Sell me on STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl [Archive]

chequers

06-10-2010, 09:15 AM

Are you playing on the hardest difficulty? Much of the point is that the game is Hard and unforgiving. It's a game where often enough -- not always, but often enough -- the stars align and you find yourself in an almost impossible position. It's an acquired taste, but that's when the fun begins.

The first battle is a great example. Taking on a burnt out settlement crawling with shotgun wielding bandits... with a pistol?! That mission took me three or four times to get past and each time I failed I gave up on the game for a month or so.

Or maybe:

you're hauling 75kg of equipment back across the wasteland to Sidrovich, empty on stamina and with a half destroyed weapon that jams every few seconds, when suddenly a bloodsucker appears right in front of you and rips out half your healthbar.
you're exploring the n'th underground lab, after the last one dropped two pseudogiants on you at the same time, and you're almost at the end and nothing has happened yet.
you're in the middle of an assault on a bandit position, but you screwed up and it's you your last clip and a medkit holed up in a burnt out bus as they slowly surround you.

It's moments like that which make me love STALKER. In case you can't tell, I just finished another 15hr playthrough of Call of Pripyat and I'm already looking for mods to switch it up for the next one.

TurinTur

06-10-2010, 09:15 AM

I's a game which combines a FPS (shoot things from first person perspective, woo!) with the best bits of open world gaming (levels with enough size to have some freedom of movement, to have life in the world apart from yourself with friendlies, enemies, animals and mutants, to have some exploration and also to enhance the atmosphere) with bits of RPG (journeys from a to b where unplanned shit happens, buy and selling stuff, primary and secondary quests) with bits of a survival game (hard combat, limited inventory based system, some scary monsters, some scary moments at night or underground), everything with an original, unusual setting with a very well done atmosphere.

If this description didn't make pump your fist in the air, perhaps it's not a game for you.

Tim James

06-10-2010, 10:05 AM

For some people they are sold right away on the gameplay. Despite a new third person open world minigame title coming out each month on the consoles, there are very few hardcore open world first person shooters out there. I was hooked on the first gun battle checkers described, after I saw that the bandits -- while not possessing the best AI in the world -- flanked me and could be flanked.

Just based on subgenre and gun fight mechanics, the game is already special.

For other people it takes a little longer, and they get hooked on the atmosphere. The Chernobyl disaster is a neat semi-real world mythos that is inherently creepy and desolate. Even 30 hours into the game, you will appreciate the quiet urban decay or walking around at night. The real depth is probably here.

But for most people, it's not until they get to the first of, I'd say, five extremely compelling linear plot sequences in the game. Other modern shooters pride themselves on their setpiece sequences, but for me personally I've never encountered anything more intense. Combine this with the open world and there's nothing like it.

FYI, without spoiling, I'll say that first compelling part begins in the Agroprom Underground. If you're on the first map, you'll need to get to the next one, fight a couple pitched battles, then another battle in Agroprom, and finally head to the sewers when the plot directs you to.

Admittedly, it takes a little time for things to ramp up. 5 or 10 hours? I do hope it hooks you as much as it did me, and you're able to look past some of the Eastern European design annoyances. Good luck.

Belisarius118

06-10-2010, 10:12 AM

FYI, without spoiling, I'll say that first compelling part begins in the Agroprom Underground. If you're on the first map, you'll need to get to the next one, fight a couple pitched battles, then another battle in Agroprom, and finally head to the sewers when the plot directs you to.

Yes! That and all of the decaying Soviet hardware had me hooked. I played that part of the game in broad daylight and I was scared out of my mind. The combat can be a little wonky at times, but as everyone else has been saying, you really learn to love the Zone.

Rock8man

06-10-2010, 10:15 AM

belgerog

06-10-2010, 10:21 AM

Zylon

06-10-2010, 10:21 AM

What makes this game so special and well-loved?
Watch this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um1TOxb9n6g). Is this appealing to you? If not, then STALKER isn't for you.

Cal

06-10-2010, 10:25 AM

Decaying Soviet hardware sounds great. I wish I could somehow skip straight to that. Every time I start STALKER, I do the first firefight that's part of the story, and then I never know what to do next. A couple of years later, I try again, and I get through that first firefight (it takes about an hour or so with lots of saving and loading), then I don't know what to do next. A couple or years later....

I'm stuck in some kind of sadistic Groundhog Day loop when it comes to STALKER. Anyway, I tried last time back in January, so I'll try again in 2012 or so.

Thats exactly the same as me. Get passed the first fight and the farm, and can never figure out what i should do next and quit. Started the game up maybe once every 6 months since release, and after that farm i get confused as to what i should be aiming for and quit.

Rock8man

06-10-2010, 10:27 AM

Thats exactly the same as me. Get passed the first fight and the farm, and can never figure out what i should do next and quit. Started the game up maybe once every 6 months since release, and after that farm i get confused as to what i should be aiming for and quit.

Hey cool, it sounds like you get farther than me. Where is this farm? How do you get to it from where you initially start?

Zylon

06-10-2010, 10:32 AM

Thats exactly the same as me. Get past the first fight and the farm, and can never figure out what i should do next and quit.
Ummm... bringing up your quest log doesn't help? Heck, just go talk to whats-his-name, the trader. He'll keep you in quests for hours.

TurinTur

06-10-2010, 10:35 AM

Tim James

06-10-2010, 10:53 AM

Also, because you need supplies, exploration is a great part of the game, and I didn't feel like I was exploring for obsessive reasons, but because I actually wanted to find useful items. On my first play through I dreamed of that SVD Dragunov that appears on the title screen.Yeah I forgot to mention this. I enjoy exploring the most out of all the post apocalypse games like Fallout 3 and Metro 2033. Call of Pripyat probably did it the best for me personally though. At this point, I think fondly of SoC for its plot sequences and progression.

Rock8man, I'm almost ready to get you on Skype so I can talk you through STALKER. :) Seriously, I've become such a booster for this game I will be more than happy to walk anyone through it over PM if there is a lurker out there getting stuck.

Personal stalker life coach for only 500 rubles per day.

Rock8man

06-10-2010, 10:58 AM

Rock8man and Cal, thanks for remainding me why companies dumb down their games. :P

With the pda map, the objective list, the quest system, the arrow in the minimap, etc you didn't know what to do next? How the hell did you play in its day Fallout, Ultima, Deus Ex, Morrowind, etc?

I don't know why you bring up those other games. I haven't played Ultima, but all the others are pretty self-explanatory. In STALKER it seems like the area I need to go to next is guarded by weird radiation anomalies that kill me. That never happened in Fallout, Deus Ex, Morrowind, etc.

TurinTur

06-10-2010, 11:07 AM

In both Fallout and Deus Ex there were enviromental hazards that could kill you, from radiation to explosives. Hell, there were enviromental hazards in freaking Half Life.
Just evade them, or search a diffrent path to your objective.

