Table of contents |
|
Welcome to Arulco .......................................................... |
1 |
Tutorial ............................................................... |
2 |
Part One: Assemble a Team............................................. |
2 |
Part Two: Travel to Interesting Places................ |
4 |
Part Three: Meet Interesting People ..................... |
5 |
Part Four: And Kill Them............................................... |
6 |
Reference ............................................................ |
9 |
Logistics: The Laptop ....................................................... |
9 |
Hiring Mercs................................................................. |
9 |
Shopping at Bobby Ray’s ............................................ |
13 |
Getting Information ................................................... |
13 |
Table of contents |
|
Reconaissance: The Tactical Screen ...................... |
14 |
Mercenary Portraits .................................................... |
14 |
Movement ................................................................... |
15 |
Inventory ..................................................................... |
20 |
Items and Interaction ................................................. |
23 |
Meeting Non-Player Characters ................................ |
26 |
Tactics: Fighting the Enemy ....................................... |
27 |
Firing Weapons........................................................... |
27 |
Hand-to-Hand Combat.............................................. |
29 |
Interrupts and Action Points...................................... |
29 |
Explosives and Grenades ............................................ |
30 |
Wounds and Bandaging.............................................. |
31 |
Ending a Turn ............................................................. |
32 |
Ending Combat........................................................... |
32 |
Advanced Tactics: The Rules of War ......................... |
32 |
Strategy: The Map Screen ............................................ |
35 |
Merc Assignments ...................................................... |
35 |
Sleep ............................................................................ |
38 |
Renewing Contracts and Firing Mercs...................... |
38 |
Using the Map ............................................................. |
38 |
Other Map Features.................................................... |
40 |
Travel via the Map Screen .......................................... |
41 |
Town Loyalty............................................................... |
43 |
Militias ........................................................................ |
43 |
Game Options ....................................................................... |
44 |
Appendices.......................................................... |
47 |
Keyboard Commands ........................................................ |
47 |
Frequently Asked Questions ...................................... |
50 |
Index...................................................................... |
54 |
Welcome to Arulco
You hold a nation’s fate in your hands. Enrico Chivaldori, deposed ruler of the war-torn country of Arulco, has hired you to return him to power. It’s not an easy task. You’ll need the strategic insight of a general, the negotiating skills of a diplomat, the financial savvy of a CEO—and a squad of some of the deadliest mercenaries to ever hit the streets.
This is Jagged Alliance 2, an exciting mix of strategy and role-playing that puts you in charge of a nation’s fight for freedom. You’ll hire a core group of skilled professionals through A.I.M., the Association of International Mercenaries. You’ll win the local population over to your side by displaying courage and loyalty. You’ll train your men around the clock, then send them into dangerous missions and lethal firefights. You’ll conquer the depths of underground mines, reap their riches, and discover their secrets.
Each success will bring you closer to total victory; each failure must be overcome with iron determination. In the end you will prevail, if you remember a few things. Stay focused on your goal. Keep your men well supplied with both ammunition and inspiration. And keep the cash flowing–there’s nothing, nothing, nastier than a mercenary whose paycheck just bounced.
To jump into the game, just turn the page. The Tutorial will walk you through your first exploits in Arulco. The rest of the manual contains detailed information on strategy and tactics that you’ll need in the rest of your campaign. The battle for Arulco is about to begin.
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2
Tutorial
This brief tutorial will help you jump-start your mercenary career. It explains the basics of recruiting mercenaries, exploring the world, and fighting battles. It doesn’t cover everything, though. For detailed information on strategy and tactics, consult the comprehensive Reference section that follows.
Part One: Assemble a Team …
When the Initial Game Settings screen appears, click on OK to accept the default settings. (Warning: If you’re already familiar with Jagged Alliance or similar games, you may want to try Experienced mode instead of Novice. You’ll find the full details on these settings in the Reference section.)
After viewing the introduction, you’ll open your trusty laptop computer, ready to read some important e-mail that has just arrived. To read it, click on the E-mail button on the left side of the screen. Several messages are waiting for you. Most are from your employer, Enrico, while the last is from the mysterious “Psych Pro Inc.” This company’s personality
profiling service allows you to create a custom mercenary, for a small fee. Jot down the access code, XEP624. (It’s in the second part of the e-mail message: click on the right arrow button to see the second part.)
