                                         JAGGED ALLIANCE
                                                STRATEGY GUIDE 

CONTENTS:

        Page  1         Introduction 
        Pages  1 & 2    Section 1       Game Objectives
        Pages  2 -  6   Section 2       Hiring,Firing & Dealing With Mercs & Natives
        Pages  6  - 21  Section 3       Game Tips 
        Pages  21 - 24  Section 4       Breakdown of game items 
                                                
        

INTRODUCTION: 
        
        Jagged Alliance is a combination Strategy, Role-Playing game with a touch of Adventure added in. It features turn based combat at the squad level much along the lines of XCOM. Its most endearing  feature is the interaction between its characters. There are over 4,000 lines of spoken dialogue, much of which is highly entertaining. The dialogue skillfully blends into the game, and the voice acting is terrific. One publication called it "XCOM with personality". Well, put! The combat is often a bit slow-paced and less "edge of the seat" than XCOM, but the personality part of the game adds something special that other combat games lack. Strategy Plus  called it "addictive alliance" and applauded its innovation. PC Gamer awarded it an Editors' Choice award. Computer Gaming World gave it 4 1/2 of 5 possible stars and described it as 'truly a genre-busting product........must buy."On the down side there are some  frustrating and un-realistic aspects to portions of the game play. The save game scheme needs shipping out to sea. Version 1.0 is prone to crashes. You need to get the Version 1.1 patch ASAP and  do not use smartdrv under any circumstances. Glitches aside, this is one heckuvva good game. Since it's a "first try" it will hopefully evolve into a much better one in subsequent incarnations. (A Head To Head offspring is already in the works.)

        The primary purpose of this Strategy Guide is to help beginning players get started and shorten the learning curve. It is not intended to be a detailed and all encompassing FAQ. This is not a replacement for your manual. If you don't have a manual, I suggest you buy the game. Enjoying the game right off the bat is the goal, and of course ultimately winning. Short and sweet. Good games have more than one strategy approach that can prove successful. If there was only one correct way it would be a very boring game. There are lots of ways to skin a cat. This is just one of them. If you have a better way, go for it. This guide is for those who don't.

         Winning at Jagged Alliance revolves primarily around Strategic Thinking, Combat Skills, Cash Flow & Resource Management. Now let's  get to the meat of the matter.

SECTION 1     GAME OBJECTIVES: 
                Your primary objective is to  recapture  the Island of Metavira and regain control of its Fallow trees, whose sap can cure diseases the world over . You must  "save the sap" from the evil clutches of Lucas Santino and his red-shirted thugs. To achieve this you must eliminate the enemy in all of the 60 sectors on the map of Metavira. You start the game with only one sector "in hand" #60. "Milestone" objectives along the way are as follows:

Day # 1         Find the "micropurifier".       
                        You will find this in the 1st sector you capture. I recommend Sector 59.
                        You must find the micropurifier to be able to resume Fallow Tree production.
Day # 3         Secure the "Water Source." 
                        Capture Sector 29 to accomplish this.
                        Capture Sector 30 to complete the re-taking of the entire water source.




Day # 4         Capture "Brenda's Lab"  
                        Capture Sector 28
                note: The enemy will attempt to re-capture Brenda's Lab and kidnap Brenda. This may                     or may not happen and is dependent on certain variables (some of which may be beyond                    your control). There are two paths to the game that diverge here depending on the                       outcome of the above. You continue to capture sectors regardless of which occurs.                       However, if Brenda is kidnapped. You will want to  find & rescue her along the way.

Day # 5 or later        Capture the 2nd Factory
                        This allows you to increase your Fallow Tree production as by now your first                            factory in Sector 60 is probably running at or near capacity.

Later on:       You must find the "Pomillia Flowers" and return them to Brenda. 
                        They exist in only one sector & they can be vital in your attempt to win the                            game.

