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[Bdthemag]

I should really get back into this. I didn't play it very much, but I enjoyed it for a while-- the only problem was, I hated the sheer amount of equipment and variety of guns/ammo types. It just seemed overkill for a game. I'm sure there was a setting I could disable to make that aspect of it similar, but it's been a while now since I looked.

(Ho-hum, posting replies in many threads to help get the bandodger's thread off the first page...)

How can you hate a large amount of customization for guns? I mean, you can reset it back to the weapon/mod system in JA2, but that still gives you quite a few options when it comes to choosing guns. One of the defining aspects of 1.13 is the amount of weapons and modifications available.

[Moogie]

Don't get me wrong, I'm a loothog in most RPGs, and I do enjoy managing inventories. But all of the numbers and models and acronyms for guns (not even to mention the various attachments) just makes my head spin. I know a few of the undescriptive gun names, like "M1911" is a handgun, but JA2 1.13 probably has 50 versions of that and every other gun and they're all just a bunch of serial numbers. Unless you're a real gun nut, none of it makes sense at a glance. I don't really want to study every description and stat of every gun AND every ammo type to make sure they a) actually work together and b) do what I need them to do. It takes so long. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long staring at that tiny, tiny text!

Not saying I'd rather have generic "handgun", "machine gun", "rifle" weapons, but having thousands of them seems counter-productive to actually playing and enjoying the game. I mean really, how different can they possibly be, in practice?

[Delta Foxtrot]

They're not. That's why you can freely ignore them. An assault rifle is an assault rifle is an assault rifle and most of them are chambered for 7.62. They go boom and kill people.

You don't really need much more than that to get rolling in JA.

[Ozyton]

Personally I like me some gun porn, the sheer amount of guns available in 1.13 made my mouth water the first time I saw it. =D
If you're having trouble... I don't know how well this works in the game, but instead of looking at indiciual guns look at the guns as gun types. You have SMGs, pistols, rifles, assault rifles, machineguns, etc. Look at the type of gun it is and decide if that type of gun fits the role that you're looking for. You could minmax your people with specific guns and equipment but if you don't have the patience for that then grabbing the type of gun you want without worrying about the model shouldn't be much of a problem. Again haven't played in a long time so I don't know how well this holds true gameplay-wise.

I really should try playing this game again, I just wish that the new JA game wasn't such a load of crap *sigh*

[Funk]

Moogie try running it on limited guns for just the default weapons, so you stand a chance of working it out.
(old cheatsheet, if it helps 

Stock 1.13 has a lot of some weapons that are basicy the same, (how many 9mm pistols and 5.56mm ARs do you need? it really slows down me getting to the dart rifle thing.)
Instruments of Violence is an great mod if you feel like you need a few more guns or items(AKA every gun you can think of).

The counter attack has never been a real problem as it hold off takeing the mine for a bit, so it tends to be much easyer with 6 mercs, a few MGs and a lot of genades.

what is every ones normal set up?
Me i like a six person attack crew:
Two large MGs to put out the suppression and a pair of short carbines usually a 7.62x51mm for power and to mach the MGs.
A single support guy get an RPG or a grenade launcher for explosive counter snipeing.
And last the ammo mule/ MG guard/medic.

[Fikes]

I think the gun porn is way overboard. I really don't care that there are two different lengths for 7.62mm ammo and I get pissed when I accidently buy the wrong one.

Anyways, I used this post to keep me sane with all the gun selections:

http://www.ja-galaxy-forum.com/board/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=199401&page=1

[Bdthemag]

I just picked whichever guns I personally liked and was fine, honestly. I mean, half of my squad was using WW2 bolt-action rifles most of the time, but it worked out all right.

[BlindKitty]

Well, actually there are at least four different lengths of 7.62mm ammo (NATO rifle, WP rifle short -for AK, WP rifle long - for Dragunov sniper rifle, and WP pistol). And those are really, really different. I mean, I understand the difficulty, but it stems from a common misconception that the number of mm in caliber is round's most important characteristic. It is not. Actually, I'm pretty sure that NATO variety 7.62mm ammo even has different diameter than WP variety 7.62mm ammo, not to mention the length. The good news? They have different graphics in-game. You need to concentrate on that, it should make your life easier. And treat the numbers like they are just serial numbers or something, not really meaningful.
As for the merc setup - a MG with x4 ACOG scope (usually MG36), two snipers with whatever strikes me fancy at the moment, and three AR 5.56mm, bull-pup. Sometimes and switch some of the ARs for something with more range and a x7 scope, especially when I have Bison SMG or P90 to compensate for lower rate of fire in close-range engagements. Strongest guy also carries a GL, someone usually has a LAW in backpack, everybody has a few grenades and a medkit.

[LoSboccacc]

I like p90 they have very low ap even if the penetration on armored foe is abysmal.

Then again I prefer to rely on two snipers to clear distant foe so the 4 p90 are tasked with hiding and making surprise mincemeat if anything that passes by.

Anyway that is pretty much late game, I find ammo costs too much to start buying it yourself. Thus at the beginning is a ragtag of whatever rifle I have ammo for and My first purchases are the optionals - scope, camos, binoculars, night vision goggles etc.

[sluissa]

I think the gun porn is way overboard. I really don't care that there are two different lengths for 7.62mm ammo and I get pissed when I accidently buy the wrong one.

