Thrilled to hear that the Benicia situation's figured out!
Yay! 
In regards to supplying weapons/gear, if it's not too much trouble, could you supply
two different systems? One that's geared towards "evolving gameplay" and another for those that want the immediate gratification of being able to cuddle up with their favorite lead-spewing babies?
The "evolving gameplay" system would be setup realistically. Legitimate weapon dealers at bigger locales would be able to supply a larger catalog of weaponry immediately from the game's start, and allow access to those weapons that they could order. The newest weaponry/gear could be ordered with a 50% down payment, and then take 3-4 weeks for shipment. There would be quite a price penalty to be paid for the shipping and handling, but as a major conflict heats up, the price/time cost would gradually reduce as these weapons would already be "in the pipeline" to the conflict zone since it's now a good source of dependable income for the weapons manufacturers. Eventually even the best "special forces" gear wouldn't have to be shipped at all. They'd be readily available at the better shops. Perhaps a bonus could be supplied to the Player for those traders he frequently shops from. Black market dealers can occasionally get their hands on such premium weapons, and perhaps have them delivered a week or two earlier than the legitimate dealers could, but their prices are much greater. Yes, I know that having Players wait for 2-4 weeks' worth of game-time is a pretty hefty "penalty," but it seems more than fair to me so that they can get their hands on a brand-spanking new HK416 or a SCAR...
The "immediate cuddle up" system would be accessible via the radio, and the Player could order up weapons/gear through it. They'd pay a normal price for the items (I'd make ammo available for ordering too), and then they'd spawn nearby, akin to ordering up a mercenary. This setup would be ideal for those Players who don't like the slow buildup to the weapons and gear that they love. They simply want their babies now so that they can execute the combat as they see fit.
Top 3 Wishes for the Next Release
(1)
Supply ammo boxes that come pre-mixed with different ammo types. Graphically, such boxes would have two colors on it, color-coded to indicate the ammo mix inside. In bold font would be the following combinations:
AP+FMJ
AP+HP
FMJ+HP
The rounds could be mixed in one of two counts: Burst and Alternate. A "burst" count box of mixed ammo would be that the first of three rounds would always be a single AP followed by two FMJs. An "alternate" count box of mixed ammo would simply alternate the rounds so that it would go "AP, FMJ, AP, FMJ, etc., etc."
I
strongly feel that a
ton of Players would appreciate being able to purchase pre-mixed boxes of ammunition. While the Player can do this himself in the game, it's very time consuming, boring, and a third of the time the GUI doesn't display properly till a reload of the last save is done. This is more than a little irritating when it happens.
2.
Ensure that windows always permit the Player to see the enemy on the other side of the glass. The reasons for this are pretty obvious, because to have an enemy see you when you can't see him, even though they're just 5 feet away from the window's surface is, well, pretty golly-durned frustrating.
3.
Supply better Tips to aide in figuring out the gameplay. I'm talking about for items such as how to setup claymores, which I still haven't been able to pull off properly!
I'd also list the Top Ten major changes that the latest release of the Blue Sun Mod supplies, and that includes managing taxes on a territory.
4. "Yes," I know that I said that this would be my "Top 3" list, but this last one's so low that I thought that it wouldn't hurt to mention it anyway... Allow the player to pickup and carry three medium-sized
stones per single box, which can be used to throw towards the enemy
to make them think that a grenade has been thrown at them. I've read about some rather nasty firefights in the Pacific Theatre during WWII where the American soldiers were so low on grenades that they alternated throwing stones at the enemy. It got to the point that when the light was dim enough the Japanese ran away in terror nearly every single time a stone was thrown.
If, as you mentioned earlier, you can get Brigade E5's helicopter into the game, that would be awesome!
If anyone has the mind and fingers to do it, it's
you man!
Hopefully, the upcoming release of
Jagged Alliance 2 Back in Action won't draw you away for too long. I am
SO disappointed to hear that there's no fog of war, that only one attachment can be setup per weapon, and the game's being released so that it's not "mod-friendly." What in the world are the developers thinking when it comes to making these three HUGE blunders?!
I very rarely purchase "brand new" titles at top price, and I was seriously considering doing so for JA2 BiA, but it's hard for me to imagine doing so now. If they were smart, they'd release a free demo a week prior to release, because I can't imagine the wrath they're going to receive if they force JA2 lovers to shell out hard earned cash for a game that they're going to end up hating!
Honestly, as much as I admire JA2+1.13, the best
tactical experience I've ever had in a game is
7.62, but that's primarily due to all of the work poured into it to improve it through the
Blue Sun Mod. Seriously, 1C should be cutting you a
BIG check every now and then!
Good luck R@S, and
thank you for all that you freely do for us!