Also later on you need to:
                Capture the 3rd Factory
                Capture the Natives' "Sacred Burial Grounds"
                Capture the 4th Factory 
                Find "Brenda's Journal"
                Find the Natives' "Sacred Headstone"
&  Ultimately
                Get Rid of Santino (and possibly save the sapling)

SECTION 2  -  HIRING,FIRING  & DEALING WITH MERCS & NATIVES

To accomplish all of the game's objectives, you will need to hire (and sometimes fire) Mercs. They are your only means of dealing with Santino and his thugs. This takes money. You start with a set amount of capital depending on the difficulty level you are playing. Starting amounts are as follows:
                Easy Level:     $25,000
                Normal Level:   $20,000
                Hard Level:     $15,000

Mercs are paid a daily salary,Natives are also paid daily to act as "Guards" or  tree "Tappers". 

You will find that your starting capital will quickly erode without a source of income. That source is the production from Fallow Trees captured in ensuing sectors. Money and personnel management are vital to your success in the game.

 Natives must feel secure that their lives are not in danger, and that they are being treated and paid properly.

 Mercs in addition to wanting money all have distinct personalities that can come into play. Some of these personality traits can be quite trying to you the "master of mercs". 







You are their employer, and like all employer\employee relationships, things are not just cut and dried. Some mercs don't want to work with other mercs, some will quit or demand more money if you fire one of their buddies. Personality conflicts are just as prevalent on Metavira as in the ordinary,everyday outside world. You may also find that firing mercs early in the game can have some very negative bearings on the proceedings. (For example: if you fire "Tex" he will bad-mouth you to all the other mercs.) You may also find that it is often better to "let" a merc be killed rather than firing him or her early in the game. However, if too many mercs get killed early in the game, other mercs may turn down your offer of employment on the grounds that they would have to be crazy to hire on with someone who keeps getting his mercs killed off in short order. Firing Mercs in the early part of the game is a potenitally hazardous experience. Later in the game, it seems to take on a more realistic bent.

The majority of the best Mercs are too expensive to hire at the games onset, and many of the best ones won't work for you anyway, until you "prove" yourself.

Almost all of the cheaper Mercs will be only too happy to work for you. But as in real life you generally get what you pay for, and in the case of  "El Cheapo" mercs this is often the same. Some of these people are real misfits. Most of them can't shoot worth a hoot. Mercs that can shoot are critical to your chances of survival on Metavira. 

There are some "cheap" Mercs that will prove to be good team members with a little experience. There are also some medium priced Mercs that worth vastly more than their salaries would indicate. Below are some ideas to keep in mind when hiring Mercs and some reccomendations of specific ones to consider.

Don't load your boat with Mercs the first day. Hire 4 or 5 at most to begin with. Most of the first sectors you will go after are not difficult enough to justify  a full boat's worth of overhead.

As you assemble your team, you will ideally want a final early game group that has 2 Mercs with good skills in each of the main skill classes. These skills are Marksmanship, Mechanics, Medical, & Explosives. (I prefer all of these to be decent shots or have high wisdom so that training will resolve the deficiency. I also want high Agility ratings so that they can move and act as a team with no laggards).

Other important traits are high ratings in Agility, Dexterity, & Wisdom. 

Agility seems directly related to Action Points. You want all high agility types in the field. If a merc has low agility, forget him or her for field duty. Low agility types will always be lagging far behind everyone else in traversing the terrain. Agility also relates to reaction abilities.
Dexterity seems to play into several equations. Hand precision in particular, which can be very important for Doctors performing surgery.
Wisdom means smart Mercs pick up points  fast when trained and learn quickly from their experiences.

Experience Class as the manual will tell you is the most important trait in the game. "it reflects the sum of their abilities" < see pg. 6 of the manual. However, in the beginning this is not an option that you can do a lot about. Merc "Kills" seems to be directly related to gains in experience class. Ivan is a 2, but when I finished the game he was a 5 with 90 kills under his belt going into the final day. 










You want at least one of the following in your employment by day # 4:

Category        Recommendation          Comments

Marksman        Ivan                     $1,500 but worth every penny.
                                        a "must have." Cheap at twice the price. Only speaks
                                        Russian, but it would be okay with me if he could only speak                                            Swahili the way he shoots.

Mechanic        Vinny                   a good mechanic at a good price $385. needs a  couple of                                                canteens at all times. Those Brooklyn types can't hack the                                              humidity.

