Apparently, there's Redux mods for SoC and CS as well. Never heard of them before.
One of the Irrational devs mentioned this mod at the end of a recent podcast they had, which was about whether developers can experience other games as regular gamers or not. He told a story about how the Redux mod adds hunger and sleep and stuff, but also changes the economy so stalkers may or may not want to trade their own meals with you since they have their own needs. (I don't know if other megamods do this or what.) Here's the story, but you're welcome to download the podcast and listen yourself:
One time his character was hungry and he was in a stalker camp. The other stalkers went into their eating animation (does this exist? never noticed) and he tried to trade with them, but none of them wanted to give up any food. So he actually hid and watched them eat, then waited for one stalker to head to his bed for the night. He murdered the NPC and took his food. I think the dev said it was the only time he's ever felt a twinge of morality playing a game.
I wasn't sure how accurate it was or whether he was reading more into this mod did than what it actually did, but I always like it when people talk up STALKER.
Tim James on
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MongerI got the ham stink.Dallas, TXRegistered Userregular
edited June 2010
Was that Shawn Elliott? I bet it was. Murdering people in their sleep for sausage and vodka is such a Shawn Elliott move. I really do need to start listening to that podcast.
Ah yes, in SoC right now I have 3 shots for my RPG tube, and 9 rifle grenades.
So far through the game I've used 2 rifle grenades.
I never figured out how to shoot rifle grenades in the game. Maybe that was part of my problem. I tried remapping keys and it never worked.
-Find a grenade launcher attachment that fits your rifle.
-Attach the grenade launcher attachment.
-Hit the grenade launcher attachment key (default v).
-Reload.
-Fire.
I stockpile a ton in the bar of SoC, at least one of every gun, every unique I found, artifacts, any excess ammo I have on me, grenades, dog tails, all that stuff. All this means is that it really sucks to try and take out ammo, which is auto sorted under my giant piles of guns. Scroll down, get out 10 rounds. The window pops back to the top for whatever dumb reason. Scroll down, 10 more rounds, scroll down, 10 more rounds.
It's easier just to take it ALL out and just put the other shit back.
I do love the weight limit, though. It's sort of masochistic, but I like not being able to just stroll around and toss everything into my alternate dimension backpack.
Sometimes it's fun to just put everything into a stash except a pistol with 40 rounds, a medkit, a few bandages and rad meds, and head out into the zone. Once you kill somebody, you stash your pistol on them and take their weapons, now you are an untraceable entity in the zone. All weapons are acquire-on-site, use only enemy ammunition, leave no survivors.
TheRussianFunk on
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DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
edited June 2010
If you are using Complete or any other mod that contains the ZRP for SoC (this should be mentioned in the ReadMe), you need to open the configuration front end (Modifier.exe in the gamedata folder). Then look at all the crazy little settings you can tweak. One of them will allow you to modify the size of Store, Stash and Inventory screens. It makes things like grabbing ammo out of a loaded stash no sweat.
It can make some items hard to spot in these screens however, as the icons for them scale down to match the denser grid.
Another annoying AI thing that freaked me out was enemies shooting me through walls.
Well, shooting and missing at me through walls. Because they couldn't shoot through walls.
Fixed.
They can absolutely shoot through walls. They just also come from the Faceless Henchmen School for Light Arms and Bullet Spamming. Terrible aim but they can hit you if they shoot in your direction for long enough. I've nearly died from someone lighting me up from down a hall that was around a corner where they were standing at the top of a flight of steps. Two walls and I had to run away and use a healthkit.
Is there a version of the Oblivion mod for SoC that is packaged in a .rar? I don't have 7z and don't much feel like bothering with it for just one mod.
Edit: I double checked, my version of WinRar doesn't have 7z on the list of recognizable compressions. It also didn't work when I set the individual file to open with WinRar.
It'll be probably a year or more, if I ever get to Oblivion anyway. I'll bother with 7z then. In the mean time:
xinfinity
I just went to the second base in Garbage, the one near the Agroprom exit. I purge it off bandits, go towards Agroprom and kill, I don't know... 7 bandits? I killed them good. That Viper 5 is a mean, accurate and deadly sumbitch. I just dropped all of those guys. I loot 'em, drop some stuff off inside the base stash.