It’s time to pay a visit to I.M.P., the Institute for Mercenary Profiling. Click on the Web button and select I.M.P. from the menu of bookmarks. Once at the I.M.P. site, enter XEP624 as the access code and press the Enter key.
To start character creation, click on the Begin button. Enter your character’s full name (e.g. “Herman
Tutorial
Noodleman”), plus your character’s cool nickname (like “Flayer”). You also select the character’s gender at this stage.
The next task is to complete the character’s personality profile. While some of the questions are a bit, um, unusual, your answers will determine the personality of your creation. Be sure to answer the way you feel your merc would.
After outlining his quirks and oddities, you will allocate attribute points to your character. These determine the character’s strengths and weaknesses in important areas such as Health and Agility. While allocating your points, keep in mind that a skill of 0 can never be improved. After deciding on your attributes, choose a portrait and style of voice that fits your character.
After creating your custom character, you’ll want to hire some more firepower. Return to the Web menu and select “A.I.M.” This takes you to the Website of the Association of International Mercenaries, where you’ll hire your first mercenaries. A good initial team is Blood, Buns, and Hitman, but keep in mind that they might not be available. Regardless of whom you do hire, keep
some money on hand to renew their contracts in the future. It may be a while before you find a steady source of income for your team.
While using the Laptop, you may want to make quick visits to some of the other sites available from A.I.M.’s links page. Also take the time to read the overview of Arulco contained in your file manager. It’s useful background material on Arulco, the country you’re about to visit.
2 |
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2 |
2 |
3 |
Tutorial
When you’re ready to head out into the field, select “Shut Down” on the laptop. The Map Screen will now appear. The Map Screen contains all sorts of cool functions and features. For now, though, concentrate on the lower right section of the screen. Click on the small arrow to the right of the word “Paused.” It’s time to head to Arulco.
Part Two: …Travel to Interesting Places…
The next thing you’ll see is your mercenaries being dropped into the town of Omerta. Once they’re all off the helicopter, you’ll be able to give them commands.
Before you can give a mercenary an order, you must select him. To select a merc, either left-click once on the merc’s figure on the main screen, or leftclick on the merc’s portrait at the bottom of the screen.
To make a selected merc move, just left-click on a destination. The merc will begin to make his way over. (Of course, this won’t work if there’s another merc or an obstacle in the way. Hey, your mercs may go through hell for you, but they’re not about to walk smack dab into a wall just so you can have a cheap laugh.) If you’re in a hurry, doubleclick on the target to make him run there instead.
Often, you’ll want to move several mercs at once. To select a group of mercs, left-click on the ground and drag the mouse to draw a box around the mercs you wish to select. This “rubber band” method lets you select some or all of your mercs at once. You can also ALT-left-click on an individual merc’s body to add him to the selected group. (If a merc is already part of the selected group, ALT-left-click will remove him from the selected group.)
Note that different mercenaries move at different speeds, so you may have to wait a bit for the slowpokes in the group to shuffle over to their goal. Also note that group movement does not work during turn-based combat. You’ll definitely want to handle one merc at a time in the midst of a shoot-out.
And make no mistake, a shoot-out is about to begin. You’ll encounter hostile troops shortly after your team lands. When one of your mercs sees an enemy, turn-based combat will begin. In combat, you control each merc individually;
Tutorial
group movement and selection modes are no longer active. In turn-based mode, every mercenary has action points which decide how much he can do in a single round of combat. Faster, more agile mercs might be able to shoot multiple times or run great distances, while slow mercs may have difficulty just getting off one shot in a given round.
To fire at an enemy in your mercs’ visual range, hold the cursor over the enemy. A targeting crosshairs will appear. Left-click to fire the gun. For more advanced combat options, such as refining your aim, throwing grenades, and hand-to-hand combat, see the Tactics section of this manual.
Any merc standing bolt upright in battle is begging for death, and the enemy will be happy to give it to him. Your mercs can stand, crouch, or lie prone, and they’ll need to do a combination of these if they want to survive. To make a merc change stance, hold the mouse cursor over the selected merc. You’ll see one arrow pointing up and one arrow pointing down. While holding down the left mouse button, drag the mouse up or down, depending on the way you want to change the merc’s stance. Standing and lying prone are two arrows apart, while standing and crouching are one arrow apart.