Medic           Fox                     good $ value with high wisdom. She won't work the first                                                 day, but will arrive on day 2 if asked.  $515

Explosives      Fidel                   expensive at $1,550, but highest rated explosives guy  in the                                           game & good marksman. I would wait until Day 4 to hire                                          him. He should be another canteen carrier.
Jack of all trades
                Grunty                  good $ value & much better than his stats would indicate.
                                        Start with him. $490
                Wolf                     a good mid-game choice -- a bit expensive at the start.
                                        $1,850
Budget Marksman
                Hector                  good $ value and learns fast. $410              


Native Guides                   Elio is offered to you on Day #2. all are free but of limited value. 
                                They do however give you some interesting information  on the history                           of each sector.
                                Accept ELIO when offered to you, but allow him to be "killed                                    off" the same day and a few days later you will be offered                                              HAMOUS,who is a 74 mksman compared to Elio's 28
"Stay at Home"
 Medic, Mechanic
                Eli                     Can alternate between being an in house Medic and                                                       Mechanic. Can also alternate in the field if needed.
                                        I would not hire him until Day #4. $1,400 
2nd premium Marksman
                Ice                     2nd only to Ivan in this price range $1,300
                                        add him when cash flow allows
Other Possibilities                             
                Speck                   excellent in house only mechanic-budget price $365
                Sparky                  in house mechanic - very cheap. $205
                Jimmy                   very good in\out mechanic. mediocre shot $800.
                Hurl                    budget medic. decent shot. low agility $400

I'm sure there are probably other good possibilities in addition to the ones above. Those mentioned herein are ones that I have either personally used or  come recommended by a number of other players.










Mid Game Possibilities                  when you have a big positive cash flow

                Dr. "Needle" Kranhium   Top Medic and can shoot  $1,900
                "Doc" Koolhan           Very good Medic and can shoot $1,750
                Rudy "Lynx" Roberts     marksman supreme $3,300 
                Victoria Waters         multiple talents     $2,850                     

Mid-Late Game                           it only takes money, and lots of it

                "Magic"                 multi talented super star at a price $5,600
                Leo Kelly               $4,700 excellent marksman. good mech.
                "Scully"                        Very good all around (with an M16 rifle to boot)
                                        $7,500


End Game        Mike                    when money is no object and you need the very best
                                        (and you might, as the final sector has more red-shirts than                                            you can shake a stick at) $12,000
                

SUGGESTED MERC HIRING SCHEDULE

DAY #                           EASY or NORMAL LEVEL    NORMAL  or  HARD LEVEL

1                               Ivan,Grunty,Vinny,& Hector      Ivan, Grunty, & Vinny

2                               Fox                             Fox

3                               -----------                     ---------       

4                               Fidel & Eli                     Fidel   

Later as cash flow permits              Ice                             Eli, Ice, & Wolf or "Doc"

Mid Game if needed              see  Other Possibilities                see  Other Possibilities 
                                below                           below

note:   if Ivan,Ice,& Fidel survive to the late game, they will be just as experienced as many of the "Heavy Hitters" 








note: The Easy or Normal Merc hiring scenario makes your personnel handling simpler, earlier in the game than the more difficult Normal or Hard approach.

By having Hector you can train him in marksmanship,and he is available as a replacement for a wounded Merc that might require a day as a patient. You acquire Eli sooner, and with him on board, you no longer need to have Vinny take days off to repair items, as Eli can do this on days wehn there are no wounded to tend to. This also frees up Fox to speed up her marksmanship training and to be available for missions as a replacement along with Hector. So generally, though it costs more per day in the early game, it's much easier to get started with Easy or Normal team. The other scenario is much more difficult but is affordable even at the Hard level (which is really the only reason to use it if you are a beginner).