Then I notice I forgot to loot the man standing over the archway into the tunnel. First guy I killed in that group, and I forgot about him. Well, I wouldn't let that stand, so I start my looting. I hear something. A snort? Snarl, maybe? I don't know, but I heard something. Whatever, it sounded like an echo, not my problem, let some other stalkers deal with it. Then I hear it right behind me, I close the inventory window, spin around and
RRRAWWARRARARARAGGGGGHLLLEEEGAAAARRRWW
says the boar to my face. I jumped so far out of my seat and had a heart attack. My character thought I had a good idea, so he decided to join in on the "ohjesusfuck" train and fell off the archway onto the tracks below, becoming bloody, and for some reason, hungry. Fed him, then just... that boar, man. I made sure that boar never frightened an innocent stalker again.
Klash on
We don't even care... whether we care or not...
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MongerI got the ham stink.Dallas, TXRegistered Userregular
edited June 2010
Yes, you have walked your first path, young blood. Soon now, you will pass the torch of the Hunted, and then you will be Man.
Well, I now have multiple upgradable (thats what the green arrow thing is, right?) items. I don't want to leave any of them behind.
I have a SPAS12 (the description calls it "UNIQUE"), a silenced Viper 5, a kickass MG with a grenade launcher (and a scope I put on), and a prototype Ford12.
Its impossible to carry ammo for all of them, but they're all so cool. And I was just getting into the spirit of "forget that, forget that, forget that" with looting. I mean, push comes to shove, I'm going pistol/MG, but, upgradable items are sooooooo cool.
And I found my first mutant. The moment was utterly ruined by a review I watched. I'd seen this type of mutant in said review, so as soon as I noticed a slight distortion infront of me, I just stabbed its face. Which killed it. Sent it over a railing. In hindsight, pretty damned cool.
The set-up was great. Abandoned building outside of a massive bandit base (Borov or whatever in Dark Valley), 2 grey dots and a yellow on my map. I get closer, I hear moans of the injured Loner. I notice a ladder, realize it'd be best to go in the top. I do so, climb down, heal up my buddy and he's on his way. I begin noticing strange, large bloody claw marks on all the walls. It dawns on me that I found the Loner in a small, cramped room with another dead Loner and a dead bandit. It suddenly makes sense, that they were dragged in there. Why else would they be on top of each other like that? There were no beds or boxes, this wasn't a home.
Then I notice the distortion and think to myself "This is going to suck." So naturally I pull out my knife and charged.
Edit: Oh and then when I came back from Dark Valley after emptying it like my character does bottles of vodka, the trainyard Loner base got attacked. Then I notice to get my reward I have to get to The Bar within 23 hours, and I ain't done in Garbage. Forget that.
Klash on
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TrippyJingMoses supposes his toeses are roses.But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered Userregular
edited June 2010
The green arrow means it's a modified variant. You don't really upgrade any weapons in SoC. Have you hit the Agroprom Underground yet? I like the modified MP5/Viper simply because ammo for it is so plentiful.
Where did you get the SPAS12? In all my time with the game, the only shotgun that wasn't sawn-off that I've found was on a trader, and this was right after a spending spree so I didn't have enough to get it.
Mars on
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MongerI got the ham stink.Dallas, TXRegistered Userregular
For fun, shoot out the boxes in the tower by the junkyard, near Bes' group.
SMG/pistol ammo won't be a problem for a while.
That's such a great goodie drop. I didn't notice it until my second or third playthrough, and I didn't actually expect there to be anything in those boxes. I just kind of shot them because I could.
I just did. I think. I was in the underground/sewer stuff and just emerged at Aprogrom.
I... I'm very much disappointed. This isn't the game's fault, by any means. Its just that after, what? 4 years? Its not like I haven't seen these creatures before in trailers and reviews. They aren't new and I know what they do, thanks to reviews that show too much in the video segments. I admit, the "Rrraaahhhhhhhhhhhh!" made me just stop.
