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Jagged Alliance 2
1. System Requirements and Release Date
2. Story
3. Graphics
4. Tactical Combat
5. Strategy
6. Role-Playing
7. The Mercenaries
8. Miscellaneous
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. System Requirements and Release Date
Q: What are the system requirements for Jagged Alliance 2?
A: The tentative requirements for Jagged Alliance 2 are: a Pentium 133 or
better, Windows 95, 16 MB of RAM, SVGA video card, CD-ROM drive and a Windows
95-compatible sound card.
Q: When will Jagged Alliance 2 be released?
A: When it's done. It should hit shelves on October 1, 1998.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Story
Q: What is Jagged Alliance 2 about?
A: The rightful ruler of Arulco has been overthrown in a coup, and your team
of expert mercenaries has been hired to put him back on the throne of the
small nation. Standing in your way is Arulco's army, as well as several
surprises.
To win, you'll need to hire the right mercs, deal with their quirky
personalities, and lead them to victory in combat. You'll test your strategic
skills by negotiating with the local population, training specialists, and
cutting off the enemy's supply lines. Act fast, because the clock is ticking.
Q: Will Jagged Alliance 2 be a bunch of small missions, like Deadly Games, or
a "take over the whole country" game, like the original Jagged Alliance?
A: You'll get to take over the country sector-by-sector, as in the original
Jagged Alliance. See the Strategy section.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Graphics
Q: Have the graphics changed much?
A: The graphics engine has been completely redone from top to bottom. Jagged
Alliance 2 will feature high-resolution, 16 bit-color graphics. The engine
supports dynamic lighting, so there will be night missions and dark areas. It
looks reaaaally good. Take a look at the screenshots to see the results.
Q: Does the game have the overhead view used in the original Jagged Alliance?
A: Jagged Alliance 2 uses an isometric perspective instead of a bird's-eye
overhead view. This allows us to do things like multiple levels (cliffs,
rooftops, etc.) Walls and obstacles that might block your view of a character
become translucent, so you'll never lose track of your team.
Q: Are all those neat graphic details like trees and rocks just for show, or
do they serve a purpose in the game?
A: Each piece of terrain in the game has full 3D data on height, width, etc.
This information is used for line of sight calculations and projectile
collision detection. That's a fancy way of saying it's a lot more than window
dressing. Climbing up on a rooftop gives you better visibility. A tall, thick
tree will provide good cover, but tiny bushes won't stop a barrage of AK-47
fire.
Of course, there's plenty of fun window-dressing, too, such as the vultures
who swoop down and gnaw at the corpses.
Q: Do the character graphics look any different?
A: Quite a bit. In addition to new hand-crafted portraits, mercs now look much
better in the field. Body size, skin tones, hair colors and clothing are shown
much more accurately. Oh, and women now actually look like women!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Tactical Combat
Q: I thought Jagged Alliance had really fantastic turn-based combat. Is that
still in the game?
A: The turn-based system is still there, and better than ever! It has all the
features of the original, and we've added dozens of new options as well.
Q: What new action options are there?
A: Your mercenaries have many new movement options. Just imagine your team
running, crawling, jumping over obstacles, and climbing walls and cliffs. Of
course, they also have the old options such crouching, swimming, etc.
Q: What new weapons have been added?
A: All sorts: sniper rifles, automatic weapons that fire in bursts, throwing
knives, bare fists, new ammo types such as armor piercing ammo, new grenade
types, and some surprises. We've also made bullets act much more
realistically. For example, it will now be possible for a bullet to pass
completely through one item (or merc!) and continue traveling at a reduced
velocity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Strategy
Q: Will Jagged Alliance 2 be a bunch of small missions, like Deadly Games, or
a "take over the whole country" game, like the original Jagged Alliance?
A: You'll get to take over Arulco sector-by-sector, as in the original Jagged
Alliance.
Q: How many sectors are there?
A: There are about 200 sectors in Arulco. There were 60 in the original Jagged
Alliance, so Arulco is obviously a much, much bigger. With the proper strategy
you won't have to conquer every single sector to win, though.
Q: 200 sectors? It's going to take forever for my mercs to walk that far!
A: They won't have to walk--if you can get ahold of a vehicle . . . .
Q: What new strategic elements have been added?
A: Your day no longer ends at sundown, for one thing. You can send your mercs
out on night missions, or continue repairing items around the clock. You can't
keep your mercs going 24/7 forever, though. They'll need to sleep eventually.
