Jump to content

JA2 FAQ


Zombie

Recommended Posts

Aye canteens just restore energy. I never use them past the very start of the game, far too much stuff to carry.

 

Edit: Had a bit of a reorganise, stripping posts out of one topic and adding them here, and renaming this topic. Hope this is okay Kaije, as it's your topic I've taken liberites with!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 142
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

It's all good FullAuto, I'll just PM you the topics I want to discuss from now on so you can start them properly ;)

 

About how much do salaries increase per level for the cheaper 'beginner' AIM mercs? I don't need exact figures, I just want to be financially prepared as I progress further in the game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, what's wrong with Father John? Does he need to enroll in Alcoholics Anonymous or something? He's got quite a bit of alcohol in the church and on his person. Hmmm. I realize some alcohol is needed for the sacraments, but it seems over the top nonetheless. :)

 

By the way, in the back room of the church I found a good wad of cash ($980). Obviously this is from tithing. But if I take it away will it be harder for Father John to help out with food and supplies... or is it just ripe for the picking? Seems morally wrong to steal from the church too... ;)

 

- Zombie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good man! :)

 

Got Grizzly at level 5 now, and his weekly/fortnightly cost is 7k/12k compared to 3.5k/6k at the beginning (level 2).

 

So what's that, about 30% a level?

Just by those numbers it would be 33%, or 2k a fortnight per additional level (for Grizzly at least)... And a bit more reasonable than I was expecting, yay!

 

So, what's wrong with Father John? Does he need to enroll in Alcoholics Anonymous or something? He's got quite a bit of alcohol in the church and on his person. Hmmm. I realize some alcohol is needed for the sacraments, but it seems over the top nonetheless. ;)

 

By the way, in the back room of the church I found a good wad of cash ($980). Obviously this is from tithing. But if I take it away will it be harder for Father John to help out with food and supplies... or is it just ripe for the picking? Seems morally wrong to steal from the church too... :)

 

- Zombie

Is there anything to be gained from giving him some alcohol when he asks for it, or is it just for the extra dialogue?

 

I've cleaned out the church without anyone making a fuss about it. Of course I have yet to progress much further than this point... Actually, this is what I just now finished in my expert campaign and the rest of the game will be a whole new experience for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there anything to be gained from giving him some alcohol when he asks for it, or is it just for the extra dialogue?

 

Just the extra bit of dialogue, I think. Father John Walker. Classic.

 

The vast majority of stuff in people's houses you can steal with no negative effects. They won't say anything to a bunch of professional killers rifling through their belongings. Can't think why. There are certain sectors where they'll shoot you for that same behaviour, and it will be obvious when you're in them, if you have a quick think on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just the extra bit of dialogue, I think. Father John Walker. Classic.

Shows you how much I know of Scotch Whiskey. :) Beer is my forte. Thanks for pointing this out FA. :)

 

After interrogating Father John and then talking to him in a friendly manner he asks for sacramental wine, or any alcohol for that matter. When you give him some he says this:

 

Well that's mighty thoughtful of you. A little something to pick up the spirits.

Don't think that'll do anything to be honest. Besides, how can you trust a priest who lies? He has 2 bottles of alcohol already, how many more does he need? He's gotta be an alcoholic, that's the only conclusion I can draw. And I'm not going to foster his addiction further by adding more fuel to the fire. May brimstone rain down upon me. ;)

 

I finally figured out that I can deposit cash by dragging it to the $ button. That's not quite intuitive because the $ menu only has withdrawal functions. Bad design IMHO. At least that money is safe and secure in the bank (a staggering $2,445 at the moment).

 

Mercenary contracts were coming due so I decided to negotiate a longer 2 week contract. Bull, Barry and Grizzly cheerily signed up. However, Fox and Hitman will only work on a day-by-day basis now. What are my options? Keep negotiating a contract every 24 hours is one option. Letting the contract expire and then picking someone else up is another. I probably need a mech of some sort, right? Who's good (and cheap)? Steroid perhaps? :) Ja, I'm here to pump *claps* you up. :) At least I'm getting the $1,600 medical deposit back from both of them... :)

 

- Zombie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

However, Fox and Hitman will only work on a day-by-day basis now.

 

Perhaps try giving them several 24 hour additions and then asking them to stay a week or two?

 

I probably need a mech of some sort, right? Who's good (and cheap)? Steroid perhaps?

 

Steroid's good, plus he's strong enough to wield a crowbar into the bargain, so you've got someone to break things open. Wolf is more expensive, but he can be a very good jack of all trades with a bit of experience, becoming competent in bomb doctoring, medical, and mech. Plus he's a decent fighter too. He's a bit of a bargain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps try giving them several 24 hour additions and then asking them to stay a week or two?