Then I died. Then I reloaded, put my grenade launcher on, stepped forward, triggered it, and just turned around and one-shot the thing. It wasn't exactly thrilling. With the other types, they look like God damned protoss running around. I feel like screaming "I can see you, stupid" at them. It doesn't help that literally one strike from the knife does them in, and they're melee based.
Combine the prior knowledge with the fact that I'm a gamer, having seen these types of things a million times over and knowing what to do, it just didn't work on me. That said, the atmosphere was beautiful. Top notch. Bubbling pools of green and my flashlight barely lighting the way.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s faults are due to my own abilities as a gamer. Gun fights for example, I often hear how tough the enemies are, but I've learned to train them and gut them like pigs. I slaughter military and bandit alike with my scoped MG. Atmosphere drains away when I realize how I'm breezing through it, although I am on the "STALKER" difficulty, which is 2 of 4. I never play hard difficulties, though, so I don't know. Still an amazing game.
Edit: Should also note I'm playing with lights on and not using a headset. Both would dramatically increase the gameplay for me, but I loathe wearing headsets. Bloody things never fit. Wearing a headset while playing Doom 3, Quake 4 and Prey made them very moody and, somewhat, scary games.
There are only 5 or 6 really intense/surreal linear plot sequences in SoC, and it's best to suspend disbelief for those. I've commented on this before. Call of Pripyat is especially bad; if you keep your room lights on and sprint everywhere, it's no big deal. But if you creep forward and explore the buildings carefully, you'll get a lot of the intensity. Be sure to settle in for X18 with the right mood.
When you play again with a mod, you'll want to max out the difficulty. Not sure I would restart, but you could always try using an unscoped automatic rifle. Gives the flank AI a little more time to operate instead of picking everyone off at long range. You'll be doing that late game anyway, so go make your own fun now.
Tim James on
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TrippyJingMoses supposes his toeses are roses.But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered Userregular
edited June 2010
Huh. So you didn't hit an encounter right before you climbed the ladder to emerge at the Agroprom military base?
Huh. So you didn't hit an encounter right before you climbed the ladder to emerge at the Agroprom military base?
I... I'm very much disappointed. This isn't the game's fault, by any means. Its just that after, what? 4 years? Its not like I haven't seen these creatures before in trailers and reviews. They aren't new and I know what they do, thanks to reviews that show too much in the video segments. I admit, the "Rrraaahhhhhhhhhhhh!" made me just stop.
Then I died. Then I reloaded, put my grenade launcher on, stepped forward, triggered it, and just turned around and one-shot the thing. It wasn't exactly thrilling.
There are only 5 or 6 really intense/surreal linear plot sequences in SoC, and it's best to suspend disbelief for those. I've commented on this before. Call of Pripyat is especially bad; if you keep your room lights on and sprint everywhere, it's no big deal. But if you creep forward and explore the buildings carefully, you'll get a lot of the intensity. Be sure to settle in for X18 with the right mood.
When you play again with a mod, you'll want to max out the difficulty. Not sure I would restart, but you could always try using an unscoped automatic rifle. Gives the flank AI a little more time to operate instead of picking everyone off at long range. You'll be doing that late game anyway, so go make your own fun now.
I'm not one to complain about broken this and that, and I'm not gonna force myself to make the game difficult because that feels silly to me. I utterly despise restrictions (in broad terms) while gaming, and won't be placing them on myself. Its not like I don't die in firefights, the AI is quite capable of flanking me and shooting me through solid objects. My own weapons are also capable of homing onto thin air and bricks. Fights are fights, to be sure. There just isn't any tension or fear factor, because I'm having trouble getting immersed at this point. I'm too busy playing an FPS to play a horror game.
Klash on
We don't even care... whether we care or not...
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TrippyJingMoses supposes his toeses are roses.But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered Userregular
edited June 2010
I don't think I would classify it as a horror game. Scary moments, to be sure, but I think of it primarily as an FPS. Are you still playing it vanilla? Because things like the AI do get changed. I don't think I've ever seen the whole "shooting through solid objects" thing ever.
