DevDiary 11 - Guns Guns Guns
Hey everyone, my name is Pavel Peychev, Producer at Haemimont Games and I am thrilled to share with you this DevDiary on a topic near and dear to my heart - the Guns of Jagged Alliance 3! We'll go over the types of weapons, how they fit into the overall gameplay and how we managed to represent the look and feel in the game itself.
Weapons are an important part of the Jagged Alliance legacy. Whereas other games in the genre use high-level abstractions, JA games aimed to faithfully reproduce real life weapons in a turn based tactical game by introducing things like selective fire, ammo types, penetration, effective range and more.
In Jagged Alliance 3 we wanted the weapons to open up playstyles and feel different in the hands of different mercs while still keeping them grounded in reality.
The Guns of Jagged Alliance 3
There are 7 different types of ranged weapons in the game - Handguns, Shotguns, SMGs, Assault Rifles, Rifles, Machine guns and Heavy Weapons. They have their own characteristics, different effective ranges, and special attacks. We also have some melee weapons but this DevDiary is only about firearms.
For instance, Handguns are very accurate at point-blank-range. They also allow for Mobile Shot, where you can move to a new location and shoot at the closest enemy. This makes them useful even later in the game for dynamic and aggressive in-your-face builds.
SMGs (submachine guns) combine the Handguns’ lower armor penetration and high mobility with burst and autofire capabilities as well as the Run & Gun special attack that allows you to shoot on the move for a considerable accuracy penalty.
Nothing says “guns blazing” quite like dual-wielding. You can equip handguns and some SMGs to each hand and choose which to shoot or just pull the triggers on both at the expense of accuracy.
On the other side of the spectrum, you have Machine Guns that tend to excel with a more planned approach. They are Cumbersome, which means they don’t allow free movement at the start of your turn, are less accurate when fired from the hip, but can dominate an area when set to threaten it with interrupt attacks. Spitting lead downrange at an impressive rate.
Shotguns combine a regular attack with close low-damage AOE that represents the pellet spread. An accurate shot will do a lot of damage but even an inaccurate one will slightly wound characters standing close. They can be highly destructive at close range so check your friendly fire.
Assault rifles are highly versatile and allow for you to mod them in order to fit many different roles. But we’ll talk about modifying weapons and using attachments later in this diary.
Rifles, of course, have long range, low rate of fire… in most cases. Some rifles are very well suited for fast follow-up shots that bolt action rifles just can’t do.
Heavy weapons will allow you to send some love in the form of different kinds of explosive ordinance. Nothing demonstrates the destructable environment quite like a rotary multiple grenade launcher.
Choosing the lineup
There were many considerations when choosing the specific weapons that made it into the game.
The Location
Jagged Alliance 3 is set in a country with a colonial past and leftover fortifications from WW2. It made sense to have old German weapons like Gewher 98s, MP40s, MG42s around (sometimes is atrocious shape) and being used by local combatants.
War zones, especially ones with conflict resources like oil or - you know – diamonds, tend to attract all kinds of arms that can be sold on the grey and black markets. Africa has seen its number of FN FALs cross many shady borders. But it’s not impossible to see something more exotic like a contraband G36.
The Time
The early 2000s are an interesting time because most of the more iconic small arms weapons are widely spread. The Cold War has ended and literal tons of AKs are being traded around the world. But it is still too early for things like the FN SCAR or the HK416 to jump on the scene.
The Effects on Gameplay
And of course, gameplay variety is key. We needed weapons that open up opportunities for different playstyles. Players should have options to engage close up and at long distances; daytime or during night.
We needed accurate and moddable SMGs, but also nimbler ones mercs can dual wield. Old and common initial weapons and rare mid-late game ones. An auto shotgun is a thing of beauty, but firing off two shells from the early game double barrel shotgun can be even deadlier.
Ammo
In true Jagged Alliance fashion, the ammo you use is going to be a factor during the battles you fight. Every weapon needs a specific cartridge, and there are different types that you can use. Ammo management will be something you need to take into consideration when playing your campaign and go deeper into Grand Chien. If you don’t, you run the risk of turning your favorite gun into a highly impractical paperweight.
Ammo doesn’t only influence stats but also has some deeper gameplay effects. You can use AP ammo to handle armored enemies or Hollow points to inflict Bleeding and have a higher crit chance, but at the cost of armor penetration. No gunshot is really silent but if you want to be able to sneak several shots before being detected - load up some Subsonic ammo.
Want to shock and suppress a squad of enemies? Try lobbing a 40mm flashbang at them with your underbarrel grenade launcher. It's all good fun until a mishap occurs and you land a grenade at your squadmate’s feet.
Didn’t get any drops of the ammo you feel you need for a particular encounter? Luckily, you can assign your Mercs to craft ammo while they are not in combat. This has to be done in a sector with a repair shop, by a merc with a decent Explosives skill and you will also need some raw materials - easy, right?
And speaking of materials, that's a perfect segway to the next part of the diary - Weapon mods.
Modifying your weapons
In Jagged Alliance 3 we’ve taken a similar MacGyver approach to crafting as in JA2. You have parts and special items that you need for specific mods. And while we are taking a more abstract direction it’s still grounded in reality, so don’t expect to use chewing gum and tape to make an LPVO. But - yes, you can make an extended barrel modification in the field.
The basic resource you will use for weapon modifications are Parts. You will get them from objects in the world that mercs with higher mechanical skill notice and interact with as well as scraping items you already have. They will allow you to make many of the early modifications and attachments such as improvised suppressors, magazines and flashlights. For more advanced modifications like suppressors, scopes, UV dots and modified barrels you will need some of the rare components such as chips, lenses, steel pipes, etc.