The puny enemy forces in this sector are no match for your team. You should be able to defeat them with only minor casualties. If you have a merc with medical knowledge and equipment on your squad, you’ll be given the option to automatically bandage the injured after the battle ends. (You did hire a medic, didn’t you?)
Part Three: …Meet Interesting People…
Take a look around after you win the battle. You’ll find a young boy named Pacos just south of where you landed.
If you move the cursor over Pacos, a ‘moving lips’ icon will appear. This is the symbol for the Talk command. The cursor in Jagged Alliance 2 will automatically change to the most logical option in many situations. If you put the cursor over
someone you can speak to, it will change to a pair of lips; if you put it over an enemy, it will turn into a crosshairs; if you move it over a closed door, it will change to a hand, and so on.
Left-click the Talk cursor on Pacos. A box appears, offering different stances describing your attitude toward the boy. However, Pacos’s mother has told him not to talk to strangers–especially strangers with guns! He’ll eventually run away no matter what you say to him. Follow him into the building.
4 |
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2 |
2 |
5 |
Tutorial
Pacos will lead you to his mother, Fatima. Talk to Fatima using the “friendly” stance. She’ll listen to your mercs, but she’s skeptical. You can convince her of your credentials by giving her a letter you received from Enrico Chivaldori.
Right-click on the face of the first merc in your team, the one on the far left of the bottom of the screen. This will bring up that mercenary’s Inventory Panel. There you’ll see an outline of your team member and pictures of his equipment. One of these items is the letter. Left-click on the letter to pick it up, and then left-click on Fatima to give it to her.
Fatima will lead your team towards the rebel headquarters after she reads the letter. Eventually, she’ll leave the sector, exiting off the right side of the screen. To follow her, move your mercs to the edge of the sector, then bring your cursor all the way over to the eastern
side of the screen. As long as everyone is within a few spaces of the edge of the sector, the cursor will change to an exit sign. Make sure all your mercs are nearby, then left-click with the exit cursor showing. An options box will appear. Click “OK” and your squad will travel to the next sector (sector A10).
Once you make it inside rebel HQ, listen to everything that Miguel, the rebel leader says. When he’s done talking, try to Recruit him. (You’ll find the Recruit option in the conversation window.) You’ll be directed to recruit Ira, another member of the rebels’ team. Once you have been given a mission and a new team member, you’ll leave the rebels’ basement hideout.
Part Four: …And Kill Them.
Your mission is to travel to the city of Drassen. To plan your journey, enter the Map Screen by either left-clicking the triangle button, or by pressing the M key.
Before you get into any more trouble, it’s a good idea to save your game. First, either left-click on the big button with a picture of a compact disc on it, or press O. This brings
up the Options Screen. Now click on the button labeled “Save Game” to save your game. You’ll enter a screen with a list of slots in which to save your game. Just left-click on the second slot, and enter an appropriate description (like “Showing Deidranna Who’s Boss”). The first slot is reserved for the Quick Save feature, explained in the Reference section.
Tutorial
After your game is saved, you’ll return to the Map Screen. There’s a lot of information here, but you can safely ignore most of it for now. It’s time to tell your team to head to Drassen. In the top-left section of the screen you’ll notice a list of all of your mercenaries. To begin plotting your trip, click in the column marked DEST for any of your mercenaries. Now turn your attention to the map itself, and click twice on sector B13, the top sector of the town of Drassen. This will start your squad off on their expedition.
There’s just one small catch. Your mercs won’t move because time has stopped. No, the world hasn’t ended—it’s just that the game automatically goes into Pause mode when you enter the Map Screen. To get things moving again, take a look at the time controls in the bottom right corner of the Map Screen. These controls compress time, so that you can get events moving at just the speed you prefer. Click on the small arrow to the right of the blinking word “pause” to speed up time and start your party walking. Each time you click that button, time moves faster. It takes about 8 game hours to get to Drassen, so the fast “60 min.” setting is best.
You’ll see your team, represented as a yellow arrow, being their journey. If you don’t run into some enemies along the way, you definitely will once you reach Drassen. When you encounter hostile forces while traveling, a warning box will appear with three buttons: “Auto-resolve,” “Go to sector,” and “Retreat mercs.” Don’t wimp out—pick “Go to sector” to begin a battle.