Fights out in the open are easy once you get any scoped weapon. Pretty much any AR you can find in the game you can get a scope attachment for it. It's when you have amidst cover or enclosed spaces when things get tense, especially when you no idea where the hell they are.
Its not Condemned, no. But I view STALKER as having been intended to have a lot of suspense or tension. I was watching a trailer for CoP and almost died of laughter because they tried to make it scary.
There is tension up until something actually happens. Then it all disappears and we start laughing at the fatman.
The AI is always shooting me through solid objects, its actually beginning to really piss me off. Sometimes they're clipping half way through an object when they do so. Even with that, though, indoor fights have been some of the best fights I have ever had in a video game. The gunplay is really, really satisfying, even if I mostly shoot air when I'm dead aimed on a target a foot from me. I love when I'm out in the open, at night, I have my light on and spot some baddies. Flick off the light, creep up and manage to drop one of them with a single pistol round before ducking into cover.
Klash on
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TrippyJingMoses supposes his toeses are roses.But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered Userregular
edited June 2010
AHAHAHAHA
I liked when the Burer pops out...and the beat starts up.
TrippyJing on
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MongerI got the ham stink.Dallas, TXRegistered Userregular
The AI is always shooting me through solid objects, its actually beginning to really piss me off. Sometimes they're clipping half way through an object when they do so. Even with that, though, indoor fights have been some of the best fights I have ever had in a video game. The gunplay is really, really satisfying, even if I mostly shoot air when I'm dead aimed on a target a foot from me. I love when I'm out in the open, at night, I have my light on and spot some baddies. Flick off the light, creep up and manage to drop one of them with a single pistol round before ducking into cover.
The shooting through walls thing has to do with some very serious bugs in how the AI perceives sight and sound. Among other things, they will also occasionally get fixated on distant sounds and become completely unresponsive. Mods like LURK clear this up, in addition to other improvements made to their behavior.
The weapon accuracy thing is only an issue until Agroprom underground. You should've picked up a fast-firing AK from Strelok's stash, and that is the first legitimately useful weapon in the game. It will actually be a while before you find something more accurate.
I'm going to be a little abrasive here for a minute. I want you to be aware that I have the best intentions and I assure you that this is for your own good:
Turn your goddamn difficulty up.
The thing is that STALKER's a shooter. It's a game about shooting. It's a game about challenging shooting. If you aren't being challenged by the shooting, you're really not getting as much out of the experience as there is on offer. You don't need to start a new game or anything. This is especially relevant because STALKER's difficulty curve is kind of a swish. It's super hard at the beginning before you get good equipment, and it gets difficult at the end when you're facing tougher enemies. But you're about to head into the easiest part of the game, and if you're already feeling that it being easy is something that's hurting your experience, you should really do something about it.
The AI is always shooting me through solid objects, its actually beginning to really piss me off. Sometimes they're clipping half way through an object when they do so. Even with that, though, indoor fights have been some of the best fights I have ever had in a video game. The gunplay is really, really satisfying, even if I mostly shoot air when I'm dead aimed on a target a foot from me. I love when I'm out in the open, at night, I have my light on and spot some baddies. Flick off the light, creep up and manage to drop one of them with a single pistol round before ducking into cover.
The shooting through walls thing has to do with some very serious bugs in how the AI perceives sight and sound. Among other things, they will also occasionally get fixated on distant sounds and become completely unresponsive. Mods like LURK clear this up, in addition to other improvements made to their behavior.
The weapon accuracy thing is only an issue until Agroprom underground. You should've picked up a fast-firing AK from Strelok's stash, and that is the first legitimately useful weapon in the game. It will actually be a while before you find something more accurate.
I'm going to be a little abrasive here for a minute. I want you to be aware that I have the best intentions and I assure you that this is for your own good:
Turn your goddamn difficulty up.
