Taurean

River inlet in my little town in Norway. Taken about 6 weeks ago, end of january this year. I wonder if there will be water interaction in JA3. Would probably complicate things quite a bit.. at least if they take into realistic consideration of everything getting soaked and such.

I think it should be an option like it is in JA2. I don't think it is 100% necessary to make a great game. I've never really understood the fascination and the .. craving for that in any game.

Personally i don't think that is so important. That is not what makes a game great for me. I would at least like an option like there is in JA2, to turn it on or off. I do agree that critical hits can be a part of it. To me, in JA2 at least, where that is a part of the game, it is very important for me to keep my mercs as safe as absolutely possible. I try to dispose of any enemy as quickly as possible, as soon as they get into the line of sight, so that my mercs take as few hits as possible, minimizing the chances for critical hits. It's a fine line, i think. It is a game, and too much details kills the fun. But having elements from reality is not a bad thing. But whether it's gory or not is not what makes or breaks the game for me. The art for me is the perfect balance of details and all the other factors that makes a game.

Jeez guys take it easy ^^

Yeah lol, everything about him is just hilarious .. First time i encountered him was during nighttime, it was early in the game and my team had weak armor and pistols, and i was very unfamiliar with the game.. i don't quite remember how you offend him or if he simply attacks during nighttime, but i managed to offend him somehow ^^ He mowed down my team quite quickly and it was scary ^^ The man laughs when being shot at .. even with his intestines floating out he doesn't show any fear. It's like the epitome of what you want on the battlefield. Only thing lacking is the team spirit factor. I really hope they bring him back to be a surprise top merc in JA3. He is always one of the front runners for me and i try to train him any time possible. "I GOT NOTHIN ELSE TO SAY!!" xD

Completely agree with this. JA2 got it perfect. Back in action looks like a horror show ^^ Looks nothing like the originals at all. Sorry for the harsh criticism. Haven't checked JA3 portraits yet, but they should not overcomplicate it. To me, in JA2, it was the voices that conveyed most of the emotions. And that's another piece of brilliance to it. The voice actors did an amazing job and had great direction. It doesn't have to be so incredibly detailed or complex. It just has to be made well.

Some good ideas there. Good post. I am usually in the lane of not programming too many factors into a game, because it becomes so much to take into consideration that it may lower the fun factor. A game is supposed to be fun. But at the same time, if it is programmed well, and easy to decipher and understand, then it can be a good thing, because then you can comprehend greater calculations in a faster manner. That is a big part of why i like JA 1+2, the information provided is quick, short, informative and easy to comprehend, while not being patronizing or superficial. That is something they absolutely must stay away from. If i have to start reading and deciphering a lot of text just to get on terms with the game, the fun goes out the window for me. That goes for NPC and merc interaction too. One of the things i really liked with JA2 was how the NPC's could cut you short if you patronized them or acted in a wrong way around them. Meaning you have to use your head when interacting with people. Just getting too much too quickly means you are being treated like an idiot and won't have to work with your head, and i as a gamer want to be challenged and use my head. The point about battle fatigue is something i also think is realistic. But that should mean that we should be able to have a bigger total number of mercs as in JA2, where there was only 18. If you keep a team of 12 in constant engagement over many days or weeks, then you necessarily need to swap out the entire team. That means you need to have them ready. Or it could possible be so that you could hire them for that duration, and then have them go on leave. This could open up for interesting personality characteristics behaviour, and also payment options. You could pay them less if they wanted to stay in the country and rest. I always also thought, in JA2, a lacking part of the game (though not meant as criticism) was restrooms or habitats for resting or wounded mercs. This is something i feel should and must be implemented in JA3. Spending money on that, i.e. recreational and workout facilities would mean mercs thrive better and recouperate faster. Which all factor in to the player's leadership ability, treating the mercs well, means they perform better. But it requires economic funding.

