Solaris_Wave

Installing those handmade attachments in JA2 was a classic example of saving the game before trying it. Wasteland and Fallout having a scrap system makes sense. They are both post-apocalypse settings where everything is left over from before and much of it is cobbled together. JA3 is set in roughly the present day and the scrap system doesn't make sense. If you were just replacing springs, pins and screws or identical parts, it makes sense. Making a bazooka out of a left over bipod is higher fantasy than either Fallout and Wasteland.

@WILDFIRE, would you consider the lack of animated portraits more serious than things like the shared inventory, using scrap to build guns and attachments, and the damage reduction for automatic fire? I'm not criticising here, I'm just asking.

I have never played Valkyria Chronicles because the art style wasn't my thing (although there is a lot of anime and manga I really like. Usually sci-fi) but I have seen it get consistently high ratings. I wasn't sure what genres are currently popular in Japan. I grew up during the golden age of arcade machines and I loved so many of the games (even if my parents' money didn't. Those games were expensive in the long run). I played Final Fight in its original form (and Poison always was a biological female. None of that she-male business). I haven't really followed Japanese games in the home entertainment market but other than the JRPG genre, such as Final Fantasy, you don't see a lot of strategy games from Japan (hopefully someone can enlighten me). The problem is, like I said earlier, if you don't attempt to create a market and a desire for it, it will never grow in popularity. It might have a risky start and it might even fail. However, if it gains fans of the genre, it should only increase from there. If JA3 gets distributed in Japan, it could gain an audience that the publishers never thought possible. If the Japanese language can't be translated and you can only play it in English, hopefully there will be something like an option that only lets cutscenes and dialogue continue every time you press the mouse button. That will hopefully give Japanese gamers time to understand or translate the English writing.

That prospect makes it sound even worse.

His blond moustache and mullet remind me of German holiday-makers that I would see during the '90s, when I visited various parts of the Mediterranean. They seemed to favour the same look that British men often sported in the '80s. That said, I don't remember any such holiday-makers casually standing one foot on a box marked 'EXPLOSIVES'.

How about this scenario: You have just used up all of your scrap, adding every possible and desired attachment to your weapon of choice. One item in particular needed a lot of scrap to make but you really like the gun and can see it being fielded for a long time. The next battle takes place and as an outcome, you are presented with a brand new gun. It is even better than the one you were currently using and will be your new weapon of choice. Now to swap as many attachments over to the new gun. Only you can't, because they have somehow been fused to the gun you were previously using, with a combination of the world's strongest glue, welding equipment and The Great Forge Of Valhalla (which I've just made up). You swear and realise that you have to start the process of finding lots more scrap so you will eventually have enough to create every attachment all over again, particularly that one item that needed lots of scrap to make. Finally, you now have every attachment you need, built once more and now installed on your new gun. It took a long time but you know that this gun is going to last you a long time and will be worth it. The next battle takes place and as an outcome, you are presented with a brand new gun. It is even better than the one you were currently using and will be your new weapon of choice. Now to swap as many attachments over to the new gun… Now imagine doing that for every different merc and you can appreciate why us British have the word, 'Bollocks'.

Also, why shouldn't you be able to remove the mods and attachments for guns? I know I have said this before a few times but if you can create a gun (which is multiple parts put together) using scrap, why can't you remove anything? That laser sight you somehow made from the wooden stock of an M1 carbine, why can't that be removed? You put it on a gun easily enough (and made it all from wood). How can you not know how to take the bloody thing off?

I agree, a lot of JA2 was pretty far-fetched (and some of it I chose to avoid, if I was aware of it, due to it going too far from what I was playing the game for). The thing is, for me, I would prefer to buy or find weapons and equipment. Then, with existing weapons, I can break those down to use as parts for the weapons I am using. Ammo is different. That could be hand loaded and matched for more consistent performance.

It was done in moderation, as @DougS2K says and also, slightly tongue in cheek. It seems that JA3 has taken a little, optional side quest and gimmick, and made it a fundamental part of the game. It just feels too much like The A-Team. Why should I be able to build an armoured personnel carrier out of bed springs, sheet metal and a lawn mower?

English is one of the most common languages in the world and Europe is so close, it makes sense that English would be a secondary or tertiary language for some. Far East Asia it would be less so. I don't know anywhere near enough about modern Japan to give an educated opinion on this but I am aware that in terms of gaming, Japan can have completely different tastes to many other nations. It still seems a shame though that for a nation where computer entertainment has made a huge cultural impact (and Japan has played a massive role in spreading that throughout the world), some game genres can be shut off to them. China is now seen as more important to many games publishers.

The size of those axes on the wall are huge compared to the rifles. I am now also wondering whether guns can be sold or whether they all get turned into available scrap? I still think that idea is a bad one. Why would I be able to build a 6x telescopic sight or an MP5 out of a disassembled SKS rifle? Need a suppressor for your M4 carbine? Just dismantle that Smith & Wesson revolver you no longer need. Suppressors and revolvers are just like one another, I guess.

So why do Japanese people not count? Do they not think there will be a big enough market for squad strategy games in Japan? If they don't try, there never will be a market. Then, people like @Renga who are interested, will have to miss out.

