Tony's Jagged Alliance Series Systems & Tactics Guide

A mechanics-first technical reference for Jagged Alliance 2 vanilla v1.12 and Wildfire.

What this site is

This is not a walkthrough.

This is a system-level guide to how Jagged Alliance 2 actually works —
covering v1.12 and Wildfire, with a focus on:

  • How the two major versions really differ
  • Combat resolution (accuracy, interrupts, suppression, damage)
  • Stealth, vision, and detection
  • AI behavior and tactical decision-making

Most JA2 information online is fragmented, outdated, or mixed across versions.
This site exists to fix that.

Everything here is built as a mechanics reference — not opinion, not anecdotes.

How this guide is built

All information is derived from:

  • Verified in-game testing in JA2 v1.12 and Wildfire
  • Original developer documentation and patch notes
  • 2,000+ hours of long-term play across multiple full campaigns
  • Cross-version comparison of how the engine behaves

Where possible, rules, formulas, and edge cases are documented — not just tips.

If something behaves strangely in JA2, it is probably explained here.

Supported versions

This guide currently covers:

  • Jagged Alliance 2 (Gold), v1.12 (04.12.02)
  • Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire, v6.04 (12.01.06)

Mods, AI overhauls, and fan patches are documented only when explicitly stated.

This archive is maintained by a long-time JA2 player
and exists to preserve the original design and mechanics of the Jagged Alliance 2 series in a form that can be tested, referenced, and trusted.