The thing is that STALKER's a shooter. It's a game about shooting. It's a game about challenging shooting. If you aren't being challenged by the shooting, you're really not getting as much out of the experience as there is on offer. You don't need to start a new game or anything. This is especially relevant because STALKER's difficulty curve is kind of a swish. It's super hard at the beginning before you get good equipment, and it gets difficult at the end when you're facing tougher enemies. But you're about to head into the easiest part of the game, and if you're already feeling that it being easy is something that's hurting your experience, you should really do something about it.
A-fucking-men. You don't need to go on hell difficulty, but turn it up a notch.
You should've picked up a fast-firing AK from Strelok's stash, and that is the first legitimately useful weapon in the game.
If you don't have it, go back and grab it. It freaking rocks. That or the unique modified Gorza (Thunder, I think?) that a STALKER carries. Luckily for me he was camping in the middle of a 30 hamster, 20 bandit, 10 zombie spawn. It wasn't pretty.
Arrath on
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DietarySupplementStill not approved by the FDADublin, OHRegistered Userregular
For fun, shoot out the boxes in the tower by the junkyard, near Bes' group.
SMG/pistol ammo won't be a problem for a while.
That's such a great goodie drop. I didn't notice it until my second or third playthrough, and I didn't actually expect there to be anything in those boxes. I just kind of shot them because I could.
Then there was an ammunition monsoon.
Wait, what? Boxes are destructible?
My world, she is crumbling!
edit: Just re-reading my post here... and yes, I truly didn't know this for my entire 1st play through, and I'm just starting out on my 2nd. Are all crates destructible? Only certain types/colors? I cannot believe I didn't pick up on this.
DietarySupplement on
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DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
edited June 2010
Just the small wooden boxes you stacked up all over the place. You can break them.
Sometimes you find stuff. Sometimes the stuff is awesome.
Yeah I didn't understand crates until my second playthrough. They don't highlight them like every other shooter, so they blend into the environment. For some reason I never thought to break them open like I would in any other game.
Tim James on
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Mercutio87So build that wall and build it strong causeWe'll be there before too longRegistered Userregular
edited June 2010
I always loved making up a little backstory whenever I ran through a base, breaking all their boxes, digging into their community stashes, grabbing vodka bottles right out of their hands.
"Man, this new recruit is an asshole. Anyone want to tell him he can find some awesome gear in that village overrun by bloodsuckers? Maybe he'll be so busy looking for stuff he won't even notice them. And then we can get our stuff back."
"Still all worked up he grabbed 30 of your tinned meats while you were too drunk to stop him, huh Chef?"
Also those tiny blue boxes are also breakable. Most of the time wooden boxes don't drop stuff and blue boxes will. Also sometimes you know a blue box was supposed to drop something and it just didn't. :-/
Arrath, the Thunder is also sold by the trader in the early part of the game for 20,000, but only before you talk to Wolf after killing the bandits. It has like a 5% chance of showing up. Going for it is an interesting challenge, as you can only get that cash from looting, and Nimble's quest. Taking on the army base with a sawed off and a pistol is about as hard as you can make the early game. But then you have a somewhat game breakingly good rifle.
Also Klash, I don't know about Complete, but LURK definitely makes the game harder. I believe it tweaks all the mutants to have more health, and it also changes where some of them show up and how they spawn.
Mercutio87 on
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TrippyJingMoses supposes his toeses are roses.But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered Userregular
edited June 2010
I have turned Rookie Town into the most well armed base in the Cordon and the Garbage.
Just the small wooden boxes you stacked up all over the place. You can break them.
Sometimes you find stuff. Sometimes the stuff is awesome.
Also those smaller metal-ish kits.
Arrath, the Thunder is also sold by the trader in the early part of the game for 20,000, but only before you talk to Wolf after killing the bandits. It has like a 5% chance of showing up. Going for it is an interesting challenge, as you can only get that cash from looting, and Nimble's quest. Taking on the army base with a sawed off and a pistol is about as hard as you can make the early game. But then you have a somewhat game breakingly good rifle.
Oh, wow, I had no idea. At least the game-breakingness is balanced by 5.45 being more or less non-existent until Wild Territory.