Aye, that would work (just tested). Thing is, Hitman is getting kinda expensive ($11000 for 2 weeks). Though, I could still hire him and stuff him in the Drassen Airport to help protect it, right? ;)

 

Steroid's good, plus he's strong enough to wield a crowbar into the bargain, so you've got someone to break things open. Wolf is more expensive, but he can be a very good jack of all trades with a bit of experience, becoming competent in bomb doctoring, medical, and mech. Plus he's a decent fighter too. He's a bit of a bargain.

I could really use Steroid's services so I may pick him up. Maybe even a proper doctor as Fox is just half-a$$ed. :)

 

So here's a stupid question: what is Leadership good for? Most mercs are really low in this stat (except Gus Tarballs). I suspect that this stat is purposefully deflated because it can be increased fairly fast by training up Militia. And training uses what stat? Wisdom? Speaking of Militia, should I train up a bunch and stick them in the provinces of Drassen? I'd think the major province to protect is the mine and the second would be the airport because it is vital for ferrying troops and equipment. As it stands, there are ominous groups of enemies circling Drassen right now. :)

 

Now that I control the Drassen mine, I'm pulling in $7,776 per day so it appears my money problems have been solved (at least in the short term). No more random killings for spare change, hehe. :)

 

- Zombie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't see anyone mention, sooo IMO...the first super merc you should consider getting when in the market for one is Shadow. His ninja skills and all around fighting ability is top notch. Put a FN FAL into his hands and it's like God shooting down lightning bolts from Heaven, smiting your enemies. He's the ultimate night time fighter. Which is useful to me, as when I play, I usually make my personally made IMP merc a stealth/night ops. Having night time capabilities makes thing infinitely easier. So much so, that I've had no problems finishing 6 mercs vs. 20 soldier fights without anyone being shot at by the enemy (majority of the fighting having been done by Shadow and Mr. IMP).

 

Also, if you can afford it, one of the best mercs out there isn't a mercenary at all. I would mention the name and where, but you'll find him when you get there. I think he costs like $3,000 or so a day, but if you can afford it, totally worth it.

 

But Shadow is high on the list because often you can't hire him because he's away on another job...a lot of the time it seems. And it would be a damn travesty if he were to die out there, all alone in a South American coca plantation, or some desert in the Mid East...before you put him to work raping and pillaging the countryside of Arulco.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aye, that would work (just tested). Thing is, Hitman is getting kinda expensive ($11000 for 2 weeks). Though, I could still hire him and stuff him in the Drassen Airport to help protect it, right? :)

 

That's not expensive. That's actually decent value for money. By all means defend sectors with mercs when you have to, but the majority of defences should be done by militia.

 

So here's a stupid question: what is Leadership good for? Most mercs are really low in this stat (except Gus Tarballs). I suspect that this stat is purposefully deflated because it can be increased fairly fast by training up Militia. And training uses what stat? Wisdom?

 

Leadership is good for training militia and talking to certain people. If your mercs have rock-bottom leadership, some people won't talk to you, or won't let you hire them. Training militia is probably the quickest way to increase it. Hitman's good for this IIRC, he's got teaching as a skill. When a merc trains a certain stat, wisdom affects how fast they improve. Someone with 80 wisdom will improve faster than someone with 60 wisdom, in all areas. Look out for high wisdom mercs, as even if they start out rubbish, they can quickly become competent guns.

 

Speaking of Militia, should I train up a bunch and stick them in the provinces of Drassen? I'd think the major province to protect is the mine and the second would be the airport because it is vital for ferrying troops and equipment. As it stands, there are ominous groups of enemies circling Drassen right now. :)

 

Oh yes. Train as many militia as you like, or better yet, as many as possible.

 

Now that I control the Drassen mine, I'm pulling in $7,776 per day so it appears my money problems have been solved (at least in the short term). No more random killings for spare change, hehe. ;)

 

Good news for anyone with more than $40 in their pockets...

 

I didn't see anyone mention, sooo IMO...the first super merc you should consider getting when in the market for one is Shadow. His ninja skills and all around fighting ability is top notch. Put a FN FAL into his hands and it's like God shooting down lightning bolts from Heaven, smiting your enemies. He's the ultimate night time fighter.

 

Agreed. He's a monster, with the bonus of permanent camo. One of the purest fighters available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, wanted to say something about training militias. YES! TRAIN! TRAIN A LOT! Ira and Hitman are good for this early on. I usually at the very least, stack a sector with the most amount of militia it'll hold. Good thing to do is train militia in a sector and then move them to where you want them within the city. That way, most of the time can be spent training and you don't have to wait any time moving your mercs.

 

Once you get the entire city filled up with all of the militia it'll hold, move on to a new town and do it again. Once you're satisfied with the amount of militia, if you have the money and spare mercs (this is where those crappy free ones like Ira come in handy) send them to vital sectors like mines and airports and train the militia there to be more elite. Of course you're going to have to send them back and forth to replace dead militia.

