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Ten Deadly Games Tips for New Players
1. Play the Tutorial Campaign. It will introduce you to the basics of the game
in a less-deadly environment than the main campaign. (Plus, you get to play
around with mortars in the next-to-last mission!) If youre still having
trouble, read the Tutorial Campaign walkthrough in the manual.
2. If you can afford it, hire Scope or Ivan. In certain situations, having
just one good merc is better than having eight so-so ones. This is especially
true in the first snow mission in the main campaign.
3. When firing, spend the extra points to refine your aim. It doesn't do any
good to fire more often if all your shots miss!
4. In the solo campaign, hire Pops for the first mission. Give his equipment
to other mercs, and have him go out in the field armed just with a .38. He
will probably go down fighting (which is how he would have wanted it . . . )
This strategy may not be approved by the AARP, but it is a very cheap and easy
way to get a shotgun early on.
5. Experience level is vitally important to detecting and disarming mines and
traps. Don't have level one mercs explore minefields or pick up suspicious
objects.
6. Try to avoid swimming or wading whenever possible. You're a sitting duck in
the water because you can't fire back.
7. Often the best way into a building is not through a door. Make your own
entrances with explosives: you'll give the enemy a shock and avoid ambushes.
8. In the campaign, collect every medical kit you can find. If a merc is
seriously injured, have him be a patient next mission. (Or, if you think you
can get away with it, fire him.) If all your mercs are seriously injured,
either heal most of them and count on losing the next mission, or restore to
an earlier save. The walking wounded don't win battles.
9. If you find a chunk of steel, have a merc with a good mechanical skill
merge it with a weapon. The result will be a much more powerful gun.
10. Don't forget the basics of infantry combat. Have your mercs cover each
other. Use the natural cover. Don't bunch up. Don't let the enemy sneak up
behind you.
Ten Deadly Games Tips for Experienced Jagged Alliance Players
1. Unlike Jagged Alliance, you can crouch and fire at the same time in
Deadly Games. Dont fire while standing up unless you have to, or if the
enemy is running away.
2. The computer-controlled enemy has learned some new tricks since JA.
Youll have to adjust your tactics to counteract them. Staying under
cover and long-distance fire is more important than it was in JA. (The
snipers--Lynx, Sidney, and Scope--are excellent for picking off the
enemy at a distance.)
Often the computer opponent will pull the trick of walking into view,
taking a shot, then walking out of your view. Plant some decent mercs
under cover nearby and have them reserve some Action Points. With luck,
the next time the hit-and-run enemy walks into view, your mercs will get
an interrupt and wipe him out.
3. Dealing with Micky can be a pain, but its worth it in the long run.
Micky saves all his best stuff for his regular customers, so deal him
often. You may buy a package of junk once in a while, but you wont mind
when Micky starts selling you mustard gas grenades and M-14s!
4. Check out the new mercs. Buzz and Malice are excellent bargains for
the price, Leon has decent equipment, and Scope is a killing machine
(look out, Ivan!). Postie and Dyno arent much as mercs, but are
extremely entertaining nonetheless.
5. Dont forget: the solo campaign is just one small course in the
banquet that is Deadly Games. If you get stuck in the main campaign,
take a break and try playing a single mission, or a computer generated
mission. Fool around with the Game Options, changing the difficulty, or
the equipment, or the APs. Or build your own scenario with the editor.
Thats the whole point of Deadly Games--you can play it many different
ways.
6. You may have gotten away using two or three mercs in the field in
JA, but thats unlikely to work in Deadly unless one of those mercs is
Mike. Count on needing at least four mercs in the field a mission. You
will probably want multiple medics at the start of the campaign.
7. In the main campaign, dont assume that the mission goal is always in
or near a building. Read the mission briefing carefully before you
start. If you forget your mission while you are playing, click on the
turn indicator in the upper left corner of the screen. That lets you
review your mission objective.