Upon entering the sector, you’ll encounter a screen allowing you to strategically place your mercenaries along the edge of the sector. For now, just left-click “Group,” and place your mercs with the cursor. Leftclick “Done” once you’re ready. You’ll be taken down to the battle.
6 |
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2 |
2 |
7 |
Tutorial
This bunch is tougher than the crew you mowed down back in Omerta. Take some time to plan your strategy. Remember, your mercenaries are in this for the long haul. You don’t want them shot to pieces in the first few hours of your campaign.
With the battle for Drassen begun, you’ve taken the first vital steps in liberating Arulco. Consult the “Reference” section which follows for more detailed information about the game. Or, just press the H key at any time to get instant help on the game’s features.
Good luck! Between Queen Deidranna and the even more sinister forces that lurk in the countryside, you’re going to need it.
Reference
The Reference section contains in-depth information on specific game functions. Here you’ll find information on:
•Logistics: The laptop, dealing with A.I.M. and hiring mercenaries.
•Reconnaissance: Exploring Arulco, talking to its inhabitants, and using items.
•Tactics: Everything you need to know about combat.
•Strategy: Using the Map Screen, changing merc assignments, and traveling long distances.
•Game Options: How to configure the game to your liking.
Logistics: The Laptop Screen
Hiring Mercs
The first step in acquiring some good hired guns is contacting the Association of International Mercenaries (A.I.M.). A.I.M. acts as the employment agency for the best of the best in the merc community. To contact them, use your laptop. From the Web button on the left side of the screen, select A.I.M. from your bookmarks.
On the A.I.M. home page, you’ll find buttons leading to Members, Policy, History, and Links. Policy and History will give you some background information, while Links leads to Web sites such as Bobby Ray’s Guns and Things. The Members section is where you find the real meat of the A.I.M. site: reviewing and hiring mercenaries.
A.I.M. Roster: The options available in the A.I.M. Members section allow you to view available mercs. You can sort the merc roster by Price, Experience, Marksmanship, Medical, Explosive, and Mechanical—very handy for making your employment decisions. You can also view the mug shot index, read individual mercenary files, and read about A.I.M. alumni.
8 |
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2 |
2 |
9 |
Reference
Click on M to view the Mug shot index. This brings up the picture of every merc in A.I.M. If you sorted in descending order, then the mercenaries with the highest attribute will be at the top left hand side of the map. Sometimes (particularly when dealing with price) you may be searching for lower attributes. In this case, simply sort in ascending order or look at the bottom of the list. Once you click on a mug shot, you’ll get all the necessary information on that merc. Clicking on F goes right to the mercenary File, which provides you with detailed information on individual mercenaries. A will take you to the Alumni roster, containing the stories of the many old-time A.I.M. veterans who have since left the mercenary business.
Mercenary Files: These pack a lot of information into one screen. Left-click on the merc’s portrait to offer him a job, and Right-click on the portrait to return to the mug shot index. Next to the portrait are attributes and skills (described below).
On the far-right side of the File screen is contract information. This tells you the fees for hiring the merc for one day, one week, and two weeks, as well as the merc’s medical deposit. To find out more about mercenaries, their skills, and their quirks, read their background information. Finally, near the bottom of the screen, is the Optional Items section. The merc joins your team with this equipment, if you choose to pay the additional cost.
Mercenary Statistics: Take a close look at a mercenary’s statistics while viewing his file. A mercenary’s statistics represents his overall ability in various areas. Each statistic ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 being pathetic and 100 being top of the line. Some mercenaries can improve their statistics by training and field missions. As a mercenary’s statistics increase, he becomes more valuable, and therefore demands a higher . . .
Salary is the amount a merc charges for his services. A merc charges differing amounts depending on whether the contract is for a day, a week, or two weeks. A merc’s salary comes directly out of your main bank account, and must be paid in advance. (A.I.M. Mercs operate on a strictly cash-up-front basis, for obvious reasons.) Don’t blow your entire wad on expensive mercs until you can afford their exceptional talents.