I thought it was a "design philosopshy" problem at first, but with your answer i wonder if it's a sight problem. Don't you see (and hear!) the anomalies in the air before they begin to damage you?

Telefrog

06-10-2010, 11:11 AM

Rock8man and Cal, thanks for remainding me why companies dumb down their games. :P

Yeah. There is a reason.

With the pda map, the objective list, the quest system, the arrow in the minimap, etc you didn't know what to do next? How the hell did you play in its day Fallout, Ultima, Deus Ex, Morrowind, etc?

I've said this before, but STALKER (any of them) is totally evil to newbies. Depending on your tolerance for figuring things out with trial and error and how much you're willing to get into the experience of a completely hostile environment, the way STALKER presents the first couple of hours of play can be good or bad. For example, as a guy with a family and not much time for gaming, STALKER is one of the most frustrating and unfriendly games I've ever played. I can see that all the systems are there for a great experience, but I just don't have the patience to put up with the rest of it.

More power to those that do. I suppose it's the reason you can love Arma II, while I find it to be maddening.

Houngan

06-10-2010, 11:15 AM

Stalker does have some seriously broke shit that made me forget about it after a while. Quest firefights respawning constantly, bugged quest waypoints that never go away, etc.

The environment and general play was great, but the quest was a royal pain in the ass.

H.

Tim James

06-10-2010, 11:18 AM

Don't mind Naeblis, that's just his personality. :)

On the other hand, I am very open to the idea of how challenging the first few hours are for people. Of course, it's nothing compared to the open caution I had to give back when it was really buggy, but some people still struggle even when the game doesn't crash or corrupt saves.

All I can really do is explain how some people aren't hooked until a little later into the game. It's up to the player to decide whether it's worth the risk. I know some are very stringent about requiring a game to hook them within the first hour. I respect that as long as they understand that the rest of us have different gaming personalities and that's why we were able to enjoy it. I play so many games that I'd put up with 10 times worse to get a unique gem like this one.

Paul_cze

06-10-2010, 11:18 AM

Please watch this. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXIvpzN2AI0&feature=player_embedded)

Admittedly it is a trailer for Stalker mod in the making (due to come out anytime soon), but if that doesn't sell you...

I finished all three, SoC three times...love them to death. Call of Pripyat is the best though.

Marcin

06-10-2010, 11:23 AM

I don't know why you bring up those other games.

Because in at least two of them you:

a) can die very easily very early on.
b) don't know where to go or what to do.

The tone may have been wrong, but the whole point of an open world (or a pseudo one like Stalker) is to figure it out on your own (and save often). If that's not your thing, that's not your thing.

Took me 4 tries to get into Stalker, although 2 of them were due to corrupted saves between game versions (disc and downloadable). Very glad I took the time to finish it - but I'm also not sure I'm ready to go back in. I have the middle game barely started, and Call of Pripyat still on the "to get" list.

TurinTur

06-10-2010, 11:32 AM

Oh, i understand how Stalker is a game with hard combat and little handholding, so they are hard for newbies. And of course it was a buggy game at release, which didn't help.

But the basics (quest giver system, map and minimap, sellers to buy and sell equipment, looting, talking to npcs to win info/quests/trade, journal, etc) are the exactly the same seen in other rpg (or pseudo rpg) games for years, so i am baffled how a somewhat experienced gamer can have so many problems, saying how after the first five minutes they didn't know what to do.

Rock8man

06-10-2010, 11:44 AM

Because in at least two of them you:

a) can die very easily very early on.
b) don't know where to go or what to do.

I guess that's where I'm confused, because I've played those games, and I didn't die easily early on, and I always knew where to go and what to do. Which two games are you referring to?

The tone may have been wrong, but the whole point of an open world (or a pseudo one like Stalker) is to figure it out on your own (and save often). If that's not your thing, that's not your thing.

Yeah, I have to admit, the save often thing is where the game loses me. No matter what game it is, I've been trained in the last several years, from around Half Life onward, to not save all that often. It's very liberating not to have to worry about that. It also leads to a much more pleasant gaming experience just to live with your choices and to save infrequently and just handle things as they come.

So when I play a game like STALKER, it isn't easy to change my ways. I play for about 15 minutes, then I die and curse at myself for not saving, and I quit because I don't want to repeat the last 15 minutes again, doing the same thing again.

With that said, I just fired it up again, because it was clear from Naeblis' reaction that I must have missed something obvious. And sure enough, there was another way to get across the railway tracks. I hadn't noticed that there was a bridge with some soldiers underneath it, and that was an alternative to the tunnel of death anomalies as a way of getting past the railway tracks. Oops. Hey, I guess I can move forward in this game now.

Marcin

06-10-2010, 11:49 AM

Yay! :)

Fallout for me was a huge "don't know what to do" next. I left, got into town, something about radscorpions, instant death.

Deus Ex has lots of wandering robots that will ruin your day from the get-go. Your shooting is typically pretty lousy too, so it's easy to well, miss a lot.

All three use log, conversations and maps to help you get to where you need to go next.

The frequent save thing applies to both as well.

So actually *I* am a bit perplexed that you don't see the similarities.

Tim James

06-10-2010, 11:56 AM

With that said, I just fired it up again, because it was clear from Naeblis' reaction that I must have missed something obvious. And sure enough, there was another way to get across the railway tracks. I hadn't noticed that there was a bridge with some soldiers underneath it, and that was an alternative to the tunnel of death anomalies as a way of getting past the railway tracks. Oops. Hey, I guess I can move forward in this game now.
The train tracks bisect the first map. The soldiers will extort money from you each time so it will get expensive. You can maybe look around on the east side, but save first. :)

I can't remember the beginning, but now that you've overcome the first major obstacle of the game, I think at this point you want to explore and do a few generic sidequests to build up some loot and gear. There's one or two locations on the north side of the map to explore, but nothing unique. For now, avoid the very south of the map where the military base is unless you want to try to fight them. When you're set after a few hours of play, walk all the way up north and transition to the next map. Should pick up a quest line a few hundred yards down the road.

roguefrog

06-10-2010, 12:07 PM

People that find Shadows of Chernobyl too hard might want to give Call of Pripyat a shot instead. It's easier since you can get better weapons almost immediately.

I believe the biggest stumbling block in the first STALKER (and probably the same for Clear Sky) for people is how hard the game is in the beginning. This is because you are wielding shit weaponry. The game gets a lot easier and better once you get a good solid weapon, and even more so when you get a scope attached. You just need tough it out and make it that far.

Eric P

06-10-2010, 12:10 PM

The train tracks bisect the first map. The soldiers will extort money from you each time so it will get expensive.

they tended to just shoot at me

Warning

06-10-2010, 12:14 PM

All right you guys are convincing me. :)

When I played it a year or so ago I'd gotten past that first firefight and then I think I sorta felt overwhelmed. I was supposed to find something hidden and my radar told me it was there and I couldn't find it. I gave up shortly after that.

