Octopus Overlords

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:52 pm Just. Remaster. The. Original.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 8:09 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:52 pm Just. Remaster. The. Original.

I actually never played the original (true story), but if they did a remaster of JA2, maybe I could die a happy man.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 8:09 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:52 pm Just. Remaster. The. Original.

I actually never played the original (true story), but if they did a remaster of JA2, maybe I could die a happy man.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 8:42 pm Yeah, I saw it - thanks. I've tried so many times to go back and play JA2 with various mods and tweaks and it just never works for me. The memory is better than the actual replay experience. That's why a remaster would be so very nice.

Sudy wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 12:40 pm I'm amused we debate remakes vs. remasters vs. reboots in almost every thread now.

Sudy wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 12:40 pm I'm amused we debate remakes vs. remasters vs. reboots in almost every thread now.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 12:32 pm That probably wasn't clear. I don't mind the mechanics and game play. Trying to deal with a wonky UI or resolution scaling on a modern monitor? No thanks.

I'm not hot on Jagged Alliance, but there's a lot to like in the trailer above. It's neat that you can spend AP points to increase the accuracy of your shots; I like the sound of an enemy "mishap chance", because mishaps are always fun; and there generally seems to be a lot of granularity, from how you pose your mercenaries (stand, crouch, prone), to what body parts they target, to what type of shot they're taking (single, burst, auto, etc.).

Sadly, the trailer shows the most appealing part for only a few seconds near the end. The best stories about classic Jagged Alliance normally involve its dynamic campaign map, which provides the context for the individual turn-based skirmishes you lead. That feature has been absent or poor in some of the lesser, modern Jagged Alliance games, but it's seemingly returning here.

The other thing giving me hope is that JA3 is being developed by Haemimont Games, the makers of Surviving Mars and several Tropico games. I wouldn't say that Haemimont have made any classics, but I do think they've typically punched above their budget. Their recent track record is certainly better than the Jagged Alliance series. Chris Bratt reviewed Jagged Alliance: Rage for us back in 2018 and found it mostly a chore.

The mission is clear: don't f*** it up!

When developing a successor to a legendary franchise like Jagged Alliance, it's a tightrope walk to make sure the game feels familiar to those who loved both, Jagged Alliance 1 & Jagged Alliance 2 but also brings new improvements to the table.

Read more in our second Dev Diary: https://thqn.net/ja3-dd02

For us, it's very important to create a spiritual successor to Jagged Alliance 2, because Ian Currie and Haemimont Games are not only working on a new game, but an established franchise many players all around the globe - and everyone on the team - love for close to 30 years now.

Time to meet the creators of Jagged Alliance 3 and see what they're up to!

Jagged Alliance 3 is coming to PC.

What made Jagged Alliance 1 and 2 so special was the cast of unique and quirky mercenaries under your command. There were many memorable personalities, and every player had his favorites. Some of mine are Barry, Fox and Tex from the first installment.

We knew that to make a great Jagged Alliance sequel we had to have a big roster of mercs, and we had to get them right.

Hello everyone, I am Boian Spasov and I am happy to welcome you to our fourth DevDiary! In it we will take a look at the way we model the mercs mechanically and how they become more powerful, unique and personalized as the campaign progresses.

From the very start of the design process for Jagged Alliance 3 we knew that we wanted a classless system for the mercs. Even though some characters might reasonably be considered “field medics” or “explosive experts” based on their starting skillset and indeed the Association of International Mercenaries (A.I.M.) might even advertise them as such on their webpage, we didn’t want to constraint them in such narrow archetypes, nor force the player to use or develop them in a particular way. Advancing your so-called medic to become a top-tier sniper or mechanic should take serious effort, but is ultimately possible and no artificial class definitions will prevent you from doing so.

I am Radomir Mirchev, Senior Narrative Designer, and I will be your faithful guide to the world of JA3 and the country of Grand Chien - which is a crazy place, but we’ll get to that later.

For those of you who haven't played the previous games back at the time, Jagged Alliance isn’t just another turn-based tactical game. It also features certain RPG elements that are its heart and soul. The player takes command of a weird company of mercs with all their differences, peculiarities, likes and dislikes, and not just a squad of replaceable carbon-copied soldiers.

That defined our approach to world building. We wanted to create a game that responds to your actions, characters that have their own agenda, and events that follow their own logic. You can try things, fool around and see what comes out of it.

Freedom of exploration

We decided we shouldn’t hold the player’s hand or force them down one path or another. Travel on the satellite map, talk to anyone you like, be naughty or nice - or just fight your way to the end of the game without giving a damn. The player freedom of exploration is the core of the Jagged Alliance experience.

This approach however can easily lead to confusion. So we did our best to provide hints where the main content is - while we took care not to actually guide the player to “go there and do that”.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 11:32 am I am as well! I feel like they're saying all the right things. Hope!

My international squad of mercenaries—the not-quite-heroes of Jagged Alliance 3—were enjoying a day at the beach, following up on some intel that an explosives expert was hanging out there. Instead, they found themselves in a sandy minefield surrounded by foes. Naturally, a fight broke out. Several goons were grouped together, which was convenient for my shotgun-wielding medic. One turn in, half of the opposition were either dead or close to it. Then my mechanic stepped on a mine.

Chaos took hold. One of my squad went berserk, ran out of cover and just started spraying bullets. Another panicked, tried to flee and, of course, stepped on another mine. Someone thought it would be a good idea to toss a molotov into the mix. More mines went off. Bullets pinged off rocks and thudded into the sand as shots missed their targets. There was shouting and screaming and threats. A miraculous headshot finally ended the carnage, and somehow my mercs walked away with only nearly-fatal injuries. Just another day in the office.

A turn-based tactics game where you recruit and manage a team of mercenaries and attempt to liberate an island nation from the shackles of a totalitarian regime, Jagged Alliance 3 certainly doesn’t stray far from the series’ roots. Which is unsurprising, because of course, Haemimont Games hopes to recapture the magic of 1999’s Jagged Alliance 2. This cult classic is much loved for its complexity, gameplay variety, and emphasis on player freedom. So, how is the new modern sequel stacking up?

It’s whenever you’re asked to move your mercs around outside of combat that I had the most trouble with Jagged Alliance 3. Navigating the maps in real time with your mercs is finickity to a fist-clenching degree. For instance, you can select all your guys to move them around, but then click on an item to loot, and only one member of the team will run over there. That’s frustrating since inventory space is severely limited, and your mercs must be bunched up to swap items around. Similarly, icons are hard to click on, and sometimes placed frustratingly close together.

coopasonic wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 11:28 am I keep getting excited when I see this thread updated. I guess it's good that I am still getting excited.

coopasonic wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 12:22 pm

coopasonic wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 11:28 am I keep getting excited when I see this thread updated. I guess it's good that I am still getting excited.

I am making a list of the names of people that bump this thread while it still doesn't have a release date. Just so you are aware.