I have 0 experience .. just read a lot of things .. i thought that being hit by a bullet varies a hell of a lot in terms of how you end up after being hit. You are probably right about most of what you write, but i have read that it depends a lot on the angle of how the bullet hits, and as you mention, the velocity and caliber. All of these are things that JA3 can implement to a greater degree than JA2 had, even if that was good as it was. In real life, i imagine that it is so much down to random. Even a stray pistol bullet that hits an artery can mean death, and even an aimed sniper bullet that just misses an artery means someone lives. Of course protective gear would play into this. But i also think that implementing too much of this into a game, means it becomes so much to take into account that it may take a lot of fun out of the game. That would be a delicate balance. Spending a lot of time preparing for a battle, making super slow and steaady progress, and then have 1-2 mercs killed on very small odds shots by the enemy. That would feel very unrewarding. That could happen in JA2 as well, but if you played the game right, it could be something you could accept and advance with the game, because again, if you planned and approached the battle ground correctly, that didn't happen often. So that is a perfect blend of realism and fiction. That is where the JA games has something unique. I guess it's an overall balance thing - you can't expect a gamer to spend a whole year to finish a game. I can finish JA2 on expert, iron man in about 60 in-game days, and estimated, about 150 gaming hours, playing conventionally. I feel that is very balanced. Back to the point: Most of the time, in JA2, what happened was mercs getting hit in the shoulder or head and losing dexterity or wisdom points. Which i found somewhat in line with realism. This area could be developed. Lol, making a long post here but i have a lot of thoughts about this game since it is so great... One thing i felt could be improved on the point system in JA2, was that, if you didn't use a skill, trait or expertise over a certain period of time, it could start to deteriorate. Meaning it would be beneficial to keep certain experts on a team and keep them in practice. In JA2, i would make it a point, at least at a certain point in the game, to have everyone equipped with repair and med kits and have everyone take part in routine activity. This would increase their dexterity and wisdom too. I don't quite know if this would make a huge difference... but it is more in line with real life. The nature of the mission length in JA2, probably doesn't make this a huge issue, because it usually takes weeks or months to start forgetting innate skills one knows a lot about, or has practiced a lot. And at least in JA2, the mission lasts at the most 3-4 months. But it would be a realistic feature.

I see. If so, then i can understand it.

Personally i have never understood the point of trophies in games. They serve no purpose. The challenge and achievement of progressing in the game is reward enough for me.

Hey, someone else with maddog as favorite ^^ Yeah he's just too funny ^^ i wonder if you ever heard him say this, if you let him wear worn out bad quality armor for a while, he'll say "I'd be better off using an old bumper from the junkyard den this crap!! Is junk! And i know junk!" xD Too funny since he's recruited working in a junkyard ^^ And he will actually quit if you let him continue to wear it ^^ There are just a lot of great quotes in both JA 1 and 2.. too many to recount. The voice actors did a great job and had great direction. One interesting point i would like to make in regards of the corpses, would be to be able to arrange for the enemy corpses to be sent out and given an honorable sort of funeral, cremation or some kind of option like that. The point of this was to act more as an ethical leader. Just leaving corpses everywhere seems like a careless thing to do against the native population.

Really hoping, myself. Ja2 is one of the best games ever made, in my opinion. The reason for that is that it teaches the importance of logistics and leadership very effectively, it has the time aspect too which makes it more challenging. And the more effort you put into the preparation, the more success you usually have in the field. Careful planning and a systematic approach heightens chances for success. This is why the JA 1+2 games are so successful and has so much potential. Of course the personality interaction is a huge part of it too. It's just a lot of elements done so correctly. The realistic sound effects. The music is great. What JA3 needs is a continuation of JA 1+2, ironing out the bugs, not trying to reinvent the wheel. It's already been invented. Better graphics is good, but it does not guarantee a good sequel.

Newcomer here, very cool that there is an active JA forum. The bear's pit is very inactive. My fav merc of all is Maddog. Completely fearless, expert lockpick, great repairman and free. Best merc overall. He should be a top merc in JA3. Also especially given his ending quote in JA2; "Where do i sign up to become a professional at this"...