I think I'll need to give it another go.

Tim James

06-10-2010, 12:19 PM

Those little purple icons are the stashes. You have to look very carefully, perhaps above or below, or under a rock. Also, some of the random side quests they give might not be doable until you get to the next map. Just ignore those.

Do they still have annoying side quest time limits in Complete? If so, keep an eye on that or don't sweat it. You only need a little cash for supplies to get through a couple of big fights when you leave the first map. I'd say try to advance the plot a little before you worry about the open world stuff beyond what you need to fight and survive with.

Cal

06-10-2010, 12:21 PM

Ummm... bringing up your quest log doesn't help? Heck, just go talk to whats-his-name, the trader. He'll keep you in quests for hours.

Ha! From what i remember i had the option of finding some armour guarded by a wolf or dogs, or killing some kind of pig. I thought i was looking for some killer or something!? I hated that my quests seemed to be timed, and mostly involved in killing animals. The game didnt draw me in, thats all, i even bought both the other stalker games to support this kinda game, in the hope i could get into them - alas they arent for me, im not the best at shooters i guess, i died too much stumbling around. So sue me, Cal was a bit shite at Stalker and found it too hard!

Rock8man and Cal, thanks for remainding me why companies dumb down their games. :P

With the pda map, the objective list, the quest system, the arrow in the minimap, etc you didn't know what to do next? How the hell did you play in its day Fallout, Ultima, Deus Ex, Morrowind, etc?

Oh c'mon, Fallout I and II were turnbased RPG's that i count amongst the best turn based games made. Nothin at all like a difficult twitch based shooter. I had no problems, with morrowind or daggerfall, but again i wouldn't consider either one anything like a sandbox shooter game.

To sum up. Stalker was too hard for my tastes really fucking hard imho!, and it didnt draw me in. Sorry im not some L33t twicher kid like yourself who found it a piece of cake. God forbid we all like the same games. Admittedly its been a good year or two since i tried it now, maybe a few patches changed it? I dunno??

Marcin

06-10-2010, 12:23 PM

I was supposed to find something hidden and my radar told me it was there and I couldn't find it.

Look up. If that doesn't work, look down. :)

Zylon

06-10-2010, 12:26 PM

Nobody should play vanilla STALKER, by the way. The quest and stash systems are just buggy as hell. Pretty much any random fan patch will improve the situation.

Tim James

06-10-2010, 12:30 PM

Nobody should play vanilla STALKER, by the way. The quest and stash systems are just buggy as hell. Pretty much any random fan patch will improve the situation.
I'm pretty sure they fix the spawns too, though some will throw more at you. I ought to do a better job researching the best mods for newbies. I've heard Complete makes things a bit too bright and less moody, but haven't confirmed.

Paul_cze

06-10-2010, 12:33 PM

LURK and Complete are probably best overhaul mods.

One Irrational Games dev recommended Redux mod, but that one makes the game more hardcore I think.

belgerog

06-10-2010, 12:33 PM

I believe the biggest stumbling block in the first STALKER (and probably the same for Clear Sky) for people is how hard the game is in the beginning. This is because you are wielding shit weaponry. The game gets a lot easier and better once you get a good solid weapon, and even more so when you get a scope attached. You just need tough it out and make it that far.

I love the initial fights! Especially when you only have the crappy makarov! It even gets too easy sometimes with some of the later weapons and because you have almost unlimited medkits/bandages (at least in the difficulty I played).

Does ramping up the difficulty make supplies scarcer? Maybe I should try Stalker: Redux too, but I don't know if it's compatible with Complete.

LURK and Complete are probably best overhaul mods.

One Irrational Games dev recommended Redux mod, but that one makes the game more hardcore I think.

Better than Complete? I love the new weapon models and wall textures in Complete.

Belisarius118

06-10-2010, 12:35 PM

IIRC, SoC has a much better starting armor in the town with Sidorovich, its a total pain to grab, but it makes the first starting hours a lot easier. I think you have to jump from one rooftop to another but I can't remember which ones exactly. If you can get it, the armor is well worth it.

Paul_cze

06-10-2010, 12:36 PM

Better than Complete? I love the new weapon models and wall textures in Complete.

See for yourself:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/lurk

I have not tried it yet, I am waiting for 1.1. But it sure looks nice : )

TurinTur

06-10-2010, 12:40 PM

Oh c'mon, Fallout I and II were turnbased RPG's that i count amongst the best turn based games made. Nothin at all like a difficult twitch based shooter. I had no problems, with morrowind or daggerfall, but again i wouldn't consider either one anything like a sandbox shooter game.

To sum up. Stalker was too hard for my tastes really fucking hard imho!, and it didnt draw me in. Sorry im not some L33t twicher kid like yourself who found it a piece of cake. God forbid we all like the same games. Admittedly its been a good year or two since i tried it now, maybe a few patches changed it? I dunno??

To sump up, you should express yourself better! :P :P

You didn't say before "the game is too hard, the bandits kill me everytime!! bullet are really lethal here". I can understand that.

You said:

Thats exactly the same as me. Get past the first fight and the farm, and can never figure out what i should do next and quit.

Which was the part i couldn't understand. Seeee :D

belgerog

06-10-2010, 12:42 PM

See for yourself:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/lurk

Gah! New weapons! Now I'll end up restarting the game *again*.

Cal

06-10-2010, 12:46 PM

To sump up, you should express yourself better! :P :P

You didn't say before "the game is too hard, the bandits kill me everytime!! bullet are really lethal here". I can understand that.

You said:

Which was the part i couldn't understand. Seeee :D

Well whatever that first shootout building is! Farm or barns or whatever they were! After that i remember having a timed missions to kill a pig or dog? or attacking another pig or dog for some armour. Any exploration i did resulted in things one shotting me. As i said, im prolly just shite at Stalker, and thats why i only get to that first shootout and end up quitting for another 6 months.

Tim James

06-10-2010, 12:50 PM

One Irrational Games dev recommended Redux mod, but that one makes the game more hardcore I think.
It wasn't a recommendation so much as a story he had during that mod. I'd honestly never heard of it until then. They are doing one for CoP now, might be real nice there.

Chuck

06-10-2010, 12:54 PM

On my first run, I made it to the "escort the scientist and don't let him die!" mission and could never get past it. The dude always ran into the ambush outside of the tunnel's exit and died, or I ran way ahead of him, took out half the ambush and died. Over and over and over.

On my second run, with better armor and on Easy difficulty, I made it to the exact same mission and died. Over and over and over.

Game over.

And I always wished Stalker had a little more to do then shoot shit. No hacking or skill points or really any RPG elements at all. I blame Deus Ex for spoiling a lot of FPS for me.

Paul_cze

06-10-2010, 12:56 PM

It wasn't a recommendation so much as a story he had during that mod. I'd honestly never heard of it until then. They are doing one for CoP now, might be real nice there.

