Why russian commie has the spotlight of the cover photo?

[somethingsomething]

Thats some serious lack of world awareness. 

Have you not seen what genocidal wannabe commies do in Ukraine? Has world not had enough russian aggression to also use them as heroes on otherwise promising game?

How about changing it to an Ukrainian guy and a non-commie?

[Kordanor]

In general I would say that I don't think that JA should go into todays politics or try to be 100% political correct (no stereotypes possible).

But in this case I actually agree, and it didnt even come to my attention. And for JA fans it really doesnt matter because we know what it means. But for every "outsider" there is definitely a point to better change it.

Imagining people who have no association with JA and then seeing the main character being a russian guy with hammer and sickle on the hat wielding an AK (btw he didnt even use hammer & sickle on the hat before) - certainly gives them the wrong picture of the game.

Ivan being one of the most iconic characters of the series I think he can still be on the cover, but maybe not that prominent.

Ofc Ivan also has the advantage of being that stereotypical that the hat is enough to know who that character is for JA enthusiasts.

I mean a character like Shadow just looks generic. But maybe someone like Leech (JA 1 / DG) or Raider could create some burt reynolds / Tom Selleck / magnum association, similar to the Jagged Alliance 1 cover having a guy looking like Hulk Hugan (no idea if that should represent any character).

Maybe Grizzly one handedly wielding a big ass machinegun would be cool. Bit like Schwarzenegger in Predator/Commando.

Or some metal/rocker guy like Static or Nails. Going a bit into Waynes World of Bill & Ted.

It might actually be a cool idea to engage with the community to vote for characters which could be in the center. But the developer should make a pre-selection of characters which could also represent JA and its 80s style to the outside.

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Kordanor

[ghostmech007]

How about instead of going completely the other way and making even more political by putting a Ukrainian on the cover... just make it a splash title?

Also if your first post here is going to be a political troll post please use your talents somewhere else.

[Kordanor]

Yeah, ofc splash title with a random guy with a gun or knife like in JA2 or UB would of course be an alternative, albeit a boring one.

I also agree it shouldnt try to make any political statement by putting a ukranian there and then showing the ukranian flag as nobody would know otherwise. That can only go wrong as well.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Kordanor

[ghostmech007]

That's what I'm talking about. Or maybe they just remove a character merc all together and put on the voice over girl from the trailer with a contract in hand.

[Biff]

Silhouette style would be best, I think.

 

 

[ghostmech007]

1 hour ago, Biff said:

Silhouette style would be best, I think.

 

 

 

Absolutely 100%. Why didn't I think of that.

Edited August 18, 2022 by ghostmech007

[Wigen]

IMO it seems to me that the team from Haemimont Games modeled more on the cover of Jagged Alliance 1 and that it was closer to the original.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Wigen

[Kordanor]

Yeah, but its showing Brenda, the antagonist, and some Merc which doesnt exist in game (or I have no idea who its supposed to be) and they also didn't have any pre existing characters which could cause people to think of "good old times back in the bushes with Ivan" or something like that.

But it's still my favorite cover of them all (and I am a bit torn whether its also my favorite game in the series)

Edited August 18, 2022 by Kordanor

[Grim]

Maybe some people will offend at this, there is always some, and nowadays they are loud on internet, with many relays for their opinion.

Honestly, I don't care. Ivan is a character from the last century, soviet union, its fall and all (hammer&sickle on the hat as you noticed). He's clearly inspired by the character of Arnold Schwartzenegger in "Red Heat".
He's not a soldier or mercenary of 2022 in Ukraine, no. He doesn't look like it in the artwork either.

Putting an Ukrainian character on the cover would go the wrong way imho. Is there even one in the roster? Again, it's the wrong time. The game happens in early 2000' if I read right.

If the devs feels like changing the art to avoid problems, fine, but I won't push it.

[ULTRAANDR]

Why not go on and ban Ivan from the game? And add a Micola, an Ukranian merc who will say "Slava Ukraine!" each time he kills somebody?

Sounds absurd? Yes, it sounds the same as to be offended because of Ivan on the cover or in the game - this is an iconic character who is not connceted in any way to the modern history, moreover - people love to play him.

Also, russian JA community might be the biggest one all around the world - russians created significant amount of mods for this game (everyone knows Nigth Ops, for example), so ye, let's show these people that they are bad just because they were born in Russia. And do not foget to delete Ivan from both JA1 and JA2 and release a deletion patch in Steam and GOG!

This political sheet is everywhere nowadays, STOP pushing it into vedeogames! If you want to proof someone something - go one, you have a great opportunity and join any army on your chose and do that on the real battlefield.

P.S. "Bad" commies created everythung in Ukrain, just everything - all factories, which were sold now by ukranian presidents, agricultural industry was created by commies, ports, which are used to ship goods and these sheeps too - everything was created by commies in Ukrain, even weapons with which armies are fighting at the moment - this all is a communists legacy independantly, if you like them or not. Think about that.

[Acid]

No leave Ivan alone, don't bring the BS politics into this.

