How to Install the Unofficial v1.13 Patch for Jagged Alliance 2 Gold

[saugus49]

ATTENTION! -- The following was from my Guide published in the Jagged Alliance 2: Gold Pack Community Hub and is now obsolete. Since Strategy First rebundled Jagged Alliance 2 Gold and Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business into the current Steam AppID, Jagged Alliance 2 Gold (Pack), I, and other owners of the original Steam AppID Pack, cannot publish Guides, Reviews, etc., in the current Steam AppID's Community Hub referenced from the Steam Game Page. For all owners of Jagged Alliance 2 Gold on Steam, please see my Guide located HERE.



Caveat -- I have not verified this recently so there might be additional steps necessary today, however I believe this process will work for Windows 7 and Vista (some details might vary for other Windows versions). Additionally, this has worked flawlessly for me (including the intro and in-game videos) under Windows 7 Pro x64 SP1 on an Intel-based system with NVIDIA graphics (non-SLI). I cannot vouch for other configurations. Typically, I find that 800x600 resolution works best for most screens but 1024x768 works too if your screen is large enough:

1. From Steam, install Jagged Alliance 2 Gold; run the game once to assure the complete installation of all modules.

2. Create a folder named "Games" (or "Modded Games", or whatever you want to call it, without the quotes) in the C:\ folder. This is done to avoid potential conflicts with UAC (User Account Control) permissions inherited from the stock Windows "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)" folder that may occur if you generally log in to Windows using a 'Standard User' account rather than an 'Administrator' account. (If you wish to apply the patch directly to the game folder under Steam, you're welcome to try, but subtle game glitches are a possibity; if you do, I recommend you disable "Automatically keep this game up to date" in its Properties to avoid unwelcome surprises should Steam actually do so, and also avoid verifying the game's cache to prevent Steam from overwriting your newly patched game files).

3. COPY the folder "Jagged Alliance 2 Gold" from your C:\Program Files [or Program Files (x86)]\Steam\steamapps\common folder to your newly created C:\Games folder. If disk space is at a premium you can 'Delete Local Content...' for Jagged Alliance 2 Gold in your Steam Library from the game's right-click menu once you've verified that this patch has worked for you and you don't have (or care about) saved games that would require the standard Steam JA2 Gold v1.12 install.

4. Run the downloaded http://kermi.pp.fi/JA_2/v1.13_Releases/Official/English/v4870/JA2_113_FullRelease_English_4870.exe, directing it to unpack in your "C:\Games\Jagged Alliance 2 Gold" folder, overwriting any existing files.

5. Run the downloaded http://kermi.pp.fi/JA_2/v1.13_Releases/Official/English/v4870/Official_Update/JA2_113_UpdateForRelease4870_English.exe, directing it to unpack in your "C:\Games\Jagged Alliance 2 Gold" folder, overwriting any existing files.

6. Create a shortcut by right-clicking on the "ja2.exe" file (or the "INI Editor.exe" file) in the "C:\Games\Jagged Alliance 2 Gold" folder and selecting "Create shortcut"; Rename the created shortcut to "Jagged Alliance 2 Gold" or "Jagged Alliance 2 Gold 1.13", or whatever you like, and move it to your desktop or Start Menu. Alternatively, if you really want to access the patched game from your Steam Library, you can safely add it by using the Steam 'Games>Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library...' drop-down menu, and you won't have to worry about Steam inadvertantly "auto-updating" your modded game.

7. Double-clicking your new shortcut should allow you to run the v1.13 game. Display resolution is selected by running 'INI Editor.exe' in the "C:\Games\Jagged Alliance 2 Gold" folder.

Note that this ONLY applies to Jagged Alliance 2 Gold from Steam (or elsewhere). It does NOT work with Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business or Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire. Also, remember that this is an unofficial patch and various bugs still exist. Any other necessary tweaks I'll leave for others to supply. I do not know if the 'Unofficial JA2 v1.13 Patch' is final or not. Some development is still ongoing. The Version 4870 above was released on 28 December, 2011 and the Update on 25 July, 2012. Further information and documentation including other language versions can be found at JA2 v1.13[ja2v113.pbworks.com]. If you're interested in the latest v1.13 (UNSTABLE) builds, builds for Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business, or any other v1.13 projects in the works, you can find them at v1.13 Modders (Development Discussions)[www.ja-galaxy-forum.com].