Your opponents are working around the clock, as well. You can expect
counterattacks at any time--even while you're in combat.
The country's inhabitants pose another strategic challenge. You'll need to
convert them over to your side. Your team will be hailed as heroes if you're
on a winning streak, but if your popularity will plummet if you begin to lose
. . .
Supply lines are another new element. The enemy's troops travel by ground and
air. Taking out transportation hubs is vital to your success.
Q: How do I make money in the game?
A: You'll need to take control of the mines around Arulco. The mines will
provide you with a steady source of income to finance your campaign. Of
course, the mines are very well defended.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Role-Playing
Q: What's a role-playing section doing in here? I thought Jagged Alliance was
a strategy game.
A: Jagged Alliance has always mixed strategy and role-playing. (The original
Jagged Alliance was subtitled "A Strategy Role-playing Simulation.") Your
mercenaries aren't just generic, interchangable units. They're unique
characters, and each one has different skills, attributes and traits.
Q: What do you mean by traits?
A: Traits are special characteristics that affect how a mercenary performs
both on the field and in her relationships with other mercs. For example, a
mercenary may be especially good at night missions, but also have a passionate
hatred of foreigners. We've added a bunch of new mercenary traits to Jagged
Alliance 2. The mercs will be quirkier than ever.
Q: Are there any other new character statistics?
A: Yes. We've added two new attributes, leadership and strength. There's also
a new morale system.
Q: Do mercenaries still go up in level?
A: Both skills and levels increase as mercenaries gain experience. Mercenaries
are now able to gain levels and skills after any engagement (formerly, they
only gained levels at sunset). You'll see a much tighter relationship between
what your mercs do and when their stats improve.
Q: What other role-playing elements are in the game?
A: You'll have more interaction with NPCs (non-player characters) than in
previous Jagged Alliance games. How you talk to the locals is a key part of
your success or failure.
You'll also find many subquests along the way, such as relieving a besieged
city or hunting down terrorists.
Last, but far from least, you'll be able to create your own custom mercenary.
We think you'll find the character generation process incredibly entertaining.
Best of all, you won't have to pay any salary for your custom merc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. The Mercenaries
Q: How many mercenaries can I have on my team?
A: You can have up to twenty mercenaries on your team. Up to six mercs can be
be assigned to any squad in the field. The other team members can be assigned
tasks such as guarding, repairing items, healing themselves or other mercs,
training civilians and other mercs, sleeping, and so on.
Q: Can I have more than one squad operating at once?
A: Yes. For example, you might have one squad of six mercs heading towards an
enemy stronghold, while another attacks a local ariport.
Q: Will the old mercenaries be back?
A: Many of your old favorites will be returning, such as Grunty and Larry.
Others have left the mercenary life for reasons either personal (retirement)
or work-related (getting in the way of one too many bullets). Check out the
Featured Mercenaries section!
Q: Will Ivan be back? Ivan rocks!
A: Yes, Ivan will return. This time he'll actually speak a little English.
Q: Will there be new mercs?
A: You bet. There will be dozens of new faces. But we don't want to give away
all our secrets right now. Well, OK, just one. It seems Ivan has a nephew . .
. .
Q: How many mercenaries are in the game, total?
A: You can hire more than 70 people, including many locals who can be
recruited to fight on your side. Of course, some of those people are better at
repairing, doctoring, etc. than they are at fighting.
Q: Can I create my own mercenary?
A: Indeed you can. You'll be able to recruit a merc that meets your own exact
specifications. We think you'll find the the character generation process
we're working on highly entertaining. Best of all, you won't have to pay any
salary for your custom merc.
Q: Can I customize my mercenary's voice?
A: Yes. When you generate your custom mercenary, you'll get a choice of what
type of voice you'd like for your creation.
Q: Will we meet that cheap @#!{{ APP_CONTENT }}amp;amp;$%! arms dealer Micky O'Rourke again?
A: Yes, you will. Hold that thought for your next encounter.
Q: In Deadly Games I would hire cheap mercs and then use dynamite to blow them
up in the middle of a group of enemies. Can I still do this in Jagged Alliance
2?
A: Is that any way to treat your employees? Yes, you can still use this
tactic, but it will cost you. When you hire a mercenary you may be required to
put down a medical deposit on that merc. If the merc comes back in a body bag,
you don't get your deposit back. It's kind of like the security deposit on
your apartment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Miscellaneous
Q: Why is this game called Jagged Alliance 2? Wasn't Deadly Games the second
Jagged Alliance game?
