Jagged Alliance 3 (again!)

[Tampa_Gamer]

Agreed - every time I see it bumped it I think we have a release date. This is absolutely the #1 game this year I am looking forward to (even above Starfield)...I may have to go back and play a heavily modded JA:BIA this summer just to bide time.

[coopasonic]

Uh-oh... </runs for cover>

Hahaha cover.

I know everyone thinks it's all about guns.

My title was Explosives Team Lead. I hope your cover is sturdy.

Also, to be clear, I just get a little disappointed when I see this thread pop up again and then think I still have to wait an unknown amount of time for the actual game to arrive and disappoint me as well.

I am not a murderous psychopath, despite what Isgrimnur might tell you. I am way too lazy for that and I really don't like to travel.

[Smoove_B]

My secret inside sources are suggesting "late 2023", for whatever that is worth.

I will guess October 2023.

[Isgrimnur]

Just don't go by the house.

[coopasonic]

Just don't go by the house.

Says the one person on this site that has actually been inside my house.

[Blackhawk]

Uh-oh... </runs for cover>

Elliot - you idiot!

[jztemple2]

DevDiary 6 - Combat, Part one

Hello there! I am Boian Spasov and it is my pleasure to welcome you to a DevDiary on a subject that I’ve been wanting to write about for a long time – combat! Yeah, it’s a big one - there is so much to talk about that a single article won’t be enough and you can expect a second combat DevDiary down the road.

As stated in our first DevDiary “Game Vision” the combat is one of the pillars of Jagged Alliance 3. It is a deep, involved and realistic experience and is the single aspect of the game that we iterated on the most during development.

Combat in Jagged Alliance 3 is turn-based with your entire team taking a turn, followed by the enemy team. During your turn you are free to activate your characters in any order and intermix action between them.

[Tampa_Gamer]

Well, a sort of announcement - summer?

Gear Up, Mercenaries! Jagged Alliance 3 Collector's Edition Unveiled
Equip yourself with the right tools to gain an advantage in combat. In the challenging world of Jagged Alliance 3, having top-of-the-line equipment is essential for survival, whether you're battling in harsh environments or comfortably seated in your gaming chair.

Introducing the Jagged Alliance 3 Tactical Edition!

This comprehensive kit is housed in a sturdy and waterproof case, ensuring your gear remains safe and dry. The Tactical Belt with a Belt Pouch provides quick and easy access to your essential items, while the A.I.M. pin showcases your allegiance to the cause.

Get to know the characters of Jagged Alliance with a set of 36 character cards, each showcasing their professions and personalities. As you strategize and plan your next move, immerse yourself in the game's atmosphere with the official soundtrack on CD. With the Jagged Alliance 3 Tactical Edition, you'll be fully prepared to take on whatever challenges come your way!

Here's the full overview:
Outdoor case, 100% water- and dustproof & IP67 certified
Outer dimensions: 258 x 243 x 118 mm
Inner dimensions: 235 x 180 x 106 mm
Heavy Duty Tactical Belt for your pants
Tactical Belt Pouch for your gadgets
A.I.M. Pin
Set of 36 Character Cards
Original Soundtrack on disc
The Game on disc in a limited Media Book

The Tactical Edition is available for pre-order now at an SRP of € 129.99 / £ 114.99 and will release along with the game this summer.

[Max Peck]

Nice catch. I was too busy laughing at "Limited to 750 worldwide" to notice the passing reference to a time frame for the launch.

[Blackhawk]

Heh. I don't know about the game, but I can vouch for the belt - it's the same one I have been wearing for years.

Minus the branding, of course.

[jztemple2]

DevDiary 7 - User Interface

Hi everyone! I am Boyan Ivanov, Co-Creative Director on JA3, and this time we will talk about a topic that is often overlooked when discussing the development of a particular game – User Interface. It is an all-engrossing topic as UI and UX (user experience – how you the player interact with the game) covers a variety of game elements. From aspects like controlling hiring your mercs, controlling them in battle, getting the right information for a specific situation, to the ways you as players interact with the game world and even things like having the proper video settings for Ultrawide monitors.

UI with character

Our journey with the UI/UX of Jagged Alliance 3 has been a tough one and this part of the game has gone through the most iteration and experimentation by far. Early on our initial take on the UI was to focus on a typical modern minimalistic UI and that is what we built for our very first playable version. This was quickly called out by the team as it lacked the Jagged Alliance feel.

Although a more modern approach would have made the whole journey of creating the UI easier we understood that this would come at the expense of capturing the unique feel of the second game.

As many of you know the UI of Jagged Alliance 2 while not particularly easy to use (even for 1999) or consistent, had a unique character that not only immersed you in the game world but also showed a fun and entertaining side of the game. Everyone remembers sending Deidranna flowers via the web shop or using the IMP website to make a merc.



Though these look like small details, having the SirOS laptop with the browser and all the websites really made you feel like the man behind the screen. The mastermind that plans and executes the mission away from the actual fighting. To this day this is one of the most memorable elements of Jagged Alliance and we knew we had to replicate that experience.

