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help with merc selection[message #96576] Thu, 18 March 2004 20:58 Go to next message
happybjorn is currently offline happybjorn

 
Messages:24
Registered:October 2003
Location: California
I will be able to afford my sixth merc soon and need some help making the selection. My squad consists of throwing/NO IMP, Scully, Sidney, Igor, Q and Rosebud. The new merc will replace Rosebud and has to compliment the rest of the squad (I'm playing without guns). The borken girl from MERC is right out.

I'm leaning toward Reaper, but don't know if the rooftop bonus only applies to guns or if it applies to everything (throwing knives being most important). Wolf, Blood, Spider, Bull all have some appeal (Magic does too, but I doubt I will be able to afford him, ever), but all seem a bit redundant considering what I already have. I could swap some others out as well.

Suggestions please (and if you know about the rooftop bonus, pretty please).

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Private 1st Class
Re: help with merc selection[message #96577] Thu, 18 March 2004 21:04 Go to previous messageGo to next message
BlackHand is currently offline BlackHand

 
Messages:20
Registered:March 2004
Location: Germany

What do you mean by 'I'm playing without guns'? You are just using melee and thrown weapons? Sounds weird. Wink

Well Malice would be a bargain, since he is knifing expert, and has really good physical stats (but he's not too bright).

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Private 1st Class
Re: help with merc selection[message #96578] Thu, 18 March 2004 21:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
jan175 is currently offline jan175

 
Messages:111
Registered:October 2001
Location: S'pore (formerly Hobart, ...

wow..no weapons at all?? ..throwing knives from a rooftop...

Yeah, I agree with BlackHand..Malice will good for a melee role.

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Sergeant
Re: help with merc selection[message #96579] Thu, 18 March 2004 22:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
josemp is currently offline josemp

 
Messages:16
Registered:November 2002
Location: Spain
I would recomend Malice or Blood, and If you can afford him, with no doubt, Shadow.

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Private
Re: help with merc selection[message #96580] Fri, 19 March 2004 10:58 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Twilight is currently offline Twilight

 
Messages:19
Registered:September 2002
Location: The fantasy wonderland th...
Hello,
so, you're playing without any firearms (explosives, LAWS, etc.?) - that certainly is a BIG challenge. It is also going to be one annoying, irritating games with lots and lots of reloads. Is it really fun if lots of reloads are the norm, or are you really that good such that reloads are unnecessary?


Well, your squad needs another medic (recommend Fox, or else Thor or else Highball), and, I think, a mechanic (recommend Wolf or else Trevor or else Steroid). Consider for the squad: :axe: Shadow, Fox, Wolf, Ayana (super Flo), Malice, Steroid :king: ... Maybe you'd want $$$(Trevor, Scully, Ivan) and/or $(Grizzly, Fidel, Jubilee, Raven). Some mercs do have the throwing and/or knife skills, so check one of the JA2 merc charts. If you're short on the cash, then try for Malice, Fox, Wolf, and Ayana -or else- Malice, Fox, Wolf -or else- Fox, Malice or Wolf -or else- Thor.


Don't be so quick tro ditch Rosebud (or Rudedog) unless its a financial necessity. You will probably find yourself needing couriers, trainers, escorts, and back-up fighters, so they can help in that.


- Twilight :rifle:

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Private
Re: help with merc selection[message #96581] Fri, 19 March 2004 11:53 Go to previous messageGo to next message
happybjorn is currently offline happybjorn

 
Messages:24
Registered:October 2003
Location: California
Wow, looks like I better explain the no guns restriction: No guns or things-that-are-launched allowed; I think the best way to define it would be to say nothing that loads ammo or launches an explosive (only added the last part to catch the LAW, which technically doesn't have an ammo slot). That means guns, LAWs, RPGs, grenade launchers, mortars, etc. are not okay. HtH combat is okay, grenades and explosives are okay (even 40mm grenades are okay, provided I throw or drop them to deliver them), throwing knives are okay, and throwing random junk is okay.

Some good suggestions and definately worth thinking about, thanks. I'm liking the idea of Shadow, expeically his awesome stats, but I already have 3 night ops on the squad and camo seems like such a wasted ability. He's still a strong contender.

Malice just won't cut it becuase of the low wisdom, that and knifing isn't high on my list of desirable abilities.

Still hoping for response on the rooftop bonus. . . . .

@Twilight,
It is certainly not a hardcore game, but reloads are not that frequent and tend to happen when something really bad happens (like when a combat started with Scully getting a crit to the head for 70+ damage or misthrowing a molotov so that it hit my squad blowing up a terrain feature, which also hit my squad, and destroyed the wall they were hiding behind. Sometimes I screw up and instead of closing the door I mean to hide behind I run out into the open and pick up nothing). I'd guess I'm reloading two times a battle on average. I could probaly play it as a hardcore game (to me that means of the UB/gold version type), but that would be a bit too frustrating.

As far as another medic, your underlying premise that I'm getting wounded a lot is quite correct, but I've been relying more on the abundance of crepagen than the medical skill; another medic isn't necessary.

Thanks for bringing up the mechanics, I'm now considering Vicki as well.

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Private 1st Class
Re: help with merc selection[message #96582] Fri, 19 March 2004 12:05 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Folkewulf is currently offline Folkewulf

 
Messages:56
Registered:August 2003
No guns!?!? You know that's insane, right?? :gaga:

But since you are, why in the world would you want to replace Rosebud? Like someone said in another thread, put him in an EOD suit and he dosen't need a weapon, he IS a weapon!!

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Corporal
Re: help with merc selection[message #96583] Fri, 19 March 2004 13:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
happybjorn is currently offline happybjorn

 
Messages:24
Registered:October 2003
Location: California
Its also quite fun.

