Iluvcheezcake
Prophet
Fuck it, bought it on GoG.
YOLO i guess :]
YOLO i guess :]
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Jagged Alliance 3 from Haemimont Games
- Thread starter Belegarsson
- Start date
MadMaxHellfire
Arcane
this is why we'll never have nice things anymore.
Pegultagol
Erudite
Yes, I.M.P. is in
https://community.jaggedalliance.com/index/dev-diaries/making-a-mercenary-r5/
It's mentioned toward the end. I'm not sure if multiple custom characters can be hired though.
Very doubtful. No reason at all to believe they could be.
You couldn't do that without mods in JA2. Personally i don't need a bunch of generic mercs, i just need one to self insert.
deuxhero
Arcane
It was shown in the pre-release version they gave a bunch of streamers last month or so. It appears only visual customization is choosing a portrait, and everything else will match that (if anyone is wondering due to the terrible trend of erasing "female" character creation in modern games, male/female is chosen by picking a portrait, which are all on on wheel).
laclongquan
Arcane
The biggest problem of full-party customized characters approach is that it limit the usage of temporary mercs, which is one main draw of JA2. When you have a party of 6 customized full-meta overpowered characters, you have less urge to hire expensive mercs with their own quirks, likes/dislikes.
ArchAngel
Arcane
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2015
- Messages
- 21,263
So what, playing with custom party with no quirks, story or quest has been a staple since BG1
laclongquan
Arcane
Your Mileage May Vary~
It really depend on whether the game provide a set of interesting mercs. JA2, BG1/2 provided all that, thus the need for full custom party (by using MP mode) fall down. But IWD2 does not: their preset parties suck so much ass that I dont ever use them (the 1st run didnt count because I abandoned it in one hour). Thus we spend 2 hours creating 6 chars, because there's a need for that.
It really depend on whether the game provide a set of interesting mercs. JA2, BG1/2 provided all that, thus the need for full custom party (by using MP mode) fall down. But IWD2 does not: their preset parties suck so much ass that I dont ever use them (the 1st run didnt count because I abandoned it in one hour). Thus we spend 2 hours creating 6 chars, because there's a need for that.
Ghulgothas
Arcane
Dev Diary 9 - Strategic Gameplay
Hi everyone, I am Boyan Ivanov, co-creative director of Jagged Alliance 3, and today we are going to talk about strategy.
The 90s were a golden age for PC strategy games. It is no wonder that both big tactical games from that era - XCOM and Jagged Alliance – featured not only excellent tactical combat but also a deep strategic element. For me this blend is one of the key ingredients for their success and my own fond memories of spending countless hours with them.
Map of JA2
Map of JA1
From the early days of conceptualizing Jagged Alliance 3 it was clear to us that we had to capture this unique blend – turn based tactics, strategic gameplay in an open world and a quirky cast of characters. But what exactly is needed to make a fun and engaging strategic layer? And also, what makes a good strategic layer within the context of the Jagged Alliance series?
Strategic gameplay requires planning and tough decisions, managing different resources, be it money, time, or people. It also needs a big playground where these plans can unfold.
A Whole New World
Welcome to the Adjani Valley – the world of Jagged Alliance 3. This is what we call the Satellite View – the strategic layer of the game where you will command your squads of mercenaries.
As is tradition set by the game’s predecessors, the world map is divided into a sector grid. More than 160 of these sectors (including underground locations) have their own playable, handcrafted maps to explore. Collected into several different regions and environments, these maps offer not simply yet another battlefield but new characters and stories as we discussed in Dev Diary 8 – Quests.
Certain sectors are more strategically important than others. They can be parts of a city, diamond mines, ports that allow sea and river travel, hospitals or just a safe place to rest and relax. Other sectors can be enemy strongholds that are heavily fortified and send out enemy squads to attack you (but more on that later). Liberating these sectors and taking control of vital resources is key for success. Planning which sectors to prioritize and where to attack next forms the core of your long-term strategy.
