GODSPEED

No, the game doesn't warn of such things unfortunately. Look at the second screenshot, no indication that he would become hostile.

I think it would be so much better! I would also like to see a toggle to view all the mercs stats on top of portrait, or under it - like the one on Barry - for easy comparing of stats and other info, maybe like overview of perks the merc has. One screen where we can view MOST valuable information on the fly you know. It's also the one I would like... but I don't think it would benefit 'this' game (the way it is at the moment); unless various pouches and vests made it into the game. A dream... maybe.... one day we get JA3 1.13.

Just wondering if "Smoke Grenades" (not a tear gas grenade) should turn "Neutral" characters Hostile? The grenade itself does not impact the character (no hitpoint damage from the landing grenade). Once smoke fills the area with smoke, the Neutral characters turn hostile.

Julian Gollop, maker of the original X-Com & Laser Squad, has had a serious impact on Turn-Based Strategy games in general. Many of the features he had already developed in games as early as the early-to-mid 80's found their way in our beloved Jagged Alliance 1 & 2 franchise. But his games were also impacted by other video games. For those who like to take a look into the history of gaming, I thought I'd share a really cool video I came across.

Then use the guns for which you do have ammo. 1. Avoid burst fire with guns you have low ammunition for. 2. Know what gun to use for what situation. (Do you ABSOLUTELY need 7.62 NATO for some enemies? Use your Hi-Power/Uzi when you close in). 3. Don't use overwatch!! It will run you dry! (I only consistently use it with Raven, because that's how her ability works. 4. That's part of the game balance and difficulty. Scrounging for what you CAN and use the best tool at the time with the knowledge that the resource is limited. 5. Keep some "backup" weapons for your mercs that use more accessible ammo. Especially 9mm. 55 Hours into the game, I've already done quite a few major battles, like with Faucheux.. and haven't crafted a single bullet. I've only tried auto-resolve once. And every few battles I switch some of my guns to another one to make sure I don't use all the ammunition. On some battles, I focus on trying to pistol/smg.. because I'm literally drowning in 9mm.

I really don't give a f***, I won't argue with you. The topic is about buying online in JA3. A game that is happening in the early 2000's. I'm trying to offer some form of basic context for the "why" they cut corners in the game. Don't like my reasoning? Move on!

We're talking about on online store. I'm giving context to why they cut the corner and decided to NOT provide stores or online features. It cut down on resources to produce such parts of the game, and it provides "live off the land"-type thing at the same time. Tell the devs.. Whether I agree with it or not doesn't change that in the context of the game, it is slightly fitting. So far I have only come across tiny villages. No airports. So where the F am I supposed to receive my shipments? Land? Yeah sure... half a year later! Would I like Tony with random stuff.. yeah. But they didn't. Don't think they plan on it either. They provided small shop stalls with limited choice. Their balancing relies on it, the game wasn't programmed with "stores" in mind. Whether we like it or not... just trying to offer context, whether realistic or not. Oh I see.. you live in Russia.. so you know the postal laws of Canada. Funny, 'cause I actually regularly buy and sell on ebay.. and hum.. only recently did a few services for Russia open up, because they've been closed-down for years here. I used to buy motherboards and pc parts from Russia.. and couldn't find those for a long time since the whole thing. But I guess it's not factual... because you live in Russia and work with foreign people.

Trigger finger control.

That ^ I don't get it. I've always felt like it's a lack of respect to be doing something else while you're with friends. It's the same as if you we're with friends, but then they spend their time calling other people. Hey put your things on the side for two goddamn minutes. I remember being an ICQ and MSN Messenger freak when in my teens... but I wasn't doing that while I was with my friends. My younger siblings, when I see them, they are glued to their frikkin' phones. At the table, phone is as important as fork and knife. Looking at it every couple minutes. I'm guessing that is the same experience as most modern societies.. and I think it's part of a bigger problem, but also shows how frail family values have become.

Isn't that what JA2 did? Your high level mercs (no explosives required) would detect mines and place a red flag (or blue flag.. I just have a blank in my memory).. and then all mercs would walk around it.