Yeah I took that story as him recommending it : )

And I always wished Stalker had a little more to do then shoot shit. No hacking or skill points or really any RPG elements at all. I blame Deus Ex for spoiling a lot of FPS for me.

Call of Pripyat is quite a lot improved in this regard - quests are much better and unique, and the weapon upgrading is quite like RPG element : )

Tim James

06-10-2010, 12:59 PM

And I always wished Stalker had a little more to do then shoot shit. No hacking or skill points or really any RPG elements at all. I blame Deus Ex for spoiling a lot of FPS for me.
Come on, now. I like FPS-RPGs and Deus Ex just as much as STALKER, but we have, what, two open world FPS game series right now? Throw us a bone.

LMN8R

06-10-2010, 01:23 PM

I've never understood why people had such terrible issues with the first firefight in Shadow of Chernobyl. It's difficult, sure, but nothing beyond reason.

You go in with your squad of guys, pay attention to your radar which shows discovered enemies, crouch and aim for the head, pick up the weapons that people drop, etc. etc. It might take a couple tries, but come on, something to quit the game over? Really?

Intangir

06-10-2010, 01:57 PM

I've been where a lot of you are. Got to the bandit camp, took them out, saved, maybe stopped back in for another 15 minutes here and there but just didn't have any motivation to keep playing or felt any real connection to the game. I mostly resigned to stop playing after that.

Then I went to my friend's place who was playing it in the dark and he was showing off some of the higher quality graphics and mods he got. He boots up the game, loads up a save where it's night in the first safe camp. He goes onto the road a bit and sees a military patrol coming up the street (by their flashlights). "Watch this." He shoots at them and they all turn off their flashlights and scatter in different directions. He shoots after one that goes behind a bush and thinks he got him so he's slowly making his way over there to check. No trace. Then he whips around and gets shot in the face and dies. Awesome.

So then I went home and played it again. At this point I think I'm playing with the (now-obsoleted I presume) Oblivion Lost mod. Got to this tunnel on the first map that (I think) had a stash in there. I turn the corner and there's a large pack of mutant dogs there who take issue with my intrusion and all come chasing after me. I run all the way back to the nearby camp and jump on a car and am just twirling around trying to hit them with my feeble pistol and low ammo. It may seem pretty lame but it actually felt kind of intense just trying to survive rather than blow away all the scary things with a rocket launcher or something.

I wasn't hooked until I went to the junk yard with all the cars and did the quest there to hold off bandits. It was night and raining and I couldn't see a damn thing. Just as I'm camping a spot and hoping that nobody sneaks up behind me, sirens came out of no where and everyone picks up and runs for their life to the warehouse. Blowout! Instead of duking it out in the junk yard like a regular game setpiece, we were all just frantically searching for a place to lie down until the blowout ended--which in itself created an entirely new clusterfuck because both sides flooded opposite sides of the warehouse and ended up having a war there instead. Me? Just like I was mostly hiding away from the pack of dogs earlier, I was hiding inside the boxcar in the warehouse with my gun fixed to the entrance and eyes glued to the monitor as all this gunfire and yelling and blowout is raging just outside.

After it's all over, I'm pissed off because the quest giver died in the battle and he was my link to the main storyline. But when I go to search his body I find a flash drive or something and am able to get the information that way. Yay. I loot the many bodies in the area, considerably upgrade my arsenal and trade for some supplies. Then head over to Agroprom where I'd get hopelessly addicted to the game.

ymmv

Rock8man

06-10-2010, 02:12 PM

I think one of the reasons why the beginning doesn't hook me (the part I've always played so far for the last few years, which just involves going to the bandit camp and then stopping) is that the game starts off feeling incredibly generic. There's nothing in the game that would put it in a time and place. It's just an overcast day in some place with a few trees and some run down houses. There's nothing to show you that's it in Chernobyl, or anywhere interesting. I realize that's supposed to be later in the game, but you have to understand that for someone who forgets to save the game, like me, that first section of the game is what I repeat over and over, and it's very ...... unassuming. The only thing that sort of gives the game flavor in this early part and makes it feel like something other than generic is the fact that people sit around the campfire and speak in Russian. And after playing Metro 2033, even that part feels kind of generic to me now.

Luckily I'm past the railroads now for the first time, so I will preserve this save game forever and never have to repeat that godforsaken start ever again.

Bandersnatch

06-10-2010, 06:05 PM

Luckily I'm past the railroads now for the first time, so I will preserve this save game forever and never have to repeat that godforsaken start ever again.

If memory serves it was just past the railroad where I got the MP5 from a fallen military guy and suddenly was able to kill things without as much frustration :D.

Tim James

06-10-2010, 06:14 PM

I expect progress updates from you guys. Otherwise, I'll be at your house at 5am to run drills and focus sessions.

Jafisob

06-10-2010, 06:41 PM

I liked SoC because the game combines FPS and open world gaming elements in a unique and highly atmospheric setting. I didn't enjoy SoC because it was especially hard or frustrating. After I got a few weapons and learned the ropes, most of the game revolved around me exploring the wasteland(and loving it) and not dieing and reloading all the time.

LMN8R

06-10-2010, 11:07 PM

Major hint to lower frustration: Empty guns you pick up of their ammo.

Even though the vast majority of guns guys drop suck, they hold valuable ammo that you can use for your guns that don't suck. Just right-click on them in your inventory, click unload, then drop them.

This is especially great for early in the game where ammo is too expensive, in short supply, and it's a long way back to get to the trader.

Tim James

06-16-2010, 05:27 PM

Almost a week now, any progress from you guys?

Marcin

06-16-2010, 05:29 PM

Question on CoP - my mouse doesn't appear to work. This is the GamersGate loyalty version which for some reason started in a tiny window but runs fine otherwise. Just ... no mouse. Thoughts?

Kinda looking forward to getting back into this, especially after all this praise. I had a hard time making progress in Clear Sky.

malkav11

06-16-2010, 06:18 PM

I don't know if they've progressed, but (using Stalker Complete 2009, which is *wonderful*) I finally made it past the Cordon myself for only the second time ever. The first time I got to that first bandit fight in the Garbage, but I think it was on an early patch or possibly the unpatched original version, and bandits would just keep trickling in. I believe I got fed up and never got back to it. This time, after finding a stashed Merc Suit early on and a silenced pistol, I handled the bandit farm like a pro, ran some early trader quests and then finally managed to navigate the lighting anomaly in that tunnel under the train tracks (I'd always previously evaded the military checkpoint by going around it to the right instead, and over the tracks). I found an AK-47 assault rifle (or maybe AK-74) on the corpse in there, then killed a bandit who had an MP5 so after doing some more poking around I felt like I might have enough firepower to take out the soldiers at the checkpoint. And I did. God, I felt awesome then.

I've since explored much of the Garbage, fought my way through both major compounds in Agroprom as well as the tunnels, and made my way to the Stalker bar, which is where I left off last night. And I am loving every minute of it.