Traveling is a key factor when making these strategic decisions. Certain terrains are harder to traverse. Marching through swamps without any roads is slow and tiring. Walking through the savanna is easier and even faster if there’s a road through the sector. There’s also water travel to consider - navigating along the coast or the Adjani River requires a port as your starting point. It is a much faster way to travel and even lets mercs rest but costs some money per sector traveled.
With all this in mind it is up to you – the commander – to explore the world as best fits your plan. Yet there are more considerations to keep in mind:
Your Agents of Chaos
You’ve scanned the world, chosen your targets, planned out how you’re going to get there. Now it’s time to send your agents – the mercs to implement this plan. While it is completely possible to go through the entire game with a single squad I feel that the strategic aspect of Jagged Alliance 3 shines the most when you split the party.
You can send out Alpha squad to capture a diamond mine and secure funds. Bravo squad can go after a particular side mission on the other side of the Adjani River. While mercs in Charlie squad will train militia and repairs items in the town you recently liberated. Squads are limited to 6 mercs, but there are no limits to how many squads you can have or where you choose to send them.
There are several things to consider when managing your mercs. You’ll need to assemble your team of course, consider if and when to hire additional mercs or perhaps part with some. You’ll need to treat their wounds and make sure they are fit for upcoming battles. Mercs will also tire out, especially when traversing difficult sectors, and need to rest. They can push through for some time if they are just tired, making them less effective in battle. However, if mercs become exhausted they will refuse to travel and have even bigger penalties in combat.
Operations & The Timeline
It’s not all fighting, marching and resting for your mercs. In sectors under your control you can assign mercs to different operations. These are tasks that can help you recover after a difficult battle or prepare you for upcoming conflicts. Let me give you a quick overview of each key operation:
- Treat Wounds – assign a merc as a doctor to heal the wounds of his teammates by spending Meds
- Hospital Treatment – available only in certain sectors, hospitals allow you to heal wounds very quickly but at a high monetary cost
- R&R – In city sectors your mercs can spend some downtime to recover faster and even gain the “well rested” status
- Repair Items – weapons and armor deteriorate with use, mercs with good Mechanical skill can repair items at the cost of some Parts
- Craft Ammo & Craft Explosives – tied to the Explosives skill, allows crafting of different ammo and explosive ordinance
- Scout Area – Mercs can spend some time gathering intelligence of nearby area gaining hints about enemy positions as well as nearby side missions
- Train Militia – train militia to defend certain key positions. Militia are allied soldiers which are not directly under player control but can defend a sector even when mercs are not present
- Train Mercs – allows mercs with high stats to train other mercs with the speed
Certainly some operations are more vital – ex. Treat Wounds. Others are a bit of a filler - Training - allowing you to fill the time of idle mercs with something useful as they are waiting for their comrades. Certain sectors may offer additional “unique” operations that are part of a particular side story like prospecting for diamonds to improve the output of a mine or simply waiting for the bus (I’m going to let you speculate what that operation is used for).
As we initially developed the Satellite View we stumbled on a problem that play testers were struggling with. It’s difficult to keep a mental picture of all these events and how they fit with each other. Which operation will finish first? When will a merc contract expire? Do I have time to get to a particular location?
The timeline was the answer to this problem – it helps keep track of different ops, merc contracts and provides a clear sense of how time flows in the game. Each operation, squad travel times and important occurrences are marked on the timeline. You can easily see the sequence of events that will take place in the near feature and hover over an event to gain more information.
Time = Money
Managing time is a crucial skill in the strategic aspect of Jagged Alliance 3. Even more so when you realize that time is money in the game.
Keeping mercs active in the field has ongoing costs – you have to renew contracts periodically. You can choose the time frame of the contract but there might be complications. A merc will occasionally want to renegotiate if they’ve gained experience and gone up a level. Some may require more money the first time you hire them if they see you as an inexperienced commander. Some may outright refuse to join your team if you have someone they don’t like on the payroll or if you’ve caused the death of too many mercs under your command.
