Topic title pretty much says it all...

What does this mean please? I am thinking of buying this and the ads say it is turn based. I don't like real time games. If if is turn based why should I have to do anything to get it to run turn based?

thanks

JA2 1.12 (last official patch) plays like fallout. If there are no enemies present (or alert), you move your squad in real time, able to move them all together to talk to npcs, open crates, pass items etc. Should you see any enemies, or should any enemies be alerted to your presence, the game enters turn based mode, which is the standard for combat.

Now comes the 1.13 unofficial patch, which does add quite a lot of things to the game. One of those things is a switch that allows you to continue in real time even if you do see an enemy, as long as the enemy isn't aware of you. So, for example, you are in a night mission, and your stealthy night ops merc which is armed with a knife sees an enemy sentry with his back turned on your merc. Normally, the game would now enter turn based mode, even though the enemy cannot see you. But you can set it so you can still move in real time and slowly crawl up to the enemy, then kill him while he's unaware.
If the enemy spots you though, it will switch to turn based either way.

is an example of real time sneak. For the normal playing, see [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aLGXtoQY_M4#t=162]here, though the video is from a quite older 1.13 version.

If you do have any questions about the 1.13 patch, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks for all the help. There are so many updates, patches, mods ect. it would be impossible for me to figure it all out on my own, especially as I am very weak with computers. OK, I understand the real time/turn based as of 1.12. Is this the update the game will come with if I buy it now from GOG? Also, is there any way with the 1.12 and/or 1.13 updates to play the game always in turn based mode? I will buy it even if not but I am one of those players who simply does not like real time; a game is for fun, I don't want to be rushed. We spend most of our lives being rushed by jobs, bosses, schedules, being slaves to the clock. When I go to find escape and enjoyment in a game the last thing I want is the 'hurry, hurry, time is wasting, you are falling behind! You are running out of Time' ect. Oh well, I am ranting. Actually, I can enjoy real time if it is done right, especially if at least part of a good game is turn based, but I would much, much prefer for the whole game to be turn based.

Am I right or wrong to assume that prior to 1.12 the entire game was turn based? Again, thanks, this looks to be a fascinating game but a complex one that has spawned a huge number of adjustments.

I just looked at the demos you suggested and I much prefer the turn based tactical combat. You say you can set 1.13 for all real time but it is possible to play at least the tactical in turn based?

Also, can you zoom with tactical? Can you create or rename characters? Is the real time pausable? Can you give orders and access information while paused? I know I have a lot of questions but I have been burned many times with real time games that were more stressful than fun. Thanks for the answers.

thanks

Just to weigh in here, what the previous poster said is all correct. In addition, there's a little-used option to force turn-based mode for combat, even if no one sees the other. just like how the original Jagged Alliance worked. I'm guessing that it's not often used, because most players are probably more interested in the actual shooting part of combat rather than the laboriously positioning and repositioning each merc when nothing is going on. But whatever your feelings, the option is there.

If you use that option, then the only time you'd ever see real-time action is when you've cleared the sector of enemies, or you're in town trying to talk to people/loot chests and cabinets for first aid kits and springs. However, that is pretty rare. That is very much not how Jagged Alliance 2 feels.

In real-time mode, 1 minute in game = 1 minute in real life. By contrast, movement between wilderness sectors while on-foot may take over an hour. Time pressure in real-time mode due to normal game events is usually not an issue. Your question is strange, and it somewhat implies that you don't have quite the right model of how the game works. This is not surprising; the game can be pretty complex.

Here's a quick explanation:
In combat, all of the actual fighting is turn-based by default. If neither side sees the opponent, it's real time.

You can set it so that everything during combat is in turn-based. Practically no one does this, because the maps are big and it's pretty annoying to move 6 mercs individually in real-time, but the option is there if you want it.

Per the earlier post, you can optionally set the game so that if the enemy doesn't see you it's still real-time. If you really want to have your merc silently knife someone at night, this mode gives a slight advantage, but isn't necessary to play the game.

A better way to explain might be to watch a youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQgjOKxlATs&list=PLA179E3ED1159BE10&index=2) to see how the game is played. I know you just watched a few videos already, and this one seems fairly long, so I'll just point to a few points that might illustrate how the game works. It's for 1.13, but the aspects I'm going to point out are in JA2 1.12 as well.

0:00: Player gives an overview of what can be done in the strategic/laptop view.
2:37: Tactical mode starts. After the scripted event (mercs arrive), the game is now in real-time mode.
3:12: A merc sees an enemy soldier running around. The game immediately shifts to tactical mode.
6:02 After a bit of maneuvering where neither side saw the other, the game drops back into real-time mode.
6:07 Another enemy blunders into sight, and the game switches back into turn-based mode.
<skip ahead here>
16.03 The last enemy is dead, so the game is now on real-time tactical mode for the foreseeable future. The player can do several things here, including chatting with the natives and looting houses. For example, just page 17:00, the player passes a letter of introduction from your employer to the first of the rebels.
<skip some more talking, looting, a cut-scene. Lots of spoilers here, if you've never played this game before)
26:50 Back in strategic mode, the player splits up the squad, sending some mercs ahead and setting others to repair equipment, rest, etc. The player fast-forwards time, since this can consume hours of game time. The player also mucks around with inventory and such; the game is paused while this occurs. No. For $3000 (in game money, of course), you can create an IMP which you can name and customize. If you're playing 1.13, you can create up to six IMPs.

Might I make a suggestion? Don't worry about the real-time/turn-based aspect too much. I was a Jagged Alliance fan, and when I heard about the real-time changes in JA2, I had concerns as well. But once I bought the game, I ended up liking how the game works.

Rather, worry about your taste for micromanagement. If you watched the video I posted and thought "This is as close as I'm going to get to taking over a country without actually joining the army," then buy the game. It's fun as hell and you won't be sorry. If you watched the video and thought "Oh God, deliver me from micromanagement. How many keys shall I have to memorize?!" while making dramatic gestures at your computer, then don't buy the game because your head will explode.

JasonMiao, thanks a lot for taking time to give such a long answer to a beginner. I confess to being a virgin at rpg games. I have always played strategic games like alpha centauti. You have convinced me to get JA2. I did not mind the micromanagement of EU3 or Hearts of Iron so I think it will be ok here. And thanks for the link to the video; it is very instructive.

JasonMiao covered most of your questions, but should you have more, don't hesitate to ask.