Home » SIRTECH CLASSICS » Jagged Alliance & Deadly Games » JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides
| JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides[message #47598]
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Fri, 11 February 2005 08:32 
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| ktchong |
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Messages:4
Registered:February 2005 |
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I am playing Jagged Alliance for the first time, and have studied some strategy guides online. I have a few questions regarding the gameplay:
Does the game have an overall time limit?
Is there a restriction or limitation on the development and advancement of a merc?
I would like to use Beth but I just can't fit her into my team. As a medic and secondary marksman, her functions are just too similar to Fox. I would like to hire both Beth and Fox, and possibly develop both till the end.
Beth seems pretty smart (i.e., has good Wisdom and is eager to learn) and to have potentials, and she is fast in picking up skills and cheap to maintain. In the long run, I can differentiate her from Fox by training her in other skill areas (like mechanics or explosives after medical and marksmanship,) only if the game does not put a restriction on a merc's skill advancement.
So, does the game have such restriction or limitation on the mercs?
Which "starting" mercs are worth keeping until the end?
I have read that Grunty, as a cheap low-level merc in the beginning, will develop and be worth keeping until the end. Speck would be a good mechanic and decent medic at the end; I can give Speck physical training to make up for his agility and dexterity deficiencies. Looking at Hector's overall stats, I think he can grow and stay until the end. Vinny seems good at the beginning but, based on his stats and low wisdom, I do not think he can play with the "big guns" later into the games. I want to know which starting mercs have more potentials to grow so they can become heavy hitters at the end.
Which mercs are the more interesting and interactive than others?
Supposingly, Ivan is a "must have". However, he is just not too interesting because he does not speak English or interact with other mercs. That is a huge minus for him. I want to know which mercs are move interesting and interactive with other mercs.
How can I get native guides other than Elio?
When can I get other native guides? Is killing off Elio the only way to access other native guides? Can I fire Elio (or any later native guide) and still get other native guides?
(I have not reached that point yet but I want to be prepared.)
If anyone has any answer for me, please tell. Thanks!
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Civilian
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| Re: JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides[message #47599]
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Fri, 11 February 2005 17:40 
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 pavel |
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Messages:38
Registered:November 2004
Location: Russia/South Africa |
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There is no overall time limit, just capture sector 4 before day 31. Don't ask me what will happen, just do it.
The max. advancement of a merc depends mainly on wisdom.
It is not important that Ivan cant speak English, and that he doesnt interact with other mercs makes him a true pro. Make sure you hire him on day 1. If he's "On Assignment", restart the game. Ivan is the only merc on my starting team I keep till the end. (Usually cos all the others die or run away due to my high death rate)
I use the first 2 guides as human shields to protect my mercs the 3rd and 4th native guides you get are good mechanics and doctors, so you can conserve them.
Vinny is ok until you can afford Magic, Beth is crap, Sparky is better than Speck cos she can upgrade her Mech. skill and Speck cant.
Hire Reuban, Skitz and Turtle once in a while, they are dirt cheap and quite funny.
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Private 1st Class
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| Re: JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides[message #47601]
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Sat, 12 February 2005 08:59
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| ktchong |
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Messages:4
Registered:February 2005 |
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How does turnover rate affect hiring of mercs?
I read in the manual that a high turnover would make it difficult or impossible to hire some mercs. How exactly does turnover rate affect hiring?
What is the recommended maximum turnover rate before the good mercs start turning me down for jobs?
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Civilian
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| Re: JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides[message #47602]
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Sat, 12 February 2005 09:41
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| ktchong |
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Messages:4
Registered:February 2005 |
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Quote:Originally posted by pavel:
Vinny is ok until you can afford Magic, Beth is crap, Sparky is better than Speck cos she can upgrade her Mech. skill and Speck cant. I prefer to be able to keep my starting team intact until the end, as many members as possible.
I do not like Vinny because of his low Wisdom, which means he has very little potential for long-term development. However, he seems to be the only decent field mechanic at the beginning, because he has an okay aim and moves relatively fast.
Beth has worked out fine as a field medic, and her Wisdom allows her to develop skills in other areas (although I have not had the opportunity to train her in other skills.) Overall, I just like her enthusiam. I have heard she had got canned, quite distastefully, in the sequel (i.e., JA2.) What happened?
Speck, because of his very high Wisdom, can be trained to become a decent medic as well. So he can alternate to be between a base mechanic and medic. I am thinking of training up his physical attribute likes Agility and Dexterity. How high would his Agility and Dexterity go?