SUGGESTED MERCS  - SALARIES & STATS


NAME                    Salary  Hlth   Agil   Dext   Wisd   Medic   Explos   Mech   Marks   Exp. Cls

Ivan Dolvich            $1,500   94      90        95      83          5           40        10        91            2
Helmut "Grunty" Gunther     490  82      79        76        72         14           25        40        69            1
"Vinny" Massimo     385  73      75        74        65           0            4         87        65            1
Hector Alvarez              410  79      84        88      72           6           17        38        61            1
Cynthia "Fox" Guzzman       515     77      85       100     76          60            8         15       54            1
Fidel Dahan               1,550    88      83         64     71            3           97          6       85            2
Dr. Eli Summers           1,400    81      73         58     77           70            0         65      49            2 
"Ice" Williams            1,300    90      88         87     71             0            0         35       86           2

OTHER POSSIBILITIES
"Wolf" Sanderson          1,850    87      73         84     74            44          32        48       74           2
Dr. Ahmad "Doc" Koolhan 1,750   74       77         61     83            83           0          3       66           2  
Rudy "Lynx" Roberts          3,300    81      79         86     71            23          50         19      99           3
Victoria Waters           2,850    79      85         72     85            16          28         90      80           3
Col. Leo Kelly            4,700    95      87         91     81            13            0         67      94           4
Earl "Magic" Walker          5,600    90      99         88     80            14           22        91      93           4
Robert "Scully" Sullivan          7,500    90      90         96     93            36           58        61      91           5
Mike                    12,000    97      95         94     96            67           97        98      99           8



 
















SECTION 3  --  GAME TIPS:   


The following should help you get "rid of the red-shirts" (and hopefully some of the game's frustrations)

CAPTURING SECTORS

                Capture 3 sectors every day possible. This will do more for your cash flow than anything else in the game. (example: if your overhead per day is say $8,000 and you are able to capture 3 sectors instead of 2 for two days. you will have 6 sectors, (and their income-producing trees) for a overhead cost of $16,000 as opposed to 4 sectors at the same cost of $16,000. Thus you have saved a full day's overhead of $8,000 (assuming only 2 sectors captured per day). This adds up to big bucks as time goes by. (note: to do this requires adequate combat skills, which is up to you to learn and learn fast. Consider replaying perhaps the 1st 3 days worth of sectors until you've gotten the knack. This beats plunging ahead after getting off to a bad start. Yes, this means starting the game over, and possibly over again. This is of course a total pain in the neck. This game can get you far behind the eight ball in a hurry. Catching up later on can be very difficult. Practicing  & polishing your combat skills right off the bat, will make the game much more enjoyable later on. Capturing 3 sectors in a day is actually easier early on than later, if you have the necessary skills. Many days of course this is just not possible. You can finish the 1st two sectors and then partially complete the 3rd sector. Kill as many enemies as possible, and retreat before dark.  You must be back in a "friendly" sector before 7:00 p.m. or the game will wound and/or kill some or all of your mercs "....while retreating"). The enemies killed in the un-captured sector  will not be there to harass you the next day, thus speeding your capture of the sector. Another important thing to know is  don't waste a lot of time picking up things in sectors until after the sector's capture. This is very time-consuming. Don't waste valuable time after the sector's capture. Don't try to pick up every known goodie. Get only those you really need (which will be most of them the first few days).Move along rapidly to the next sector. If worse comes to worse you can alway


have your mercs traverse through and pick up some goodies on the way to somewhere else in later days.

Speaking of cash flow, for a moment, build a POSITIVE cash flow of $4,000 -- $5000 before making any further major expenditures. The reason for this is quite simple. The early game seems to try to lure you into the feeling that you have the cash situation well in hand, before it throws the next monkey wrench in your lap. Forewarned is Forearmed.

        Where you enter a new sector FROM, is often important. Look at the sector map to get some idea of the lay of the land. You normally will want at least some nearby cover to use in your advance. Advancing across vast open spaces is often an invitation to disaster. Sometimes where you enter from can greatly affect the difficulty of the sector. Sector # 38 is classic example of this. Most of the places you can enter this sector have a lot of open space to cross, and there is a guy with a shotgun here that can do major damage to your mercs caught out in the open with little cover to protect them. This can quickly become one big nightmare. It's best to enter this sector in the NW corner coming from the SW corner of S-28. You have a small building to shield your entrance and then a line of trees to follow while moving South. The guy with the shotgun has lost his open spaces long-distance shooting advantage and the sector  becomes pretty much of a quick and easy proposition. 