8. Chainsaws and machetes can be used as weapons, but thats not what
theyre really for. Their main use is to clear away trees and bushes
(imagine that!). There are no situations where you have to have a
chainsaw, but there are a few where clearing away a tree will open up a
shortcut or give you a better angle on the enemy.
9. You can now detonate explosives by shooting at them. This can save
tons of time in crucial situations. It also means youre less dependent
on explosives experts.
10. Some mercs, like Fidel, wont stop shooting at an opponent until hes
dead. In JA, you could make a persistent merc stop firing at an
opponent just by taking the gun out of his hand. That trick doesnt work
in Deadly, but a different one does: place a knife (or other cutting
implement) in the mercs main hand instead of the gun. The merc will be
under your control again.
Ten Multiplayer Deadly Games Tips
1. Use Increased Action Points for multiplayer missions. This allows a
merc to move further in a turn, but reduces the total number of turns in
a mission. The net effect is to speed up play.
2. As a rule, dont use unlimited turn time in multiplayer (unless all
the players have requested it beforehand). Having all the time in the
world to move is great when its your turn, but its pretty tedious when
its not!
3. Use the right number of mercs. A four-player game with eight mercs
on each team leads to long waits between turns, so use smaller teams.
Four to six mercs per team is best. One or two mercs per team and Very
Short turn time is fun for blitzkrieg games.
4. Vary your tactics. Dont always attack by the same route, and dont
always use the same mercs. Computers may not be smart enough to figure
out your patterns, but humans definitely are.
5. Boobytrap your best equipment. This will stop your opponent from
using your own stuff against you if he kills one of your mercs.
6. Psych out your opponent. Here are a couple of ways to turn the
other guy into jello:
a) If you have Mike or Scully (the best mercs in the game) on your team,
dont let the other teams know it until midway through the mission.
Then, at the critical psychological moment, send a taunt from your
super-merc to the other team. (I suggest Mikes ¬Heres the deal: I have
to live up to my reputation, and you have to die.ё) Watch them cower in
fear as they realize they are doomed!
b) Have a disposable merc (say, Biff) walk up to a tree near some
enemies. Then have Biff search the tree using the hand cursor. Watch
your opponent scatter because they think Biffss planted an explosive
there! If your opponent is too dim-witted to even think of this
possibility, have Biff go ahead and plant a real explosive. Have him
use a short fuse. It may kill Biff as well as your opponent, but what
the hey--its only Biff!
c) If your opponent always hires the same merc (say, Ivan) get into a
furious bidding war over the merc. When the price is nice and high,
click on CANCEL instead of OFFER, and chortle with glee as your opponent
pays through the nose.
7. There are two rules for total victory. One is: grenades, grenades,
grenades. (Or, if you have them, mortars, mortars, mortars.) One
well-placed grenade can take out an entire team if that team is bunched
up. The second rule is: never bunch up your mercs.
8. Use the Random Hire feature to speed up the pre-mission section of
the game. Also, use Random Hire/Use Poor Mercs every so often. Its
more of a challenge to win if your mercs cant shoot straight. Plus, the
worst mercs usually have the best taunts! (Try Biff, Rueban, Postie,
Skitz, or Sparky.)
9. Suppose you and your pal eagerly start playing Deadly Games via
modem--but then you find your friend is just terrible at the game.
Playing him is like shooting ducks in a barrel. (Or worse, youre the
duck in the barrel, and get wiped out on a regular basis.) What can you
do to make multiplayer Deadly Games fun again?
Easy: play the cooperative campaign, COOP2.CPN. It was designed for
this sort of problem. Unlike cooperative play in many games, youll find
plenty of challenge to keep you both entertained as you work together to
do in those fiendishly clever redshirts.
Another trick to even the scales is to use handicapping of some
kind--One player gets 8 mercs while the other gets 4, and so on.
10. Taunt early and often. Youll get hours of enjoyment from the
taunts alone. In 3 or 4 player games, though, the proper netiquette is
to only taunt players when its not their turn (otherwise, youre just
slowing the game down).
