new game.

I'm amazed that developers spent time developing such a mode.

When you purchase a DVD, or watch a movie on Netflix, you can choose to watch directly the last 10 minutes. Some people read the resume of the thriller they watch, knowing all the twists before watching a thriller. It's up to them!

If game developers were fully grown up, they'd know that no one need a second mother. Now, if you need a mode not to come back to the previous save when you mercs die... maybe you're too young to play video games.

[GODSPEED]

3 minutes ago, D13 said:

This one is a really bad game design decision. Not just because it feels unfair but also because is discourages exploration of the game world, like exploring dialogue options with other characters. Even more so because in other dialogues, for some options you get an asterisk (*) and the warning "this action may have major consequences". But in this particular situation, there is no such warning, which means we cannot rely on it.

Dedee Bombastic.... 🙄

I'm really enjoying many parts of the game. THAT ^ ...was not one of them.

I know MANY will correct me and say, "Jagged Alliance is not a military simulation, it was always a spoof on the genre" ..... yyyyeeeeaaaahhhh.... NO!

It had humour, but always found a way to feel grounded. A person into explosives just blowing herself up and laughing... it's straight out of a kids show. Pretty cringe moment and I was happy to rid the game of her persona.


Devin Connell vs Dedee Bombastic 🤣

[Grim]

6 minutes ago, GODSPEED said:

Devin Connell vs Dedee Bombastic 🤣

It's just the Disney recast of the character (just kidding, don't kick me!)

[Melliores]

DeeDee Bombastic actually gives you 3 (three!) warnings before the joke line is even available in the dialogue:

- first when you approach her shack she actually fumbles a bomb and that explodes before you initiate dialog with her.

- she then says that she is working on a new bomb right away and this time she short fused it. Then she exclaims "Just a joke!". This is the joke you can ask about later in the dialogue - it is not you who is making the joke, but her.

- during the dialogue you can ask her about her name and whether it is Boombastic or Bombastic. In any scenario you do not wish to hang around too much around her as she is continuously making new improvised explosives.

You just need to pay more attention to the dialogue.

Attacking the abusers starts combat - if there are any other hostile NPCs in the sector, they will join the fray. This happens in sector D5 (on your way to C5 the poachers camp) where you first have to clear the Legion and the abusers are simply standing still with their hands behind their heads. You want to take each group one at a time. Remember, this is a country in the midst of a 10-year civil war - they shoot first and ask questions later.

 

The counter attack ability actually has a few counters - the Sudden Strike perk (melee attacks do not trigger Overwatch or Interupt), shooting the enemy in the arms (they will have a big malus to marksmanship), the Lightning Reactions perk (you dodge the first successful enemy attack against you) and possibly some shenanigans with gas and flashbang grenades.

You do not require a perk to craft ammo or explosives. You just a person with good enough Explosives skill. If your demolition expert is tied up doing something else and the rest of your squad is abysmal at Explosives, there won't be anyone eligible to craft them.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Melliores

[GODSPEED]

40 minutes ago, Grim said:

It's just the Disney recast of the character (just kidding, don't kick me!)

Come to think of it...

...you hit the nail on the head!

[sandman25dcsss]

@Melliores

Not really, she exploded my whole team before I was even able to initiate the dialog (I was running to her because all enemies were dead at this point).

Edited July 18, 2023 by sandman25dcsss

[BossWeapons]

Talking about "random crap." I hate it when you sneak and want to make a stealth kill. You aim carefully, put the bullet into the target, but about 99% of the time the bullet seems to just go through every body part you aim for. The target dies and you're feeling proud. EXCEPT! The bullet that pierced his body flies across the map and hits an enemy on the other side of the whole zone which causes you to come out of stealth and now everybody suddenly sees you.

[username55]

4 hours ago, Image Miroir said:

I already played the "mode" Dead is dead in Jagged Alliance 2. It was rather simple: when a character was killed I wasn't coming back to a save, and when my main (IMP) character was killed, I was starting a new game.