With the contracts ticking away as time passes in the Satellite View you will want to optimize the time of your mercs. Chose which sectors to attack first as travel time is a factor, pick operations that will help you prepare but don’t waste too much time on them as there’s an implicit cost. Do you need to keep such a large force of mercs on payroll or could you even hire some additional help?
But how do you make money? Well the answer is simple – diamonds! Specifically diamond mines are your best source of income. Controlling them adds money to your account daily but make sure to protect them and do keep in mind that some mines might deplete and you’ll find yourselves without income.
For a quick infusion of cash you can go on the hunt for diamond shipments. The enemy sends out diamond shipments from time to time. Naturally they are well guarded. With skill and some luck you can intercept these shipments, take out the enemies and cash in the prize.
Of course you have your starting funds and some extra cash early on from your employers. One of the main long term challenges in the game is to be mindful of your finances and this becomes a key skill when you play on higher difficulties.
While we are on the topic of managing resources, you may have noticed my quick mention of Meds and Parts. These are two resources that are often used in operations. Each squad carries their own supplies of Meds and Parts. While they are not as crucial as Money be mindful of them or you may find yourself in a bind without enough resources to recover after a tough fight.
War for Territory
As your mercs fight their way through Grand Chien, capturing sector after sector, your territory and resources grow. But it can fall back in enemy hands. The Legion and other foes can muster counter attacks and will try to recapture lost sectors. Diamond mines are often on the top of their list.
Enemy strongholds, called guard posts, can generate attack squads and send them to attack your positions. In turn you can train militia in key sector to defend them. There are even multiple types of militia – rookies, veterans and elite. When an enemy attack squad reaches your positions a you’ll have to defend this sector or auto-resolve the conflict. If only militia is present in the sector auto-resolve is the only option as you don’t have active mercs there.
This creates a sort of thug of war between you and enemy forces as you fight for control of key strategic sectors. It also creates a very different dynamic from play through to play through as all attacks are procedurally generated and depend on what you’ve captured.
Guard posts are a prime target for attack on your end but they are very well defended. In fact going guns blazing can lead to epic fights where you are outnumbered many times over. However, there are other approaches. Each guard post can be weakened through a set of mini-missions – they are represented as shields next to the guard post icon. To learn more about these mini-missions you’ll have to use the scout operation and complete certain tasks.
Open World Strategy
As you can see the Satellite View of Jagged Alliance 3 offers a lot of strategic considerations – managing squads, mercs, time and money. Also fighting an active opponent that will try to recapture what they’ve lost. The ultimate goal of all these mechanics is to give you, the player, freedom and the tools to approach the task of saving President La Fontaine as you best see fit. You are up against overwhelming odds and there’s a lot more to discover along the way. Build up your strength, find allies, capture key sector and let your mercs become stronger over time. And your next time around you can try a different team and a different strategy.
That’s it from me for today. To see the Satellite View in action, join us on our stream this Thursday, June 15th at 17:00 CEST on the THQ Nordic channel: http://twitch.tv/thqnordic
Last edited:
deuxhero
Arcane
Sounds great. Only worry is that guard posts "generate" enemies. I hope this doesn't mean more enemies spawn out of thin air. Preparing for an assault days earlier by having a sniper take out a few sentries before leaving should be a valid course of action for taking out installations (it would come at the cost of higher alert, but fewer enemies), not an excuse for the game to spawn more (a group of "reinforcements" that travels to a location on the overworld and can be ambushed en route yes, but thin air no).
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 99,564
I wonder if this game might be sharing code with Expeditions Rome.
raeven
Educated
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2020
- Messages
- 306
JA2 was pretty anemic as far as the strategic layer goes. It seems like they're going for a much more fleshed out strategic game, and also a lot more in terms of questing, dialogue, etc - all of which were pretty lackluster in JA2 compared to other RPGs. The tactical combat made up for it and secured its place as a classic but I'm excited to see those elements in this newest iteration.
As for the tactical layer, the "pod" system of XCOM is nowhere to be seen and actual bullet physics are in, which are the most important elements imo.