Good luck.

[r3bs]

Thanks for this guide, i've recently decided to replay it (i've played the original back in the days, dont know what this Gold version is). I also see a game JA2 - Wildfire here on steam. Do you know if it is any better than this version? I would ask on their forum but there is only trade spam at the moment.

[saugus49]

You can check out Jagged Alliance (series)[en.wikipedia.org] for info about the various editions/expansions of the game.

Jagged Alliance 2 Gold primarily retrofitted the gameplay improvements from Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business back into JA2 and included a scenario editor.

I don't own Wildfire (and probably never will) so cannot comment on any comparison between it and the Unofficial v1.13 Patch for JA2. It started out as a fan-made mod and was subsequently released as an official Expansion Pack to JA2. It has a checkered history and decidedly mixed reviews.

[drake_hound]

Just use OTHC NTHC in jagged alliance 1.13 , the unstable build and later on stable build NTHC isn´t properly balanced , even with hours of tinkering .

The shots feels like jagged alliance 2 , pre patch where nothing worked in certain situations .
1,13 stable build is really great , sadly the New to hit cursor , doesn´t even have a hit % working that after years of tinkering .

Let say the new to hit system even with tons of tinkering , doesn´t bring back the jagged alliance 2 feeling .

The Wildfire isn´t bad at all , sadly there were tons of bugs and zuxxex quit cause strategy gamers first stopped paying them , so he stopped making patches .

With all jagged alliance , it seems people never put up enough money to the developers.
Must be cause they were russians , if something like that happened in the west .
They would have sued the crap out of the companies .

Especially what happened to Hired Guns (a game full of bugs , but developers had to take out all the AIM and Jagged Alliance stuff , but still it was buggy none the less :P )

But wildfire is a lot harder then Jagged Alliance 2 , 1.13 isn´t as hard as wildfire .
And cause there were limited tools available for wildfire to cheat .
A lot of people never finished it , not that wildfire you can finish the game !
Too many bugs .

[saugus49]

Originally posted by drake_hound:

Just use OTHC NTHC in jagged alliance 1.13 , the unstable build and later on stable build NTHC isn´t properly balanced , even with hours of tinkering .

The shots feels like jagged alliance 2 , pre patch where nothing worked in certain situations .
1,13 stable build is really great , sadly the New to hit cursor , doesn´t even have a hit % working that after years of tinkering .

Let say the new to hit system even with tons of tinkering , doesn´t bring back the jagged alliance 2 feeling .

OTHC? NTHC? Please define your acronyms before using them. If, as I expect, you're referring to Old/New To-Hit Chance, your acronym differs from v1.13 Preferences terminology wherein one can toggle on/off the options to 'Show Chance to Hit on Cursor' and 'Use new Chance to Hit System'.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say, here, when you say v1.13 is not properly balanced. What is a proper balance? While I liked JA2 vanilla, one major complaint I had was how hard it was for my mercs to actually hit their target, early game, even with quite high marksmanship ratings. It always seemed the enemies had much better luck than I did. 1.13 has toned that imbalance down some with its New Chance to Hit System. That it is still somewhat imbalanced is a game design decision that maintains an intended challenge for the player. Without it, the game would be far too easy. At least they leave it up to the player to decide whether he wishes to use the vanilla system or the new system.

[indyxt]

Just a quick question - is it possible to play this game windowed?

[saugus49]

Originally posted by indyxt:

Just a quick question - is it possible to play this game windowed?

With the Unofficial v1.13 Patch, yes, but note the following qualification quoted from its JA2.ini file: "If you like to play in Windowed Mode, you have to switch your Windows Desktop Color Scheme to 16 Bit!"

The easiest way to set some initial game preferences such as which of the three game screen resolutions (640x480, 800x600, 1024x768) or Full-Screen/Windowed mode, is to launch v1.13 using its 'INI Editor.exe' executable which can act as a "front end" to the game. Once the preferences are written to the .INI files, the editor is closed and the game can be launched.

Remember, this is an old game from 1999 (Windows 98 era) and it does not support widescreen resolutions. I rarely play games windowed on my widescreen laptop so I set my graphics card's (NVIDIA) "Adjust Desktop Size and Position" scaling mode to produce an unstretched, 4:3 aspect ratio and simply tolerate the black bars on either side.