Logistics
Health represents both the physical well-being of a mercenary and the amount of damage he can take before death. A mercenary with 100 health is in perfect physical condition. A mercenary with 10 health could be killed by a stubbed toe. Health also influences the overall performance of a mercenary and the effectiveness of other statistics and skills. After all, it’s hard to perform any job well when your arm is falling off.
Agility measures how well a mercenary reacts physically to a new situation, whether it’s a shotgun blast or a pesky mosquito. Agility affects the speed, coordination and control a merc displays while recognizing and reacting to an event, as well as the merc’s traveling speed.
Dexterity measures a mercenary’s ability to perform delicate or precise movements correctly. For certain skills, like medical talents, a high dexterity is very important. Having read all the books does- n’t do much good if your hands shake during surgery.
Strength represents a mercenary’s muscle and brawn. You’ll find it particularly important in hand-to-hand combat and forcing things open.
Wisdom affects a mercenary’s ability to learn from experience and training. Naturally, it also affects his interpretation of things. Highly intelligent mercs have no difficulty mastering the inner workings of complex military items. Those not so mentally blessed take more time to absorb the intricacies of a skill or action. (Hey guys! Look at the funny metal pineapple with the pin in it!)
Leadership measures charm, respect, and presence. Leadership affects your mercs’ performance in the field and their interactions with non-player characters.
Mercenary Skills: In addition to statistics, everyone on your team has four basic skills that lie at the heart of the mercenary trade. Like statistics, skills range from zero to 100 and may increase with practice. A skill of zero, however, will never improve. Some people just aren’t cut out to be doctors or mechanics.
Medical: Since they seldom get into firefights near hospitals, injured mercs must rely on one another for treatment. A member’s medical skill represents his current medical knowledge and ability to heal the wounded. A mercenary with a high medical skill could perform brain surgery with a can opener and a sewing kit, while a low skilled mercenary would have trouble applying a Band-Aid correctly.
Explosives: A member’s explosives skill determines his ability to create, use, and disarm explosives without blowing himself sky-high.
10 |
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2 |
2 |
11 |
Reference
A highly skilled merc could disarm the most complex bomb without breaking a sweat, while an unskilled merc might destroy the building just by trying to light a sparkler.
Mechanical: Mercenaries use all sorts of gadgets—their weapons, radios, locks, and so on. Mechanical skill rates a merc’s ability to repair damaged, worn-out or broken items or equipment (such as vehicles), jimmy locks, and to combine existing objects to form new ones.
Marksmanship: A keen eye and a steady hand contribute to the sought-after talents of the marksman. A mercenary’s marksmanship skill reflects his ability to hit, precisely, any given target with a firearm.
Experience Level is the most important mercenary trait. It reflects the sum of their abilities: their years in A.I.M., the amount of combat they’ve seen, and how knowledgeable they are in the field. As mercenaries gain in experience class, they also gain certain benefits:
•Their ability to detect boobytraps and ambushes improves.
•They become sneakier and their stealth increases.
•They are able to focus their sights on an enemy target more quickly and accurately.
•They become more effective at interrupting enemies (and avoiding being interrupted themselves.)
•Their overall proficiency in field operations increases.
•Their salary increases (mind you, it’s a benefit to them.)
Hiring: After reviewing the files, you’ll be ready to assemble a team. Leftclick on a merc’s portrait to hire him. This brings up a series of dialog boxes. The first box has the options Hire and Hang up. The next box is much more detailed. Choose whether to hire a merc for one day, one week, or two weeks, and whether to leave the merc naked and defenseless, or buy his optional equipment. You may have to wait several game hours for your new hires to catch the next chopper to Arulco. (Some mercs may be not be available when you try to hire them. Leave them a message to find out when they are available.)
Newly hired mercs will initially be dropped off in the town of Omerta. If you like, you can have them dropped off at other locations. See the description of the Airspace Filter in the Map Screen section of the manual for more information.
Medical Deposit: Some mercenaries require medical deposits. The medical deposit is compensation for the merc putting their life and livelihood on the line while working for you. If a mercenary leaves your service unscathed, you’ll
Logistics
get this deposit back. If he’s injured, you may be able to get a partial refund. If, however, the mercenary leaves your employ in a pine coffin, the medical deposit is forfeit.