Side note: I assume this was added by the mod, but I was startled as hell to walk into the bar and hear "Severniy Veter" by Linda playing in the background. One of the very, very few Russian musicians I've actually heard, and which I've encountered nowhere outside my own CD collection and my senior year Russian 1 class, and bam.

Tim James

06-16-2010, 06:24 PM

Awesome, glad someone has made it past the initial learning curve. Now on to Lab X18! Block out a couple of hours free from interruption, and turn off the lights.

Nithrakis

06-16-2010, 06:43 PM

Awesome, glad someone has made it past the initial learning curve. Now on to Lab X18! Block out a couple of hours free from interruption, and turn off the lights.

Hell, yes. Exploring Lab X18 is one of my favorite experiences ever in a video game. It scared the shit out of me.

I really need to get into CoP. I haven't really done anything with it despite the fact I've owned since it was released on Steam.

Joe M.

06-16-2010, 06:49 PM

Yeah, my experience pretty much mirrors Cal's. I raided that first barn or whatever, then I had like 2 or 3 other quests and I'd shamble along to wherever the target should have been... except it wasn't. I'd then curse, look at another quest, start heading over there, stumble through a handful of anomalies, realize there's a fence I can't bypass, backtrack and inevitably run into a pack of irradiated pigs who would promptly kill me and I'd say fuck this and uninstall again.

I can't say for sure this is EXACTLY what happens every time but it's close enough and more or less conveys the frustration of dealing with an unfriendly world and a borked fucking quest location. I don't know how many times I've visited that stupid goddamned truck that's wedged into a tunnel where my quest is supposed to be but fuck you! I did enjoy the guitar playing in camp, though. And that's all I have to say about STALKER.

malkav11

06-16-2010, 08:07 PM

I'm pretty sure they fix the spawns too, though some will throw more at you. I ought to do a better job researching the best mods for newbies. I've heard Complete makes things a bit too bright and less moody, but haven't confirmed.

I haven't played the game unmodded in quite a while but I can't see how this could possibly be true. Complete is enormously fucking atmospheric. I've already had a couple of transcendent moments of beauty with it.

Mm. I guess it might have made the sun shine more some of the time, but boohoo.

Nixxter

06-16-2010, 08:40 PM

Stalker = the bomb, I rate it in the top FPSs I've played, one of those experiences to be savored. I haven't played the latest installment yet, just finished up Clear Sky a month or so ago and taking a break.

I can understand how some experienced gamers don't immediately get a feel for what is to come and give up in frustration, a lot of the reasons have been mentioned here.

Basically, there is a pretty steep learning curve but I know a lot of us have faced that in past games and it didn't stop us. Here, in Stalker, the difficulty comes at you from many levels, as a new stalker you are underpowered from a munitions perspective. Guns you do get your hands on initially break down and start jamming in critical points in a fight, wasting time while you reload to get it working again invariably gets you killed quickly. Add to this that the environment is hostile to an extreme and you don't have armor, or anomolies, or experience yet on how to cope with it. It's hard to figure out what to do when you are new to the game when you get irradiated so quickly when you are moving towards an objective that your health is going to take a major dent (or, you will die) - until you realize that you need to dart and weave in the environment. When you get in a spot with anomolies that are damaging you, you need to back off, skirt the area, re-strategize on how to get where you need to go, without taking a lot of damage.

Also, the damage you take in firefights can be disconcerting. I think the first game, when I played it, it took me a while to understand that my health was depleting because I was bleeding, and I could stop that by using a bandage (not needing to use a precious health kit). Once you realize that, it helps you to make better use of your healing supplies and you don't get yourself killed right off the bat in a gun battle. You patch up, survive the fight, and wait to heal (your health also generates, slowly, so you won't need to use up a health kit, which is something I also didn't figure out right off the bat).

Bottom line, is it's like those special games we have all played where, suddenly, the game opens up because you stuck with it long enough for you to realize, holy shit, now I get it. And then you turn off the lights to deepen the immersion : ) A lot of this for me is about becoming able to survive, to cope, and ultimately to be able to excel at mastering objectives in an extremely hostile environment. That only happens as you start to accumulate better weaponry and better armor and better survival skills, but it will come to an experienced player who sticks with it.

I think the comment was made too about how the game can be a bit drab and not all that visually stimulating. To me, that's realism as to what the actual environment is like in Chernobyl. Also, I like that the game clock isn't like say, a turn based game, where you could rest up and heal and be all better eight hours later. A lot of the game takes place in the dark and you have to be able to accomplish difficult objectives by navigating in the hostile environment and can do absolutely nothing about what time it is and that it would be easier if it were only light out. Well, you could read a book and wait until the time passes :) And, if you stick with the game long enough, to get to what I would call the horror parts of the game (exploring internal environments in tight quarters, say), I think you'll change your mind about the visual aspects of the game and graphics. The graphics hold up well in my book.

My final comment is to Rockman - about saving. I think a practice of saving only so often is only going to lead to more frustration. You can easily get yourself into situations where you would have to re-do ten or fifteen minute or longer chunks of game play because something happened and you got in a spot that just kills your ass within seconds. Were I you, I'd save more, and make liberal use of quick save and load. I know, you don't want to do it because of the immersion factor, and it is tempting to go for long periods of time in an open ended world without interruption but give my recommendation a try and I think you'll agree it helps you make a smoother progression through the game.

As an example, in both the original game, and Clear Sky, the military installation that is just up the road from the trader (Sidorovich) (by hanging a right instead of a left when you leave that Stalker camp) - as has been said, it would be an enormous challenge to try to tackle that right off the bat. It's tough even when you get better weaponry, but I like a challenge so I would come back as soon as I can to wipe that base out, in part because you get access to a lot of weaponry, ammo, etc. that you can sell off (I hate being poor in games). However, to do this, you face pretty overwhelming odds. When I did it in Clear Sky, it was me against about 25 military, plus, they had some crazy ass machine gun set up in the base that would wipe you out in about two seconds if you were exposed to it. I was taking them out on a run and gun basis (and often retreating to a safe vantage point to heal up). My point is, at least with my own skills, there is no way I could have gone through that successfully as early in the game as I did without liberal saving. I think if you try this approach out, you will be able to return somewhat to your preferred style of not saving as often once you become more confident in surviving and navigating (you will find times when you are going from point A to B where you have got better at staying alive and you don't have to save as often).

Bandersnatch

06-17-2010, 12:22 PM

Blazed through Clear Sky last night with the Complete mod. Never beat it when it first came out and quit halfway through. The first time I played it I found it ungodly hard, way more than SoC. Radiation all through the swamp and once you step into it for a second, you are going to die unless you have vodka or antirads. Then you are led out of the swamp through the worst exit into the Cordon. The devs were pretty sadistic on that part. A big minefield right in from of you and the military base where you get sniped by machine gun fire. I thought that was the only way through the first time I played so I spent too long trying to get through. Thankfully there is a northern path in the swamps.