 

During the course of the game, Ira will be the best merc for training militia, period. She'll gain tons of points, she's free, she'll be worth 2 mercs when it comes to training. So KEEP HER ALIVE AT ALL COSTS!.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, obviously. :) Free is free. Ira isn't all that bad in terms of stats, but she just oozes leadership potential after only a few militia training sessions.

 

Hey, FA - I see you are always yanking weapons away from enemies with Bull. How the heck do you do that? In all my encounters I could only kill... ;)

 

- Zombie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bah! ;)

 

How do you combine/merge items? I see from one of your posts that you combined a rod and a spring... Just wondering because there is a nice chart on one of the pages detailing the weapons and merge possibilities. :)

 

- Zombie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I'm kinda stuck in my current game. Most of my mercs have nothing more than pistols except for a Type 85 SMG and a Shotgun with 1 reload. That's it. Ran up a brick wall in H13 trying to get into Alma mine as there are some pretty tough enemies around on this map. There's one enemy with a shotgun and about 1000 reloads who is almost impossible to kill. Tried getting closer by hiding in back of a gatehouse but apparently there is a window on both sides of it allowing the enemy to shoot through. So much for that idea. Am I not supposed to go on this mission yet? I have a little money to spend (~$33,000) but haven't found an arms dealer yet to buy better weapons... ;) Am I supposed to hire someone with a better kit?

 

Another rather annoying feature is the sudden disappearance of a weapon from an enemy when killed. For example, I literally ran into an enemy with a SMG and of course he shot Bull... multiple times. Luckily Bull was able to control his rage long enough to put on his brass knuckles and beat the enemy into a bloody pulp. :) When the guy died, all he had on him was a flak jacket and 2 rounds of 9mm SMG ammo. No gun. Where did it go? :oh: Totally unrealistic. If the enemy had a weapon before, I should be able to recover it plain and simple.

 

With this Type 85... it's a SMG so how do I use it on auto? It's gotta have automatic fire, right? :)

 

- Zombie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So much for that idea. Am I not supposed to go on this mission yet? I have a little money to spend (~$33,000) but haven't found an arms dealer yet to buy better weapons... sad.gif Am I supposed to hire someone with a better kit?

 

There's no real set limits on when you should go and attack another town, but obviously the earlier you attack them the more challenging it will be, especially if you've not got that many long guns yet. That's a good amount of change to have lying around, especially if all your mercs are hired for a decent length oftime (two weeks or more) as well. Hiring someone just to get a new weapon is pretty desperate measures, I wouldn't bother.

 

You can buy guns from Bobby Rays (means having control of Drassen airport), or from Tony in San Mona (see early on in the M-Team thread for more detail). Of course, you might be so early on that only pistols are available, new weapons phase in slowly.

 

If the enemy had a weapon before, I should be able to recover it plain and simple.

 

Yep, what an enemy leaves is a bit random. You can always tear it out of his hands before killing him if you really want it and can get close enough (CTRL + left click IIRC).

 

With this Type 85... it's a SMG so how do I use it on auto? It's gotta have automatic fire, right?

 

Yep, press B and you should get a red asterisk appearing next to the weapon. That means it's set to burst (three rounds for the Type 85, I think).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's no real set limits on when you should go and attack another town, but obviously the earlier you attack them the more challenging it will be, especially if you've not got that many long guns yet. That's a good amount of change to have lying around, especially if all your mercs are hired for a decent length oftime (two weeks or more) as well. Hiring someone just to get a new weapon is pretty desperate measures, I wouldn't bother.

What about this guy named Enrico sending me emails wondering when the hell I'm going to resume fighting? :) Is it safe to ignore him and go at my own pace? I certainly can't stay holed up in Drassen mine for the rest of the game.

 

Well I fired Hitman because it became obvious he didn't want to be in my squad anymore. Got Fox back by sweetening the deal to a 2-week stint (along with everyone else - I can't afford losing anymore people). Picked up Steroid and he's pulling his weight around just fine. He's got a toolkit and knows how to use it. Fox doesn't like him one little bit, yet she gets along fine with Bull. Go figure. :oh:

 

Was playing a bad mission the other day where Bull got killed. I think it was Grizzly that piped up and said something like: "I'll miss you Bull, don't worry, I'll take care of your wife and kids". Kinda brought a tear to my eye. Didn't think Grizzly would be so sweet. ;) I also didn't think an animal like Bull would have a wife and kids, but women, I can't figure them out sometimes. :)

 

You can buy guns from Bobby Rays (means having control of Drassen airport), or from Tony in San Mona (see early on in the M-Team thread for more detail). Of course, you might be so early on that only pistols are available, new weapons phase in slowly.

