JA: Back in Action - Released!

Gorath

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bitComposer's & Coreplay's squad tactics and RPG hybrid Jagged Alliance: Back in Action has been released via Steam today. Boxed versions are available now (Germany, parts of Europe) or will follow within a few days (NA).
For the release day patch please check out the other newsbit nearby.
More information.
 
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Well I guess I had to buy it. Told myself I'd wait but the demo showed some promise to me. (Lots of problems but some promise). Now just need to find the time to play it after the creation kit was released for skyrim.

Edit: Bugger. No IMP? They really don't understand anything about the appeal of the original game. Sigh
 
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Well I guess I had to buy it. Told myself I'd wait but the demo showed some promise to me. (Lots of problems but some promise). Now just need to find the time to play it after the creation kit was released for skyrim.

Edit: Bugger. No IMP? They really don't understand anything about the appeal of the original game. Sigh

Since it seems you liked the original JA 1/2, can you give as your opinion about the game?

I am in a major doubt (to buy or not to buy)
 
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Also of note: Day -7 DLC.
But the main game is cheap enough (in the terms of new releases) to forget that.
 
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Qt3 has a relatively civilized impressions thread, if you only read the stuff since the demo came out.
 
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I have been playing for about 12 hours now and it is a pile of fun. I can see why there was no IMP as it is now a 1 time fee to hire a merc but you pay it all up front, so it is hard to start with more than 3 low end mercs. Your biggest limiter is always $$$, get another merc? a better gun? better armor? but only so much $$$ to go around. Your skills like Mechanic, Medic, and Explosives are now even more important as the merc won't even try to do something if he has no skill at it. The leveling is good and the smarter your merc is the faster he levels, if he can get some kills in.

The overland map is different as there are no more sectors but points of interest to check out and hold and once you take an area you can observe enemy movement around it and react accordingly.
I am not sure about the militia the few times they get in a fight they get wiped out, of course that could be cause I gave em crappy guns and no armor too so I will see but I'm thinking sell the guns and hire another merc or 2 and kill em all your self.
Over all I am finding it as fun as the first one better in some ways different in others, but worth the $35 I paid and these days that's usually as good as it gets.
 
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The game has no IMP. That is one huge negative for me.
Reading the forums makes me wonder if no fog of war was a good idea…

This is a definite no buy for me as it stand now. The game is just not hard and no IMP makes the game less personal (imo)
 
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What does IMP mean?
 
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Can't remember what the acronym means, but it's the "Create your own Merc" system accessed by going through the (in game) IMP "website".
 
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The IMP was always my personal connection to the game since I could customize and improve that merc. It gives you something to focus on and improve rather than the many other mercs. I can choose to adopt any of the mercs but to me its not quite the same.

Combat isn't really that bad with plan and go but I think its RPG aspects are lacking. I really do need to spend more time with it but my initial advice is to wait for it to go on sale. It should be worth it when it hits the 60%+ off steam sales.

But even better at this point is buy JA2 Gold and upgrade with 1.13 mod and play that unless you are already sick to death of the map. Good news there is that JA2:UB seems to have finally getting ported to 1.13 though not sure that is release yet.
 
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But even better at this point is buy JA2 Gold and upgrade with 1.13 mod and play that unless you are already sick to death of the map. Good news there is that JA2:UB seems to have finally getting ported to 1.13 though not sure that is release yet.

IMP = The Institute for Mercenary Profiling is an organization that allows commanders to contract the exact personnel they need. Its first appearance is in Jagged Alliance 2. All they have to do is input their requirements and they are given a list of compatible mercenaries from their database. The player uses the I.M.P. site to build a custom mercenary character for use in the game. The commander can only do this once and the whole process costs $3000.

Anyways, 1.13 for ja2 UB should be nice since ive been playing JA2gold alot of times.
 
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The lack of IMP kind of bothered me too at the start but I have sort of adopted one of the low end Mercs MD as my avatar and have been building him as I would have my IMP merc. I though that no FOW would be a no go too but now after about 20 h of play I can sort of see why it was done this way. Your field of view is very limited and I find myself easily fixated on where my group is at only to get jumped by a flanker from time to time who I did not see. So with FOW it would be even more of a trial and error play like the old JA was. I do think that FOW should be an option that they come out with though as it would increase the challenge level for those who want such a challenge.

I always found the idea that you were a level 1 merc running the op from the front line as a bit wrong and who would hire you to save their country as you are a nobody and unproved. If you were to be KIA then it should be game over as there is no one to run the pay roll and we all know no pay no shoot. I would tend to favor my made merc with the best gear too so he tended to level up fast compared to the others but in JA BIA I find I am a bit more even handed with the gear so every one gets a fair shake.
 
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I always found the idea that you were a level 1 merc running the op from the front line as a bit wrong and who would hire you to save their country as you are a nobody and unproved. If you were to be KIA then it should be game over as there is no one to run the pay roll and we all know no pay no shoot. I would tend to favor my made merc with the best gear too so he tended to level up fast compared to the others but in JA BIA I find I am a bit more even handed with the gear so every one gets a fair shake.

True, you got a good point. I too would upgrade my merc better then the rest. However, i play now with a doctor and a simpleton. The doc is "my avatar" now. and guess what, i give him the best gear and stuff. conclusion, nothing changed.
So i still stand by my word, i want IMP or an option in hardmode or something.
Same goes for FOW. I do find that they should have included it as a hardcore mode or something.
 
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