Its still there. On a fresh install with the latest patch. Dissapears for good after clicking and getting the "haha, no" (not a direct quote) message.

Well I feel I should absolutely be able to ambush anyone. That's a tactical decision I'd like to make. Go in with guns blazing or ambush, depending on the situation.

Using the extremely limited positioning abilities before combat starts is not the equivalent of an ambush. If you feel it is, fine. It isn't in my opinion.

And no you can't start combat at will, try Fallout 1 or 2 to understand.

Also, no the enemy does not follow the same rules as the players if they have much MUCH higher SPEED stat than the player could reasonably have. Obviously they technically follow the rules, but in practice they do not. A normal peasant has 3x the movement of a highly trained Desert Ranger. Mhmm. Sure.

Obviously I don't really need your tactical advice, I know how to play the game - you come out as a huge apologist and try to masquerade valid criticism by insinuating that we who criticize just don't know how to play the game.

Well, that's not the case and please quit it.

The enemies should not have much MUCH higher SPEED stats than a player, but a normal speed stat. If an enemy comes under fire from a sniper from long range, he's pretty much screwed. That's the whole point of snipers. You don't get to walk up to the sniper and flick his ear in the same instant that the sniper takes a shot at you.

In fact if you run up to a sniper you should be dead. That's the worst strategy ever. Yet, that's what Wasteland 2 thinks is perfectly reasonable and I do not.

I'm not trying to insinuate that you don't know how to play the game. I'm flat out saying, from the criticisms you are having, it absolutely comes off that you haven't figured out how to play it yet. You want it to play how you want it to play and "whaaaa whaaa whaaaa" if it's not everything you expect, assume, think you know better on how it should be and "ohh how could they do this" because of how it fails in your eyes because you're being close-minded (as in, having issues with a game but being stubborn to think that it could be anything to do with you and that it could only be a shittily made game.) You are coming off as a whiner who is used to cookie-cutter games that hand-feed everything to you and you don't have to actually use your brain to play. I can't help if your ego is so big you can't even begin to accept that as a possibility. Just becaus YOU THINK there are extremely limited positioning abilities before an encounter starts, doesn't mean that there are; it's just because you aren't using your brain enough to find them/figure them out. You want it to play like an action-rpg or something, where you can just go in non-thinking and mop up a room with a lot of mayhem and pretty graphical explosions. I'm not an apologist. I'm someone who started off my first several hours of playing the game thinking like you are, and then realizing that perhaps it wasn't a shitty combat game after all, but that I was treating it as if it was something I've played before whereas I actually had to figure out how to play it. I HAD the same issues until I realized it was me, not the game.

Simply, if your sniper is getting rushed upon, you haven't figured out how to best position them yet, and you don't know how to play the game. PULL BACK YOU ARE TOO CLOSE. Really. Your sniper should be able to be far enough away that it's not an issue and if you're having it be an issue, you need to figure it out. And that is what I'm trying to help with. So you can enjoy it, because I wasn't and now I am.

Now that you write it in all capitals, your argument is so much more correct and not apologetic or patronizing at all!

No, I am not too close. Unless you think a 48m range is too close, and that's pretty much as far as a sniper can shoot.

The fact remains, enemies pull of feats players can't do, enemies play by different rules - having different stats is different rules - and your advice is completely unhelpful. I know perfectly well how to play the game, which is why I am not apologetic about this decision from the developers.

It was a poor decision and makes combat effectively dumber.

edit: basing your argument on personal insults, projections and pejoratives indicates how little you have to add to this discussion. It's sad that people like you exist.

Um this wasn't what I had in mind when I made this topic..

*sits down and gets some popcorn*

The person you are arguing with probably plays a lot of blizzard entertainment games.

I've already given up on the obvious idea that the sniper should fire the first shot because it seems most enemy AI has at least 2.0 movement speed, ie they move two squares/meters per action point. Not only that, they all seem to have Initiative 13+ and at least 10 action points. That would translate into a 20 square dash immediately following the first shot. Often they still have APs left to get at least one melee attack in as well. I give up!

The first shot should be made by a tough character up front with an assault rifle (if you can make it two, even better!), then the sniper is even further back just picking off enemies as they rush in to kill your assault rifle guys.

I'd love to see the "ambush" feature (which is functionally a kind of overwatch, not an ambush) changed and have it be an "interrupt" where your character halts the opponent mid action and let you spend your remaining APs on movement or attacking before the opponent gets to finish their move. Yeah, I'm a miniature wargamer.

I think we've got a Jagged Alliance 2 fan; but then who could blame you?

That's pretty much what I do every fight now.

Have a character with 14 CI+ (such as Angie) take the opening shot.

Leave your other characters even further behind her.

- Combat Starts -

Angie normally gets the first turn (in Arizona at least)

You can either fire another shot and have her retreat back to your other squad members with her remaining AP

Or leave her up front to get swarmed.

Your other rangers will be busy taking Ambush shots at the enemies as they approach.

Usually dead/half-dead by the time they become a problem.

Prioritize enemies like: grenadiers, melee, pistol, smg users who tend to swarm.

Rifle and heavies usually go for cover.


I find myself pumping up Outdoorsman on Vulture's Cry just to skip as many repetitious World Map encounters as possible.

Tweaks to weapon/item progression, better armor mechanics, hand-placed loot, funnier combat taunts and less HP bloat & filler combat - might just be enough to patch over the cracks.

Compulsively opening all the container types on each map filled with random garbage isn't the most exciting activity in the world... it's almost like something out of a MMORPG.

Just who leaves a safe in the middle of a field for example ?!? Feels like a quick and lazy approach.

I wish they would've stuck with the MSPE d6 system =\