        Sector 39 that I call the "3 Bridges Sector" is another example. If you enter this one anywhere East of the river, you will have to cross at least one of the bridges to get anywhere. Bridges are a constant source of enemy "booby traps" throughout the game. This sector is no exception. Enter S-39 from the South or North West of the river, and stay far to the West side of the sector. You will probably never have to cross any of the bridges, as the enemy will likely come to you.

So look before you leap. Yes, make a conscious effort to make the enemy come play where it's advantageous to you and not vice versa. Avoid the Jungle, bushes, and bridges that the red shirts love to lure you into. This is not always possible of course, but do your best to make him play on your turf, not his.

SECTOR SCHEDULE -- A Plan for Capturing Sectors in a Scheduled Sequence


You Begin the Game With Sector # 60

DAY #           SECTOR #        COMMENTS

1               59              Find the Micropurifier. transfer 4 guards here.
                50              Get your first big batch of trees. put the other 4 guards here.
                49              "Warehouse" sector. Finish the day here. Stay in the sector until dark                                  if completed as you won't have enough guards to transfer any here                                       until the next morning and by staying you can defend it against any                                     attacks.

2               48              "Booby Trap" Sector. Find the Shotgun but beware of the 2nd box. &                                      avoid searching buildings
                40              Traverse back to this sector and find .357 Magnum & 9mm pistols.
                39              enter from the South only. Stay West of the bridges. this requires                                      traversing. get out before 7:00 PM if not captured by then.

3               39              finish "3 Bridges" sector # 39 if not done so on day 2.
                29              "Water Source" sector. enter from the South. stay in the long N/S                                       corridor on the West side of the sector and "draw" the enemy out to                                     you. The last enemy will probably require a trip into the bush.
                30              Enter from SE corner of S-29. get the silencer & other goodies.

4               19              9mm w/silencer,TNT,Cash to find in this one. Takes some looking.
                28              Brenda's Lab, take metal detector and search diligently.

5               38              enter from SW corner of  S-28 stay near treeline bearing South.
                                find the.357 magnum pistol and Shotgun Ammo.
                37              take TNT w/detonator in case Vinny can't pick lock,or keys not found
                27              2nd Factory -- use silencers only to capture if possible. this prevents 
                                "sabotage" and saves lots of  lost cash flow if successful. Any enemies                                         located must be whacked in the same turn or they will alert the others,                                         who will in turn start the sabotage process. 

note: there is around $4,700 in hidden or sometimes obscurely located cash in these opening sectors (that I know of). Cash finds can occur from time to time throughout the game. So keep your eyes open & go get the greenbacks.

This should get you off to a good start in sector capturing (and cash flow). The rest is up to you.




Note: Later in the game, if you are getting desperate to find a new factory, due to your money running low, you should consider a little "sector peeking." What this involves is simply going into a sector  and looking to see if it has any buildings (not native huts). No buildings =  no factory. Take your native guide with you, if the buildings therein contain a factory, after a couple of turns he will more than likely tell you that the sector contains a factory. No factory, vacate ASAP and traverse to another nearby sector and repeat the process.

 




                
AFTER CAPTURING A SECTOR

note: "linked sectors" are not possible if a body of water separates the linked sectors.
        
ALWAYS PROTECT A CAPTURED "EXTERIOR" SECTOR WITH 8 GUARDS. Don't believe anyone who tells you that less will suffice, it may but don't bet on it , as I have seen sectors with 8 guards re-captured by the enemy,and more than once. Guards are cheap. Save money some other way.

