CRPG Analyzer: A checklist for computer role-playing games

Let's do the CRPG Analyzer checklist for Jagged Alliance 2:

I. The Checklist:

Character Development
Describes ways to create, change or enhance your characters in order to increase their effectiveness in the game.

• Must Have
  C1: you can control and role-play one (=Avatar) or more (=Party) unique characters (-> not only uniform units) - yes
  C2: you can progressively develop your characters' stats and/or abilities (-> e.g. through an in game value (usually exp. points) gained by quests, exploration, conversation, combat, …) - yes
  C3: Checks against character stats and/or character abilities/skills are necessary to make progress and finish the game - yes
  C4: you can equip and enhance your characters with items you acquire - yes
• Should Have
  C5: you can create your characters - only the main character
  C6: the player needs preplanning for the development of the character(s) - yes
  C7: the primary means of problem solving, gameworld interaction and overcoming challenges is the tactical use of character/party skills/abilities (-> the player's physical coordination skills are secondary) - yes

Exploration
Includes how you can move through the game world, as well as everything you can find, see, manipulate or interact with, like locations, items and other objects.

• Must Have
  E1: your character(s) can interact with the gameworld and find new locations by exploring. - yes
  E2: your character(s) can find items that can be collected in an inventory (-> there have to be more item types than quest items, weapons, ammunition and consumable stat boosters.) - yes
  E3: your character(s) can find information sources (-> e.g. NPCs, entities, objects that provide info) - yes
• Should Have
  E4: there are NPCs in the game - yes
  E5: you can choose a path (-> there is at least some branching) - yes
  E6: your character(s) can manipulate the game world in some way (-> e.g. pull levers, push buttons, open chests, …) - yes
  E7: the gameworld can affect your character(s) (-> e.g. weather, traps, closed doors, poisoned areas, …) - yes
  E8: there are initially inaccessible areas in the gameworld that can only be reached by enhancing your characters' abilities, solving quests or puzzles (-> e.g. unlock locked areas, overcome obstacles, repair bridges, dispel barriers, …) - yes

Story
Concerns all narrative elements like setting, lore, plot, characters, dialogue, quests, descriptions, storyline(s) and similar, including how you can interact with them.

• Must Have
  S1: your character(s) can get information from information sources (-> e.g. hints, goals, quests, skills, spells, training, …) - yes
  S2: your character(s) can follow quests (-> there is at least one main quest) - yes
  S3: your character(s) can progress through connected events and play their role - yes
• Should Have
  S4: the story is influenced by your decisions and your characters' actions and stats/abilities/skills. - yes
  S5: your character(s) can interact with information sources (-> e.g. NPC conversation, riddle statue question, …) - yes
  S6: your character(s) can make choices in those interactions - yes - a few
  S7: at least some of these choices have consequences - yes
  S8: advancing in the story requires thinking of the player (-> e.g. irreversible choices, moral dilemma, riddles, …) - yes- some strategic choices

Combat
Describes how combat (or more general: conflict resolving) corresponds with elements of Character Development, Exploration and Story.

• Should Have
  F1: Combat efficiency is in some way tied to character stats or abilities (-> e.g. amount of damage, chance to hit, weapon access, …) - yes (bigger stats allows you to carry better weapons, special skills give combat advantages)
  F2: Combat works with some random elements (game internal dice rolls) - yes
  F3: Combat should provide some challenge (-> e.g. preparing, use of tactics or environment possible) - yes

The CRPG Analyzer checklist shows that Jagged Alliance 2 is very strong in the categories Exploration, Combat, good in story and nearly complete in the category Character Development.

Jagged Alliance 2 is a true RPG!

The CRPG analyzer is working again. Sorry for the delay @HiddenX.

Unfortunately all reviews were lost. It shouldn't be too hard to re-enter them though from the data in this thread.

Originally Posted by wahidovic
thanks for all this explications
but i want to know how what you mean, you have to think about the player

S8: advancing in the story requires thinking of the player (-> e.g. irreversible choices, moral dilemma, riddles, …) - yes- some strategic choices

We need to rephrase that. It should probably read: "requires thinking on part of the player". You as the player need to ponder how to progress in the story.

… just checked; the phrasing is already correct. @HiddenX just used an old version of the text as the online tool wasn't working when he made the analysis.