PunkSkeleton

1. The problem is that burst/autofire just don't work well. It's too easy to kill with sniper rifles, the damage output of assault rifles and burst/autofire is generally lower. Burst 90% of time just don't do more damage than sniper shot, autofire is useful at very close range so that I can kill a tough opponent but... it doesn't always do it. Even heavy machine guns don't beat sniper rifles that much and they're much harder to use. Also I didn't craft any explosives, I used them exactly 3 times including using mortar once, in most situations AP is better spent sniping than throwing grenades. 2. The problem with money is that it's a thing mostly at the beginning of the game. If you're playing like me using the same team all game long, leveling and training those mercs then they become very good while their cost is still the same (unless you hire mercs that dislike each other like Buns and Fox). Meanwhile your income gets higher. 3. Yes, you can suppress multiple enemies but in reality suppressing two enemies is not better than killing one. And almost always you can't suppress more than 2 with one action so it is not effective. 4. Fog means that it is actually harder to kill so it is a drawback of such grenades/mortar shells. And they're already weak. Partly because they're just weak, partly because you can't just throw them around the corner and mostly because enemies just charge at you like morons instead of staying in entrenched positions. If I'm attacking they should stay in good positions, use stationary machine guns etc. Then using grenades and suppression would make sense because that would help to force them out. Now they're just running until they can shoot, there are only a few places where snipers stay in relatively good positions but this is only due to clever map designs.

I just finished the game yesterday on the lowest difficulty setting, I'm not an expert, I've played JA1 and JA2 in the past but never hardcore. I play just casually and I definitely don't agree that the game is too easy in all aspects, it's just very imbalanced. Here's why: 1. The gun system works so that sniper rifles are much better than any other weapons in every situation. Once you get them and mod them properly the game becomes very easy and boring with an exception of only a few battles. Just headshot after headshot... It's due to their damage, the low difficulty of getting headshots with them and the fact that ARs and SMGs do so much less damage, especially in burst/autofire modes. It's neither realistic (7.62 bullet hitting you will do basically the same to you regardless of the weapon that shot it or if it was a part of long burst or not) nor makes the game fun. At the end of my play I didn't even switch in close combat which is just ridiculous. Getting a headshot (unless it does not pierce the armor) should be a guaranteed kill with any weapon but it should be much much harder to hit them. Also hitting with 10x scope at close range should be much much harder than with iron/holo sights. The beginning the game is much harder while I guess it should be just the opposite. Also AP ammo is the way to go, all other ammo types are useless, maybe with the exception of standard ammo that is just cheaper to get. 2. Random mines just happen too frequently, I should theoretically always scan with explosives expert before sending the whole team in exploration mode but is it fun? Save/load seems like cheating to me but I did just that. 3. Enemies just charge at you like morons, I don't see any intelligence in their behavior. They don't even synchronize their attacks. The only difficulty once you get sniper rifles is being overwhelmed by the numbers (happens vs Corazon and that's one of the two moments in the game when grenades are actually useful) or having to start combat in unfavorable position (Refugee Camp). 4. Enemy attack squads during late game are very very weak. They should be much stronger but there should be possible to train more militia so training militia still makes sense but the attacks are at least a bit challenging for your merc squad. 5. Saving the president seems too random and counter-intuitive. The tactics that finally worked for me is too sneak up as close as possible and then maybe, maybe I can run one of my mercs close enough to the tent to fire a flashbang (one of a very few moments in the game where grenades are useful) and pray that the president survives the first turn. Then it's a walk in the part. So basically I agree with Lobo on everything (I didn't hire Livewire so no comment on her special ability) except the fact that the whole game is too easy for casual player. It's just imbalanced. Also some additional points: 1. Ammo scarcity is a non-issue once you get to the first place you can craft it. 2. Money is not an issue, I finished the game with over 2 million in the bank. Mercs are just very cheap later on, maybe you should start with more money but the mercs should be much more expensive? Maybe their salary should increase with their level? 3. Suppression and blind are too weak. You shouldn't be able to hit anyone shooting blind. Suppression is the primary tactics in the current real-life war and here it just reduces AP a bit? Suppressed enemies still shoot at me and I can still headshot them while being suppressed myself. 4. Tear/mustard gas shouldn't create fog. 5. And those zombies just don't fit into JA but that's unrelated to game balance.