Anyways, I used this post to keep me sane with all the gun selections:

http://www.ja-galaxy-forum.com/board/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=199401&page=1

Agreed, I'll be the first to admit that ammunition sizes are a problem, but that stems from the same real life issues that exist and if you're building a game off of real life items, you can't really simplify things too much without causing other problems or just getting away from the realism you were searching for in the beginning.

Ammunition really lacks any sort of standardization in their labeling or measurement procedures, as a couple of quick examples. 9mmx19 ammuntion is also called in various places, 9mm Luger, 9mm Parabellum and occasionally 9mm NATO or some variation of combination of those terms. You've also got the .38(in inches) Special ammunition and the .357 Magnum Ammunition which are the exact same diameter, but because they're measured differently are labelled as different measurements. (In fact it's fairly common to fire .38 Special from .357 Magnum revolvers as a cheaper alternative while practicing, although it's generally bad practice to fire ammo from a gun it's not designed for and I don't condone or suggest it.)

A quick look at the wikipedia lists of the various firearm calibers out there makes it clear that despite the confusion that can occur in JA2, it's really kept things fairly simple. There have even been a few instances in there where, even as an amateur, I've realized that they've taken steps to keep things simple and given guns cartridges which were slightly out of line(or at least shouldn't be interchangable with the other weapons that use it in game) with the real deal.

Personally, to keep things simple, I like standardization, as much as possible. At the very least my first step is to get everyone the same caliber pistol, and once assault rifles start showing up, I try to do the same there. Sniper and other special weapons are more tricky, and I usually just take them as they come and deal with ammo issues occasionally. This does, on the other hand, mean you'll be wasting a lot of ammo that's not your choice of standardization(example, I usually pick 9x19mm pistols and end up with a lot of useless 9x18mm ammo)

But yeah, point is, don't blame JA2, or even 1.13, they didn't have a hand in these naming schemes, they've taken steps to make it easier on you and there's not much they can do beyond that than simply go the bare bones "pistol ammo" "rifle ammo" route or make everything weapon specific and make it so that, no, you can't take the cartridges out of your Thompson SMG and put them into your M1911 Pistol, despite the fact that realistically you could. As for too many Weapons... feel free to ignore most of them and play around with anything that looks interesting. Only thing I'd suggest is despite the history and reputation of the AK-47, stay away from that specific model and stick with one of the more recent variants of it if you want to go that route, assuming you have a choice. They all have minor little differences, but they're almost universally better than the original.

[BlindKitty]

That's interesting (but also I think that's part of it's appeal) how differently you can play JA2. I, for example, try to use more exotic-caliber weapons when possible, because I don't like to waste ammo for those. In fact, least popular ammo types are either worst (and thus forgotten) or best (and rare because of their price and/or being copyrighted - 5.7mm ammunition for P90 is a perfect example of this). But there is never enough of such high profile ammunition to equip everybody and thus I rely on more popular types as main supply - 5.56mm gets the prize here for being found in absolutely insane amounts everywhere (I play on full drop, mind you, but reduced money from Alt - selling stuff to 1/10 from 1/4, to avoid gathering money this way). Also, I almost never buy anything from Bobby Ray's shop, as I prefer to spend that money on mercenaries. Also, whenever I find anything interesting there, it is either one of a kind, or I already have it. And I won't pay three times the cost of a reflex sight in sending charges. Than again, I play on rather low setting when it comes to Bobby Ray, so this might be the problem (although I usually play on slow item progression in general).

As the real world ammunition goes, .357 Magnum has some free space in the cartridge - it was specifically made this was so it won't fit into .38 revolvers, which could break under the strain of more powerful round firing. Just an interesting trivia for today.

[scriver]

My favourite setup back in the day was two snipers keeping an eye on the area, two spotters/assault riflers defending them, one spare dude (whether of a non-combat skill focus or just another guard for extra mobility), and then a Sneakster going in at night and taking everyone out with throwing knives and silencers.

Really, in the early game, you didn't even need the backup force, the Silent Sneakster tactic was ridiculously overpowered and could take out whole areas without help. Is 1.13 still like that?

And yeah, Drassen Counterattack sucks. I don't think I've made t through that thing more than once or twice, never until I've gathered a little better equipment.

[Taricus]

You kinda need rifles and SMGs atleast to deal with the drassen counterattack. Though I've had fun cheating in some money to buy top-line gear from BR's and just wiping the floor with the army with a sniper and an LMG ontop of the public bathroom.

[Sharp]

I love the Drassen counter-attack, just try and get set-up in a good position and wait for them to come to you. It's always fun fighting with militia and once your done there is lots of loot available.

I don't like using the custom merc because they don't really have a personality. Ivan is always a good choice but I preferred him when he was Russian only and there aren't as many psychos in JA2 compared to the first which is sad.

[Pakkanen]

I love the Drassen counter-attack, just try and get set-up in a good position and wait for them to come to you. It's always fun fighting with militia and once your done there is lots of loot available.

+1

Also if you plan to face the counter-attack I suggest you get some more men and equip them with scoped assault rifles.
I recall the Heckler & Koch G-series having some superb rifles for this since you can attach pretty much anything to them. 2x,4x,7x scopes, laser sights, grips etc. are all incredibly useful especially the scopes.
As for more mercenaries I suggest ICE.