[drake_hound]

Untill you show me a % like old to hit cursor , tnew to hit cursor is worthless .
Cause even with old to hit cursor there are shots ! who will never connect from 3 tiles away .
Cause of common bug , especially if you scale up the resolution , jagged alliance was made with trouble for the lower resolution .

The new to hit cursor , doesn´t even have a % bar or show hit chance .
While nice the circle closing and changing , it doesn´t represent the old cursor bar that shows you the chances , especially while aiming !

New to hit cursor is nice for the modders , especially with all the new gear .
But sadly new to hit cursor itself is a major MOD . that requires people to tinker till they got there settings , but what happens when you runned into a bugged shot ?
The old one showed you no matter how much aim you put it , the chance to hit will not rise .
New to hit cursor even shows you green , and still fails the shot !

So thus leading to even more frustrating gameplay . maybe if people start making a hit chance !
Then it will be obvious , till then well play with the new to hit cursor if you want to mod items and modify ini even then it still will not give jagged alliance 2 feeling .
Now you can play the first couple maps no problems , but once you hit the wilderness , later stages of the fights , the new to hit cursor flaws shows .
Especially with even more micro managing with all the new mods .

[indyxt]

Originally posted by saugus49:

Originally posted by indyxt:

Just a quick question - is it possible to play this game windowed?

Remember, this is an old game from 1999 (Windows 98 era) and it does not support widescreen resolutions. I rarely play games windowed on my widescreen laptop so I set my graphics card's (NVIDIA) "Adjust Desktop Size and Position" scaling mode to produce an unstretched, 4:3 aspect ratio and simply tolerate the black bars on either side.

Yeah, I know it's an old game) Played it way back in 2000 for the first time :)
I would do the same as you, but I'm on a laptop with Optimus, so no scaling modes in control panel (go figure why Nvidia removed this feature in laptop drivers). Guess I'd have to play it on my old PC. Or just enjoy my memories)

[saugus49]

@indyxt

If you have your old CD (and a means to use it with your laptop) you could try installing and running the game. I've heard that there are problems starting it with the opening video enabled, but I never ran into that problem. Perhaps NVIDIA's newest mobile drivers are smart enough to not stretch 4:3 sources. I've no experience with their newer laptop drivers, my old HP Refurb laptop with 9600M GT glitches with any NVIDIA driver later than 179.04. That driver version has an option in the NVIDIA Control Panel to "Change flat panel scaling" under which I selected "Use NVIDIA scaling with fixed-aspect ratio". Maybe the functionality is still there under different terminolgy? The trouble with windowed mode is that today's screen resolutions are so great that even using 1024x768 (or 800x600) in a window might not be satisfying without scaling.

Anyhow, good luck. It's only $4.99 this week for JA2gold+Unfinished Business, so you might take a flyer on it...

[indyxt]

@saugus49
Unfortunately new drivers are not smart at all. Stretching all the way :( I read somewhere that on Optimus-laptops scaling is supposed to be handled by Intel drivers, but it's a long and complicated process to tweak it. Anyways, thanks for your answers) And I actually bought Steam-Gold pack last summer, dunno why it doesn't show that I own the game already.

[saugus49]

Originally posted by indyxt:

I actually bought Steam-Gold pack last summer, dunno why it doesn't show that I own the game already.

Strategy First rebundled the two games and released it on Steam as Jagged Alliance 2 Gold. What you and I bought was the older Jagged Alliance 2: Gold Pack which has the same content but a different Steam AppID from the current 'Gold'. What this means, is that all community features are now split between the two AppID's with the current AppID being the primary community going forward and the old AppID's community now orphaned. By orphaned, I mean that owners of the old AppID cannot post reviews/guides/etc., on either the current store page or Community Hub, no indication that you already own the game appears on the Store page, and all direct Community features related to the current AppID are closed to us. Additionally, right-clicking on our library entries for Community Hub or Game Forum only links to the new AppID's Hub. I don't think Steam will recognize that you already own the game until you actually try to buy the current version.

[75338]

Wish someone would make an Exe file for this. Or that Steam would actually make sure the game runs on the latest Windows version if they're going to sell it.

[General Chaøs™]

This thread needs to be pinned

[LooseCannon16]

Nice Mod! Jagged Alliance 2 forever!