Game News Jagged Alliance 3D Conflicting Info

[Sol Invictus]

Tags: Jagged Alliance 3D; Richard Therrien; Strategy First

There has been some very angry whiplash from fans of the Jagged Alliance series due to the statement printed in Russian gaming magazine Igromania and from the <a href=http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6938>Game Factory press release</a> I posted earlier today that Jagged Alliance 3D was slated to be a <b>fully real-time</b> game. In a genuine display of shock, Richard Therrien of <a href=http://www.strategyfirst.com>SFI</a> stated the following at the <a href=http://www.strategyfirst.com/forum/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=47;t=000134>official SFI Forums</a> as an attempt to clear things up:
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<blockquote>Wow, what is that again?
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I often said that JA is a turn based game and that <b>there is no plan right now to turn out a real-time JA game. Will there ever be one? Maybe but not with 3D and not with 3.</b>
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Now, if everybody keep on insisting that it should be real-time, perhaps I could change my mind. </blockquote>
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However, a slight rebuttal came from one of Jagged Alliance 3D's developers, <b>Napalm</b> who said the following in Russian:
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<blockquote>From the beginning JA3D was meant to be "branching out to attract new players". It has JA in its name because of the "JA universe" and its atmosphere. The atmosphere is the most important in a game.
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JA3 will be an orthodox sequel based entirely on the mechanics of JA... The publisher's position is absolutely understandable, seeing that in spite of all the shouting in forums, the last several years haven't seen a single turn-based game that sold well [in the West]...
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Also the ABSOLUTE majority of those who played JA[3D] on KRI [the exhibit that I mentioned in the first message] left very satisfied...</blockquote>
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Richard, however, seems genuinely surprised by this and wrote the following message in respopnse:
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<blockquote>There does indeed seem to be conflicting informations. Let me sort it all out first and I will get back to you. Would not want to say anything not seated on facts.
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Thank you for bearing with me. I know I have not posted much lately but I have been real busy with all kinds of other matters.
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Getting back in the fray now though.</blockquote>
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Needless to say, the fanbase (and the rest of us here at the Codex) are at the edge of our seats. It would fucking suck if JA3D turned out to be yet another incarnation of <b>Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel</b>.

 

[Fresh]

Suck it would.

Im kinda confused. How can they not know if the game is RT or TB?

 

[Sol Invictus]

It looks to me like the developers are going behind SFI's back and making a fucking RTS with it.

 

[Fresh]

That sounds like a great way to have the game cancelled.

"What we lack in quallity, we make up for in stupidity" aye?

 

[Fresh]

Also the ABSOLUTE majority of those who played JA[3D] on KRI [the exhibit that I mentioned in the first message] left very satisfied...</blockquote>

Are they letting people play it? This sounds like the game is pretty far gone in development. I was under the impression that JA3D was nowhere near completion.

 

[Claw]

Oh crap. They call it Jagged Alliance 3D instead of JA3?
It makes me think of Simon 3D, which is a very bad omen.

 

[Sol Invictus]

The JA3D featured at KRI is Alfa Antiterror with a new GUI and some dysfunctional shit. Ask anyone who went there, and that's what they'll tell you. It was a 1-map tech demo, not even a demo by demo standards, unless you count Dungeon Lords.

 

[Fresh]

... unless you count Dungeon Lords.

http://img214.echo.cx/img214/9762/lolgorilla0mk.jpg

 

[Dhruin]

Honestly, that makes the lot of them incompetent, if true. SFI own (or did, anyway) the JA rights - they contracted a game and don't know the fundamentals of the game mechanics? Has the producer gone to sleep, or can't SFI afford one?

I would guess that SFI aren't paying the usual milestones - they swapped some equity in the project in return for less/no progress payments. MiSTland want more sales and SFI don't have a clue what's going on.

I'm not terribly surprised...SFI hasn't even been able to organise press releases when some of their games have shipped or update their site for months after.

 

[Shagnak]

Oh crap. They call it Jagged Alliance 3D instead of JA3?
It makes me think of Simon 3D, which is a very bad omen.

I dunno...is JA3 a different entity from JA3d?
I heard it reported as such a very long time, but did not trust the sources.
So maybe they are the one and the same...
Which is it?

 

[Fez]

That gorilla's face is great.

The confusion over the nature of the game is bizarre.

 

[Sol Invictus]

JA3D is supposed to be a remake of JA2 in a 3D engine while JA3 is a completely new game. I personally don't understand why they didn't just call it something else to avoid the confusion. JA:Redux or JA:Reloaded would make more sense than JA3D, especially with JA3 also being planned.