I didn't really mess with the factions much this time, only stayed in the swamps for about a half and hour when I think the first time I played I was there a couple days. Sucks how Clear Sky captures points without you, I did one assault and then the whole zone was already taken over by Clear Sky.

The faction system is way too fragile early on when you are in the Cordon. I could not reach Sidorovich because I got too close to the stalkers and made enemies out of them. Was able to do a mission that gave me a sliver of friendship with them which let me pass, but that was lost when I failed to defend the bus stop from the military. The military is what pissed me off more than anything. You have a pea shooter and are wearing tissue paper for body armor going up against groups of them decked out in body armor and equipped with far more accurate and damaging guns. Looks like Clear Sky Complete or one of the patches significantly lowered grenade spam thankfully. Once I struggled past the military groups and upgraded everything it was better, but I think to get to that point takes longer than it did in SoC.

One of the things I liked was that money was harder to come by. In CoP I never had to worry about it and could upgrade any weapon significantly. In CS I was selling guns trying to buy better armor and having to think about which gun upgrades to buy first since I could only afford a couple at a time. Also was the first time I used artifacts, never used them in CoP or SoC. Having artifacts on that drains radiation or increases weight limit was quite nice. I was under the impression that artifacts were consumed over time which is why I never bothered to use them before.

One of the reasons I stopped playing initially was because of how many areas they re-used. I remember before it came out they were showing off the swamps and Limansk which looked amazing, and then you play the game and most of it is in the same areas from SoC. Been awhile now since I've played SoC so it didn't bother me as much this time around. The new areas towards the end weren't too great, just very linear and felt more like a formulaic FPS rather than Stalker. The very last area was a total mess and the ending stunk. Hit a bug in Red Forest that caused my game to crash every time. Had to do a full uninstall and reinstall.

Definitely the weakest in the series, but I had a good time with it eventually. I think it is about time I went back to the Cordon and showed off my awesome weaponry to the military.

Warning

06-17-2010, 12:55 PM

Almost a week now, any progress from you guys?

Well.... I restarted Morrowind!

malkav11

06-17-2010, 06:27 PM

Finished exploring the bandit stronghold in the abandoned factory in Dark Valley. Doing so in the dead of night mostly with nightvision up was....interesting. And then as I came back out, a full blown thunderstorm moved in, with dramatic clouds and pouring rain and constant rolling thunder and huge crackling bolts of lightning (still at night). Definitely the ideal way to shoot my way down to the Lab X18 entrance. (Also? Found a rocket launcher, though I didn't take it with me. I'm kind of scared that it even exists. WTF am I meant to be killing with that kind of firepower?)

I have EQII to play, so once I got into the lab proper I saved and quit for the night.

Zylon

06-17-2010, 06:34 PM

(Also? Found a rocket launcher, though I didn't take it with me. I'm kind of scared that it even exists. WTF am I meant to be killing with that kind of firepower?)
Not much. There are only a handful of rockets in the entire game.

Eric P

06-18-2010, 05:25 AM

shhh

you'll ruin the surprise

Zylon

06-18-2010, 07:40 AM

Jorune

06-18-2010, 08:25 AM

I fired this game up for the first time yesterday. I knew I'd spend my first hour with it just tweaking the gfx just right for my 2 year old laptop. I first installed the 'COMPLETE' mod, big mistake. Even on the lowest settings it stuttered (nvidia8600 with 256vram, Dual core 2 2.4, 2.5gb ram). I uninstalled it and things were alot better. I used the fan patch that cleaned up the bugs and got rid of the head bob. The only issue I have is that every minute or so it stutters as it loads. I had read that Stalker has an aggressive prefetch going on that can be disuptive on slow hard drives (running 5200rpm). I'm using the -noprefetch command, I'll see if that helps.

Jorune

Zylon

06-18-2010, 08:46 AM

Don't use stashes as stashes. Due to some incredibly stupid bug in STALKER which I won't even pretend to understand, using stashes to store all the spare crap you accumulate will cause major hangs whenever you enter the map regions they're in. The solution is a bit macabre-- use dead bodies for storage instead. They aren't subject to this bug, so feel free to stuff their pockets full of sniper rifles and armor vests. But only use pre-placed corpses. Corpses that you make yourself get deleted from the gameworld eventually, along with everything in them.

Fortunately, the proprietor of the 100 Rads Bar doesn't object to you leaving a dead body in his establishment.

TurinTur

06-18-2010, 08:50 AM

I never had a problem using the stashes you have at your disposition, the ones near a trader, and i finished Stalker two times.

Zylon

06-18-2010, 09:06 AM

But how much packratting did you do? I've probably had stashes with over a hundred items stuffed into them. This is a known issue (http://www.gsc-game.com/index.php?t=community&s=forums&s_game_type=xr&thm_page=1&thm_id=10812&sec_id=12&offset=300).

* When playing, use perma-bodies to stash items. After some investigation, I have discovered that most stashes residing in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s game world create lag over time, when overloaded with items. This lag can add up to about 15-40 second pauses, and can be almost entirely avoided by using "perma-bodies" (= permanent corpses lying around the game world) to stash items instead. These perma-bodies do not cause severe lag, unlike most regular stashes. An example of a perma-body would be the lone stalker near the truck visible to you upon entry to Rostok from the Garbage. This particular stalker is dressed in a white leather jacket.

Rock8man

06-18-2010, 09:34 AM

Almost a week now, any progress from you guys?

I'm away for a couple of weeks, getting married. When I come back, my gaming time will probably be pretty low for a while. However, before I left, I confirmed a couple of things: Even though I'm playing with STALKER complete, it really is atmospheric and feels very similar to plain STALKER in terms of atmosphere. The reason it gives a false impression at first is that when STALKER first starts, you start off with a really overcast day, while STALKER complete starts you off with a partially cloudy day where you can see a beautiful blue sky.

However, by the time I got across the railroad tracks, it was a dark overcast day, and it felt just like the original STALKER, only prettier. Hopefully I can get back to the game sometime this year and see what's past those railroad tracks.

barstein

06-18-2010, 12:41 PM

Is Clear Sky necessary or recommended, for any reason, if I happen to have Call of Pripyat? I thought I'd poke my head back into the game and give that first firefight another chance. (I, too, found it extremely discouraging way back when.)

Edit: Was just reading about the Complete mods and got a little confused. If I have fresh Steam installs of the base game plus Call of Pripyat, but just want to give the original game another whirl, should I just install STALKER Complete? Not sure how the expansions change the core game and am slightly concerned about breaking something.

malkav11

06-18-2010, 04:15 PM

There are no expansions. All three are separate standalone games. There is currently a Complete mod for Shadow of Chernobyl and another one for Clear Sky, a Call of Pripyat one is in the works. (There is a version of Call of Pripyat that wants you to own a previous Stalker game, but that's just to give you a discount for being a prior customer.)

barstein

06-18-2010, 04:19 PM

Ah, must have misunderstood a comment somewhere that Pripyat (in addition to other means) would fix issues or limitations in the core game.

malkav11

06-18-2010, 05:33 PM

Ah, must have misunderstood a comment somewhere that Pripyat (in addition to other means) would fix issues or limitations in the core game.