As for the tactical layer, the "pod" system of XCOM is nowhere to be seen and actual bullet physics are in, which are the most important elements imo.
Strig
Scholar
Where's my true sequel/spiritual successor?!
cyborgboy95
News Cyborg
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2019
- Messages
- 3,056
Unveiling the Wider Picture: Your Path to Victory in Jagged Alliance 3
Unveiling the Wider Picture: Your Path to Victory in Jagged Alliance 3
Sofia, Bulgaria / Vienna, Austria, June 14th, 2023: In Jagged Alliance 3, victory in battles is no guarantee of winning the war. Our tactical turn-based game demands more than just skillfully maneuvering your mercenaries in combat. Welcome to the world of the "Wider Picture", an essential aspect that may even surpass the battles themselves in importance.
In Jagged Alliance 3, you bear the responsibility not only for coordinating grenade throws and well-timed gunshots but also for the composition of your battlefield forces and their equipment. As the to reclaim Grand Chien campaign unfolds, you take charge of the entire operation. Your role extends beyond hiring and training mercenaries; you also train militia units once you've conquered one of the various sectors, the strategic map contains. Ensuring your soldiers' well-being becomes paramount as they require healing and equipment maintenance, gaining an edge in combat is also possible by dispatching scouts to nearby enemy strongholds.
It's crucial not to overlook the financial aspect. Sustaining your operations necessitates acquiring funds to cover expenses. This means conquering mines, seizing diamond transports, and employing strategic measures. Prepare yourself for Jagged Alliance 3's dynamic open-world campaign, a thrilling experience that demands your adaptability in response to your enemies' actions. Seize every opportunity to gain the upper hand and ultimately crush the legion!
Unveiling the Wider Picture: Your Path to Victory in Jagged Alliance 3
Sofia, Bulgaria / Vienna, Austria, June 14th, 2023: In Jagged Alliance 3, victory in battles is no guarantee of winning the war. Our tactical turn-based game demands more than just skillfully maneuvering your mercenaries in combat. Welcome to the world of the "Wider Picture", an essential aspect that may even surpass the battles themselves in importance.
In Jagged Alliance 3, you bear the responsibility not only for coordinating grenade throws and well-timed gunshots but also for the composition of your battlefield forces and their equipment. As the to reclaim Grand Chien campaign unfolds, you take charge of the entire operation. Your role extends beyond hiring and training mercenaries; you also train militia units once you've conquered one of the various sectors, the strategic map contains. Ensuring your soldiers' well-being becomes paramount as they require healing and equipment maintenance, gaining an edge in combat is also possible by dispatching scouts to nearby enemy strongholds.
It's crucial not to overlook the financial aspect. Sustaining your operations necessitates acquiring funds to cover expenses. This means conquering mines, seizing diamond transports, and employing strategic measures. Prepare yourself for Jagged Alliance 3's dynamic open-world campaign, a thrilling experience that demands your adaptability in response to your enemies' actions. Seize every opportunity to gain the upper hand and ultimately crush the legion!
Tuco Benedicto Pacifico
Arcane
CdKeys.com has this game for sale at 24 bucks... I'm kinda tempted to snatch it now because the price usually rises a bit near release, but then again it could turn out to be a complete turd.
Devstream with Ian Currie in a couple days. Hop on Twitch and say hi to a fucking legend.
Upcoming DevStream #7 with Special Guest Ian Currie
As we’re getting closer to launch, we’re increasing the frequency of DevStreams and will now be streaming every week. To celebrate, our next DevStream will be a special one!
Ian Currie is the creator of the Jagged Alliance franchise and has been working with the Haemimont team on Jagged Alliance 3. He’s been gracious enough to join us on our DevStream next week where we’ll talk about the previous games, chat some about JA3, and answer a bunch of questions. This is a unique opportunity to interact a long time veteran of the game industry, so you don’t want to miss it!
We also might be giving away a few more JA3 team shirts to few lucky viewers as well.