Arrath on
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Mercutio87So build that wall and build it strong causeWe'll be there before too longRegistered Userregular
Arrath, the Thunder is also sold by the trader in the early part of the game for 20,000, but only before you talk to Wolf after killing the bandits. It has like a 5% chance of showing up. Going for it is an interesting challenge, as you can only get that cash from looting, and Nimble's quest. Taking on the army base with a sawed off and a pistol is about as hard as you can make the early game. But then you have a somewhat game breakingly good rifle.
Oh, wow, I had no idea. At least the game-breakingness is balanced by 5.45 being more or less non-existent until Wild Territory.
It's worse. He's selling the modified unique version, not the normal gun. The one that takes AK ammo.
For fun I started a new game last night and grabbed it. Walked up to the end of Cordon, saved to get ready for the garbage, turned around and one shotted a dog at about 100 ft.
I also had about 600 rounds for it.
It will also take a silencer, I think it can take a scope, and it has that nifty grenade launcher attachment.
So yeah, major difficultly breaker if you get it. But it's just such a fun gun...
The shooting through walls thing has to do with some very serious bugs in how the AI perceives sight and sound. Among other things, they will also occasionally get fixated on distant sounds and become completely unresponsive. Mods like LURK clear this up, in addition to other improvements made to their behavior.
The weapon accuracy thing is only an issue until Agroprom underground. You should've picked up a fast-firing AK from Strelok's stash, and that is the first legitimately useful weapon in the game. It will actually be a while before you find something more accurate.
I'm going to be a little abrasive here for a minute. I want you to be aware that I have the best intentions and I assure you that this is for your own good:
Turn your goddamn difficulty up.
The thing is that STALKER's a shooter. It's a game about shooting. It's a game about challenging shooting. If you aren't being challenged by the shooting, you're really not getting as much out of the experience as there is on offer. You don't need to start a new game or anything. This is especially relevant because STALKER's difficulty curve is kind of a swish. It's super hard at the beginning before you get good equipment, and it gets difficult at the end when you're facing tougher enemies. But you're about to head into the easiest part of the game, and if you're already feeling that it being easy is something that's hurting your experience, you should really do something about it.
I'll turn up the difficulty. I can do that without restarting, right? I'm gonna also start headsetting it.
I look forward to modded playthroughs. The wall thing can become quite awkward when you're desperately out numbered and using cover as best you can.
You should've picked up a fast-firing AK from Strelok's stash, and that is the first legitimately useful weapon in the game.
If you don't have it, go back and grab it. It freaking rocks. That or the unique modified Gorza (Thunder, I think?) that a STALKER carries. Luckily for me he was camping in the middle of a 30 hamster, 20 bandit, 10 zombie spawn. It wasn't pretty.
Posts
I never figured out how to shoot rifle grenades in the game. Maybe that was part of my problem. I tried remapping keys and it never worked.
-Find a grenade launcher attachment that fits your rifle.
-Attach the grenade launcher attachment.
-Hit the grenade launcher attachment key (default v).
-Reload.
-Fire.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
It's easier just to take it ALL out and just put the other shit back.
I do love the weight limit, though. It's sort of masochistic, but I like not being able to just stroll around and toss everything into my alternate dimension backpack.
Sometimes it's fun to just put everything into a stash except a pistol with 40 rounds, a medkit, a few bandages and rad meds, and head out into the zone. Once you kill somebody, you stash your pistol on them and take their weapons, now you are an untraceable entity in the zone. All weapons are acquire-on-site, use only enemy ammunition, leave no survivors.
It can make some items hard to spot in these screens however, as the icons for them scale down to match the denser grid.
Fixed.
They can absolutely shoot through walls. They just also come from the Faceless Henchmen School for Light Arms and Bullet Spamming. Terrible aim but they can hit you if they shoot in your direction for long enough. I've nearly died from someone lighting me up from down a hall that was around a corner where they were standing at the top of a flight of steps. Two walls and I had to run away and use a healthkit.