I think the comment in question (assuming it's the same one) is saying that Call of Pripyat manages to do those things better than the original game did.

pyrhic

06-19-2010, 12:14 AM

Clear sky was the least favorite of the three for me, ymmv

Disconnected

06-20-2010, 01:53 PM

This thread suddenly gave me an urge to replay SoC, so that's what I'm doing. With Lurk v1.1

So.. Impressions? The New and Improved HDR absolutely murders the desolate, slightly blasted look of the outdoors when the weather's nice during daytime. Apart from that, however, it's pretty cool. Beyond sleep & repair, it doesn't seem to add anything new to the gameplay. It just tweaks it. Lots. In ways I think most SoC lovers will appreciate.

The main reason I'm posting, though, is to ask those of you who want to know what the hype is about, but can't seem to get into it; would you like an AAR'ish sort of thing?

Shellfishguy

06-21-2010, 05:01 AM

With all the Stalker talk I want to fire up SoC again, but which mod pack to use, Complete or Lurk? I always just played it vanilla before and want to see what the mods bring. Any hivemind consensus on which is better to use?

chequers

06-21-2010, 05:06 AM

The main reason I'm posting, though, is to ask those of you who want to know what the hype is about, but can't seem to get into it; would you like an AAR'ish sort of thing?
I'd be interested in this. With one in-game day per turn, and we can divide the storyline missions up so with the final AARer we finish the game. The rest of the time can be spent doing side missions if you want or just whatever.

malkav11

06-21-2010, 05:52 AM

Nithrakis

06-21-2010, 11:08 AM

I just reinstalled SoC to check out Lurk 1.1 and it looks gorgeous. I'm running with the extreme config, everything maxed in the video settings, and I'm getting 70 to 100+ fps pretty much consistently at 1900x1200.

I may hold off on my CoP playthrough (I've done hardly anything) to play this for a while. There is something about the atmosphere in the original game that the two subsequent games, even CoP, do not adequately capture.

Disconnected

06-21-2010, 03:58 PM

I'd be interested in this. With one in-game day per turn, and we can divide the storyline missions up so with the final AARer we finish the game. The rest of the time can be spent doing side missions if you want or just whatever.

I'm not sure I follow. Do you mean making a We Play'ish AAR where each player/poster plays for 24 in-game hours?

If so, I love the concept, but it would probably be a better idea to switch players between storyline missions. It'd make better AARs and... well, I doubt we'd ever finish if we switched players every 24 in-game hours :)

Shellfishguy

06-21-2010, 05:02 PM

I decided to go with Stalker Complete, played through for a bit then managed to quicksave rather than quickload at the wrong time and stuck myself into a nasty death cycle lol.

malkav11

06-21-2010, 10:15 PM

Lab X18 was everything it was cracked up to be. It's surprising how effectively tense Stalker's underground sequences can be with a minimum of actual enemy presence. On my escape from the area, I learned just how much better my gear was than my starting gear when I swung by that initial bandit farm and put down another group of bandits in a few shots, barely even getting scratched in the process. Whee.

belgerog

06-22-2010, 04:35 AM

Three or four playthroughs and I've never even fired the thing. A bit silly I suppose. As soon as I see either a launcher or a rocket, all I can think of is how all that weight will slow me down, so I ditch them immediately.

STALKER forces you to think in a very practical manner.

Spoilers. If I recall correctly you can destroy a moving APC right before you enter the Chernobyl NPP. But, yeah, aside from that, it's too heavy for its use.

chequers

06-22-2010, 04:58 AM

People leave those things on the ground?! I'm an obsessive hoarder: if it's a weapon I haven't seen before it goes into my stash. By the end of the game I have tens of thousands of rounts of ammo in there and most everything.

Tim James

06-22-2010, 07:40 AM

Lab X18 was everything it was cracked up to be. It's surprising how effectively tense Stalker's underground sequences can be with...
Don't forget that some people haven't played it yet. I know there are anti-anti-spoiler types on QT3, and I'm less concerned about the plot twists, but there are a few situations in SoC and CoP where if you see how the pacing works behind the curtain, some of the intensity may be lost. I haven't received any confirmation whether that is the case for new players who already know how a section will be paced, but it's better to err on the side of caution. On the other hand, they are just as good the second time through with a megamod so I'm probably overreacting.

Shellfishguy

06-22-2010, 08:17 AM

Does the Stalker Complete mod add weapons and fiddle with the ones already in the game? I didn't see anything about it in the write up when I downloaded it, but I've already found a gun I don't remember seeing and the double barrel shotgun is a lot more deadly than I recall.

So far I'm really enjoying what the mod package has done. I loaded it up to play for 20 mins before bed last night and next thing I knew it was an hour and a half later.

Disconnected

06-22-2010, 10:29 AM

Not that I've seen. It's been a while since I played SoC, but Complete '09 handles exactly like I remember. I'm fairly sure it only makes cosmetic changes to existing weapons.

Not apropos at all: I've dropped Lurk. The changes it makes to the mechanics are great, but the cosmetic changes it makes ruined the feel of the game for me. So.. If more than one of you guys want something AAR-like, it will be with Complete '09.

anaqer

06-22-2010, 01:57 PM

When I first played SoC, I ran into a nasty bug that made it impossible to save once I got to Yenta, so I had to a) use the autosave at the beginning of each level and ironman the first few maps and b) cheat through Red Forest and later on.

Hardly an ideal experience, so I figured I'll give it another go but this time with Complete - well, let me just say that the extra 10kg carry capacity and trading with common stalkers is a very welcome addition. Very welcome.

Disconnected

06-22-2010, 02:47 PM

Personally, I wish that stuff worked the way Lurk does it. 35kg weight limit forces you to make some more interesting decisions regarding loot and necessities. Of course, Lurk also revises the economy accordingly. You'll sell a tenth what you're used to, but it's all worth ten times as much.

Tim James

06-22-2010, 03:57 PM

The LURK team appears to be aware of the HDR complaints so maybe they'll work on more tweaks. I see there is already an .ini option right on the download page.

I'm in no rush, so I can give it another few weeks to see if they come out with something different. I've played it through twice vanilla and with OL, so a lighting change is okay if they make other big changes that can keep my interest.

Quitch

06-22-2010, 04:10 PM

I have never finished a STALKER game, but dear God do I love them. I guess the problem I have is that I like the open world and AI interaction, while the story stuff is far less interesting, so as the game gets more and more focused and enemies tend to bunch up in later areas and interact with one another less, I lose interest. SoC is definitely better than Clear Sky, which puts too many people into the zone and loses the desolate feeling and, more importantly, I could never see a point to get involved in the faction fighting where I could avoid it.