While we can’t promise we’ll get to everyone’s questions, we welcome you to post any questions you’d like to ask Ian here. We’ll be gathering them together and pulling from this question list, as well as questions from chat, during the stream.
Mark you calendars for June 22nd at 11:00 AM EDT / 5 PM CEST on the THQ Nordic Twitch Channel: http://twitch.tv/thqnordic
See you there!
Ghulgothas
Arcane
Dev Diary 10 - Art Direction
Hello and welcome to this week's DevDiary focused on the Art Direction for Jagged Alliance 3. My name is Nelson Inomvan and today I will have the pleasure of being your guide throughout the beautiful land of Grand Chien.
One of my many tasks as an Art Director is to help the art team in crafting a unique aesthetic for the project and make sure the original vision is preserved throughout the development process.
A Look Back
One of the first things we did when we started work on the project, was to go back and play the first two games. What we quickly learned was that what made those games be what they are was not in the realm of a specific color palette nor the technical bells and whistles of the time, but rather in what I call “the fantasy” element.
The concept at the core of the game, the big idea that revolves around you as a player assembling a crew of mercenaries, embarking on a thrilling adventure reminiscent of action-packed movies from the 80s-90s and that should still be key when it comes to the visuals.
I still remember the rip-o-matic we put together and shared throughout the studio. It was a mash-up of scenes from some of our favorite action flicks of that time, and we used it to set the energy in the team. It was a good example of what we sought to convey with the visuals.
Making that deep dive into the first two games, made us also realize and appreciate how rich and thought out those titles are. The attention to detail (e.g. crows and the fallen enemies) was on another level, and it became clear to us that we had to step up and match that standart at the very least.
Maybe this is the place to express our respect for the teams who created those classics. The immense passion, love, and elbow grease poured in those games is still visible even to this day.
The Road We Took
Throughout the pre-production phase, the game underwent multiple iterations until the visuals finally encapsulated the initial design concept we were striving for.
At one point, we experimented with a "dirty-gray" military aesthetic, but soon realized that something was missing from that picture, making the game look too generic. Thus, our search continued until one day something interesting happened, shaping all of our subsequent decisions.
We went back and took another look at the design documentation, which encompassed a vast amount of information about the world, and an idea sparked: What if we make the country of Grand Chien and, more importantly, the continent of Africa at the heart of our art vision, rather than the other way around?
This simple yet effective idea changed our thinking and the process led us to the concept of “contrast” or what we ended up calling it - “Wet and Dry”, those two words encapsulate the breadth of what the continent of Africa can offer and thus make it the central character in the stage of “art”.
Now we had the opportunity to explore the vast array of breathtaking locations, each boasting its own distinctive weather patterns, allowing players to immerse themselves in the continent’s remarkable richness. From the always wet muddy jungles filled with mosquitos to the dry savannas or scorching hot wastelands. Furthermore, many of these elements would have a significant impact on gameplay, thereby influencing your decisions as a player.
We've even taken into account minute details such as the presence of puddles in jungle areas and their potential impact on the effectiveness of your fire bombs.
Key features such as dynamic movement, exaggerated weather, strong lighting and cinematic-style color grading all played a role in pushing the world of Grand Chien and achieving this distinctive art style. Additionally, the ever present signs of entropy that can be seen in all human made everyday objects added a unique depth to the world.
Wet
We discussed the discovery of our artistic style, but let’s delve a little deeper into the meaning of those key terms.
The lush green jungles, the always foggy African swamps, and those enigmatic parts of the forest avoided by locals due to strange rumors are all part of what we refer to as the “wet” regions.
Moss will cover roofs of buildings, while plants and trees will create pockets of small settlements or cities where people will go on with their lives.
Winds will animate every blade of grass, bushes or trees, and during thunderstorms the whole jungle will react to the dance of Ọya, Аfrican goddess of winds.
As mercenaries traverse those regions, the foliage will respond to their presence, bending and swaying with their movements. Leaves will be cut by bullets, and explosions will leave scorch marks where bushes were, connecting the world to the actions and impact of your mercenaries.