Waiting for a sale is obviously beneficial to the customer and can, in fact be profitable for the publishers. However, it seems that despite any profits that get made through sales, they don't seem to get considered when it comes down to whether a company avoids restructuring or disbanding. It often seems to be initial sales that decide that factor.

Out of curiosity, are there any East Asian languages planned for translation? If so, would Japanese be much harder?

The problem with this is, when situations like this happen, you get the sad, truthful outcome and then the official announcement and marketing speak that fools absolutely no one. People get laid off, companies fold or merge and the official words are things like, "moving forward", "looking forward", "pleased to announce the joint venture of…", "we are delighted…" and "excited to see…". It is clearly false positivity that acts like the ship has not only stayed afloat but is now more streamlined and sails better. The reality is that, so much money goes into a game and unless it blows everyone away and sells like crazy, talent can break up and go separate ways. For JA3, I sincerely hope that failure of financial success elsewhere doesn't touch Haemimont. The thing is, even smaller releases that sell well can still not be enough to stop future company development and cause fragmentation, all because the other big game; the one that was supposed to create sales upon sales, didn't turn out as hoped.

I wonder how that plays out? Often, when your merc is hit, they can risk losing action points as their health depletes.

I'd like to see Queen Deidranna as a mercenary. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"

The Hurt Locker is a good film but that scene annoys me because it makes the British soldiers look like rookies. I can't remember if it says who they actually were (PMCs, mercs, SAS) but I would have thought that they would have been the better soldiers compared to the American unit in that particular scenario.

There has been recent questions about the militia that you recruit being all white, instead of mixed or mostly black. Why is this? The militia you recruit is from the local populace. This is their land, so it would make sense to see black people as part of your militia. Also, are they all male or will there be female militia?

It would definitely make sense for your trained militia to be predominantly black. They are, after all, recruited from the population. This is their land.

I would also like to ask about the various factions in Grand Chien. Without giving too much away in terms of spoilers, are there a variety of factions that form independent reputations with your mercs and have a sizeable role in the big picture of Grand Chien? Are there affiliates of the current government who can be persuaded to assist you? Are there criminal factions that don't really care who is in power as long as they can make money, offering you help in some ways as long as it aids their 'business'? I am also hoping that there are enemy mercs or Private Military Contractors that get hired to fight you, after you have made enough progress through the storyline, and even the veteran enemy troops aren't succeeding against you. Will there be bounties placed on your mercs or even named enemy mercs that have bounties placed on them (for you to profit from)? A notorious enemy sniper, saboteur or assassin for instance? Some of us have talked about this in various threads in the past and I think it would be appealing knowing that there are elite individuals or units that aren't necessarily part of the enemy main armies, and are out there somewhere in Grand Chien, hunting your mercs and creating a level of suspense due to their proficiency. It would be even more so, if they would randomly assist the enemy regular troops but withdraw if the battle is going badly for them, leaving you to encounter them some other day.

I would like to ask what motivations there were in changing the appearance of mercs that have existed throughout the course of the franchise? Some of them look rather different now from their JA2 counterpart (or even JA1). It hasn't always been a progression of timeline as a merc has aged. Some of them have actually undergone more of a character change, maybe visually more than in terms of personality.

I am not sure myself but it could be that whatever your contract was, it died with the person you made it with. It is possible though that there could be some kind of insurance or clause that comes up before anyone gets signed on. If so, it would depend on whether the merc actually offers that.

That is an important factor. Usually, you would try to lessen the numbers as quick as possible. The less enemies there are, the less attacks can be made against you. However, the alternative can be to cause enough damage to multiple enemies in an effort to weaken those attacks or some other capability, especially if there are multiple dangerous enemies that can seriously beat you. Wound multiple enemies enough and they might collapse next turn, try to flee or not have enough energy to shoot or try close combat. The only problem with choosing that alternative is if your attacks have no real effect on an enemy who is still alive. If they are badly wounded but act as if they are otherwise completely strong and healthy except for their hitpoints, they will continue to dish out as much damage as normal, move at standard speeds and basically be just as dangerous as if you had never hit them in the first place. In that scenario, there really isn't much point in trying to weaken multiple enemies if they don't receive negative effects to their stats. You might as well just focus on one enemy at a time and making sure that they die quickly to lessen the overall number of attacks. I would like to see badly wounded enemies really act like they are badly wounded. They can still fight and move but they are not able to keep up with their healthy comrades. I know much of that is apparently in the game, such as blood loss, stamina loss, concussion, limb damage but I would like to actually see it as well.

I am hoping that will be present once again. It would be slow and take up lots of action points but it would be too useful to omit. Some games prevent characters from moving if prone but those aren't common. I would usually keep prone movement to avoiding enemy fire when outdoors, moving up gradually or to get a better firing position. I would also use prone movement if I wanted to allow a clear line of sight for anyone behind the prone soldier. A narrow area could force a single file approach, so I would have the first soldier prone, the second crouching and the third standing. Being forced to stand up, move forward and then go prone again each time, would prove to be a major nuisance.