Meta Custom Merc Stats

[ArulcoFan]

Imo you gotta max marksmanship agility dexterity and wisdom and then you'll have maybe 1 2 stats you can max and those should be leadership for convo options and maybe mechanics for random door unlocks and chest unlocks.

Btw just had a great idea for how to make mechanical stat much more useful and its own like area of JA; make lots of doors require mech stat check to open or unlock and maybe have them require different kinds of lockpicks like at first mechanical then more advanced mechanical then digital. Basically if you are going to go in as a stealthy squad you'll need a mechanics guy to open all the doors all the big warehouse gates disable lights or electricity to an area or some buildings, turn off cameras if theres any, etc.

How are you guys going to set up your first custom merc?

Edited June 7, 2023 by ArulcoFan

[Grim]

Basicly, Leadership. Lorewise it's the boss, and anyway there aren't many Leaders in AIM to choose from (especially in the beginning, as they all are expensive).

[Povok]

22 minutes ago, Grim said:

Basicly, Leadership. Lorewise it's the boss, and anyway there aren't many Leaders in AIM to choose from (especially in the beginning, as they all are expensive).

Probably same. 

It looks like leadership is going to be more important than in JA2 and at least until entire roster of available mercenaries is going to be known it is a relatively rare skill.

[Elder III]

I usually "roleplay" my characters in most games, particularly ones that have a certain level of RPG mechanics and good re-playability. In JA I try to use different mercs each time, so my IMP is whatever role is needed on the starting team.

For JA3, if the hiring costs are the same as in the beta videos, I have a team picked out that I want to use. That team needs someone with high Explosives, so that's what my grizzled electronics tinkerer IMP is going to be.

I know that's not Meta, but Meta just takes the fun away from a game like this. 😉

[ShadowMagic]

I always go for high leadership high wisdom along a decent amount of agility (for action points) and basic medical knowledge (35 was the minimum in JA2) + explosives for them to at least treat themselves on the battlefield and able to tell if doors/crates are trapped or they encounter landmines.

• Mostly keep strength at a moderate 70-75 for them to be able to carry some gear, just making sure they get an M14 or C7 equipped ASAP to cut on weight.
• Same with health; around 75 for them to be able to take enough beating before becoming absolete. 
• Markmanship at around 75-80, with high wisdom and enough practicing they will grow like cabbage on that skill.
• Mechanical at 0, just making sure they have gear in a good state. I'll let door picking to others.
• Dexterity is also less important, just enough to be able to properly throw a grenade.

[LoboNocturno]

Mine would be like this :

[LoboNocturno]

To increase during the game marksmanship is 1 of the fastest growing skills imo together with leadership (if you train constantly militia), to increase agility is harder though (you need to be sneaky and not be found), you can gain also explosion points quiet fast in JA2 in those blue flagged mine areas. Strength comes slower though, from opening or kicking lots of locked doors or opening creates.

[Solaris_Wave]

9 hours ago, ShadowMagic said:

Mostly keep strength at a moderate 70-75 for them to be able to carry some gear, just making sure they get an M14 or C7 equipped ASAP to cut on weight.

Did you mean an M4 instead of M14? M14s are big and heavy battle rifles.

[Solaris_Wave]

1 minute ago, LoboNocturno said:

to increase agility is harder though (you need to be sneaky and not be found)

Are there any other ways to increase agility, such as running, dodging or melee combat? You will need to refresh my memory as it has been a long while since I played JA2.

[ShadowMagic]

10 minutes ago, Solaris_Wave said:

Did you mean an M4 instead of M14? M14s are big and heavy battle rifles.

The m14 in JA2 ain't that heavy but still delivers quite a punch.

[Povok]

19 minutes ago, ShadowMagic said:

The m14 in JA2 ain't that heavy but still delivers quite a punch.

And obtainable quite earlier that c7 if I recall correctly. Whereas m4 is non-existent.

 

34 minutes ago, LoboNocturno said:

Strength comes slower though

You don't train strength in JA2, you FARM strenght in JA2.  