Different weapons can have different levels of customizability. But overall you can mod stocks, barrels, muzzles, mags, and attach bipods, scopes, lights and grenade launchers. With some mods being mutually exclusive.
Want to engage an enemy at longer ranges? See if your weapon can be modified to use an extended barrel. Want a build for CQC? A shorter barrel will allow you to operate more freely and use less AP when attacking, but it will come at a cost. The gun might not cycle as reliably as it should, leading to more jams.
Installing bipods increases accuracy, but only if your merc is prone. So put that bipod down and let the MG roar!
All modifications will be seen on the model, but more on the aesthetics later in the diary.
The overwatch CAR15
So you want to have a specific Overwatch merc? Here’s a roided out build for that purpose.
The CAR15 is a fairly light carbine that allows for quick reaction. Let’s add to it:
- Reflex sight to let you see more of the direction your Overwatching (wider Overwatch cone).
- Light stock to not get in your way and let you point at the target faster (Max attacks during Overwatch increased by 1) but it does come at the cost of some accuracy.
- Since we shoot in Burst, let's add a Recoil Booster that helps cycle the weapon faster and get more shots for each burst.
- A UV Dot will help us with aiming those snap burst better by providing an automatic +1 AIM level to the attack.
- And we’ll combine it with the Vertical Grip that improves the handling (doubling the bonus for the first AIM level).
- And since those bursts will be burning up a lot of ammo, we’ll also add an Ergonomic Expanded Magazine.
The opportunistic PSG1
This is indeed a precision marksman rifle as the name says, but let’s try and build it for fast and reliable aiming so you can land shots at enemies unprotected body parts.
- Bipod to give you a high accuracy bonus when prone.
- Heavy Stock that adds a moderate accuracy bonus for attacks with 3+ aim levels.
- Combined with a Red Laser Sight that adds “Marked” status to a target when attacking using 3+ aim levels. “Marked” makes your next attack against this target a crit.
- Quick Prism Scope so that if your first action in a turn is to attack, it counts as aimed 3 times.
- An Ergonomic Expanded Mag for more follow-up shots before having to take your eye off the target and reload.
- And a Suppressor to tone down that recoil and give you a moderate Crit chance for follow- up shots on the same target.
- Hollow point ammo - Armor will be a problem but then again you will be aiming at unarmored body parts. Moreover, when it lands, they will feel it.
Look and feel
Aesthetics were a factor even back in JA2, but times and expectations change and nowadays it’s even more important to show the weapons you’ll be using up close and in detail. We knew that JA3 didn’t only need to have interesting gunplay mechanics but also manage to translate the feel of the weapons.
Each model can be seen in the mercs hands with all of the made modifications, but it is also shown up close in the weapons mod menu.
Having detailed models in the game is only the first step. The muzzle flash effects are based on the muzzle device being used. For instance - Suppressors have a … suppressed forward flash. While on the opposite side of the spectrum the Barrett .50 cal with its iconic spade muzzle break has an aggressive flash with a characteristic shape from its backward vents.
We didn’t aim for 100% realism as many weapons muzzle flashes in real life are barely visible during the day. But we got that action movie feel.
As for the mods themselves - they also have visible effects. Flashlights and laser sights will shine to where the merc is pointing his weapon. 
Sound
The sounds for the weapons are a big part of the feel of the gunplay and can easily have their own DevDiary. Maybe if there is enough interest we might make one…
We knew that we couldn’t just manufacture them in the studio so we went out and recorded on the actual shooting range.
A .338 Lapua Magnum
We quickly became aware of the horror of trying to record a gunshot in an enclosed space. Indoor shooting ranges had their usefulness but we needed to go somewhere where the reverb wasn’t interfering with the recording. As we searched far and wide for ranges that rent out the correct guns or close models, shooting the correct calibers, we managed to find an impressive collection but not all. As much as we wanted to shoot a Barrett 50 cal, it was just out of our reach.
While we were recording at one such shooting range, the neighboring berm by chance happened to be used by members of the Bulgarian Military Special Forces, so with coffee in hand and a big smile we walked over and introduced ourselves. Several months of official correspondence later and we got an invitation to record on their special training site. This was great since things like full auto weapons are illegal for civilian ownership here in Bulgaria.
PK ammo belt beeing loaded
PK burst
So a very special THANK YOU to the Bulgarian Military Special Forces for entertaining a bunch of game devs visiting for a day!
But recording was only part of the work. We needed to get the sound design right. Shots, casings falling, cycling, jamming, reloading and loading magazines. All had to come together to create the overall gunplay soundscape.
One aspect was the mechanics of the guns. For instance, you will notice in the game that bolt-action rifles reload after each shot and drop a spent casing.
Another aspect was how they fit into all the other sounds. To achieve that we classified the sounds in the game by tiers and implemented a ducking system. The system looks at what sounds should be playing and if there is an important sound it dynamically lowers (ducks) the volume of other less important sounds.
For instance - since some of the most impactful events in the game's soundscape are gunshots and explosions we try to emphasize them. When shots are heard, they push down the volume of other types of sounds being heard like ambient noise. It would be weird to hear crickets while a brick of C4 goes off. 
C4 creating some extra windows
We’re really excited for you to soon try all of this in the game and see and hear all of this for yourself.
Grand Chien is waiting for you.
Pavel Peychev
Producer
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By THQN Roger
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