Sparky seems to have too low of a Wisdom for my liking. However, her better Dexterity (than Speck's) and opportunities for improvement in Mechanics do make her a potentially better mechanic than Speck in the long run, only if Speck can't improve his Dexterity. If Speck can train up his Dexterity to as good as Sparky's, then Speck will always be the better mechanic than Sparky.
Right now, I am playing the "abandonware" version, with minimum speech. I plan to start over when the used CD (with full audio and speech) I bought online arrive.
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| Re: JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides[message #47603]
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Sun, 13 February 2005 00:51
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| Phantom |
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Messages:66
Registered:November 2001
Location: behind you ... |
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Well, if you want to play this game to the fullest, you'll have to accept that some mercs are gonna die ...
at least, you should sample as many of them as possible. Some of my most memorable moments involve one merc threatening to frag another. And then carrying it out. Most of them are not very loyal, and will leave for all sorts of reasons. So if you want to keep your starting team, pick those who will stick with you (Beth, Hurl, Grunty, Ears, there are a few others - maybe Elroy &/or Bud - never hired 'em). These also tend to be the least interesting personalities.
There isn't any time limit on training but many recruits will complain if you don't see any action, and your employer won't like it either. Most can potentially reach 100, if they can't it's because they are one of the handful who are incapable of improvement.
Only a few mercs are available to begin with, as you progress you are rewarded with the ability to replace them with more effective (and expensive) recruits. Turnover rate mostly refers to mercs dying on the job, some are pickier about it than others. Hire your team according to which personalities you like, stats are only secondary consideration. It's possible to keep your starting team throughout the game, but you have so many other options.
There are easter eggs that can only be found within a certain timeframe - the coded messages allude to them. Therefore don't spend all your time training.
There are plenty of good mechanics, but whoever you assign won't be in the field much. So I guess Speck is the best choice, much as I despise him. If your away team tends to spend a lot of time training, or in the sick bay, get someone who can fight.
After Elio leaves your team you'll be offered another native, there are 4. You can only have one native at a time, and each is only good at one skill (except Elio, who is unskilled but with plenty of AP's).
Beth, along with most of the cast, didn't get to JA2, probably because she is crap, but it could be because she is boring, or maybe her voice-actor was unavailable (though I think female IMP 2 has Beth's voice).
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Corporal
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| Re: JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides[message #47608]
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Tue, 15 February 2005 13:53
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| ktchong |
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Messages:4
Registered:February 2005 |
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I despise X-COM games with a passion. So, when so many people and reviews described Jagged Alliance as a "game that is like X-COM" some ten years ago, I immediately decided I was not going to play it.
I bought X-COM when it first came to the US and played it. I really really hated it. A few years later, when I upgraded my computer, I tried playing X-COM again. I still hated it. Then, a few more years later again, I bought another new computer and gave X-COM one last chance. I ended up hating it even more (because the graphics and sound was already badly outdated by then, and I had never liked its gameplay to begin with.)
A couple weeks ago, I was looking online for old classic Ultima (VI-VII) and Quest for Glory to download when I came across Jagged Alliance. I decided to give the game a try because it was free. Wow! It is so not like X-COM at all. I really enjoy Jagged Alliance although it is over ten years old.
Now that I know X-COM had made me missed out Jagged Alliance for ten years, I hated X-COM even more.
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Civilian
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| Re: JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides[message #47611]
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Sat, 09 September 2006 15:29
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| dogfish |
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Messages:2
Registered:August 2006 |
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Speed counts for a lot. You can use Elio as a scout/mule. Give him a 5-pocket vest, a crowbar and canteens.
I also gave him a combat knife and grenades and used him as a 'finisher'. In the beginning, he got even more kills than Ivan.
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Civilian
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| Re: JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides[message #47612]
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Sat, 09 September 2006 22:23
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| Baan |
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Messages:22
Registered:August 2006
Location: Sweden |
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I played trough JA1 actually just a month ago, and if you're effective, which means like ~6 sectors per day, the only noteable difference for your mercs will be their level (which is quite important I believe). Marksmanship and stuff like taht will go up a few points, sure, but in general you won't have Grunty turning to Mike if you give him lots of combat.
As for merc's, of course you can take any reasonable merc (there are some insanily crappy mercs) who can hit a big house in front of him and run more than five yards without dying and still play through the game. It won't make it easier to skip merc's like Ivan though, but i guess that is obvious.
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Private 1st Class
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| Re: JA1: Questions on Time Limit, Skill Development, Starting Mercs, and Native Guides[message #151129]
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Mon, 30 July 2007 06:15
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| Jamesss |
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Messages:29
Registered:July 2007 |
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first you get Elio
than Hamous
than Juan
than Watan
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Private 1st Class
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