A: Deadly Games added all sorts of new features, like a scenario editor and
multiplayer, but it used the same basic graphics and interface as the original
Jagged Alliance. The game we're working on now has so much new stuff in that
it really is the second generation of Jagged Alliance. Hence, Jagged Alliance
2. (We thought of calling it Jagged Alliance: The Next Generation, but that
was already taken.)
Q: Last time I read this FAQ, the game was called Jagged Alliance II. Now It's
called Jagged Alliance 2. What's up with that?
A: Your choice: a) It's all part of Sirtech's conspiracy to mess with your
mind. b) It's part of Sirtech's crusade to rid the world of Roman numerals.
(What have the Romans ever done for us?) or c) We couldn't come up with a
Roman "II" that looked as cool as our splattery "2".
Q: Hey, what's this I hear about you putting bugs in the game?
A: Well, we try as hard as we can to eliminate all bugs before we ship the
product, but occasionally . . .
Q: No, no, no. I mean bugs as in "bug-hunt". You know, bug-eyed monsters.
ALIENS.
A: Ahh, I see. There are no aliens in Jagged Alliance 2.
Q: Then what are the weird creatures I've seen in the screen shots?
A: You'll just have to play the game to find out. Realism purists will also
have the option to turn off the sci-fi elements entirely, if they so desire.
Q: What is this Jagged Alliance game you keep going on about?
A: The original Jagged Alliance was released in 1995. The mix of strategy,
turn-based combat, and unique mercenaries made Jagged Alliance an instant hit
with critics and fans alike. Its thousands of lines of recorded speech made it
one of the first games to make full use of the CD-ROM medium. The game was
voted "Best Strategy Game of 1995" by PC Entertainment and "Turn-based
Strategy Game of the Year" by Strategy Plus. Computer Gaming World called it
"A Must Buy."
Jagged Alliance was followed by Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games in 1996. Deadly
Games added multiplayer options, new mercenaries and weapons, and a scenario
editor. Deadly Games was another critical and fan success, and was on the
Internet Top 100 games charts for more than a year after its release. It's
still on Computer Gaming World's Top 100 Games list.
1. System Requirements and Release Date
2. Story
3. Graphics
4. Tactical Combat
5. Strategy
6. Role-Playing
7. The Mercenaries
8. Miscellaneous
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. System Requirements and Release Date
Q: What are the system requirements for Jagged Alliance 2?
A: The tentative requirements for Jagged Alliance 2 are: a Pentium 133 or
better, Windows 95, 16 MB of RAM, SVGA video card, CD-ROM drive and a Windows
95-compatible sound card.
Q: When will Jagged Alliance 2 be released?
A: When it's done. It should hit shelves on October 1, 1998.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Story
Q: What is Jagged Alliance 2 about?
A: The rightful ruler of Arulco has been overthrown in a coup, and your team
of expert mercenaries has been hired to put him back on the throne of the
small nation. Standing in your way is Arulco's army, as well as several
surprises.
To win, you'll need to hire the right mercs, deal with their quirky
personalities, and lead them to victory in combat. You'll test your strategic
skills by negotiating with the local population, training specialists, and
cutting off the enemy's supply lines. Act fast, because the clock is ticking.
Q: Will Jagged Alliance 2 be a bunch of small missions, like Deadly Games, or
a "take over the whole country" game, like the original Jagged Alliance?
A: You'll get to take over the country sector-by-sector, as in the original
Jagged Alliance. See the Strategy section.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Graphics
Q: Have the graphics changed much?
A: The graphics engine has been completely redone from top to bottom. Jagged
Alliance 2 will feature high-resolution, 16 bit-color graphics. The engine
supports dynamic lighting, so there will be night missions and dark areas. It
looks reaaaally good. Take a look at the screenshots to see the results.
Q: Does the game have the overhead view used in the original Jagged Alliance?
A: Jagged Alliance 2 uses an isometric perspective instead of a bird's-eye
overhead view. This allows us to do things like multiple levels (cliffs,
rooftops, etc.) Walls and obstacles that might block your view of a character
become translucent, so you'll never lose track of your team.
Q: Are all those neat graphic details like trees and rocks just for show, or
do they serve a purpose in the game?
A: Each piece of terrain in the game has full 3D data on height, width, etc.
