Jagged Alliance 3 from Haemimont Games

[Zombra]

Bought this finally.
Should I wait for 1.4 version before playing?

Slightly improved SAT view? 1.4 appears to be little more than a UI upgrade. Noncombat sector operations are neat and better balance is always welcome, but this is not a big deal at all. I see no reason not to start playing immediately if you're excited.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Bought this finally.
Should I wait for 1.4 version before playing?

Slightly improved SAT view? 1.4 appears to be little more than a UI upgrade. Noncombat sector operations are neat and better balance is always welcome, but this is not a big deal at all. I see no reason not to start playing immediately if you're excited.

I could play new System Shock instead.
Bought it on same time and it doesn't seem to be getting major patches anymore.

 

[Beowulf]

Bought this finally.
Should I wait for 1.4 version before playing?

Slightly improved SAT view? 1.4 appears to be little more than a UI upgrade. Noncombat sector operations are neat and better balance is always welcome, but this is not a big deal at all. I see no reason not to start playing immediately if you're excited.

I'd agree , but the thing is, that it might make your save games incompatible with the new version. Especially if you are playing with mods. And 1.4 should come soon.

 

[spectre]

Another thing to consider, a lot of mods will require starting a new game, and major modding probably won't take off until 1.4.
Vanilla should be "playable", for what it's worth, with minor modding to fix some of the annoyances. I wasn't really keeping up with the patches, so not sure if they'd integrated the active pause, but this IMO is the first mod to get.
Rebalancing the loot tables in particular requires starting a new game which put me off. I was rather far into my first playthrough and couldn't be bothered to go over it again.

I'd have a quick look at the demo to see if the game looks appealing or salvageable to you and have a serious look around for mods before taking a plunge.

 

[agris]

Another thing to consider, a lot of mods will require starting a new game, and major modding probably won't take off until 1.4.
Vanilla should be "playable", for what it's worth, with minor modding to fix some of the annoyances. I wasn't really keeping up with the patches, so not sure if they'd integrated the active pause, but this IMO is the first mod to get.
Rebalancing the loot tables in particular requires starting a new game which put me off. I was rather far into my first playthrough and couldn't be bothered to go over it again.

I'd have a quick look at the demo to see if the game looks appealing or salvageable to you and have a serious look around for mods before taking a plunge.

This is why I said that, if you can wait, waiting a year will be the best way to enjoy the game. After the 1.5 patch which introduces more significant modding tools, I expect some of the ja2 mod crowd will go full weaponized autism and we'll see more hardcore tactics / resource mods for the game, making it more difficult and better - imo.

 

[spectre]

This is why I said that, if you can wait, waiting a year will be the best way to enjoy the game. After the 1.5 patch which introduces more significant modding tools, I expect some of the ja2 mod crowd will go full weaponized autism and we'll see more hardcore tactics / resource mods for the game, making it more difficult and better - imo.

Still, there will be some time before major mods take off, if only for the modders to learn the framework.
Then there's the matter of getting the folks who know what's good on board. At the time of release, I haven't really seen anyone at the bear's eager to jump right into.
Things might have changed. Haven't been around there of late, and people seem to be doing lots of shit with AI with decent results.

Bottom line of this: waiting for the game to get good might take a bit of time... and one might find it fundamentally flawed and unsalvageable.

 

[Beowulf]

The game is very good and totally playable as it is.
If you want to install mods then the one unlocking more configuration options is the way to go, so you can increase the scrap values or herb gathering to your liking, as those are things that most new players have troubles with.
Personally I'd also add the combat attire mods to make mercs look a little more realistic (in action movie terms at least) and the one adding bigger diversity to the Legion soldiers.

Other mods might come in handy only when you have played for a couple of hours and see what you'd like to change (be that combat rebalance, enemies bonuses, attachment system and unlocking more slots etc).

 

[Zombra]

I'd agree , but the thing is, that [patching] might make your save games incompatible with the new version. Especially if you are playing with mods. And 1.4 should come soon.

Good point. Reminder to anyone playing now, turn off automatic updates until you verify that new versions are compatible. (I'm doing that right now.)