Party like it’s … 2001

We knew we wanted to make a direct sequel in terms of story and that firmly set the time frame somewhere in the early 2000s. That meant that to get the character of the UI we had to look back… way back. It was a trip we had lots of fun with – we remembered the old days of ICQ, mIRC and a very young Internet with non-functional sites, bad connections and popup adds. Ah, the good old days!

There is a lot more to the article and it's worth checking out.

[Blackhawk]

At least it looks like they figured out what made JA2 such a great game. I do wonder how they're going to address the way that some of the character concepts aged. By which I mean badly. A lot of them were just straight up stereotypes or jokes that might not go over so well today.

[Smoove_B]

7/14/23

[Carpet_pissr]

Yummy.

[coopasonic]

I keep getting excited when I see this thread updated. I guess it's good that I am still getting excited.

I am making a list of the names of people that bump this thread while it still doesn't have a release date. Just so you are aware.

OK, list complete. Prize drawing coming soon!

[Max Peck]

They could have had my money today, if not for the fact that they invited me to pre-order the game before it is possible to pre-order the game (on Steam, anyway). Now I'll just forget for another month or two.

[stimpy]

I keep getting excited when I see this thread updated. I guess it's good that I am still getting excited.

I am making a list of the names of people that bump this thread while it still doesn't have a release date. Just so you are aware.

OK, list complete. Prize drawing coming soon!

I took that as a threat and avoided posting because of it!!!
I am very much looking forward to this and hoping to not be utterly and thoroughly disappointed yet again......

[coopasonic]

They could have had my money today, if not for the fact that they invited me to pre-order the game before it is possible to pre-order the game (on Steam, anyway). Now I'll just forget for another month or two.

I actually looked for a way to order the tactical edition, but it was only available in Europe it seems. Shipping was ridiculous so I sadly gave up.

[Tampa_Gamer]

I was curious about the modding legs on this since JA2 modding is still being done. This little tidbit was recently posted on their Discord-

Mod support coming soon after launch

After Jagged Alliance 3 has launched, the developers will focus on giving the players the exciting opportunity to customize the game according to their preferences. Initially offering basic mod support, allowing players to modify weapon statistics, adjust difficulty levels, and even display the "chance to hit" percentage, the mod support for Jagged Alliance 3 will continue to expand and evolve post-launch. In due course, players will wield a powerful tool that empowers them to create and share their own campaigns, introduce new mercenaries, and explore possibilities beyond our current imagination!

Really hoping they get this one, right. I guess we will all find out on July 14th...

[Scoop20906]

I would like to pre-order.

[jztemple2]

DevDiary 8 - Quest Creation - The making of a story

Hello, I’m Radomir Mirchev, Senior Narrative Designer of JA3, and it’s story time once again.

This time I’ll tell you about how stories are created in Jagged Alliance 3 and how more threads are woven into them.

For that purpose I’ll guide you around one of my favorite places in Grand Chien. This is spoiler territory, but don’t worry – I’ll leave enough for you to explore and discover when you get to play the game and reach Port Cacao Docks. While I introduce you to the neighborhood, I may drop a hint or two about what’s going on there. It’s mostly stuff that anyone at the Docks could tell you.



Design goals

But before we start, let me bring you back to Jagged Alliance 2 for a while.

In JA2, there were just about a dozen of quests and most of them were adoringly simple. They managed to do so much with so little – mostly because they were well-integrated into the framework of the game, made use of existing mechanics and provided different, sometimes quite specific quest outcomes. That helped bring the game world to life.

For example, you could convince Doreen to shut down her factory where she exploited child labor, or simply kill her – or both. You could obtain the Chalice of Chance by killing the poor old guard, or take great effort to sneak into the museum and steal it. The game reacted to these choices, for example by modifying Loyalty at the sector.



We wanted to keep this kind of integrated content and build upon it.

We had to make sure that we give you freedom of choice, including implicit choices. But as I said in a previous Dev Diary, freedom only means something if there are suitable outcomes that react to your actions – so you should be able to kill (almost) anyone, and the game should be attuned to your dark psychotic side.

In addition to that, we tried not to insult your intelligence by expecting you to follow series of fetch steps. As with other game aspects, we wanted to encourage you to try things and see what happens. However, we shouldn’t allow you to feel lost and end up scratching your head what you are supposed to do next. We decided to provide subtle hints here and there that were presented as notes in your PDA.

Now let’s fast forward to Jagged Alliance 3 and see how we built the Port Cacao Docks sector with these goals in mind.

[Smoove_B]

Pre-purchase just went live on Steam for $36. You can also pre-purchase on Green Man Gaming for $29.

[Tampa_Gamer]

Pre-purchase just went live on Steam for $36. You can also pre-purchase on Green Man Gaming for $29.

Appreciate the heads up on GMG. I haven't pre-purchased a game for at least the last decade but might break down and get this one.

Also, I saw this on their Discord (so it sounds like the price will go back up)--

Sofia, Bulgaria / Vienna, Austria, June 7th, 2023: Ah, pre-order! You, yes you, getting the marvelous opportunity to throw your hard-earned cash at publishers and developers before the game is even unleashed upon the world! But why on earth would you do that, you ask? Because obviously there's something special in store for you: the glorious promise of shiny items, consumables or cosmetics for your soon-to-be gaming extravaganza!