I agree... but I hate mod crafting even more! I get it, past JA's had this kind of pseudo-crafting with rods and spring for burst that cost less time to shoot, or radar/xray machine, or longer barrel... but these weren't in any way "major" components of the game. They felt like just side things that weren't necessary. I understand why online purchases aren't a thing in the game. Countries in civil wars often go through closing of borders, trade and many sanctions by outside countries and business. In my country, Canada, I cannot even send or receive mail from Russia. So.. I get it thematically. Nonetheless, they should have compensated with a few locations that are warehouses for the gear and ammunition for the main army.. maybe tie a story with a guy who will deal with you through "black market" sale (aka Tony). I pretty much hate the idea that EVERYTHING has become a matter of crafting now. Every mod is just a matter of having enough parts. I loved the idea of finding a mod.. and then if my mercs changed or gun changed hands, I could transfer it to another. Afterall, they depicted every gun with rails... so most mods should be compatible on any gun. I think it was a cut-corner, to save on time and resources for designing and implementing individual mods and parts.

Why do you give up now? Just keep on playing. They did not make a game for fans of 1.13... so everyone is lucky! They made it for it to be easy and simple. It is just a step. Part of the game.

I believe the one good point in the OP, is that once a "blue flag" has been set on a mine, the other mercs should not step on them. The pathfinding is a little broken. When in a minefield, the explosives mercs should mark the mines and when you follow through with everyone else, I feel they should navigate the known mines without activating them. Right now, following through as a group, someone will set off a mine, even if it has already been revealed and detected.

Thanks @username55 & @Skaldy Never even tried those!!

Well, if stances work and a shotgun blast doesn't care about stances, then stances/shotguns don't work and need to be tweaked/fixed for these exact situations. It's broken if a shotgun blast originates from the ground because they used a different projection method than for bullets. But I see what you mean, stances work for normal bullet calculations, just not for shotguns due to the way they made shotguns function. Pretty much automatically hits anyone within the "triangle".

This is also one thing I appreciated about JA2, it was more of a sandbox. It didn't help you or hold your hand, but it also rarely ever put you in "forced" situations that were scripted. The only situations I ever remember being "forced" to either act quickly or need to cheese, were when you Assault the Alma training location. You can trigger an explosion to go off that will injure the Sargeant. If you aren't quick enough, he can bleed out and die. But that's the worst outcome. The General also, in the same location, he starts a battle. If you walk out of San Mona mine using the ladder that leads to Kingpin's home, heavy battle. But most of these aren't scripted in the same way. In JA3, anyone who's met Faucheux will know that some engagements are meant to be cheesed from the start. Biff, the same and a few others. Can't say those are my fav parts, but hey. Lucky for me I save scummed those, unfortunately.

Another example of it in action. Prepping a Stealth Kill using the combined Abilities of Raven and Raider. Below is Ravens cone of Overwatch, and here I am aiming with Raider at the head of this enemy: Here is the result: But the worst part is: it doesn't seem to happen all the time. I've been testing to see what is up, the perks are either rolled or they "arbitrarily" don't always apply equally in the exact same condition. I found it weird at one point, because Dr. Q has that perk, and I actually make use of him often to go shotgun blast a bunch of enemies and use all his points and stay in standing or crouched position. There are a few times where he was attacked, and never gone prone, and was hit, and then he goes prone on the next successful attack instead. (Maybe some abilities negate that "Lightning Reactions" ?) Just like in this battle, there are many times I load, and sometimes I take the shot with Raider, and the enemy doesn't have Lightning Reactions, and sometimes he does. What gives? I've voiced my opinion so many times that I like the "unknown" when dealing with the Interrupt system in JA2, but this game doesn't work the same at all. There are no mentions if some perks are rolled, or have any chance to them. There is no mention if some perks are contested based on a roll of statistics or otherwise. (The perk that fires back at an enemy who missed you does a dexterity check, but it says so in the perk). JA3 takes so much UI info to constantly give you details on status, what body part is armored, etc... to detail exactly what perks do... yet, it seems to roll dice when it comes time to make use of the perk (without telling you). This is the same setup as above, but after loading the game: Guard is dead this time, and Medic next to him is surprised. On some loads, it alerts the entire camp. Look, I love some randomness! But, if perks are so accurate and don't mention some "luck" when used, I take them as they are hard-coded to function the way they are explained, to the letter! Anyone else find these "oddities"?