Mosquitoes and other insects will be your merc's constant companions and sometimes this will show as they will try to get rid of the little buggers.
Rain storms will muffle all sounds (as already described in Dev Diary 6 about combat) thus giving you good opportunities for a more stealthy approach or it will deteriorate the condition of your weapons. And all of this interconnectivity is dynamic.
Cool colors with the occasional warm accent will compliment the overall picture and help create an impression of a wet, foggy part of the world where the weather is unpredictable and nature is in the process of reclaiming it.
Dry
On the other side of this art dichotomy we have the “Dry” regions with their wide open savanna plains and arid rocky wastelands where life still finds its way, but at a higher cost.
Mercenaries will tire faster and will complain about the heat.
Dust will cover everything and if you happen to enter a sector during a dust storm, you will be submerged in it, making the whole picture look almost surreal.
Heat waves and flash fires will color the land in warm hues testing your team endurance to the limits.
Light
Presenting all of those beautiful locations wouldn’t work if the lighting of the game was not what it needed to be. We devoted significant time and effort on that aspect of the game, until our goal was met.
Savannas plains are not just hot, they are burning hot, and the sun creates a feeling that it will boil the land at any moment.
Similarly, in the jungles, sunlight filters through the clouds, casting reflections on mud roads, puddles, and metallic objects, creating a captivating play of light and shadows.
Indeed, as you can already gather, the concept of “contrast” is prevalent here as well making different regions look quite distinct from each other. The always foggy parts of the forest will appear dark in stark contrast to the sun bathed wastelands where the high temperature causes rocks to crack.
Entropy
One last part that I want to mention is the “entropy” factor in all of our designs for world objects. Due to its turbulent past the country of Grand Chien and its people do not have access to new goods which forces them to improvise and repair what they already have and with time this will show.
A special attention was paid to this aspect for each and every asset we’ve created, ensuring that it aligns with the general idea about the world we are trying to build.
“We’ve built this city on Rock n Roll”
Speaking of “building the world” I can not talk about this process without mentioning the contribution of our Level Design team. These are the people that meticulously handcrafted every small detail from the smallest structure to… well everything.
The process begins with those design documents I mentioned earlier, but this time they are tailored to a specific region, containing details about the story of that particular sector and other important information. Then we prepare a mood board giving form to those ideas followed by concept art so we can better capture the essence and aesthetics of the location in question.
One of the challenges we aimed to overcome was the risk of the world appearing artificially designed solely for gameplay purposes (e.g. а broken columns every x meters) and lose its organic, representative aspect. We constructed the world so it is easy to read but still retain its authentic and immersive characteristics.
This process was repeated for each and every meter of the world of Grand Chien.
Conclusion and an Invitation
Throughout the development of every project, games go through various stages, and there are instances when tight schedules leave little to no room for what I call “the love period”
During this stage, a project has all it needs, all the necessary ingredients, yet we revisit it to polish and dedicate time to all the small ideas that were previously set aside.
I am happy that we found time to do that.
Ultimately, my hope is that when you and your team visit Grand Chien for the first time, you will be captivated by its beautiful landscapes, ever-changing weather, and expansive world-building meticulously prepared by our design team. For more details from the design team, check out Dev Diary 5 - World Building)
Two last things
1.
OK, there is space for a tiny bit more text and one last gif. I have mentioned special FX and I could not pass this opportunity to show some explosions!
2.
I made another small surprise for you - The 2nd wallpaper is now available! You can find both wallpapers here.
That’s it from me for today. To see more of our Art in action AND to meet Ian Currie (creator of the original JA1 & 2), join us on our stream this Thursday, June 22nd at 17:00 CEST on the THQ Nordic channel: http://twitch.tv/thqnordic
We are now streaming EVERY THURSDAY at 17:00 CEST!
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2008
- Messages
- 2,900
Really -50% damage?Last night I had a dream of this actually being damn good. No joke.
Then I woke up and remembered the -50% damage when burst firing BS.
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