Except... Not with Jagged Alliance 3. Sorry to burst your pixelated bubble, but we didn't hop on the costume-making bandwagon for our badass Mercs. No sir, no fancy frills here. And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, guess what? We won't dangle the tempting carrot of some days of Early Access in front of you, nor will we tease you with ludicrous horse armor. Oh, no! We're cutting straight to the chase and saving you from any horsing around... because there are no horses either. And we are also passing on any kind of pass here.
But hey, don't lose faith just yet, brave gaming warrior! If you dare to put your trust in us and the mighty developers of Jagged Alliance 3, if you're brave enough to take that pre-order plunge, we've actually got something for you:
You'll be rewarded with a 20% discount! That's right, amigo, we're slashing a cool 20% off the regular price of $ 44.99

[Scoop20906]

Woohoo! Thanks for the heads up!

[Max Peck]

Pre-purchase just went live on Steam for $36. You can also pre-purchase on Green Man Gaming for $29.

It's also available on GOG. The price is the same as Steam: CAD $35.99 for pre-purchase (%20 discount), increasing to $44.99 at launch.

[Brian]

I'm gonna wait until Friday (payday) and place my order.

Really looking forward to this one.

[coopasonic]

Pre-purchase just went live on Steam for $36. You can also pre-purchase on Green Man Gaming for $29.

Appreciate the heads up on GMG. I haven't pre-purchased a game for at least the last decade but might break down and get this one.

Be warned that GMG has a habit of delivering pre-order keys multiple hours after the game releases. By the next day it isn't a big deal, but if you are super excited for a game it can be annoying. I pre-ordered through them myself and gripe about it each time, but figured it should be mentioned.

[Smoove_B]

I've had that problem in the past, but I haven't seen it with anything I've pre-ordered from them over the last few years. Granted, it's rare for me to get a AAA title anymore as a pre-order so maybe they are better equipped to handle smaller releases.

[jztemple2]

I've had that problem in the past, but I haven't seen it with anything I've pre-ordered from them over the last few years. Granted, it's rare for me to get a AAA title anymore as a pre-order so maybe they are better equipped to handle smaller releases.

This has been my experience with GMG over the past few years as well. The only time there was an issue, the key didn't reach my email until an hour or so after release and to apologize they sent me keys to a half-dozen games; sadly, none worth playing

My bigger issue is that my wife is having rotator cuff surgery the week before and I might not be in much of a mood to play

[jztemple2]

There was also this on their Steam News feed (my italics)

Please note: Although we've said it before, there will be a launch discount, this one has been replaced with the pre-order discount. No discount planned for the launch phase.

Q: So you want the players to buy the cat in the bag?
A: Nope. We will make sure, press and content creators can show the game a few days prior to its release on July 14th. So you'll have ample time to see if the game is what you are looking for.

Q: THQ Nordic does not like pre-order incentives like items or costumes at all it seems?
A: Oh, we do! But for Jagged Alliance 3, we didn't think it would fit. The game is set in the early 2000s, a time when such incentives were barely known. We want to embrace that charming retro vibe and ride it into the sunset.

[Smoove_B]

I really need for this game to not be abysmal.

[Carpet_pissr]

Same.

Also, please note for the record that this is the first time in history that I’ve ever pre-ordered anything.

[baelthazar]

I really need for this game to not be abysmal.

The fact it is DEEPLY discounted as a pre-order is troubling to me.

https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/ja ... Q4Mw%3D%3D

[Smoove_B]

I'm choosing to believe they know prior JA remakes have mostly been hot garbage and the community at large is skeptical. The discount they're floating is a way to demonstrate some love to the early adopters that trust this version will finally evoke the same feelings as the originals.

[Max Peck]

They've seemingly committed to allowing hands-on impressions and reviews prior to launch, so it seems like there should be a window of opportunity to see how the game plays before losing out on the pre-purchase discount. And in the worst case scenario, there is still the standard refund policy on your platform of choice.

[jztemple2]

At 36% off on GMG, I went ahead and pre-ordered. My wife has assured me I will be getting in a lot of play time since she thinks that a week after her rotator cuff surgery she'll be sleeping a lot; no doubt the pain pills will help

[ChuckB]

JA3 made it back on my "will buy" list after reading a longer article in a German game magazine (Gamestar, haven't read it in many years but they always were a solid magazine). They had hours of hands-on experience and their impressions were very positive. Apparently, quite close to the last good JA with a lot of QOL improvements

[rf2000]

I also am tempted by the 36% discount at GMG. This type of Wasteland 3 game is right up my alley. I also agree that discounts like these on a new game is generally a red flag, ie Gollum which is a turd. These are businesses and they are not going give up a cent unless if they have a good reason to do so. I see no reason to preorder now as there is still 1 month left for previews to come out.

[Tampa_Gamer]

FYI, new dev diary post all about the open world mechanics (strategic layer), etc. Yet more info to get hyped up about...

https://community.jaggedalliance.com/in ... -view-r13/

[jztemple2]