What? Jagged Alliance 3D

Why? The legendary tactical series, for which the last few years have not been the best in life. The development company closed, and the series itself lived for a long time only through amateur modifications. Today, the domestic studio MiST Land - YUG is developing the continuation of Jagged Alliance. Will they be able to return Jagged Alliance to its former glory?

How? Arrive in Zelenograd near Moscow under the guise of ordinary railway passengers. Remove a camera, a voice recorder, a special notebook with a special pen from a previously prepared cache and, under the cover of darkness, enter the guarded office of the MiST Land - South company. Then act according to the situation.

Jagged Alliance 3D- probably the best proof that getting your hands on a seductive brand is only half the battle. Remember how many cheerful chants were heard two and a half years ago (we repent, from the pages of “ Gambling addiction"they also sounded). Napoleonic plans were made, it was explained to the public that everything would be great, that it would be better than in our yard, continued Jagged Alliance they won't do it anywhere.

Everyday work doused the storytellers with a tub of cold water. Recreate the spirit of the series, even with the design documents of the previous parts on your desk, and your phone number and mailing address in your notebook Richard Thierien, a very respected person in the JA scene is not an easy task. Then once again the overseas publishing house will throw back its knees Strategy First- it was he, if anyone doesn’t know, who owns the rights to Jagged Alliance and it was he who contracted domestic companies to develop the sequel GFI And " MiST land SOUTH" The fans... oh, the loyal fans of the series are a different story altogether. Most of them, without even reading the very first press release to the end, believed that the new developers would ruin the great tactical game, throw out both the atmosphere and combat system, and in general everything that is just thrown away. However, they, the fans, are right in many ways - if Jagged Alliance, as before, was developed by the company Sir-Tech, then everything would be calmer. But, alas, Sir-Tech has been bankrupt for a long time, so you have to put up with what they give.

Well, in the meantime, Jagged Alliance 3D has quite unexpectedly grown to the stage of a playable version: finish various little things, test, bring the final polish - and put it on the shelves. In the meantime, we will rush to the Zelenograd office of MiST Land to get acquainted with the game.

Hello, turn-based mode!

Computer monitor being used Max Tumin, project manager of Jagged Alliance 3D, greets us with a funny scene - about a hundred identical girls in white outfits are standing on a platform hanging in the air. No, it's not " Matrix"with Agent Smiths having sex reassignment surgery. And this is not even the new, “lost atmosphere” Jagged Alliance 3D. This is one of a whole series of games featuring the popular Russian singer Gluck’oza. Either a fighting game, or a strategy, or some other arcade game...

Realizing that the visiting sharks of the pen saw something that they should not have seen, Max quickly launches a working version of Jagged Alliance 3D itself, while simultaneously trying to distract us for a long time with not even the second-newest news - the game no longer takes place in real time, it has been returned to its place old turn-based mode. Thanks first of all to the fans of the series who dissuaded Strategy First from this disastrous decision.

Another good news is that Africa in the game has finally become similar to the same Africa as we are used to imagining it. If before Jagged Alliance 3D most resembled another add-on to “ ALPHE: Anti-terror"(gray-green levels, filthy armored vehicles accompanied by equally filthy infantry), then now everything is different. When you first look at the screen, you even want to close your eyes - the color scheme of the game has become so bright and catchy. Yes, now this is real Africa, one of the most beautiful and at the same time dangerous continents on the planet. A continent where they never stop for a minute civil wars, and power in some countries changes several times a month.

It is to one of these countries that our road lies. The plot is simple. In a certain fictional state that has the resources to produce nuclear weapons, a revolution took place not long ago. The old government managed to escape, and now, having “unsealed” a secret account in a Swiss bank, it writes to us, a prominent mercenary and counter-revolution specialist, a tearful letter, the meaning of which can be expressed in only one word - “help!”

We, of course, agree - and immediately find ourselves in the arms of the character creation menu. From somewhere in the depths of the soul, nostalgia speaks up - everything here is so similar to the previous parts. Then the deja vu only gets stronger. The main character, for example, has a laptop from which he can surf the small JA Internet. The first letters from the new “owners” are persistently flashing in the mailbox, the tidy sum in our account warms the soul, the website of the loser company M.E.R.C. “closed for reconstruction,” but at A.I.M., as before, they are always ready to serve an old friend. The product is excellent - some of the best mercenaries in the world. It’s only a pity that the assortment has been reduced over time - knowledgeable people will instantly notice the absence of the legendary Gus, the best fighter of the office. “I got old and retired,” the developers modestly justify themselves. Several of his colleagues also went in the same direction - as a result, the number of available mercenaries was reduced to thirty (let's reveal a little secret - some of the “old men” can be found in the country).