Yeah! The friendly fire indicator does advise you, and it even shows how much health it will remove from your friendly... but the problem is the adjacency and stance should be revised in a case such as this, as it makes absolutely no sense... although, I'm seeing many things in the game that make no sense, so maybe my argument is a moot point.

Well... that's among the things I wish were upgraded from JA2. I mean, we are talking about a game that made use of 2D sprites on 2D ground. Bullet "calculations" were 'simple'. If you read some of the dev diarys, you'll see that they have a full cone of possible hit locations. This is a 3D game, wish they have made use of the fact MG's are meant as "suppressive" weapons and at least provided them with a little feeling of recoil. You aim for the torso.. have a shot hit a leg, one hit the guy behind, another hit another guys arm.. hit the other barrel behind. I'm not even talking "suppression" like in 1.13.... just plain normal recoil from many rounds fired. If anyone ever played Airsoft, well it looks like someone who decked out their gun with a fast motor and 12v li-po... it comes out like a laser with no recoil.

Yeah, but the M1014 is a long-barrelled one. Same range as pistols +/- There is absolutely no reason for Vicki to get hit! I've saved/loaded many times to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Dr. Q is crouched, aiming at the head of a standing enemy; meaning my shot should go "upwards". Yet, Vicki is hit, and she is prone. So why does it not work here? I've experienced this in other cases too, where a merc taking a burst, even if he's crouched, will hit a prone friendly in front of him. Not shotgun, but AR as well.

Sad that we have to think about modding this early after game release. That said, I really want to finish the game the way it was intended - at least once - before modding. If I mod, I'm taking too many chances of breaking something.. and 50 hours in, I don't want to restart or get into a game-breaking bug. Thanks for the heads-up, and I will apply mods if ever I play the game a second time around.

Surely a headshot from a crouched character wouldn't hit a prone character, right? WRONG! Taking a headshot with Dr. Q caused Vicki to take damage. But she is prone, Dr. Q is Crouched. There should be a distinct level of difference between body position and the "level" at which the shot originates. In JA2, if you we're proned in front of a crouched character, no friendly fire from the crouched char. Same for a character that would be crouched in front of a standing character. The standing character wouldn't friendly fire. The game is good enough to give us mercs that peak around corners... but not good enough that we can't shoot our own merc in front of us. Some of these things need revision!

I think I may have reached a turning point in the game (Faucheux; for those who know, no spoilers for others please). Quite a few enemies now see to have the Perk "LIGHTNING REACTIONS". I do think that the game, with the lack of 'Field of View' feels a little broken with perks such as these. If the guy can sense that I'm going to shoot at him and he's not even "looking" at me... okay. I get it. I guess that's what Perks are (I was kind of hoping JA wouldn't turn into a game relying on a puzzle game of 'perks' and that's what I feel the game is becoming the more I get into it; 50+ hours, the further I get into it, the more it feels like the xcom-style puzzle game of having to use the EXACT right perk at the right moment). But I also find it a little ridiculous that such perks also affect outside of combat. I was all set up to take my stealth kill (silenced weapon). Everyone was unaware, no one had started noticing anyone. I shot.. or I should say, I 'clicked' to take the shot, and instead the soldier hit the ground, my shot missed and combat started. 🙄 ...

@Skaldy, why are you hijacking my topic? The guy never said he didn't get an HK 21.. He said he never got AUG, G36 or AK-74. He said he got the Dragunov, HK 21 and AA12 from static loot. That has also been my experience. Never found those weapons on bodies, but in containers that either required high lockpick skills or exploring locations that did not see all the relevant. I also myself, found the G36 and AK-74 the same way, exploring locations and unlocking containers. Why should he tell you exactly where they are? Think we stop to take note at every location we find a cool gun? Hopefully, the game might have been programmed with a tiny bit of randomness, meaning we can find a certain "coolness factor" in a container and not exactly the same weapon every time. JA2 only had the randomness that either it is there, or it isn't. Only some lockers/containers had different options of content sometimes (but not guns). Now, can we get back on topic? This is about MG's shooting out like lasers with no recoil.

No doubt!! But the use here in small squad encounters like 8 vs 8, feels really out of place. It's more a cheese weapon where you "ambush" enemies entering a sector and they are completely bunched up and you take half of them out in one rpg shot. Especially how early I still feel I am in the game...