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Vanilla Redux: Weapons & Progression Rebalance

Vanilla Redux is a comprehensive rebalancing of Jagged Alliance 3 without any new quantitative additions to the game. At its core this mod is intended to take what vanilla Jagged Alliance 3 has to offer in terms of itemization (weapons, attachments etc.) and rebalance it to make a little more sense - no more odd combinations of weapons and calibers; no arbitrary and wildly different damage numbers for weapons using the same calibers; weapon components are now more coherent across all platforms and somewhat more realistic (as far as videogames go) with their properties.

Moreover, weapon progression in Vanilla Redux generally shifts from acquiring guns with better stat numbers to acquiring guns with wider customizability - more or less reflecting on the contemporary state of small arms. For instance, the old AKM you found on Ernie island will remain a perfectly viable assault rifle throughout the game in terms of range and damage, but that AR-15 you can buy off Bobby Ray's will have the edge over it thanks to the plethora of available attachments and modifications. That said, in general, weapon attachments cost significantly higher now in terms of parts and Mechanical skill required. For example, Thermal Scope now costs 90 parts, 2 Microchips and 1 Lens to make, instead of vanilla 50 parts and 1 Microchip.

Overall, this rebalancing strives to maintain accessibility of vanilla JA3 without adding dozens of new weapons and countless new types of ammunition and attachments, which often results in micromanagement hell. If you like to keep it simple, but expect a bit more realistic approach - this mod might be for you.

Lastly, Vanilla Redux alters most gear and loot tables of all NPCs, whether friendly or not, quest rewards, item containers and etc. to correspond with the itemization changes, as well as slightly modifying a few game mechanics for the same reason. Merc availability, gear and pricing have also been modified in accordance with the new itemization, as well as to provide reasonable progression changes.

Most notable changes, full list of changes coming soon:

1. Vanilla weapon numbers rebalancing. Damage and range now depend on ammunition caliber, i.e. weapons in 7.62x51mm will do more damage and have longer range than, say, weapons in 5.56mm, unlike in vanilla JA3, where range and numbers varied widely between same caliber guns, and made little sense realism-wise. There are still variations in range in weapons of the same caliber, depending on barrel length, but damage will remain unchanged.

2. Reimagined ammunition. There are now main 7 types, or rather - groups of small arms ammunution:
- common pistol caliber group (includes ammo for Hi-Power, Beretta 92F, Glock 18, Colt Peacemaker, Colt Anaconda, Custom Six-Shooter, MP5K, MP5, MP40, UZI)
- Warsaw Pact ammunition group (for AKS-74U, AKM, AK-74, RPK, SVD, The Hired Gun)
- intermediate NATO ammunition (for M4 Commando, FAMAS, M16A2, Steyr AUG, G36, AR-15, FN Minimi)
- full-power NATO ammunition (for Galil ARM, M14A1, FN FAL, HK 21, M24, PSG-1)
- shotgun ammunition group (for Double-barrel shotgun, Auto 5, M41, AA12)
- exotic ammunition group (for Desert Eagle, The Lion's Roar, Gewer 98, Gold Fever, MG42, Winchester 1894, Confidante)
- .50 BMG ammunition (for Barret M82)

Keep in mind that even if two weapons use the same group of ammunition, their numbers may vary depending on their actual calibers. For instance, 9mm Bereta 92F will have 16 damage and 14 range, while Colt Peacemaker in more potent .44 Special will have 20 damage and 16 range despite both pistols using the same "common pistol caliber group" ammunition. Same goes for, let's say, 5.45mm AK-74 (24 damage, 24 range) and 7.62x54R Dragunov sniper rifle (31 damage, 33 range) - both in the same "Warsaw Pact group" of ammunition. Ammo variations within "groups", such as HP, Tracer, Match etc. remain unchanged, except for Armor Piercing ammuntion (AP), which now does roughly 10-15% less damage than other types.

3. Significant Weapon Component rebalancing. While the general idea of the changes revolves around game progression shift from acquiring better stat guns to acquiring more customizable weapons, most Vanilla Redux' weapon components now offer unique properties, trying to avoid the 'best in slot' trap. Players will have to decide which components to put on a gun to compliment either their playstyle or the strengths (or indeed mitigate weaknesses) of a particular merc.

4. Rebalancing of AIM mercenaries in terms of price, hiring availability and starting gear:
- no stat changes whatsoever, everything remains faithful to Vanilla and the devs original vision
- Len and Fauda are now level 5 Elite mercs available for hire from the get go. Let's face it, neither of them were particularly good for Legendary status hidden away behind AIM Gold account, given their stats, perk distribution and Old Dog quirk. At level 5 and price roughly around Ivan's, they are now a viable option for hire early on, so that they can benefit from skill book stat increase as you progress through the game, as well as having a bit more flexibility at perk building. Ivan is still overall a better mercenary, but the two old dogs now bring variation, personality and their reasonable Leadership stat to the table to build a team around them right away, if wanted.
- starting gear is updated according to Vanilla Redux changes, still reflecting upon merc personality, individuality and background. For instance, Igor now starts with AKS-74U (which, while still a good gun, is nowhere near end-game level weapon like in Vanilla) and Livewire has only a Flare Pistol in addition to her personal items, complimenting her somewhat lacking combat abilities and reluctant attitude.
- salaries and levels are adjusted within reason. Mercs who are commonly considered 'better' than others because of their stats, traits and\or non-combat utility, now cost somewhat more, while still affordable at their experience brackets. For instance, Igor (and his AKS-74U), Fox and Livewire are now at the top of Recruit mercs in terms of their salaries, and Hitman is demoted from Elite to Veteran with his starting level dropping to 3.
- some Talent rebalancing, taking into consideration Vanilla Redux changes in balance and progression.

5. Bobby Ray's is significantly more expensive to buy guns from, but some top of the line weapons like AR-15, PSG-1 etc. can now only be ordered on-line with little to no chance of finding them in Gran Chien.

6. Changes to some core mechanics:
- Autofire now fires 5 rounds at -50% damage penalty (same as 3-round Burst) at the cost of all AP instead of 15 rounds with -80% penalty. Overall a nerf, it still allows low AP mercs to fire 5 rounds a turn, where high AP merc would be able to make two aimable 3-round Burst and totalling at 6 rounds per turn. Autofire still applies Suppression debuff, which Burst doesn't.
- Machine gun Long Burst now fire 5 rounds at -50% damage penalty (same as Autofire), but at fixed AP cost. High AP mercs will be able to fire two aimable Long Burst per turn, totalling at 10 rounds per turn. Long Burst now also applies Suppression, same as Autofire.

7. Enemy and NPCs gear now makes a little bit more sense. For instance, Legion, being a local militant group uses weapons readily available in Gran Chien: the country's WW2 legacy weapons and Gran Chien's army equipment - Soviet weapons and French FAMAS. The gangsters on the other hand can have some weapons smuggled over the border. Your own Militia now too uses most widely available small arms in the country: AKs.

If you like what you see, then give Vanilla Redux a go. Good luck!