The amount given to us by employers is even more modest. Two or three mediocre fighters plus inexpensive weapons - that’s all the player can afford at the beginning of the campaign. Sparsely.

In uranium mines

The task facing this modest team is very difficult - to penetrate the territory of the state and clear the path along which supplies, weapons and new fighters will arrive. What immediately catches your eye is a completely different Jagged Alliance 2, campaign structure. Global map, where you could move in any direction, there is no trace of it - in its place was a set of pre-prepared missions. The developers justify this by saying that the main character in the plot is not tasked with capturing and holding the country - he must only inflict lightning strike according to her government.

This does not mean that the campaign is linear - no, there are more than enough turns and forks in it. To simply run to the end, theoretically it is enough to complete only four mandatory missions - however, with this approach the game becomes not only short, but also surprisingly difficult. You can simplify the passage by completing additional tasks - there are seventeen of them in total. Is the mortar battery in the way? Well, carry out a daring sabotage and destroy it. Helped the UN save civilians? Get valuable information that will again help in your business.

When executing additional tasks What’s striking is the thoughtfulness of the game world, its richness in details, interesting characters, and events. Tell me, have you ever met a country where the airport manager has his own army, which is comparable in strength to government troops? Have you seen an attack by soldiers on a bus with civilians? Did you establish contacts with the rebels in order to use their help in one of the latest missions? That's the same!

After completing several tasks, one of the main elements of the game will make itself felt in full force - mercenaries. The “owners” regularly give the main character money, with which he can increase his team (by the way, in “MiST Land” they are now thinking about making it possible to hire fighters both for the entire game and for one specific mission). Plus, you can take some of the characters found in the game itself as companions, so the team will be very diverse. And there’s a lot of fuss with the fighters. One was seriously wounded in battle - and now he will have to spend at least a couple of missions at the base. The other one is as healthy as a bull, but the problem is that he shoots as accurately as the main drunkard in the yard. Therefore, it also remains for a couple of missions at the base - to improve accuracy.

The system of relations between mercenaries still causes some concern. The fact is that in Jagged Alliance 2, the sympathy or hostility of the fighters towards each other appeared only after they had spent quite a long time on the battlefield - Jagged Alliance 3D, we repeat, the game is very short. So we will eagerly watch how the developers get out of this situation.

And, of course, the most important thing is the combat system. You will be surprised, but there is not much to say about her. The combat mechanics, the rules - everything migrated straight from the second part of the game. And this, I must say, is just great news - after all, it was precisely for the deep tactics that we all loved Jagged Alliance 2. Tricky rules receiving and carrying out moves, a complex system of wounds, a huge number of shooting and movement modes - all this remains in place. Here we also note one more good news: in terms of complexity, Jagged Alliance 3D is still closer to its predecessors than to other games from MIST Land, the completion of which sometimes took long weeks. So the mass player should be happy.

* * *

Do you know what's most interesting? After all, Jagged Alliance 3D really turns out to be very similar to Jagged Alliance 2 (though, rather not like the original two, but like a much smaller addon Unfinished Business). And the reason for this is simple: no one is trying to offer us a completely new, “revolutionary” project - instead, we will see an old, time-tested concept and combat system, to which a completely modern one has been added graphics engine And interesting story. In the case of Jagged Alliance 3D, this is a very correct approach.

- This online game made in style. You have to play the role of a military mercenary performing combat missions, with the ensuing consequences.

After a short registration in the game Jagged Alliance Online, in which we will be required to confirm our email, we get into the game. At the beginning of the game, we will be asked to choose a portrait and archetype of our future character. Archetypes are divided into five types: soldier, machine gunner, sniper, commando and scout. Each of which will have corresponding characteristics, for example, a commando specializes in short distances, has a quick reaction and, as a rule, is always the first to shoot, and a sniper can destroy the enemy from a long distance.

After you decide on the choice of fighter, in the first mission you will be thrown into the jungle teeming with rebels, there you will learn to take your first steps and become familiar with the game interface. If you have never played Jagged Alliance on the PC platform, then you should know that this type of game is turn-based, that is, each player has a certain turn reserve, and when it runs out, you need to press “end turn”. By completing missions you will receive skill points, which you will distribute yourself, and your fighter will become stronger and stronger. As mentioned above, each type of fighter has its own characteristics and specializes in different tactics destroying opponents, so what skills need to be upgraded first will depend on this.

