Jagged Alliance: Back in Action Previews

We have two new previews for Kalypso’s remake of Jagged Alliance 2, the first coming from the folks at GameSpy, which seem to appreciate the controversial move away from turn-based:

One area of the game that has changed (that we’ve talked about before) is the “Plan & Go” gameplay system, designed to replace the classic turn-based strategy mechanic from the original. To say that gameplay change is controversial would be an understatement, judging by the community reaction on the game’s official forums. Honestly, I think the Plan & Go system is a nice compromise between action and strategy — there’s still a significant amount of thought involved to determine the routes and actions for each of my mercenaries, much like the original Rainbow Six from an overhead perspective. There’s even an option to swap to a real-time strategy mode at any point during a mission.

In either game-type, you’ve got to analyze the tactical layout of the insertion point and consider your options, as well as recruiting the best mercenary team that you can afford with the limited funds on hand (you’ll accrue money as you complete missions). Picking and choosing this team can take some time, because each of the 40 available mercenaries varies in abilities and price. For example, having someone on your team with a healing rating of 92 but a 35 in weapons would work well as your team’s medic, but would be a disaster on the front lines. Where-as a character with a strong rating in weapons and explosives would be a good compliment to a medic. The point is to create the most well-balanced team that accommodates for the other mercenaries’ weaknesses. After the crew of three mercs (one medic, two soldiers) has been assigned, we’re taken to the battlefield to complete the mission objectives that involve clearing out a town of enemy soldiers.

The Gamers’ Hub shares the positive tone:

The biggest change to the way that Jagged Alliance is played is (Plan & Go.) The Plan & Go system lets you freeze the game, and then plan out tactical movements. You can create a route for one mercenary to travel around one side of a building, while you send someone through it in order to execute a surprise attack on enemies. Plan & Go will actually allow gamers to time when they want someone to do something, based on what another squad member is doing. You can plan it right to the last footfall and even preemptively aim where you want to try to shoot or stab your enemy. The Plan & Go system really brings a tactical element that is often lost on most real time strategy games.

It’s also easy to change your original plan. With just a couple clicks you can delete one part of or the entire course of action in favor of something else. When you aim at someone during Plan & Go it will also tell you what percent chance you have of hitting the target in a certain body part. Example, aiming for the head will have only a 17% chance of success whereas it will tell you that there’s a 58% chance to hit the torso. You can also see the range of vision for a nearby enemy, so that you can stay out of sight. The transition between the RTS mode and Plan & Go is seamless and you can switch between the two as often as you’d like. The Plan & Go mode looks very similar to video editing programs but is easy to use and there will be a tutorial to help you through it if you need a nudge. One downside, however, is that if something happens (such as an enemy you didn’t originally notice chancing upon your squad) while you are executing a Plan & Go mission your mercenaries stay on their predetermined route and don’t react. Luckily, however, you can pause Plan & Go and alter their path so that you can deal with the unexpected opposition.