Insurance: Insurance is a good way to protect your “investment” in mercenaries. For a small premium up front, you can be guaranteed a refund for every day that a dead merc has left in his contract. For instance: suppose you hire a merc for one week at $1000 per day, and that merc dies on day three. With insurance, you’ll get $4000 back which otherwise would have been lost. The full details are on Malleus, Incus, & Staple’s Web site (there’s a link to it on A.I.M.’s site).
Shopping at Bobby Ray’s
You’ll find a link to Bobby Ray’s Gubs ‘n Things on the Links page of the A.I.M. Web site. It takes a while for Bobby Ray to open up his shop, but when he does you’ll find he sells just about everything on your wish list.
Once in Bobby Ray’s, just left-click on the items you want to put them in your shopping cart. To remove an item from your shopping cart, right-click its picture instead. After you have selected the appropriate items, go to the Order Form page. Here you’ll find an inventory of the items you’re ordering. Select a destination for your goods, and a method of shipping. Then click on the Order Button.
Your weapons will be delivered to the destination town in a few days. Meduna and Drassen are the only two towns with airports in all of Arulco, so expect to pick up your order in one of those two sites. The enemy holds these towns at the beginning of the game, so you’ll have to do some fighting before you can pick up your deliveries.
Note: Bobby Ray’s isn’t the only place you can stock up on new items. You can also buy and sell from characters you’ll meet in Arulco. Though they might not have the selection, you won’t have to pay hundreds of dollars in shipping charges or wait several days for your goods to arrive.
Getting Information
The laptop contains all sorts of other useful information. Consult the laptop frequently to check your e-mail, monitor your mercs’ performance, and read essential reconnaissance files.
E-mail: If you have new e-mail when you start up your laptop, you’ll be notified. Select E-mail from the list on the left, and the new messages will be bolded to set them apart from the rest. Besides giving you information, some e-mail will give you new Web sites to visit, which then appear as bookmarks in your Web browser.
Personnel Manager: The personnel manager provides detailed information
12 |
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2 |
2 |
13 |
Reference
on your mercs and their accomplishments. The main screen is made up of an index of mercs. You can view the statistics and inventory of each mercenary. The statistics section compares the attributes and skills of all your mercs. It also contains miscellaneous personal information on your mercs, such as the number of kills they have, and information on their contracts and prices. This information can be essential for deciding who to retain and who to give the old heave-ho.
File Viewer: Over the course of your liberation of Arulco, you’ll acquire computer files which can be read in this viewer. Initially, the only file present is a reconnaissance report on Arulco.
Reconnaissance: The Tactical Screen
To complete your liberation campaign, you must explore Arulco thoroughly and interact with its inhabitants. You’ll accomplish these missions from the Tactical Screen. From the Tactical Screen you can move your mercs, obtain information about them, and use the items you find in Arulco. As the name
Selected
Merc
End Turn
Merc |
Map |
New |
Sector |
Portrait |
Screen |
Squad |
Info |
suggests, the Tactical Screen is also where you’ll do your fighting.
Mercenary Portraits
Along with your surroundings, the Tactical Screen also displays some of your
Reconnaissance
mercs’ portraits, along with their vital statistics.
Portrait: Left-click on a merc’s portrait to select him; right-click to bring up his Inventory Panel.
Name: During combat, the amount of action points a mercenary has left is displayed to the right of the merc’s name.
Health
Energy
Morale
Attachment
Main Hand
Secondary
Hand
Indicator Bars: These track the current level of three important mercenary statistics, Health, Energy, and Morale.
Health: The red bar tracks the mercenary’s current physical state. If a mercenary is wounded, the health bar drops to reflect the damage and leaves an “injury tracker” in its place. Injuries left untreated are shown in yellow, while treated injuries show pink. Untreated, injuries have the potential to permanently lower a mercenary’s health rating.
Energy: The blue bar tracks a character’s breathing rate and energy. The bar will fall as the merc performs activities, and rise when the character rests. How quickly a merc regains energy depends on the member’s well-being and how tired he was in the first place. Sleep (or lack thereof ) can greatly affect a merc’s available energy. A merc who hasn’t been sleeping will have his potential energy decrease as well, and will eventually collapse from exhaustion.
