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Re: Community Wishlist for JA:F[message #320169]
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Tue, 21 May 2013 19:59
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systemfehler |
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Messages:117
Registered:September 2007 Location: Hanover, Germany |
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Well that was 1997, when games were made exclusively for PC with not a lot of casual gamers and soccer dads floating around, without a decade of dumbed down, cheap console ports and sequels not worth their name.
Furthermore it was announced as the sequel to an award winning series by the original developers. They made JA1 before which was a good game, I wouldn't have doubt them that their next game wouldn't be as good as their first.
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Sergeant
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Re: Community Wishlist for JA:F[message #320190]
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Wed, 22 May 2013 10:32
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JMich |
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Messages:546
Registered:January 2011 Location: Greece |
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Maalstroomnot a voodoo hut...
The game takes part in an island in the Caribbean (or similar). The island may or may not have a proper goverment, but it still has people. People who fear, worry, who seek their local magic. Where are they going to go to get their "love potions", their "curse removals" or their "wards"? Will they go to the local tourist shop, which probably doesn't exist, or will they go looking for the local voodoo priestess, who lives alone in the middle of the swamp, in that eerie looking cotage?
A voodoo hut makes sense, assuming of course they flesh it out a bit more. As for the crocodile farm, it depends on what they mean by farm. Do they mean a place where someone raises crocodiles for use/sale elsewhere? Or do they mean a place the crocodiles have claimed as their own, equivalent to the bloodcat lair? And it can work very well if you have someone with connections in the mainland looking for cheap crocodile skin, to be used in making bags, boots and belts.
As for the underground missile silo, what was the goverment in that island like? Did they have the resources needed to build an underground silo, or was all the wealth spent in other buildings (be they the presidential palace or the open hospital in the cities)? And where did they get the missiles from? Were they a gift from one of the superpowers, were they built on the island, were they stolen while in transit, or are there no missiles, just the hope of a madman that he will get nukes at some point in the near future?
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First Sergeant
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Re: Community Wishlist for JA:F[message #320193]
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Wed, 22 May 2013 12:44
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Shinr |
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Messages:12
Registered:April 2012 |
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A nitpick: The developers said that paying the mercs would be just like it was in JA2 with the AIM contract system.
But since this is a prequel, before everything was legit and orderly like in JA2, isn't that a little too professional? It would be thematically consistent if was more like a worse version of the JA2 M.E.R.C. and JA1 pay-per-day system, like pay Ivan 5000$ upfront to recruit, then pay him 2200$ (his JA1 price) daily to keep him afterwards.
[Updated on: Wed, 22 May 2013 12:45] by Moderator Report message to a moderator
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Private
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Re: Community Wishlist for JA:F[message #320205]
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Wed, 22 May 2013 16:08
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Sam Hotte |
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Messages:1965
Registered:March 2009 Location: Middle of Germany |
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GrimI can understand how russian players/fans feel about that setting. I loved the universal and politically correct settings of JA1 and JA2. Any player from any country could play them and build a team to his taste.
How about the Romanians? The evil dictator in JA2 was Romanian ...
I mean, most stories and plots of games and movies do evolve around a basic setting of some protagonists against some antagonists, some conflicting sides. And unless being set in a purely fictional world (a galaxy far, far away ... ) the potential bad guys have to come from somewhere.
Any plot put into a real historical context is about A against B, so you will potentially hurt feelings of someone anyway.
So yes, I do comprehend the Russian view "We look like the potential bad guys in the game, not much appreciated" but I personally wouldn't allow this to prevent me from supporting and enjoying a game that I'd quite like gameplay wise.
I mean, should all Germans, Italians, Japanese and others (which formed the Axis) today dislike every single game and movie with a WWII setting as they know they are going to be potential bad guys and losers there? How many plots (even in a more modern setting) are there with a evil Nazi as antagonist?
Nah, IMVHO one shouldn't take this too seriously ...
GrimBut FC is misunderstood here. They introduced the feeling that your team were to break loose from the CIA and find its way with the faction they like. Obviously, every faction will have a proper point of view on the situation, with good motivations and bad behaviors/actions. So, each of them will be painted in shadows of grey: there won't be good ones and bad ones.
Concerning Russian belligerants, keep in mind that there will be several points of view. The general and his army, the official URSS command, the soldiers gone AWOL (like Ivan and others?)...