There was a reason to replace him, but 'I forget, I forget again.'

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Private 1st Class
Re: help with merc selection[message #96584] Fri, 19 March 2004 16:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bane is currently offline Bane

 
Messages:201
Registered:May 2000
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
It took me a long time before I found a landmine in this game so it might be necessary to get an explosives guy to detrap chests/doors etc.

Barry is good, his MECH goes way up after repairing stuff for a while, in my current game, he is at 98.

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Sergeant 1st Class
Re: help with merc selection[message #96585] Sat, 20 March 2004 11:48 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Twilight is currently offline Twilight

 
Messages:19
Registered:September 2002
Location: The fantasy wonderland th...
Hello,
I mentioned the mechanic (or two) because, although firearms wear-out quickly, so will armor and your hand-held weapons (far less so), and it sounds like a no guns game is probably a maximum armor game.

Well, Shadow seems to have an appropriate skill set for this kind of game, cautious, precise, deadly, but, hey, use the editor to change his skills to something more appropriate. Malice improved fairly well for me (should have been less with that IQ, but, actually not that bad). Someone like Steroid or Ivan could lob explosives, repair things, carry a lot, and then break-out a crowbar or machette for close work.


How big is your combat party (6? 12? 16?)? If you're limiting party size, then that puts a wrinkle on everything.

Well, you party seems pretty good. Yeah, Rude Dog got really annoying really fast for me. Maybe you need another super merc like Magic (!!) or Cougar or (yikes!) Gus. Also, you'll get a chance to recruit from three mercs later on in an underground complex/organization - you'll like the great price vis-a-vis the "merchandise".


- Twilight

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Private
Re: help with merc selection[message #96586] Sat, 20 March 2004 17:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
TrailBlazer is currently offline TrailBlazer

 
Messages:511
Registered:September 2001
Location: Athens, Greece

Try Dr.Q. He's a medic (you need him) and a kung-fu-heeeya-chackie-chan guy with quite good stats.

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First Sergeant
Re: help with merc selection[message #96587] Sun, 21 March 2004 00:13 Go to previous messageGo to next message
xenophon is currently offline xenophon

 
Messages:74
Registered:March 2003
Location: Glos UK
Where is Rudedog that you get for free! :silly:

Also Scully seems to be a really expensive buy early in the game. I have always found Thor excellent for the money and also Cougar.

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Corporal
Re: help with merc selection[message #96588] Mon, 22 March 2004 18:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
happybjorn is currently offline happybjorn

 
Messages:24
Registered:October 2003
Location: California
Thank you all for the help. I picked up Shadow and have been on a couple of missions with him in the squad (I only use one, everyone else is militia/repair/mule support). So far he has been great. The camo ability is actually pretty sweet because it doesn't wash off Smile

For those of you interested my game is at day 11 and I've taken Sheraton (just the Chitzena parts), Galileo, Calisto, most of Port Kip, cental SAM, and Jake's part of Gaston. Hasn't been too tough so far, except when I got beat up really bad taking Tony's sector (should never have attempted it during the day w/ heavily damaged armor). about 2/3 day missions so far, but I think it'll be night ops from here on. . . .

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Private 1st Class
Re: help with merc selection[message #96589] Tue, 23 March 2004 03:24 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Boomer is currently offline Boomer

 
Messages:114
Registered:February 2004
Location: In the heart of Transilva...
Try Wolf too. He's night ops all right, but his teaching trait was "mutated" to martial arts in UC and he has good stats.

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Sergeant
Re: help with merc selection[message #96590] Tue, 23 March 2004 04:01 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Rude Dog is currently offline Rude Dog

 
Messages:467
Registered:March 2001
Location: Chasing Pussy
Rude Dog is in B10.
He's hanging out in the biker bar.
Bull and Grizzly are both HTH guys as well as being as strong as a team of oxen.

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Master Sergeant
Re: help with merc selection[message #96591] Tue, 23 March 2004 05:02 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Boomer is currently offline Boomer

 
Messages:114
Registered:February 2004
Location: In the heart of Transilva...
Quote:
Originally posted by Rude Dog:

He's hanging out in the biker bar.
BTW, what are those bikers? Policemen, Sons of Satan or what? And why are they shooting at you if you come in the sector by night? Or just bikers and in the morning they are just not loaded enough to start a fight? Very Happy

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Sergeant
Re: help with merc selection[message #96592] Tue, 23 March 2004 06:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Jason Hill is currently offline Jason Hill

 
Messages:7
Registered:March 2004
The bikers were hostile in my game during the day--there wasn't any dialogue or anything, they just saw me and started shooting (that was a great map BTW). At the time, I just figured they were part of the local militia.

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Private
Re: help with merc selection[message #96593] Tue, 23 March 2004 09:08 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Rude Dog is currently offline Rude Dog

 
Messages:467
Registered:March 2001
Location: Chasing Pussy
No affiliations to the Police for sure.
They are set as a faction.
If you come in at night they think you are there to try to steal their bikes, booze, and bitches, in that order.
Sometimes they just don't like your looks and they'd just as soon shoot you as look at your mug.
They also think that Satan's Sons are really Satan's Daughters.

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Master Sergeant
Re: help with merc selection[message #96594] Fri, 26 March 2004 05:28 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dagger is currently offline Dagger

 
Messages:58
Registered:January 2003
Location: Brazil
By the time this game have a Katana (Samurai's sword) I will play it with no guns. Maybe solo too !

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Corporal
Re: help with merc selection[message #96595] Fri, 26 March 2004 05:40 Go to previous message
Thrangar is currently offline Thrangar

 
Messages:11
Registered:March 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ USA
I am happy you picked up Shadow, one of my favorites, and his camo ability is perfectly suited for stealthy ops. :scary: !

But cheers to you and good hunting!

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Private
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