Edit: I double checked, my version of WinRar doesn't have 7z on the list of recognizable compressions. It also didn't work when I set the individual file to open with WinRar.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
I just went to the second base in Garbage, the one near the Agroprom exit. I purge it off bandits, go towards Agroprom and kill, I don't know... 7 bandits? I killed them good. That Viper 5 is a mean, accurate and deadly sumbitch. I just dropped all of those guys. I loot 'em, drop some stuff off inside the base stash.
Then I notice I forgot to loot the man standing over the archway into the tunnel. First guy I killed in that group, and I forgot about him. Well, I wouldn't let that stand, so I start my looting. I hear something. A snort? Snarl, maybe? I don't know, but I heard something. Whatever, it sounded like an echo, not my problem, let some other stalkers deal with it. Then I hear it right behind me, I close the inventory window, spin around and
RRRAWWARRARARARAGGGGGHLLLEEEGAAAARRRWW
says the boar to my face. I jumped so far out of my seat and had a heart attack. My character thought I had a good idea, so he decided to join in on the "ohjesusfuck" train and fell off the archway onto the tracks below, becoming bloody, and for some reason, hungry. Fed him, then just... that boar, man. I made sure that boar never frightened an innocent stalker again.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
I have a SPAS12 (the description calls it "UNIQUE"), a silenced Viper 5, a kickass MG with a grenade launcher (and a scope I put on), and a prototype Ford12.
Its impossible to carry ammo for all of them, but they're all so cool. And I was just getting into the spirit of "forget that, forget that, forget that" with looting. I mean, push comes to shove, I'm going pistol/MG, but, upgradable items are sooooooo cool.
And I found my first mutant. The moment was utterly ruined by a review I watched. I'd seen this type of mutant in said review, so as soon as I noticed a slight distortion infront of me, I just stabbed its face. Which killed it. Sent it over a railing. In hindsight, pretty damned cool.
The set-up was great. Abandoned building outside of a massive bandit base (Borov or whatever in Dark Valley), 2 grey dots and a yellow on my map. I get closer, I hear moans of the injured Loner. I notice a ladder, realize it'd be best to go in the top. I do so, climb down, heal up my buddy and he's on his way. I begin noticing strange, large bloody claw marks on all the walls. It dawns on me that I found the Loner in a small, cramped room with another dead Loner and a dead bandit. It suddenly makes sense, that they were dragged in there. Why else would they be on top of each other like that? There were no beds or boxes, this wasn't a home.
Then I notice the distortion and think to myself "This is going to suck." So naturally I pull out my knife and charged.
Edit: Oh and then when I came back from Dark Valley after emptying it like my character does bottles of vodka, the trainyard Loner base got attacked. Then I notice to get my reward I have to get to The Bar within 23 hours, and I ain't done in Garbage. Forget that.
SMG/pistol ammo won't be a problem for a while.
Then there was an ammunition monsoon.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
I... I'm very much disappointed. This isn't the game's fault, by any means. Its just that after, what? 4 years? Its not like I haven't seen these creatures before in trailers and reviews. They aren't new and I know what they do, thanks to reviews that show too much in the video segments. I admit, the "Rrraaahhhhhhhhhhhh!" made me just stop.
Then I died. Then I reloaded, put my grenade launcher on, stepped forward, triggered it, and just turned around and one-shot the thing. It wasn't exactly thrilling. With the other types, they look like God damned protoss running around. I feel like screaming "I can see you, stupid" at them. It doesn't help that literally one strike from the knife does them in, and they're melee based.
Combine the prior knowledge with the fact that I'm a gamer, having seen these types of things a million times over and knowing what to do, it just didn't work on me. That said, the atmosphere was beautiful. Top notch. Bubbling pools of green and my flashlight barely lighting the way.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s faults are due to my own abilities as a gamer. Gun fights for example, I often hear how tough the enemies are, but I've learned to train them and gut them like pigs. I slaughter military and bandit alike with my scoped MG. Atmosphere drains away when I realize how I'm breezing through it, although I am on the "STALKER" difficulty, which is 2 of 4. I never play hard difficulties, though, so I don't know. Still an amazing game.