DON'T GO TO THE NEXT SECTOR UNTIL ALL GUARDS ARE TRANSFERRED AND HAVE ARRIVED.
(unless you feel it necessary to race to Brenda's Lab or some other vital sector to save the sector from an imminent attack) 

TRANSFER GUARDS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CAPTURE OF A SECTOR

this stipulation may help avert an "ENEMIES' NEARBY" attack, and even if they don't avert it,your team is already in the sector and can join in the battle and eliminate the enemy.

note: "enemies nearby" attacks almost always seem to happen after you have captured a sector and are either waiting for guards to arrive, and\or searching the sector for goodies. If you have not ordered in new guards for the sector immediately after its capture you may be inviting an attack.. If you are mopping up and capturing the sectors in short order it seems to be a way of slowing down your progress towards another sector. When the "enemies nearby" status initiates, you will once again be encumbered by action points and have to battle the incoming enemy to rid the sector one more time of the enemy. The guards you have in the sector with you, and any guards in transit that arrive prior to your disposing of the enemy will actually join in the battle with you. Each group,guards,mercs,& enemies receiving a turn at a time until the situation is resolved. This does add an interesting and fun element to the game. The design seems to be  a way for the enemy to hamper your progress when you are doing "too well."











SECTOR ATTACKS BY THE ENEMY

         the majority of sector attacks by the enemy  seem to take place late afternoon, or shortly after you capture a new sector.  The frequency of attacks seems related to how well you are doing in the game. If it's only 3:00 PM and you've already captured your 2nd sector of the day, chances are the enemy is going to go on the warpath real soon. I've also seen attacks take place in the morning. Most of these, being when you captured  your 1st sector of the day  early in the morning, instead of the more usual  11:00 am  to Noon. At least one or two enemy attacks per day seem to be the standard, no matter how well or poorly you are doing. Attacks most of the time seems to be against vital sectors, as in sectors with labs, factories, lots of trees, or in sectors adjacent to the aforementioned. Most attacks of this nature seem to be unsuccessful (other than killing off some of your guards). However, some can be successful even if you have 8 guards. Attacks against Brenda's lab S-28 and some of the sectors in "Lucasland" can be particularly virulent. resulting in the deaths of all 8 of your guards and then of course any and all tappers you may have employed in the sector in question.

Don't transfer guards across water unless absolutely necessary. Move them around by land.
If you ignore this, you may very well lose some of your guards in transit to drowning or Metaviran reptiles.

        Pick up and search\find ALL goodies AFTER you capture the sector. This will save your time and much needed action points for when you need them -- combat with the enemy. The only exceptions to this stipulation are obvious, such as when you see an item that you need NOW. (more ammo,etc.)

        Pick up only those items, that you really need. Be quick about it. It's much more important in most cases, to push on to the next sector, and beat the cash flow time clock, than to waste time picking up the umpteenth  box of.38 ammo, you don't really need. This loading the vests, and rearranging to cram in more goodies is one of the biggest time consumers in the game and severely impedes your progress. Know what you need in the way of old items, in advance. 

RECOVERING ITEMS -- use the pg. down key to get to the overhead map view of the sector you are in--- look for flashing white objects -------click on one --- and the currently selected merc will go stand on it.  Exit the map and have him pick it up. A note of caution: be sure that the route the merc will travel to get the Item will not take him into the water as you may lose your merc. Please also note that the map will only show objects in portions of the map you have explored. You need to have someone scurry around the entire un-traveled parts of sectors to illuminate these objects. Buried or hidden objects will not show up either. Objects in boxes or cabinets you have not opened are the same. Some obscured objects have trees,etc blocking your view . These are NOT visible to you from the regular "on the ground" view. Very often these non-visible objects can be the most valuable "find" of the sector. Other "most valuable" areas often turn out to be small islands or peninsulas off the beaten path, or boxes hidden in the jungle.

HIRING GUARDS

        For a good deal of the game, you will need to hire at least 16 guards (and sometimes 24) to occupy newly captured sectors and perhaps some extras to replace guards killed the previous day. Guards should be in all sectors that are adjacent to enemy controlled sectors (not diagonally). Even if water separates the enemy sectors from your own this is still necessary. Later on when you have "safe" interior sectors you will often not need to hire new guards.








"SQUARING OFF" BLOCKS OF SECTORS -- TO REDUCE GUARD OVERHEAD

                The best way to cut down on guard overhead is to '"square off" or "fill in" your block of sectors. Then  eliminate un-needed groups of guards.




S -- it takes 2 action points to 
crouch.

COMBAT TACTICS



"LINE OF SIGHT" 
similar to XCOM. 

SILENCERS










        
COMBAT KNIVES FOR MERCS 