 

[Claw]

It doesn't really matter, it still sounds like Simon 3D.

 

[Deacdo]

The publisher's position is absolutely understandable, seeing that in spite of all the shouting in forums, the last several years haven't seen a single turn-based game that sold well [in the West]...

I've love this excuse. Always gets my vote for "dumbest thing said this month".

 

[Sol Invictus]

That particular line irritated the piss out of me. Oh man, I found myself rushing to the toilet in an attempt to stifle my bladder from bursting prematurely the moment I read that. It was like somebody imbued those words with Power Word: Piss.

 

[Mangler]

I've heard about the whole thing MONTHS (more like a YEAR) ago on the SF forum.

Mistland WILL BUTCHER JA3D.

SF is hanging on a thread anyhow... odds are the whole thing will collapse if given the slightest nudge...

Indeed it may be FOS all over again.

JA:3D should read: JA3:Lite'n'fluffy edition for those tactically disabled, stratedgy impaired gamers.

nothing a real fan will care about imho.

 

[Shagnak]

JA3D is supposed to be a remake of JA2 in a 3D engine while JA3 is a completely new game.

Ahhh...thanks. That clears it up/re-affirms it for me.
Oh well, hopefully JA3 will not be a debacle like this one.
Edit: they aren't farming JA3 out to another second-rate developer are they?

 

[Lasakon]

JA3D is supposed to be a remake of JA2 in a 3D engine while JA3 is a completely new game.

Ahhh...thanks. That clears it up/re-affirms it for me.
Oh well, hopefully JA3 will not be a debacle like this one.
Edit: they aren't farming JA3 out to another second-rate developer are they?

I believe their also giving JA 3 to MIST land.

 

[Dhruin]

How can it be a remake with the mission structure that press release announces?

 

[Lady Armageddona]

However, a slight rebuttal came from one of Jagged Alliance 3D's developers, <b>Napalm</b> who said the following in Russian:

I guess that they are farming the JA3D to another developer, indeed.

I guess that it is about time Stragegy First go bankrupt and somebody cancels the MistLand deal.

And if the Disciples games were not already butchered by the Elves thingie, I'd say "God, these people are making Disciples 3 as well"!

 

[merry andrew]

How can it be a remake with the mission structure that press release announces?

That information is probably inaccurate as well :D

 

[Ausir]

Here's a post by some ex-SFI employee at Blue's News:

I think people have a right to be skeptical about this project and any product published by Strategy First. If anything, you will SAVE money if you wait and play the demo first to make sure the game is what you think it is. If no demo is available, there is a REASON for this, and it's not a good sign. If you still can't resist the flashy packaging, DON'T BUY IT, well, at least not yet! Like just about all Strategy First products, they will get heavily discounted just a few weeks after being released and then magically reappear in a 6 pack only one or two months later to get rid of all that excess inventory.

Ok, back on topic! I have worked at Strategy First for several years, and I can tell you with certainty that none of the original team is actively participating in any of the Jagged Alliance projects. Although Strategy First owns the code to the originals, it is far too dated to be used constructively. Mistland is pretty much doing these projects for free and the idea of JA 3D is to come up with a quick and watered down version based on their existing in-house engine and somewhat based on Jagged Alliance. What this means is that you can expect a lot of the complexity and features which made the original Jag great to be omitted due to "time constraints".

Strategy First is basically hoping that existing fans will flock and buy it just because it's called Jagged Alliance.

As for Jagged Alliance 3 is concerned, the only involvement of the original Sir Tech members is a preliminary and rather ambitious design by Linda Currie. However, since she is no longer associated with Strategy First, there remains no qualified person there to ensure that the essence of her vision will make it into game form.

Currently, both these games are specifically aimed at the German market where the Jagged Alliance franchise has by far sold the most copies.

Source: http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board. ... adid=56136

 

[LlamaGod]

People who switch to real-time over turn-based for sales should be shot for being so retarded.

OF ALL GAMES, why would RT be a good idea for Jagged Alliance? Just sit down and think..

One of the best TB games ever made, HEY I GOT AN IDEA, LETS MAKE IT REAL TIME!!!

Because you know, that worked out great for X-Com too.

 

[Shagnak]

Damn.
Churning out quickies for a well-established IP with loyal followers is stoopid.
Sign of the times I guess.

 

[drunk71]

just registered to say this sucks, my fave game of all time will have a shitty follow up by a company that does't know what the hell is going on.

WTF?????????

Leave it as turn based, it is a bloody good game, tb is one of the reasons we like it.

nuff said