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Getting Started

Page history last edited by Dieter 15 years, 4 months ago

How many IMPs should I make?

Make six IMPs if you are used to playing RPG style games where you make a party when you start a game.

Make just one IMP if you want the game play feel more like the original Jagged Alliance game.

If you have played the game before, consider playing with no IMPs as an interesting alternative.

The original Jagged Alliance game allowed you to make only one IMP. The default settings of the v1.13 Mod allow you to make up to 6 IMPs.

The Data-1.13\ Ja2_Options.INI file has instructions on how to make more than six IMPs, however some speech files may be missing, I didn’t test this.

What stats should I pick for my IMP?

HLT - Health

Controls how much you can be hurt before you are in more serious trouble. If you almost never get hurt due to your game style, then it is ok to spend fewer points on Health.

Health also influences your maximum amount of action points. The more action points you have, the more you can do, so you don’t want to be too skimpy.

AGI - Agility

Agility is the second biggest contributor to action points (the biggest is your level), you want this stat to be as high as possible.

DEX - Dexterity

Dexterity does not only influence how many action points you get (in the same amount Health does), it also makes you get interrupts more often, increases your chances to hit, helps you evade melee attacks, makes repairing items faster, and many other things. You want to maximize this stat.

Nothing is more frustrating as an enemy walking right into your view area shooting you a bunch while your guy does nothing because his Dexterity was too low to get an interrupt.

STR - Strength

Determines how much you can carry and how much melee damage you do. Being able to carry more weapons gives you more choices in combat, so you don’t want to be too skimpy here as well.

For example a soldier able to carry 4-5 weapons has long, mid, and short range options for day and night combat with different types of ammunition including explosives. In comparison a soldier able to carry only 1-2 weapons can do much less.

LDR - Leadership

Controls how quickly you can train militia and NPCs reacting. There is a large selection of recruit-able NPCs who are good at training militia, including Ira who you get right at the beginning. Take zero if you are not planning to use your IMP on the above.

If you plan to use your IMP to get Skyrider, Shank, or other NPCs, then get at least 35 points (on Insane level you will need more than 35).

WIS - Wisdom

The more Wisdom you have, the quicker all your stats improve. You want to maximize this stat.

Being able to learn faster does make a noticeable difference, for example on Insane a cheap AIM you got at the beginning will have better stats in DEX and MRK than Gus or Magic by the time you take your 3rd or 4th city.

Don’t expect all your stats to reach 100 though. For example by the time you reach Meduna your Marksmanship might be at 100 but most of your other stats will have improved only somewhat.

MRK - Marksmanship

Controls how well you hit things. This increases quickly depending on your Wisdom and the difficulty of the game. While you don’t want to be too skimpy, you don’t have to maximize this stat.

Don’t expect too much from a high Marksmanship either, a 100 will make you a decent shooter, not turn you into a god.

MEC - Mechanics

Controls how quickly you can repair things that don’t go boom. There is a large selection of recruit-able NPCs who are good at repairing things, like Gasket who gets 12 repair points at $200/day. Take zero if you are not planning to use your IMP on the above.

If you want to be able to repair just a little bit in case of emergencies, get at least 35 points.

EXP - Explosives

Controls how quickly you can repair things that go boom and how well you do setting and disarming explosives. There is a large selection of recruit-able NPCs who are good at explosives, like Barry at $700/day. Take zero if you are not planning to use your IMP on the above.

If you want to use your IMP to work with explosives, then maximize this stat as a low value won't be useful.

MED - Medical

Determines how quickly you can heal people including yourself. There is a large selection of recruit-able NPCs who are good at healing people, including Ira who you get right at the beginning. Take zero if you are not planning to use your IMP on the above.

If you occasionally get hurt due to your game style, then take 35 points. This will allow you to provide first aid in case someone (incl. yourself) has been injured so badly that they won’t be able to get back to a doctor before they die.

LVL - Level

Some of the newer mods allow you to set the starting level of your IMP. Your level is the largest contributor in many formulas like maximum action points, chance to hit, getting interrupts etc.

What stats do you pick for your IMPs?

HLT - 85

AGI - 85

DEX - 85

STR - 75

LDR - 35

WIS - 85

MRK - 75

MEC - 0

EXP - 0

MED - 35

Can I set all stats to 100?

I believe it is sufficient to change START_ATTRIBUTE to 100 in Data-1.13\ Ja2_Options.INI (I didn’t test this). You may have to set MAX_ATTRIBUTE_POINT to 100 as well.

I believe you should still be able to gain levels even if all your stats are at 100 (I haven't tested this). If you don’t make it to second level after just a few fights, then you’ll have a problem because your level is the largest contributor in many formulas like maximum action points, chance to hit, getting interrupts etc.

Can I hex edit the save game to change my stats?

I tried it and it didn’t work. Rumor has it that the save game uses a checksum algorithm. This means that when you change a value in the saved game the computed checksum when the game is loaded doesn’t match the saved one and the game won't work.

Can I change my starting money?

Change the value for NOVICE_CASH, EXPERIENCED_CASH, EXPERT_CASH, or INSANE_CASH for the difficulty level you want to play in Data-1.13\ Ja2_Options.INI. I heard that you can change your starting money to $999,999 (I didn’t test this).

What skills should I pick for my IMP?

I like to get skills which I can't hire, for example expert in Professional Sniper, Auto Weapons, or Night-Ops.

Some skill combinations are not available through recruit-able NPCs (unless you modify Data-1.13\BinaryData\Prof.dat).

How do I select Expert in a skill?

Just select a single skill and you will get it at expert level. Some skills are not available at expert level such as Electronics, Camouflage, and Ambidextrous.

How do I make my IMP to be a Psycho?

Change the value for CUSTOM_PERSONALITY to 7 in Data-1.13\ Ja2_Options.INI before you create your IMP. You can change the value between creating IMPs to make IMPs with different personality traits.

What other personality traits or attitudes have positive effects?

Psycho is the only personality trait with a (mostly) positive effect. The Optimist attitude will increase morale whether you win OR retreat from a fight, while the Pessimist attitude will increase morale only if you retreat from a fight.

How do I get my IMP to be an Optimist?

Change the value for CUSTOM_ATTITUDE to 3 in Data-1.13\ Ja2_Options.INI before you create your IMP. You can change the value between creating IMPs to make IMPs with different attitudes.

What AIMs should I get at the beginning of a game?

Anyone with a high Wisdom (for improving stats) and a decent Dexterity (for interrupts) and as many as you can afford. Examples are Igor, MD, Grunty, Fox, Barry, Buns (hates Fox), or Meltdown.

When you play with Bobby Ray’s on normal a good strategy is to get an AIM with good equipment for one day as you purchase and get to keep the equipment.

What are your favorite AIMs / MERCs?

Gasket, Grunty, Barry, Nails, Len, Static, Trevor, Ivan, Reaper, Scully, Magic, and Gus.

How can I get a MERC at the beginning of a game?

Change the value for MERC_AVAILABLE_DAY_ONE to TRUE in Data-1.13\ Ja2_Options.INI (I haven't tested this).

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