Edited June 8, 2023 by Povok

[Stuurminator]

1 hour ago, Solaris_Wave said:

Are there any other ways to increase agility, such as running, dodging or melee combat? You will need to refresh my memory as it has been a long while since I played JA2.

You could increase agility by dodging melee attacks, but this was obviously not a very reliable way of doing it. I want to say that being missed by ranged attacks could also increase it, but I only ever observed that once while playing 1.13 (which might have changed how that worked) and once heard a story of drunk Larry losing agility after a near miss by a ranged attack.

I've also seen evidence of agility being increased by moving about in enemies' sight, while not in stealth, but that again may only be 1.13.

[Tuckus]

1 hour ago, Povok said:

And obtainable quite earlier that c7 if I recall correctly. Whereas m4 is non-existent.

 

You don't train strength in JA2, you FARM strenght in JA2.  

m4 is the commando. Really good with a barrel extender . The only problem with the m14 is 7ap cost

 

try melee for training str+dex. Best done with a night time gank squad in a sector with buildings

Edited June 8, 2023 by Tuckus

[Lunokhod]

1 hour ago, Povok said:

You don't train strength in JA2, you FARM strenght in JA2.  

I never did this. Cant hurt animals even in videogames. 😇

[M1k3K]

From what I have seen in the videos, the stats that rise like crazy are:

• Dex (for everyone during shooting with aiming)
• Marksmanship (for everyone shooting)
• Wisdom (for the person scouting on combat maps and discovering herbs & items)
• Explosives (for the person disarming landmines - somewhat high expl. skill probably needed)

I ASSUME (might have seen, but not high amount):

• Leadership (during training, although i have NOT noticed that during the videos)
• Tech (during repair)
• Medicine (during healing)
• Explosives (during ammo crafting)
• Health (for being wounded or during healing after being wounded)

I have not noticed raises (very hard/ low amount):

• Strength (JA2 high load will not work here, so probably only meele/ breaking stuff open)
• Agility (JA2 might apply aka. steath sneaking without being detected, not seen a streamer try that... but not seen any raises)

 

So due to the above factors my IMP will for look somewhat like the following (if i counted right you have 550 points for the IMP):

The priniciple behind that will to go for long term potential, making the start a bit harder/ slower.

• Max out:
  • Agility 85 (action points & difficult to raise)
  • Strength 85 (to have a high strength char in the party for checks & difficult to raise)
  • Leadership 85 (for quests & morale boni)
  • Wisdom 85 (unsure if this relates to skill learning here as well, but difficult to raise for everyone)
  • Health 85 (too risky/ hard to rise with a low HT & have someone with > 85 HT, even if I have not seen checks requiring that)
• Mixed to raise over time:
  • Dexterity 62
  • Marksmanship 60
  • Mechanics 1
  • Explosive 1
  • Medicine 1

That IMP is supposed to fit into a long contract/ low cost party with the goal to have 1 of >85 in all skills/ attributes.

Mercs will be (as long as costs/ stats stay the same as seen in the gameplays):

• Livewire -> Mechanics 85, Soundrel Perk, Mr. Fixit Perk, Optimist
• MD -> Medicine 81 (not finding a low cost doc with 85+ skill), Educated/ Trainer (however it is called) although leadership 4, Optimist
• Barry -> Dexterity 87, Explosive 92, Mr. Fixit, Spiritual

(and yes, I will probably restart to ensure these are available at start... it will be challenging enough with a low Mrk team as it is.)

 

Due to that starting setup, I am still struggling/ pondering which perks to go for. If you have ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Psycho vs. Negotiator: Leaning towards psycho here to have that choice in dialoges, potentially to get Flay or go with similar dialoges. Negotiator could be easily filled by getting Buns early, since she has high wisdom and all psychos have rather low wis.

I was leaning to the "Full Auto" perk... but seing how useless/ gimped/ nerfed burst & full auto seems to be, i actually see no point into this ammo drain. Similar for heavy weapons.