EDIT: Wait, what the fuck, I can't turn updates off any more?

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

EDIT: Wait, what the fuck, I can't turn updates off any more?

On Steam?
That's been the way things are there for ages.

They might offer older versions as beta-branches.

 

[Old One]

It's entirely playable already, but I would wait. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but ultimately decided to set it aside until more content is complete.

 

[Roguey]

EDIT: Wait, what the fuck, I can't turn updates off any more?

On Steam?
That's been the way things are there for ages.

They might offer older versions as beta-branches.

"Only update this game when I launch it" has always been the case as far as I remember. It's useful if the game doesn't have Steam DRM so you can just launch it from outside the Steam client while still being able to use Steam. I understand there are ways to roll back patches, but it's a complicated mess. Unfortunately JA3 uses Steam DRM so you have to use GOG if you want a no-mess exe you control.

 

[gogis]

Tried the demo. Realized that there is no option to initiate turn-based combat even in the presence of the enemies. In other words, you have to stealth kill multiple enemies fully in real time with no pause.

Did they even play their own game? Why is it so hard for them to just remake a 25 years old game with the same rules, but new graphics?

They were probably just too lazy to code so that the whole game could work both in the real-time and in the turn-based modes.

You guys keep talking about 1.13. It's not "original game". Original game was vanilla JA2

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

Anyone playing this on PS5? Are the controls and performance good?

I heard the controls are decent since they did a controller patch for the PC version too and performance is fine. Some reddit people complained about some crashes but that is pretty typical for PC ports for whatever reason.

 

[Latelistener]

Tried the demo. Realized that there is no option to initiate turn-based combat even in the presence of the enemies. In other words, you have to stealth kill multiple enemies fully in real time with no pause.

Did they even play their own game? Why is it so hard for them to just remake a 25 years old game with the same rules, but new graphics?

They were probably just too lazy to code so that the whole game could work both in the real-time and in the turn-based modes.

You guys keep talking about 1.13. It's not "original game". Original game was vanilla JA2

I am talking about original JA2, which didn't even need the button. It automatically switched to turn-based when you detect an enemy.

Never played 1.13.

 

[deuxhero]

 

[Beowulf]

"More patches are on the horizon, promising further enhancements and expansions for both PC and Console players alike".

Fingers crossed for some decent content heavy DLC's

 

[Cyberarmy]

Some enemy and gear variety would be welcome, maybe another faction that is on war with everyone?

 

[destinae vomitus]

I hope that they at the very least add more mercs, your options when it comes to mechanics and especially leaders are rather limited.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I'd prefer the reappearance of a beloved character from a previous entry in the franchise.

 

[Vic]

isn't that cleve's buddy or something?

 

[Zombra]

I hope that they at the very least add more mercs, your options when it comes to mechanics and especially leaders are rather limited.

For whatever it's worth, there are currently 115 mods on Steam Workshop that add more mercs, including a lot of classics brought back.

 

[covr]

Is there one adding Cleve? Because it is the only one I need to resume my playthrough

 

[Sentinel]

Isn't this game made by slavs? Why can I ask some random guy about a "soccer shirt" instead of football shirt?

 

[BlackAdderBG]

Isn't this game made by slavs? Why can I ask some random guy about a "soccer shirt" instead of football shirt?

The writers are the only devs that are not Bulgarian.

 

[Beowulf]

New update will come on 18th December

Update 1.4, codenamed 'Wolf,' introduces a significant mid- to late-game quest titled 'U-Bahn' (German for subway). Why the German name? Because you have the chance to uncover secrets hidden beneath Grand Chien since WW2, if you dare to confront the formidable adversaries protecting them.This new quest line comprises seven expansive maps within a laboratory complex. To complement the theme, update 1.4 introduces a new underground transportation system, ensuring the name's relevance.

But there's more – update 1.4 also includes numerous improvements, long-requested by the community. Such as Sat View improvements like a revamped Conflict Screen, multiselection in the inventory, sector stash overhaul, and tweaks to some Operations, as well as many other smaller fixes and adjustments.