This information is used for line of sight calculations and projectile
collision detection. That's a fancy way of saying it's a lot more than window
dressing. Climbing up on a rooftop gives you better visibility. A tall, thick
tree will provide good cover, but tiny bushes won't stop a barrage of AK-47
fire.
Of course, there's plenty of fun window-dressing, too, such as the vultures
who swoop down and gnaw at the corpses.
Q: Do the character graphics look any different?
A: Quite a bit. In addition to new hand-crafted portraits, mercs now look much
better in the field. Body size, skin tones, hair colors and clothing are shown
much more accurately. Oh, and women now actually look like women!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Tactical Combat
Q: I thought Jagged Alliance had really fantastic turn-based combat. Is that
still in the game?
A: The turn-based system is still there, and better than ever! It has all the
features of the original, and we've added dozens of new options as well.
Q: What new action options are there?
A: Your mercenaries have many new movement options. Just imagine your team
running, crawling, jumping over obstacles, and climbing walls and cliffs. Of
course, they also have the old options such crouching, swimming, etc.
Q: What new weapons have been added?
A: All sorts: sniper rifles, automatic weapons that fire in bursts, throwing
knives, bare fists, new ammo types such as armor piercing ammo, new grenade
types, and some surprises. We've also made bullets act much more
realistically. For example, it will now be possible for a bullet to pass
completely through one item (or merc!) and continue traveling at a reduced
velocity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Strategy
Q: Will Jagged Alliance 2 be a bunch of small missions, like Deadly Games, or
a "take over the whole country" game, like the original Jagged Alliance?
A: You'll get to take over Arulco sector-by-sector, as in the original Jagged
Alliance.
Q: How many sectors are there?
A: There are about 200 sectors in Arulco. There were 60 in the original Jagged
Alliance, so Arulco is obviously a much, much bigger. With the proper strategy
you won't have to conquer every single sector to win, though.
Q: 200 sectors? It's going to take forever for my mercs to walk that far!
A: They won't have to walk--if you can get ahold of a vehicle . . . .
Q: What new strategic elements have been added?
A: Your day no longer ends at sundown, for one thing. You can send your mercs
out on night missions, or continue repairing items around the clock. You can't
keep your mercs going 24/7 forever, though. They'll need to sleep eventually.
Your opponents are working around the clock, as well. You can expect
counterattacks at any time--even while you're in combat.
The country's inhabitants pose another strategic challenge. You'll need to
convert them over to your side. Your team will be hailed as heroes if you're
on a winning streak, but if your popularity will plummet if you begin to lose
. . .
Supply lines are another new element. The enemy's troops travel by ground and
air. Taking out transportation hubs is vital to your success.
Q: How do I make money in the game?
A: You'll need to take control of the mines around Arulco. The mines will
provide you with a steady source of income to finance your campaign. Of
course, the mines are very well defended.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Role-Playing
Q: What's a role-playing section doing in here? I thought Jagged Alliance was
a strategy game.
A: Jagged Alliance has always mixed strategy and role-playing. (The original
Jagged Alliance was subtitled "A Strategy Role-playing Simulation.") Your
mercenaries aren't just generic, interchangable units. They're unique
characters, and each one has different skills, attributes and traits.
Q: What do you mean by traits?
A: Traits are special characteristics that affect how a mercenary performs
both on the field and in her relationships with other mercs. For example, a
mercenary may be especially good at night missions, but also have a passionate
hatred of foreigners. We've added a bunch of new mercenary traits to Jagged
Alliance 2. The mercs will be quirkier than ever.
Q: Are there any other new character statistics?
A: Yes. We've added two new attributes, leadership and strength. There's also
a new morale system.
Q: Do mercenaries still go up in level?
A: Both skills and levels increase as mercenaries gain experience. Mercenaries
are now able to gain levels and skills after any engagement (formerly, they
only gained levels at sunset). You'll see a much tighter relationship between
what your mercs do and when their stats improve.
Q: What other role-playing elements are in the game?
A: You'll have more interaction with NPCs (non-player characters) than in
previous Jagged Alliance games. How you talk to the locals is a key part of
your success or failure.
You'll also find many subquests along the way, such as relieving a besieged
city or hunting down terrorists.
Last, but far from least, you'll be able to create your own custom mercenary.
We think you'll find the character generation process incredibly entertaining.
Best of all, you won't have to pay any salary for your custom merc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. The Mercenaries
Q: How many mercenaries can I have on my team?