After completing the training missions in the game Jagged Alliance Online, you will have access to the command center where you can purchase the necessary equipment and even hire additional soldiers. You can earn money for the necessary equipment: by completing missions, robbing other online players, or by investing real money. By the way, the option of destroying other online players can bring you very significant results and even disrupt big jackpot. But at the same time, you may not calculate your strength and, on the contrary, you will become a victim, and you will be taken to the bone.

Jagged Alliance Online features PvP battles, but they are not available immediately, but after completing several missions. In PvP, you can fight with other online players, and here all the skills and upgrades of your fighter will come in handy - after all, the strongest will win.

The graphic design in the game is very attractive and modern, the only drawback that was noticed is the small size of the map, which slightly affects the battle tactics. But after several completed missions, you stop noticing this drawback. But in general, the game turned out to be good and in a browser version it has the right to exist.

Screenshots for the game

"Jagged Alliance: Dilogy" is a mini-collection of the last two (most recent) games from the entire series of tactical strategies, numbering a total of five pieces (including original releases and official additions). It was the chronological nature of the issue that determined its inclusion in the collection.

"Jagged Alliance: Back in Action"

Initially, this release had a shortened title (“Hard Alliance 3”). The plot is a remake of the previous, second issue. The main character, having gathered a group of mercenaries, goes to Latin America to help restore power to the overthrown ruler of the fictional country Arulco. All the characters from the original release, as well as local recruits, will help bring justice. Among the most special fighters are a Soviet major and a nudist woman acting as a medic.

1. Lack of fantasy mode.
2. The recruitment of mercenaries must meet certain conditions (nationalist, professional), so refusals to “get hired” are possible.
3. Replacement turn-based combat for real-time combat with the possibility of a tactical pause.
4. Only some specially marked barriers are subject to destruction.
5. The noise of movement is a reference point for both the enemy and allies.
6. A huge selection of weapons, camouflage, accessories with a limited resource of use.

However, not all innovations were positively received by gamers.

"Jagged Alliance: Crossfire"

The almost disastrous previous part forced the developers to bring back several elements from old games. And now a project in which mercenaries will have to return power to the old government in another country, also fictional, Kanpaa, represents a symbiosis of old ideas and new developments:

1. The size of the country has become smaller, but the landscape has noticeably diversified.
2. Management (hiring soldiers, trade, capturing territories) remained the same.
3. Refugees appeared on the list of mercenaries, working for almost nothing.
4. The effect of surprise plus the approaching “fog of war” complicated the game process.

But the movements and movements of living and already killed characters often cause hysterical laughter.

TBS Lost Sector

Lost Sector is a free multiplayer game that combines turn-based action, tactical strategy and character leveling. It has nice graphics and style.

Lost Sector is a new free online browser game in the turn-based strategy genre. Key Feature from the founders of the genre (Jagged Alliance, Fallout, X-COM) is the direct participation of the player for each fighter on the battlefield. Based on the design style, it can be noted that the project was made in a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, the graphics are very nice, considering that the game is a browser-based one. Game world is divided into several key locations, among which there are peaceful places where you can stock up on weapons, communicate with other players, create groups, and places where battles are constantly taking place, including those initiated by the players themselves with level restrictions (balance is preserved).

Let's dive a little into the background of the new virtual world. During the search for the rare resource "Rebis", which can prolong human life and make it powerful combat vehicle By introducing special implants into the body, a brutal war began on the planet, which destroyed all civilizations. The surviving humanity revived the world, continuing the search and development of the resource. They divided into factions, between which a struggle ensued in the form in which we have the opportunity to participate.

You have to choose your faction and take part in the struggle for control over the production of Rebis, completing interesting missions and tasks. The battles take place step-by-step, and the result depends only on you and your correctly chosen strategy.

Lost Sector will appeal to all connoisseurs of the genre, fans of games in the style of Jagged Alliance and Fallout. The very fact of turn-based gameplay may seem boring to many, but on the other hand, this allows you to very accurately calculate each step, creating your own specific tactics. The project is constantly developing, the community is growing - the game is building a promising future, and the developers are constantly adding something new to the game (new maps, fixes, content - there's plenty of everything).

Recently, the genre of tactical games, originating from offline jagged alliance and commando games, has become incredibly popular in RuNet. Heap various games work in this genre, from one of the first attempts to transfer the genre to online - Total Influence to pop ones - cartoon Al Qaeda target number 1 and mail Riot, also quite popular. There is nothing to say about the jagged alliance online of the same name - they are exploiting it with all their might.

Therefore, the masters of war, also in this vein, did not become a discovery even once. Although the game turned out to be good, it has its shortcomings.

Review of the game Masters of War

The game is not the easiest to understand, although for fans of the genre it will not be difficult to understand all the intricacies.