You will be able to choose your sides.
Very True, that's the way JA:F's setting and story should be taken.
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Sergeant Major
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Re: Community Wishlist for JA:F[message #320211]
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Wed, 22 May 2013 18:04
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Cyborg |
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Messages:37
Registered:November 2006 Location: Europe |
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While I understand Russian fears about the possible plot direction due to their experience with the Western Entertainment Industry, given the setting I do think that FC made the right choice. Also consider that FC isn't a US company, so very unlikely to follow the US Rah Rah routine.
There are really only 3 credible outside powers given the period and the setting:
1. the West (be it CIA, MI6, the French)
2. the Russians
3. the Chinese (distant 3rd, quite active in Africa, but AFAIK not in SA)
All of the above are "bad guys" as far as the local population is concerned, while being a source of regime support and cash for the local dictator (and of course danger because he backs the "wrong" side).
The dictator can be unpredictable and follow various tropes, including that of the "hidden" good guy, though of course not revealed until mid way, he could also try to buy you off when you get too successful (only if he is the rational and not the crazed type).
The "Neutrals" have their own apolitic interests, willing to trade cash for being left alone, and last but not least the idealistic defenders of the downtrodden (potentially the only morally "good" choice but also the most difficult to achieve due to a lack of outside assistance and resources).
The setup really offers a lot of plot possibilities and also should also make later plot expansions fairly modular and easy to handle.
Where I think FC did go wrong was portraying the Russians as some splintergroup with a crazy general in charge. That is a classic bad guy setup for something which should be a faction the player might want to join or cooperate with.
IMO a better path would be:
-tin pot dictator as bad guy...renounces ties to whomever was his sugardaddy
- both sides now move in to replace him, one because he went rogue, the other because the situation offers potential
- you are working for one side(AFAIK CIA) initially, there probably is a group similar to yours working for KGB(though instead of mainly independent Mercs a lot of them will be "Advisors")
- the KGB group (or a significant part of it, including probably all the local help) can then go "rougue" f.e. say screw the Motherland, the cash is better working on their own account
- so KGB comes to you with an offer
or...
[Updated on: Wed, 22 May 2013 18:18] by Moderator Report message to a moderator
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Private 1st Class
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Re: Community Wishlist for JA:F[message #320261]
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Thu, 23 May 2013 00:24
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Claudius |
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Messages:15
Registered:January 2004 Location: France |
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JAFTeam,
320k passed! Damn, really hoping that the project gets funded!
I've no doubt about your intentions.
I am aged enough to have lived most these events. Though I was a bit young to fully understand what was happening during the missiles crisis.
It would be a shame that for a misunderstanding JAF loses players in a country where JA is so popular.
I have reformulated the beginning of your introduction in way perhaps more acceptable for Russian people (but only a Russian can confirm!) :
Following a revolution, a socialist regime has been established on San Cristobal. The island is devastated. The new regime has many difficulties to cope with the situation and has sought support from USSR. But USSR is facing important internal problems, whilst trying to pull out from Afghanistan. Supporters of the former San Cristobal regime are pushing hard for a US intervention. In addition, the US government can
[Updated on: Thu, 23 May 2013 00:25] by Moderator Report message to a moderator
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Private
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Re: Community Wishlist for JA:F[message #320273]
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Thu, 23 May 2013 02:12
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JP'TR |
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Messages:104
Registered:April 2009 Location: Germany |
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Shanga, do you think it would be possible to sort Threads like this up a bit, when its funded in 22hrs?
I'm sure there are brilliant Ideas out there, but that way, everybody writing all over, some comments between, its totaly helpless for FC, because they just can't notice all this information about the time.
A regularly updated summery of all this should be made in the first post, which is showing a clear list with the ideas in short sentences.
And maybe you could part it up in more thread.
"Ideas for the Story/Side-Stories"
"Ideas for Inventory/Managment"
"Ideas for Mercs/Relationships"
And a Thread for things which can be done better as in JA2, even if its the best game ever, there are easy things to change, if its observed in pre-production.
What i want to say is at all, the JA:F part here should be bigger and better seperated, so that all important stuff, can be noticed.
And all the threads should be updated by mods, 1 mod for 1 thread, with all informations listed in the first thread.
[Updated on: Thu, 23 May 2013 02:38] by Moderator Report message to a moderator
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Sergeant
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