[Kordanor]

Nobody wants to ban Ivan from the game.

And as mentioned it's not about what people think who know and love Jagged Alliance anyways. It's about what outsiders think.

Furthermore THQ wanted to clearly score with the "cool sowjet" card by even using the hammer and sickle on the hat which hasn't even been used in the original games. And for anyone not familiar with JA, that clearly paints the wrong picture.
Also not sure if that even makes sense in regards to the Game Lore.

[Acid]

The Ukraine president isn't all sunshine and lollipops either, don't believe everything the media tells you.

[Kordanor]

1 minute ago, Acid said:

The Ukraine president isn't all sunshine and lollipops either, don't believe everything the media tells you.

Which either way is irrelevant for the discussion though.

[Acid]

Yeah, I don't want to start a argument, just my opinion.

[ULTRAANDR]

1 minute ago, Kordanor said:

Which either way is irrelevant for the discussion though.

It is relevant of course, if you are touching politics - so, everything which is politics will be included in such a discussion. 

I see Fidel in the cover - he is from Cuba, you should know that Cuba is officially the enemy of the western "civilised: countries. Let ban him too, why not?

Or Tex - he is also very offensive character, he is asian who speaks like a cowboe, Bith americans and asians can be offended.

Or this girl from Israel (I do not know the name) - do you know how much children in Palestina were killed by Israel army? Lets ban her too.

lets ban AK47 from the game- it is soviet symbol and legacy. 

Leave everything as it is - independently of what you are doing, there are people who will be 100% offended of something.

JA ia a game full of ironic and black humor, it is not a politicians battlefield. Ivan is an iconic character, he looks great on that poster and only one person on the internet offended by him is a topic-starter-troll.

[Acid]

5 minutes ago, ULTRAANDR said:

one person on the internet offended by him is a topic-starter-troll.

Cancel culture's a scurge.

[ULTRAANDR]

6 minutes ago, Acid said:

Cancel culture's a scurge.

At leats we can try to fight it back here, on this forum. Developers - do not try to be good for everyone, it is almost impossible with all of these different mercs from JA - all of them are offensive for someone)

[Kordanor]

Maybe the topic starter is indeed a troll. But I do think there is a valid point.

And this isn't about cancel culture. It's about common sense.
You also wouldn't want to have Grunty on the cover wearing an armband with a swastika for some reason.

And on the opposite, I am against trying to bring todays political correctness in the game. 

[ULTRAANDR]

6 minutes ago, Kordanor said:

Maybe the topic starter is indeed a troll. But I do think there is a valid point.

And this isn't about cancel culture. It's about common sense.
You also wouldn't want to have Grunty on the cover wearing an armband with a swastika for some reason.

And on the opposite, I am against trying to bring todays political correctness in the game. 

It is about cancell culture itself. Soviet symbols are not related to nazim while svastika is banned everywhere, it is like lets ban Russia flag from the internet. Or do you want to call all soviet people = nazists? So, you are calling those, who assaulted Berlin and finished with Hitler nazists, right? Those, who leberated Europe? Coooooool, mad world...

Soviet union lost more that enyone else during 2nd World War - now in 2022 people think they are the same as nazi Gwermany...

[Kordanor]

8 minutes ago, ULTRAANDR said:

At leats we can try to fight it back here, on this forum. Developers - do not try to be good for everyone, it is almost impossible with all of these different mercs from JA - all of them are offensive for someone)

But this is not about the mercs themselves. Its only you who is making it about the mercs.

Question is if a single mercenary should represent the whole game and in which way. And I don't think Ivan with a Hammer & Sickle is the best choice. 

[Acid]

13 minutes ago, Kordanor said:

Maybe the topic starter is indeed a troll. But I do think there is a valid point.

And this isn't about cancel culture. It's about common sense.
You also wouldn't want to have Grunty on the cover wearing an armband with a swastika for some reason.

And on the opposite, I am against trying to bring todays political correctness in the game. 

I think people need to stop looking to much into things and being overly sensitive about everything, that would be more common sense then cancelling anything and everything that offends you. 

A swastika on Grunty, yeah that would be going too far.. but Ivan being on the cover? - just because he's Russian I don't see a problem with that, it has nothing to do with what's going on in today's world. 

 

[Kordanor]

1 minute ago, Acid said:

I think people need to stop looking to much into things and being overly sensitive about everything, that would be more common sense then cancelling anything and everything that offends you. 

A swastika on Grunty, yeah that would be going too far.. but Ivan being on the cover? - just because he's Russian I don't see a problem with that, it has nothing to do with what's going on in today's world. 

 

But why adding the Hammer & Sickle? I think that's unnecessary and also makes no sense besides of THQ wanting to score with that association.

[ULTRAANDR]

9 minutes ago, Kordanor said:

But why adding the Hammer & Sickle? I think that's unnecessary and also makes no sense besides of THQ wanting to score with that association.

Because it looks cool. It is a soviet form, he was a soviet soldier and soviet symbols aare not banned.