In fact, there is main character, which we can easily upgrade, improving its characteristics, dressing it in the best gear.

However, our main hero-warrior has a base, almost like in a classic browser strategy, where you can improve the extraction of resources, with which you can build a barracks for hiring mercenaries, a recruitment point to increase the level of available mercenaries. You also need an arsenal to buy gear, a command center to increase robberies, a shield department and an outpost to increase the mercenaries guarding the base. By the way, they attack often, so you shouldn’t put off setting up an outpost and hiring soldiers until later.

Regarding fights, there are three types. The most common is farming - attacks on the bases of other players. Attacks are carried out with mercenaries, so it’s worth hiring the coolest ones, since resource protection is a priority. At the same time, at the moment of an attack on your base, you can join the battle yourself.

The main one is story missions, where a lot of experience, silver and gear drop, which is generally priceless to begin with. You cannot hire mercenaries. The missions are quite interesting, they play like in offline games of this kind. Equipment and weapons obtained without an arsenal are generally priceless, for example, they gave a Beretta rifle, which can only be made with 11 arsenal. It is possible to complete missions together, but only with clanmates.

The third type of battles is the struggle for territory, the seizure of lands by clans.

The combat system is classic, but consists of several modifiers.

For each turn there is a certain number of action points, which depends on stamina. No stamina means almost no AP on your turn. Stamina is knocked down by shots from evil enemies, and it is also spent if you crawl or run. When you walk and shoot yourself, you don’t waste stamina.

When your stamina is at zero, you lose consciousness and cannot walk at all.

If there are several provisions that affect the damage and the amount of action points spent per turn.

In short, it is advantageous to shoot from a prone position when the enemy is far away. Crouching - when close. Standing - when point blank.

The most important thing is to count every shot and movement.

A couple of tips - don’t run, walking is enough in most cases, running is only needed for a quick dash to the enemy who is hiding around the corner, and even then it’s not always justified, since your stamina only goes away on the way.

After each kill, if there is no enemy who is shooting at you, it is worth restoring stamina. Just press move, and unspent action points will turn into stamina.

These three rules - restoring stamina at every opportunity, not running too much and using optimal shooting positions - are quite enough for a successful game at the start, the rest will come with practice.

Character development guide

First of all, don’t repeat my mistakes, don’t put all your points into pistols! Up to 50-60 points, no more. Just resetting characteristics and weapon proficiency is paid, you will need about 150 rubles to change stats. Then you get a gun that’s better and more to your liking, for example, a rifle, but there’s nothing left to throw in. in general, as I understand it, you need a couple of types of weapons for different types of combat - close and long-range, so pistol skills can come in handy.

The main characteristics are dexterity. endurance, vitality, I personally pump up evenly, and so far I don’t regret it. I haven’t learned strength yet, I’m still carrying everything I need. So what's the point? large quantity lives if you don’t have time to shoot, not to mention hiding around the corner after the shot.

And also, what’s the use of a large amount of AP and stamina if they add up with a shot.

At the base, everything is clear: we develop resources, build defenses, hire mercenaries.

Donat

The game asks for money, yes. Premium account (50% experience and money) - 300 rubles per month. A store of premium shells for a cannon - 2-3 rubles. Elite mercenaries are also for money, but at first they are completely symbolic - 6 mercenaries for 7 rubles, that is, 1 vote, then everything becomes more expensive.

Tranquilizers and instant purchase of items in the arsenal, also for real rubles. Somehow a lot goes into playing VKontakte, but everyone has already gotten used to it.

Disadvantages of the game.

Occasionally it freezes a little, not fatal, but unpleasant.

The battles are quite long. Although the game is tactical, this is forgivable.

Blessed AI, what the hell. In the process, I want to curse the bots with obscenities, since one runs towards the embrasures, the second lies in starting location, the third is simply picking his nose.

Moreover, bots in missions, for example, act clearly, move away, hide in obstacles, corners and walls, and so on.

There are some misunderstandings with the review, but not always. There are no obstacles, just a bush, and the enemy is displayed only when you approach him point-blank. At the same time, he shoots so much fun while doing it. And sometimes they shine through the entire field. And it looks like there are glasses.

Finally, the map cannot be zoomed in, which is annoying.

Review, personal impression

Despite this list of shortcomings, I liked the game. Nice graphics, although without zoom, interesting missions that make you nervous and worry, recapturing your own base from greedy enemies who want my resources, and robbing others...

In general, at first it was very interesting game. It’s just completely obvious that due to the high role of donation, it will get boring very quickly, so in principle I won’t bother with it. And I don’t want to, it’s too slow for me and takes too much time.