Charles Miles, Sirtech Software
1. Play the Tutorial Campaign. It will introduce you to the basics of the game
in a less-deadly environment than the main campaign. (Plus, you get to play
around with mortars in the next-to-last mission!) If youre still having
trouble, read the Tutorial Campaign walkthrough in the manual.
2. If you can afford it, hire Scope or Ivan. In certain situations, having
just one good merc is better than having eight so-so ones. This is especially
true in the first snow mission in the main campaign.
3. When firing, spend the extra points to refine your aim. It doesn't do any
good to fire more often if all your shots miss!
4. In the solo campaign, hire Pops for the first mission. Give his equipment
to other mercs, and have him go out in the field armed just with a .38. He
will probably go down fighting (which is how he would have wanted it . . . )
This strategy may not be approved by the AARP, but it is a very cheap and easy
way to get a shotgun early on.
5. Experience level is vitally important to detecting and disarming mines and
traps. Don't have level one mercs explore minefields or pick up suspicious
objects.
6. Try to avoid swimming or wading whenever possible. You're a sitting duck in
the water because you can't fire back.
7. Often the best way into a building is not through a door. Make your own
entrances with explosives: you'll give the enemy a shock and avoid ambushes.
8. In the campaign, collect every medical kit you can find. If a merc is
seriously injured, have him be a patient next mission. (Or, if you think you
can get away with it, fire him.) If all your mercs are seriously injured,
either heal most of them and count on losing the next mission, or restore to
an earlier save. The walking wounded don't win battles.
9. If you find a chunk of steel, have a merc with a good mechanical skill
merge it with a weapon. The result will be a much more powerful gun.
10. Don't forget the basics of infantry combat. Have your mercs cover each
other. Use the natural cover. Don't bunch up. Don't let the enemy sneak up
behind you.
Ten Deadly Games Tips for Experienced Jagged Alliance Players
1. Unlike Jagged Alliance, you can crouch and fire at the same time in
Deadly Games. Dont fire while standing up unless you have to, or if the
enemy is running away.
2. The computer-controlled enemy has learned some new tricks since JA.
Youll have to adjust your tactics to counteract them. Staying under
cover and long-distance fire is more important than it was in JA. (The
snipers--Lynx, Sidney, and Scope--are excellent for picking off the
enemy at a distance.)
Often the computer opponent will pull the trick of walking into view,
taking a shot, then walking out of your view. Plant some decent mercs
under cover nearby and have them reserve some Action Points. With luck,
the next time the hit-and-run enemy walks into view, your mercs will get
an interrupt and wipe him out.
3. Dealing with Micky can be a pain, but its worth it in the long run.
Micky saves all his best stuff for his regular customers, so deal him
often. You may buy a package of junk once in a while, but you wont mind
when Micky starts selling you mustard gas grenades and M-14s!
4. Check out the new mercs. Buzz and Malice are excellent bargains for
the price, Leon has decent equipment, and Scope is a killing machine
(look out, Ivan!). Postie and Dyno arent much as mercs, but are
extremely entertaining nonetheless.
5. Dont forget: the solo campaign is just one small course in the
banquet that is Deadly Games. If you get stuck in the main campaign,
take a break and try playing a single mission, or a computer generated
mission. Fool around with the Game Options, changing the difficulty, or
the equipment, or the APs. Or build your own scenario with the editor.
Thats the whole point of Deadly Games--you can play it many different
ways.
6. You may have gotten away using two or three mercs in the field in
JA, but thats unlikely to work in Deadly unless one of those mercs is
Mike. Count on needing at least four mercs in the field a mission. You
will probably want multiple medics at the start of the campaign.
7. In the main campaign, dont assume that the mission goal is always in
or near a building. Read the mission briefing carefully before you
start. If you forget your mission while you are playing, click on the
turn indicator in the upper left corner of the screen. That lets you
review your mission objective.