STALKER grabbed me by the balls when I came out the newbie village, saw a patrol and hid in the woods where I found a boar. I lured the boar out onto the road where it attacked the patrol. One of their men went down and they withdrew, firing shots at it. Once the area was clear I moved in for an early game assault rifle. This is the kind of emergence I so rarely get to enjoy.

I just love the school of design that games like STALKER and Space Rangers 2 come from though, where you really have to fight to get out of the early rut. The early fights in STALKER are the most fun because they can turn nasty, fast. Later on I can either headshot it, or it's a close combat foe and they're just less interesting to fight. The flanking AI is always a joy to watch.

I love how mods removing the weight limit are among the most popular for the game. Way to miss the point, gamers :)

I have CoP on the shelf and will be trying it after Metro 2033 (which isn't really doing much for me).

Zylon

06-22-2010, 04:23 PM

I have never finished a STALKER game, but dear God do I love them.
So what's the farthest you've gotten in SoC? There's some spectacular stuff in the latter parts of the game. At the very least the assault on the Brain Scorcher shouldn't be missed.

Tim James

06-22-2010, 04:37 PM

After that part I guess I don't blame people for wanting to quit. Blowouts are most dramatic in the story context, but the other games have them so you won't miss it. I loved the creepy final indoor area as well, but admittedly it's lots of fighting.

So yeah, the end is kind of a grind, but still some nice surreal parts.

Disconnected

06-22-2010, 07:35 PM

I see there is already an .ini option right on the download page.

Argh.. Like you, I've played through vanilla and Oblivion Lost, and now I'm nearing the scorcher with Complete '09. Lurk tweaks are just a little too late now.

If you're lurking for a new and improved version of Lurk, mind that it kind of fucks up the Outpost. You might suggest to Mr. Lurk that the enemies in the area needs to be tougher, and that Sidorovich needs to stop selling high-grade gear. The balance is fine past the Outpost (I think - I quit using the mod when I reached the bar).

malkav11

06-25-2010, 07:38 PM

1) Yantar. Oh god, Yantar.
2) I hates me some snorks. Oh yes.
3) I reeeeallly need some better nightvision.

Tim James

06-25-2010, 10:17 PM

3) I reeeeallly need some better nightvision.Just walk over to the factory complex and your eyes will start glowing for free.

Paul_cze

06-26-2010, 12:48 AM

LURK got patched, here are few showcase videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjSET90vFtI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY5PkFJUQPM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoBhs0HsM14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4MNPODDom8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1soQCLkNd9I

Makes me want to reinstall it.

belgerog

06-26-2010, 06:47 AM

I just love the school of design that games like STALKER and Space Rangers 2 come from though, where you really have to fight to get out of the early rut. The early fights in STALKER are the most fun because they can turn nasty, fast. Later on I can either headshot it, or it's a close combat foe and they're just less interesting to fight. The flanking AI is always a joy to watch.

Ah I love those parts too!

So I was wondering, is Lurk better than Complete at keeping the difficulty up in the later stages of the game?

There are big open areas throughout the game which are always cool to assault, but it's sometimes too easy with the long range weapons. The AI isn't as ruthless from a distance. The fact that you had to carefully get closer to your enemies in the early game made for some awesome firefights. Maybe I should just try and play in the hardest difficulty?

chequers

06-26-2010, 07:08 AM

The difficulty slider just increases the enemy accuracy and reaction times. Once you figure out how to win a fight without getting hit it becomes irrelevant.
If you want to keep the game difficult, use crappy guns. In CoP, I have been using the best auto shotgun and an mp5 while in the Pripyat area. Even fully upgraded they still require more skill than an assault rifle's "sit still and headshot them from 200m".

Zylon

06-26-2010, 07:27 AM

LURK got patched, here are few showcase videos
That looks horrible, like the entire game has Vaseline smeared on it.

belgerog

06-26-2010, 07:32 AM

If you want to keep the game difficult, use crappy guns. In CoP, I have been using the best auto shotgun and an mp5 while in the Pripyat area. Even fully upgraded they still require more skill than an assault rifle's "sit still and headshot them from 200m".

Heh, I can try shotgun and pistols only. Omar style (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMm1Wih0kug).

Maybe never attaching a scope to the rifles can make it better too.

malkav11

06-26-2010, 08:50 AM

The difficulty slider also appears to reduce the amount of things like ammo that you find on enemies, in stashes, etc. I was watching a video of someone playing on master difficulty, where I've been playing on novice (because personally, fuck difficulty), and where I've been finding an average of 15-30 rounds per gun on every corpse, he's been finding 2-5.

It's also possible that that's Stalker Complete at work, since he's playing unmodded. But I doubt it.

Bandersnatch

06-26-2010, 12:24 PM

So I was wondering, is Lurk better than Complete at keeping the difficulty up in the later stages of the game?

There are big open areas throughout the game which are always cool to assault, but it's sometimes too easy with the long range weapons. The AI isn't as ruthless from a distance. The fact that you had to carefully get closer to your enemies in the early game made for some awesome firefights. Maybe I should just try and play in the hardest difficulty?

I'm playing LURK on Master and it is cake. I thought it would be more hardcore since the weight limit is at 35 and there is no minimap or threat indicators. Enemies spot me from a long ways away, but they are just too stupid. Stealth is horribly exploitable and ammo, bandages, health packs, antirads are all overly plentiful.

malkav11

07-05-2010, 08:01 PM

Just for the record - I did persevere, and Shadow of Chernobyl is now on my fairly short list (compared to my collection, at least) of games I've actually finished. I haven't come back to make notes on my progress for a while because from, really, Yantar onwards there's a lot of cool, largely plot-related stuff that goes down and there's not much to be said about these things that doesn't constitute a spoiler. I will say, though...if anyone's still working on it for the first time - when you get a mission to go talk to Guide? Do it. It's technically optional, but if you don't follow that mission chain you will miss out on significant story elements and a significant amount of (admittedly linear, combat-intensive) gameplay.

Stalker Complete offers the ability to continue playing after beating the game (the right way, at least), but frankly I can't see why I would want to. When I'm rocking the best armor in the game and the best guns in the game, not only is anything below the challenge level of the enemies in the last couple of areas going to be pathetically easy, but there's not really any payoff to missions or looting. You're not going to get anything better. I may come back and replay the game again, in freeplay with Stalker Complete, or with another megamod (Oblivion Lost, LURK, etc), but that's different.

It's a little funny to me that I react that way, when something I really wanted to do in the original Fallout was play after completing the main story, but there my incentive was to go on a murderous rampage, something that was at best a bad idea (hurting my ability to progress) and at worst impossible (due to insufficient power level) earlier in the game.