I'm amazed that developers spent time developing such a mode.

When you purchase a DVD, or watch a movie on Netflix, you can choose to watch directly the last 10 minutes. Some people read the resume of the thriller they watch, knowing all the twists before watching a thriller. It's up to them!

If game developers were fully grown up, they'd know that no one need a second mother. Now, if you need a mode not to come back to the previous save when you mercs die... maybe you're too young to play video games.

sorry but what is your contribution? A snide remark about my age or how people should play their games?

 

3 hours ago, Melliores said:

DeeDee Bombastic actually gives you 3 (three!) warnings before the joke line is even available in the dialogue:

- first when you approach her shack she actually fumbles a bomb and that explodes before you initiate dialog with her.

- she then says that she is working on a new bomb right away and this time she short fused it. Then she exclaims "Just a joke!". This is the joke you can ask about later in the dialogue - it is not you who is making the joke, but her.

- during the dialogue you can ask her about her name and whether it is Boombastic or Bombastic. In any scenario you do not wish to hang around too much around her as she is continuously making new improvised explosives.

You just need to pay more attention to the dialogue.
 

well maybe, but I did not understand her dialogue that what.

She made a joke about short-fusing a bomb. Why the hell does it explode when I ask about it? Does not make sense to me.

That's like someone saying "if you do that again I'll rip your balls off. Just a joke".

and then if you then ask him about the joke, he proceeds to rip your balls off or what?

 

3 hours ago, Melliores said:

Attacking the abusers starts combat - if there are any other hostile NPCs in the sector, they will join the fray. This happens in sector D5 (on your way to C5 the poachers camp) where you first have to clear the Legion and the abusers are simply standing still with their hands behind their heads. You want to take each group one at a time. Remember, this is a country in the midst of a 10-year civil war - they shoot first and ask questions later.

 

Poachers weren't hostile before, I talked to them. I don't know what pissed them off...

 

3 hours ago, Melliores said:

 

The counter attack ability actually has a few counters - the Sudden Strike perk (melee attacks do not trigger Overwatch or Interupt), shooting the enemy in the arms (they will have a big malus to marksmanship), the Lightning Reactions perk (you dodge the first successful enemy attack against you) and possibly some shenanigans with gas and flashbang grenades.

You do not require a perk to craft ammo or explosives. You just a person with good enough Explosives skill. If your demolition expert is tied up doing something else and the rest of your squad is abysmal at Explosives, there won't be anyone eligible to craft them.

thanks for the tipps!

but what good are counters if they aren't available or reliable? I just had that ability trigger on the second map after 10 minutes of playing.

 

[Melliores]

DeeDee's joke wasn't a good one but you have heard beforehand what the locals in Ernie call her - a wacko. JA2 also had those over-the-top characters living in the most remote places in a 3rd world country.

I am not sure what you did with the poachers, a savegame might helps us better troubleshoot that. I just did the Poacher camp in C5 today - first cleared the Legion, than spoke with the leader of the abusers and started a second fight. The poachers for all intents and purposes were counted as civilians during the fight with the Legion.

The best counter that is always available against the brutes (the shotgun totting Legion soldiers the shoot back) is to simply shoot them in the arms first. As they have a lot of health, you either need a sniper to bring them down with a headshot or to wound their arms first and give them a penalty to their shooting skill.

[Uncle Nick]

Yes, there is a minefield on the way to deedees.

If you can't handle problems at deedees, wait till you meet Larry. I had no such problems using Barry, he even disarms timer explosives before they blow up, ...so far 

[Uncle Nick]

Not sure if 100% for every encounter. With any armed bad guys that l needed to talk to: I've been using the ol 'Shoot First, Talk Later' approach.

 

For example with Pierre 1st encounter, my mercs killed everyone from a safe distance, but only shoot to wound Pierre a few times, he will surrender and drop down to his knees. Only then, do we talk.

 

Nope, not planning to go anywhere near bad guys with shotguns.