8. Chainsaws and machetes can be used as weapons, but thats not what
theyre really for. Their main use is to clear away trees and bushes
(imagine that!). There are no situations where you have to have a
chainsaw, but there are a few where clearing away a tree will open up a
shortcut or give you a better angle on the enemy.
9. You can now detonate explosives by shooting at them. This can save
tons of time in crucial situations. It also means youre less dependent
on explosives experts.
10. Some mercs, like Fidel, wont stop shooting at an opponent until hes
dead. In JA, you could make a persistent merc stop firing at an
opponent just by taking the gun out of his hand. That trick doesnt work
in Deadly, but a different one does: place a knife (or other cutting
implement) in the mercs main hand instead of the gun. The merc will be
under your control again.
Ten Multiplayer Deadly Games Tips
1. Use Increased Action Points for multiplayer missions. This allows a
merc to move further in a turn, but reduces the total number of turns in
a mission. The net effect is to speed up play.
2. As a rule, dont use unlimited turn time in multiplayer (unless all
the players have requested it beforehand). Having all the time in the
world to move is great when its your turn, but its pretty tedious when
its not!
3. Use the right number of mercs. A four-player game with eight mercs
on each team leads to long waits between turns, so use smaller teams.
Four to six mercs per team is best. One or two mercs per team and Very
Short turn time is fun for blitzkrieg games.
4. Vary your tactics. Dont always attack by the same route, and dont
always use the same mercs. Computers may not be smart enough to figure
out your patterns, but humans definitely are.
5. Boobytrap your best equipment. This will stop your opponent from
using your own stuff against you if he kills one of your mercs.
6. Psych out your opponent. Here are a couple of ways to turn the
other guy into jello:
a) If you have Mike or Scully (the best mercs in the game) on your team,
dont let the other teams know it until midway through the mission.
Then, at the critical psychological moment, send a taunt from your
super-merc to the other team. (I suggest Mikes ¬Heres the deal: I have
to live up to my reputation, and you have to die.ё) Watch them cower in
fear as they realize they are doomed!
b) Have a disposable merc (say, Biff) walk up to a tree near some
enemies. Then have Biff search the tree using the hand cursor. Watch
your opponent scatter because they think Biffss planted an explosive
there! If your opponent is too dim-witted to even think of this
possibility, have Biff go ahead and plant a real explosive. Have him
use a short fuse. It may kill Biff as well as your opponent, but what
the hey--its only Biff!
c) If your opponent always hires the same merc (say, Ivan) get into a
furious bidding war over the merc. When the price is nice and high,
click on CANCEL instead of OFFER, and chortle with glee as your opponent
pays through the nose.
7. There are two rules for total victory. One is: grenades, grenades,
grenades. (Or, if you have them, mortars, mortars, mortars.) One
well-placed grenade can take out an entire team if that team is bunched
up. The second rule is: never bunch up your mercs.
8. Use the Random Hire feature to speed up the pre-mission section of
the game. Also, use Random Hire/Use Poor Mercs every so often. Its
more of a challenge to win if your mercs cant shoot straight. Plus, the
worst mercs usually have the best taunts! (Try Biff, Rueban, Postie,
Skitz, or Sparky.)
9. Suppose you and your pal eagerly start playing Deadly Games via
modem--but then you find your friend is just terrible at the game.
Playing him is like shooting ducks in a barrel. (Or worse, youre the
duck in the barrel, and get wiped out on a regular basis.) What can you
do to make multiplayer Deadly Games fun again?
Easy: play the cooperative campaign, COOP2.CPN. It was designed for
this sort of problem. Unlike cooperative play in many games, youll find
plenty of challenge to keep you both entertained as you work together to
do in those fiendishly clever redshirts.
Another trick to even the scales is to use handicapping of some
kind--One player gets 8 mercs while the other gets 4, and so on.
10. Taunt early and often. Youll get hours of enjoyment from the
taunts alone. In 3 or 4 player games, though, the proper netiquette is
to only taunt players when its not their turn (otherwise, youre just
slowing the game down).
Charles Miles, Sirtech Software