Morale: Morale is a measurement of how a merc is feeling. A normal merc is at the morale midpoint, stable. The higher the morale bar, the happier the merc is. Though your mercs probably won’t quit on you if they’re unhappy, their performance may suffer, or they may refuse to renew their contracts.
The Main Hand and the Secondary Hand: The items a merc has in his hands are displayed here. To swap an item from the Secondary Hand to the Main Hand, right-click on the Secondary Hand. For more information, see the section on the Inventory Panel.
Movement
Selecting Mercs: To get a mercenary to follow your orders, you must first select him. Mercenaries may be selected by left-clicking on their portraits, pressing F1 through F6, or by left-clicking on their figures on the playing field. A selected merc’s panel is highlighted.
Getting a Clearer View: If trees are blocking your view, you can get a better view by pressing the T key to toggle Treetops on and off. (If you toggle Treetops off, the trees are still there, but only their stumps show on screen.)
14 |
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2 |
2 |
15 |
Reference
The W key (for Wireframe buildings) serves a similar function for buildings. For an overhead view of the entire sector, either press the INSERT key or right-click on the small map in the lower right corner of the Tactical Screen.
Walking Around: In real-time mode, the normal destination cursor is a square. Left-click with this cursor on the destination, and the currently selected mercenary will attempt to travel there. A mercenary’s movement speed depends on their physique, energy level, and the type of terrain. In combat, it also depends on the number of action points a merc has. For more information, see the section on action points later in this manual. You can also make a merc run to his destination by double-clicking there.
Mercs will avoid obstacles in their path and generally choose the easiest and shortest route. Of course, what a merc considers the best route may not be the one you would have chosen! To plan a precise route, hold down the SHIFT key while choosing your destination. The SHIFT key displays the exact path your mercenary will take. It also makes the cursor “hug the ground.” This is helpful in close quarters, where walls or other obstacles may block the way.
Group Movement: As explained in the Tutorial, you may select a group of mercenaries by left-clicking and dragging to draw a box around them. You may also ALT-left-click on an individual merc’s body to add him to the selected group. (If the merc is already part of the selected group, ALT-left- click will remove him from the selected group.)
Sometimes you want all mercs in a squad to gather together at one location. Jagged Alliance 2 provides a convenient way to move all of your mercs to the same destination:
•Left-click on the destination and hold the mouse button down. A red square will appear.
•Press down on the right mouse button. Another red square will appear inside the first red square. (To make the mercs run instead of walk, click the right button twice.)
•Now release both mouse buttons. All squad members will walk towards that destination.
Note that the group movement modes don’t work during turn-based combat. Ambling along in a nice ordered line is the last thing your mercs are going to want to do when they’re surrounded by hostile forces.
CONTinuing an Action: During turn-based combat, your merc may pause while en route to a destination and report on something he’s seen. To make the merc continue on his way, click on the merc’s portrait or press the END key. The word CONT on a merc’s portrait indicates he was interrupted in mid-action.
Reconnaissance
Movement Modes: Normally, your mercs just saunter along. However, just sauntering along in a battlefield will get you your head blown off, which is why Jagged Alliance 2 offers you several additional movement modes.
•Stand/Run: When you have the need for speed. Running is the fastest way to move, but it also depletes the blue Energy bar the fastest. Running mercs are less perceptive and more likely to make noise.
•Stand/Walk: The typical way to travel.
•Crouch/Squat: Makes mercs less visible and safer from enemy fire.
•Prone/Crawl: Hugging the ground is the safest way to travel under heavy fire. It’s also the slowest, and quite exhausting to boot.
There are a number of ways to change your movement mode:
1.The Cursor: Place the cursor over the merc. An arrow will appear. To make a standing merc crouch, left-click and hold, then pull the mouse cursor down. To make the crouching merc lie prone, repeat the process. You can make a crouching character stand up by holding the cursor over the merc, left-clicking and holding, and then pulling up instead of down. If you drag up or down far enough to see two arrows, you can go directly from standing to lying prone, or vice versa.
2.The Merc Options Panel: Right-click and hold. The Merc Options Panel will appear, allowing you to change your movement mode.
|
Run |
|
Look/ |
Walk |
|
Turn |
||
|
||
Use |
Crouch |
|
Talk |
Prone |
|
|
Hand |
16 |
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2 |
2 |
17 |
Loading...