Leaning towards "Night ops" at the moment, if only for the reason that it seems you cannot combine head armor with NVGs.

I actually do not care if meele/ close combat is imba at the moment... if I play JA I want guns. 😅

 

[Solaris_Wave]

4 hours ago, Povok said:

And obtainable quite earlier that c7 if I recall correctly. Whereas m4 is non-existent.

The C7 (Canadian M16) was pretty much an endgame rifle. I knew the M4 wasn't present in vanilla JA2 while the Colt Commando was, so I was thinking that @ShadowMagic was correct in saying the M14. Being such a long time since I played JA2 and vanilla especially, I wasn't aware that the M14 was classed as a light rifle. The real thing is pretty heavy for a rifle and heaviest of the big three battle rifles (including the H&K G3 and FN FAL). I am talking about the original stock versions and also not their game versions.

[LoboNocturno]

20 minutes ago, Solaris_Wave said:

The C7 (Canadian M16) was pretty much an endgame rifle. I knew the M4 wasn't present in vanilla JA2 while the Colt Commando was, so I was thinking that @ShadowMagic was correct in saying the M14. Being such a long time since I played JA2 and vanilla especially, I wasn't aware that the M14 was classed as a light rifle. The real thing is pretty heavy for a rifle and heaviest of the big three battle rifles (including the H&K G3 and FN FAL). I am talking about the original stock versions and also not their game versions.

Am playing currently the OG JA2 via Steam, C-7 is pretty much 1 of the best rifles overall in the game with a few others.

[Solaris_Wave]

54 minutes ago, LoboNocturno said:

Am playing currently the OG JA2 via Steam, C-7 is pretty much 1 of the best rifles overall in the game with a few others.

Absolutely. If you weren't using the Rocket Rifles from the Sci-Fi mode, the C7 was the next best thing to equip for the final stages of the game. Other than dedicated snipers, machine gunners and mortar teams, I would give almost everyone else a C7 by the end. If they didn't have the C7, then it would be the Steyr AUG. The AUG turns up earlier and while slower firing, remains an excellent weapon throughout. It couldn't annihilate enemies like the C7 though. If you could go full auto and get every bullet to hit an enemy, they could be killed outright.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Solaris_Wave

[LoboNocturno]

@Solaris_Wave All of those weapons (C-7, FN-FAL, AK-74, FN Minimi & Steyr AUG) below are the best in JA2 imo.

It was also my final first squad on my last OG JA2 for the final with Boss (IMP), Conrad, Dimitri, Grizzly,Vicki & Dynamo.

[ShadowMagic]

11 hours ago, Solaris_Wave said:

Absolutely. If you weren't using the Rocket Rifles from the Sci-Fi mode, the C7 was the next best thing to equip for the final stages of the game. Other than dedicated snipers, machine gunners and mortar teams, I would give almost everyone else a C7 by the end. If they didn't have the C7, then it would be the Steyr AUG. The AUG turns up earlier and while slower firing, remains an excellent weapon throughout. It couldn't annihilate enemies like the C7 though. If you could go full auto and get every bullet to hit an enemy, they could be killed outright.

In JA: Vanilla, Rocket Rifles are also available in realistic mode. Only difference with Sci-Fi is those Critters terrorizing the mines.

I prefer the FN-FAL over the C7 for the stronger Mercs though. It has the highest damage output of all assault rifles, long range and the lowest AP costs for firing.

[Solaris_Wave]

@LoboNocturno; looking at those screenshots and seeing the weapon stats, along with their pros and cons, makes me want to immediately start tweaking them.

 

14 minutes ago, ShadowMagic said:

In JA: Vanilla, Rocket Rifles are also available in realistic mode. Only difference with Sci-Fi is those Critters terrorizing the mines.

It shows you how long it has been since I last played JA2 because I have also forgotten that the Rocket Rifles weren't tied to the Sci-Fi mode. I have played so many other games since JA2 (vanilla especially) that it is easy to forget all the little things.

Strangely, I have always remembered the exact weapon stats for JA2's Steyr AUG.