Bobby Ray's is where? On the net? Haven't seen him yet. I doubt I'd be able to get to San Mona without getting my team slaughtered either. So again, I'm looking at a Catch-22. Can't fight because I'm outnumbered and outgunned in every encounter and can't get new and better weapons because Bobby Ray's isn't around and the enemies refuse to give up their loot when killed. Might just end up farting around in Drassen until I have a ton of cash and then hiring a team of super mercs who will turn the tide.

 

Yep, what an enemy leaves is a bit random. You can always tear it out of his hands before killing him if you really want it and can get close enough (CTRL + left click IIRC).

You know, this is probably why I'm doing so bad right now. If the only way you can get a better selection of weapons early on is to yank them out of the enemies hands, it makes sense why I'm having so much trouble. Still really stupid though. I understand that it shouldn't be easy and for game balance reasons the enemies will eventually give up something of interest but come on, at least in X-COM I could still pick up a Plasma Pistol and it's ammo and be able to shoot and kill any aliens I want. Soldiers in X-COM have much better firing accuracy than the mercs I have - if I had to compare, I'd say X-COM soldiers are 10 times more accurate with pistols, maybe more. And don't even get me started on TUs/APs. You can't even get Bull to take a wee in 20APs! :)

 

Yep, press B and you should get a red asterisk appearing next to the weapon. That means it's set to burst (three rounds for the Type 85, I think).

This probably will come in handy for the eventuality when I get enough guts to go fighting again. Thanks! :)

 

By the way, I'm still not too sure how to merge items. I realize you explained it a few posts above but I tried to merge some items the other day and can't get the second item into one of the boxes because the screen which comes up blocks access to a soldiers inventory. Am I only able to merge when the game allows it (meaning the items can be merged)? Or can I merge a roll of duct tape and a rock together if I want to?

 

- Zombie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about this guy named Enrico sending me emails wondering when the hell I'm going to resume fighting? Is it safe to ignore him and go at my own pace? I certainly can't stay holed up in Drassen mine for the rest of the game.

 

If you do nothing at all, then you do lose popularity in the towns you've won over, but if you do a few patrols, kill a few enemies, you can soon sort that out.

 

Bobby Ray's is where? On the net?

 

Yep, check the links section on the AIM website, and you'll be emailed when the shop is available.

 

I doubt I'd be able to get to San Mona without getting my team slaughtered either.

 

Shouldn't be that much trouble if you're in Drassen, go as far north as you can, go west until you're north of San Mona, then head south. You might bump into a patrol or two, but I doubt it.

 

By the way, I'm still not too sure how to merge items. I realize you explained it a few posts above but I tried to merge some items the other day and can't get the second item into one of the boxes because the screen which comes up blocks access to a soldiers inventory. Am I only able to merge when the game allows it (meaning the items can be merged)? Or can I merge a roll of duct tape and a rock together if I want to?

 

You can only merge certain items, aye. Try merging a silencer and pistol or SMG as an easy example.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you do nothing at all, then you do lose popularity in the towns you've won over, but if you do a few patrols, kill a few enemies, you can soon sort that out.

Ah, hopefully it won't be too bad then. ;)

 

Yep, check the links section on the AIM website, and you'll be emailed when the shop is available.

Was never emailed, but I looked and the shop is there. Nicely hidden though. Should be off the main net instead of buried in the links page... Anyway, not much there to pick from. Just some pistols, ammo, and random equipment. I guess the ammo would be the only thing I'm in need of right now. Some of my mercs are blowing through 2-3 speedloader rounds in a mission. The losses never quite equal the gains either. Just wish I had something better than pistols though. Maybe I should huff it back to Drassen Airport and order a bunch of shotgun shells and a duck bill for my lone shotgun. That might even the odds a little bit. What do you reckon? Say I buy all the shotgun shells available though - will Ray's get more in immediately or will I have to wait a long time for the next shipment?

 

Shouldn't be that much trouble if you're in Drassen, go as far north as you can, go west until you're north of San Mona, then head south. You might bump into a patrol or two, but I doubt it.

Wanna bet? I just took a trek through the landscape and must have caught wind of 5-10 patrols. I managed to evade all of them except for 1, and was fortunate that my team spawned just inches form the enemies. Got very lucky there. San Mona is crawling with baddies (except for the abandoned mine which had none) so I took a detour around it and went to Chitzena (Warrior Princess) instead. Another bad move. My team is fatigued from being on the run for so long and it's showing in battle. Plus it's night. Might be time to reload again, nobody is going to survive this encounter either. :)

 

On the plus side, my militia in Drassen Mine held off an attack from enemies and 5 of them were promoted. Plus I have something like $65,000. All that money and nothing to buy with it, except more mercs. *sighs* :oh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
  • Create New...