Howdy guys, just a quick pop in here to see what all of y'all have heard about Jagged Alliance 3.  It looks like it may actually survive to be published this time, and it is supposedly due out in Q2 or 3 this year.  Here is the newly opened official site:

http://www.strategyfirst.com/en/games/JaggedAlliance3/

All in all, things look pretty promising.  There are some rumblings about a suposedly "mission driven" campaign that has many people afraid that the company will go the mass market route and dumb the game down, removing a number of features in a near-sighted effort to increase sales.  However, its really early for any nay-saying....not that it will stop people.  I'm really excited about it, because it could mean a new lease on life for my long defunct GI JOE mod at some point in the distant future.

That's really good news, I really enjoyed this franchise but I found it a little bit late so I had a hard time getting far in it.

If Ivan is in it, I'll buy it :)

I didn't know this was this far behind.  I really ought to finish 2.

Anyways, a great series, this looks like it may turn out to be a good sequel.  As for mission-based, the second game had plenty of missions too, but you could still move around and make your own choices.  I see nothing to indicate this game is any different.

Quote from: catwhowalksbyhimself on May 01, 2008, 09:40:09 PM
I didn't know this was this far behind.  I really ought to finish 2.

Anyways, a great series, this looks like it may turn out to be a good sequel.  As for mission-based, the second game had plenty of missions too, but you could still move around and make your own choices.  I see nothing to indicate this game is any different.

True Cat, but I think that people are afraid the game will mirror Silent Storm (an excellent game in its own right) in having a "mission driven campaign."  In Silent Storm you have to go from mission to mission, and there is very little of the free-roam aspect of JA2.  Given the fact that this game is being published with the SS engine and by the same company, I can understand such wording raising eyebrows in the fan community.  That being said, I'm still pretty optimistic. 

Quote from: Carravaggio on May 01, 2008, 06:16:41 PM
If Ivan is in it, I'll buy it :)

Blood drip from my body...


"I SEE A THING!" is one of the best video game quotes ever, I can't remember the name of the hillbilly guy who says it, but god JA2 was so much fun even if you just played through the demo mission ten million times because your mom wouldn't let you have any M games. If this game is as fun as that, I'll definitely get it for twenty dollars a month after it comes out.

Haha, good 'ol Maddog.  He couldn't shoot worth anything, but he made a fine pack-mule and mechanic.  "Nothing matters!"  My favorites were actually the low level guys you can afford to start out with, because they came through the entire game with me.  Like Bull says, "Clean livin' pays off!"

Just out of curiosity, who were y'all's favorite mercs?  How did you fill out your teams by the end of the game?

Not meaning to ignore benton, here, but I just found out that the previous Jagged Alliance 3d is being released as Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge and looks like it might be decent as well.

Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding out much about it.  It may not have been released in the US yet.

Well Cat, you can download the demo and see for yourself.  It is really just about a direct translation of JA2 to 3D, but with a slightly more difficult and less intuitive interface.  However...this game actually has some of the features that they are cutting out of JA3 (like the ability to train your troops and raise militia), which I find interesting.  The problem is that there is no hard data on when and if it will ever see the light of day.  I would definitely buy it if I could find the thing, but that's not an option.

Oh yeah, and don't ignore me! :P

Favourite mercs?

scope, Ivan, Ivan's nephew aka, Ivan lite, my custom merc (loved the questionnaire bit) whats the old guy's name? the really old original merc? Targuts? Tarlung? You know the one, the guy who acts as your trainer and main liaison early in the game, i think one of the expansions lets you use him. i sold everything i had to hire him, got through half the game solo...he was tough as nails!
Shadow was kinda cool...bit overpriced...i got to fight Mike...good times.

I think the name you're looking for is Gus Tarballs, quite a name.  Ahh yes, good 'ol Ivan.  I never really hired him, instead I trained his nephew, Igor, up to be a very respectable merc in his own right.  I was a big fan of the free mercs, so I kept Ira on, and it took a LONG time, but she finally became a pretty decent shot and a fair medic.  I split my boys up into three teams, one led by my custom merc, Ghost, and the other led by Stephen.  In team three I had my pack mules and support guys, whoever was free and or just terrible (Madog, Shank, and Dynamo are useful that way).  Like I've said, I enjoyed leveling up the cheap-o mercs until they were really awesome, so my first team was usually Dimitri (free!), Hitman, Bull, Ice, and Igor.  In team two I had another freebie, Ira, with Sidney as my sniper, Magic, Grizzly, and Blood.  I think my overall favorites would have to be Hitman, Bull, and maybe Sidney.

Sorry to double post.....again, but I've been digging a bit, and I've found some info on both games, including a very interesting comparison (albeit an obviously biased one) by one of the team working on "Hired Guns."  If what he says is true, it confirms several of my fears about JA3...but the information is old and one sided, so it is rather hard to say for certain.

http://forum.jaggedalliance.pl/topics93/ja3-vs-former-ja3-vt1808.htm

http://www.ja-galaxy-forum.com/board/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=17314&page=1#Post17314

http://www.ja-galaxy-forum.com/board/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=179491&page=1#Post179491

I very much like the emphasis on modding that the "Hired Guns" team seems to have.....but now the review at the bottom link claims that moddability is almost nonexistent.  Also, we once again have the issue about whether it will ever see the light of day in the US.

The worst thing I've heard so far about JA3?  Only one team of mercs.....that is almost enough to keep me from buying the game right there.  The fact that they remove feature annoys me to no end, but only having one team of mercs really sort of blows the connection to JA2 for me.  I loved having 12 or more troops to execute more complex tactics.  Hit a particularly hardened position from two sides, sending one squad to draw off the enemy forces to the west while you snuck in and snipped them from the east........only having one squad would very much suck.  I wonder if it is true, or perhaps more importantly, if it is hardcoded....