A: You can have up to twenty mercenaries on your team. Up to six mercs can be
be assigned to any squad in the field. The other team members can be assigned
tasks such as guarding, repairing items, healing themselves or other mercs,
training civilians and other mercs, sleeping, and so on.
Q: Can I have more than one squad operating at once?
A: Yes. For example, you might have one squad of six mercs heading towards an
enemy stronghold, while another attacks a local ariport.
Q: Will the old mercenaries be back?
A: Many of your old favorites will be returning, such as Grunty and Larry.
Others have left the mercenary life for reasons either personal (retirement)
or work-related (getting in the way of one too many bullets). Check out the
Featured Mercenaries section!
Q: Will Ivan be back? Ivan rocks!
A: Yes, Ivan will return. This time he'll actually speak a little English.
Q: Will there be new mercs?
A: You bet. There will be dozens of new faces. But we don't want to give away
all our secrets right now. Well, OK, just one. It seems Ivan has a nephew . .
. .
Q: How many mercenaries are in the game, total?
A: You can hire more than 70 people, including many locals who can be
recruited to fight on your side. Of course, some of those people are better at
repairing, doctoring, etc. than they are at fighting.
Q: Can I create my own mercenary?
A: Indeed you can. You'll be able to recruit a merc that meets your own exact
specifications. We think you'll find the the character generation process
we're working on highly entertaining. Best of all, you won't have to pay any
salary for your custom merc.
Q: Can I customize my mercenary's voice?
A: Yes. When you generate your custom mercenary, you'll get a choice of what
type of voice you'd like for your creation.
Q: Will we meet that cheap @#!{{ APP_CONTENT }}amp;amp;$%! arms dealer Micky O'Rourke again?
A: Yes, you will. Hold that thought for your next encounter.
Q: In Deadly Games I would hire cheap mercs and then use dynamite to blow them
up in the middle of a group of enemies. Can I still do this in Jagged Alliance
2?
A: Is that any way to treat your employees? Yes, you can still use this
tactic, but it will cost you. When you hire a mercenary you may be required to
put down a medical deposit on that merc. If the merc comes back in a body bag,
you don't get your deposit back. It's kind of like the security deposit on
your apartment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Miscellaneous
Q: Why is this game called Jagged Alliance 2? Wasn't Deadly Games the second
Jagged Alliance game?
A: Deadly Games added all sorts of new features, like a scenario editor and
multiplayer, but it used the same basic graphics and interface as the original
Jagged Alliance. The game we're working on now has so much new stuff in that
it really is the second generation of Jagged Alliance. Hence, Jagged Alliance
2. (We thought of calling it Jagged Alliance: The Next Generation, but that
was already taken.)
Q: Last time I read this FAQ, the game was called Jagged Alliance II. Now It's
called Jagged Alliance 2. What's up with that?
A: Your choice: a) It's all part of Sirtech's conspiracy to mess with your
mind. b) It's part of Sirtech's crusade to rid the world of Roman numerals.
(What have the Romans ever done for us?) or c) We couldn't come up with a
Roman "II" that looked as cool as our splattery "2".
Q: Hey, what's this I hear about you putting bugs in the game?
A: Well, we try as hard as we can to eliminate all bugs before we ship the
product, but occasionally . . .
Q: No, no, no. I mean bugs as in "bug-hunt". You know, bug-eyed monsters.
ALIENS.
A: Ahh, I see. There are no aliens in Jagged Alliance 2.
Q: Then what are the weird creatures I've seen in the screen shots?
A: You'll just have to play the game to find out. Realism purists will also
have the option to turn off the sci-fi elements entirely, if they so desire.
Q: What is this Jagged Alliance game you keep going on about?
A: The original Jagged Alliance was released in 1995. The mix of strategy,
turn-based combat, and unique mercenaries made Jagged Alliance an instant hit
with critics and fans alike. Its thousands of lines of recorded speech made it
one of the first games to make full use of the CD-ROM medium. The game was
voted "Best Strategy Game of 1995" by PC Entertainment and "Turn-based
Strategy Game of the Year" by Strategy Plus. Computer Gaming World called it
"A Must Buy."
Jagged Alliance was followed by Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games in 1996. Deadly
Games added multiplayer options, new mercenaries and weapons, and a scenario
editor. Deadly Games was another critical and fan success, and was on the
Internet Top 100 games charts for more than a year after its release. It's
still on Computer Gaming World's Top 100 Games list.