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What is 1.13?

Jagged Alliance 2 v1.13 — usually just called 1.13 — is a free, fan-made modification for the classic 1999 tactical RPG Jagged Alliance 2. It is best described as an upgrade to the game engine rather than a total conversion: the developers fixed bugs in the original code, added a long list of new features and items, and externalized huge amounts of hard-coded data into INI and XML files so that players and modders can change almost anything.

The result is the same game you remember — same country, same story, same maps — but deeper, harder (if you want it to be), and endlessly configurable. 1.13 is also deliberately structured as a platform: many well-known JA2 mods, such as AIMNAS and Urban Chaos, are built on top of it. See Mods built on 1.13 for an overview.

You still need the original game

1.13 is a mod, not a standalone game. You need your own copy of Jagged Alliance 2 (sold as Jagged Alliance 2 Gold on GOG and Steam). The installation guide walks you through it.

A short history

1.13 is one of the longest-running community mod projects around. It grew out of the Bear's Pit community around 2005, building on the C++ port of the JA2 source code that DeFrog had created. For many years the project lived on a public SVN repository, with new revisions appearing continuously and occasional big packaged releases.

Year Milestone
~2005 Community development begins, based on DeFrog's C++ port
2011 Release build 4870
2014 Release build 7435, updated to build 7609 — "the stable" that many older mods still require
2022 SVN development ends abruptly; the project moves to GitHub at github.com/1dot13
2023 First GitHub release, v1
2025 Stable release v5 on GitHub; a rolling "Latest (unstable)" release is updated continuously

Today, development happens in the open on GitHub. Releases are "all-in-one" packages per language that include 1.13 itself, the Map Editor, and support for JA2: Unfinished Business, downloadable from the releases page. The full story of revisions and releases is on the version history page.

Headline features

This is a curated highlight reel, not a complete list — the playing section gives the full tour of what's different in the game, and the feature guides have a dedicated page for every major system.

Deeper tactical combat

  • A working suppression fire system: bullets flying past your mercs (and the enemy) cost APs, force stance changes, and can pin units down.
  • Improved autofire — you choose how many rounds to fire, at an AP cost per extra round.
  • An optional, completely redesigned aiming model: New Chance to Hit (NCTH).
  • Smarter AI: enemies flank you, take cover, climb roofs, use scoped snipers with spotters, and fire suppressively.

A massive arsenal

  • Hundreds of new guns, plus new armor (including ghillie suits), new grenades and rocket launchers, and new ammo types such as tracer, match, and cold-loaded (subsonic).
  • The New Inventory System with Load Bearing Equipment (LBE): vests, harnesses, holsters, and backpacks that determine how much your mercs can actually carry.
  • The New Attachment System: up to nine positional attachment slots per weapon — scopes, sights, suppressors, stocks, foregrips, trigger groups, and more.

A livelier strategic layer

  • Militia you can command directly on the tactical map, and mobile militia that patrol between sectors.
  • Enemies react: capture a town and nearby garrisons may investigate — and taking Drassen early triggers a massive counterattack (configurable, like almost everything else).
  • Sector facilities give your mercs new assignments with local bonuses.

Your game, your rules

  • Higher resolutions instead of the original locked 640x480.
  • A much bigger new-game screen: the INSANE difficulty level, Bobby Ray's selection, "Tons of Guns", iron man mode, and more — see New game options.
  • Up to six IMP mercs with far deeper customization, appearance options, and trait choices.
  • Nearly everything is exposed in Ja2_Options.INI and XML data files — see the configuration section.

And more

  • Weather effects: rain and thunderstorms.
  • The mercs from Unfinished Business (Gaston, Stogie, Tex, Biggins) join the roster.
  • Enhanced item descriptions, mouse wheel support, and dozens of quality-of-life changes.
  • A co-op and deathmatch multiplayer mode for up to 4 players.
  • A bundled Map Editor and extensive modding support.

What stays vanilla

1.13 deliberately leaves the heart of the game untouched:

  • The original maps of Arulco (the Map Editor and mods can change them, but base 1.13 does not).
  • The story and quests — Enrico still sends his emails, and the campaign plays out in the same country against the same queen.
  • The mercs you know, with only minor profile tweaks.

If you have played vanilla JA2, you already know where to go and what to do; 1.13 changes how the fights and the logistics play out, not the plot. If all you want is the unmodified vanilla game at modern resolutions, look at JA2 Stracciatella instead.

Who is 1.13 for?

  • JA2 veterans who want a deeper, harder, more tactical version of a game they have already mastered.
  • Tinkerers who enjoy tuning a game to their exact taste — nearly every mechanic has a switch or a number you can change.
  • Modders: 1.13 is the baseline that most modern JA2 mods build on.
  • Newcomers can absolutely start with 1.13, but be aware it is more complex than vanilla. The tutorial is written for you.

New to Jagged Alliance 2 entirely?

The original game's manual still covers the basics that 1.13 builds on, and the glossary decodes the community jargon (SCI, NCTH, LBE, IMP...) you will meet on forums and in this documentation.

Where to go next

  1. Install 1.13 — buying the game, installing a release, first launch.
  2. Game won't start or displays oddly? See troubleshooting.
  3. Follow the beginner tutorial from first-time settings up to holding your first town.
  4. Browse what's different when you play and the FAQ.
  5. Meet the community: the Bear's Pit forum and the Bear's Pit Discord are where 1.13 players and developers hang out.

Sources