Edit: Should also note I'm playing with lights on and not using a headset. Both would dramatically increase the gameplay for me, but I loathe wearing headsets. Bloody things never fit. Wearing a headset while playing Doom 3, Quake 4 and Prey made them very moody and, somewhat, scary games.
When you play again with a mod, you'll want to max out the difficulty. Not sure I would restart, but you could always try using an unscoped automatic rifle. Gives the flank AI a little more time to operate instead of picking everyone off at long range. You'll be doing that late game anyway, so go make your own fun now.
I'm not one to complain about broken this and that, and I'm not gonna force myself to make the game difficult because that feels silly to me. I utterly despise restrictions (in broad terms) while gaming, and won't be placing them on myself. Its not like I don't die in firefights, the AI is quite capable of flanking me and shooting me through solid objects. My own weapons are also capable of homing onto thin air and bricks. Fights are fights, to be sure. There just isn't any tension or fear factor, because I'm having trouble getting immersed at this point. I'm too busy playing an FPS to play a horror game.
Fights out in the open are easy once you get any scoped weapon. Pretty much any AR you can find in the game you can get a scope attachment for it. It's when you have amidst cover or enclosed spaces when things get tense, especially when you no idea where the hell they are.
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/stalkercallofpripyat/video/6239463/stalker-call-of-pripyat-official-trailer-2?tag=videos%3Btitle%3B1
There is tension up until something actually happens. Then it all disappears and we start laughing at the fatman.
The AI is always shooting me through solid objects, its actually beginning to really piss me off. Sometimes they're clipping half way through an object when they do so. Even with that, though, indoor fights have been some of the best fights I have ever had in a video game. The gunplay is really, really satisfying, even if I mostly shoot air when I'm dead aimed on a target a foot from me. I love when I'm out in the open, at night, I have my light on and spot some baddies. Flick off the light, creep up and manage to drop one of them with a single pistol round before ducking into cover.
I liked when the Burer pops out...and the beat starts up.
The weapon accuracy thing is only an issue until Agroprom underground. You should've picked up a fast-firing AK from Strelok's stash, and that is the first legitimately useful weapon in the game. It will actually be a while before you find something more accurate.
I'm going to be a little abrasive here for a minute. I want you to be aware that I have the best intentions and I assure you that this is for your own good:
Turn your goddamn difficulty up.
The thing is that STALKER's a shooter. It's a game about shooting. It's a game about challenging shooting. If you aren't being challenged by the shooting, you're really not getting as much out of the experience as there is on offer. You don't need to start a new game or anything. This is especially relevant because STALKER's difficulty curve is kind of a swish. It's super hard at the beginning before you get good equipment, and it gets difficult at the end when you're facing tougher enemies. But you're about to head into the easiest part of the game, and if you're already feeling that it being easy is something that's hurting your experience, you should really do something about it.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
A-fucking-men. You don't need to go on hell difficulty, but turn it up a notch.
If you don't have it, go back and grab it. It freaking rocks. That or the unique modified Gorza (Thunder, I think?) that a STALKER carries. Luckily for me he was camping in the middle of a 30 hamster, 20 bandit, 10 zombie spawn. It wasn't pretty.
Wait, what? Boxes are destructible?
My world, she is crumbling!
edit: Just re-reading my post here... and yes, I truly didn't know this for my entire 1st play through, and I'm just starting out on my 2nd. Are all crates destructible? Only certain types/colors? I cannot believe I didn't pick up on this.
Sometimes you find stuff. Sometimes the stuff is awesome.
"Man, this new recruit is an asshole. Anyone want to tell him he can find some awesome gear in that village overrun by bloodsuckers? Maybe he'll be so busy looking for stuff he won't even notice them. And then we can get our stuff back."
"Still all worked up he grabbed 30 of your tinned meats while you were too drunk to stop him, huh Chef?"
Also those tiny blue boxes are also breakable. Most of the time wooden boxes don't drop stuff and blue boxes will. Also sometimes you know a blue box was supposed to drop something and it just didn't. :-/
Arrath, the Thunder is also sold by the trader in the early part of the game for 20,000, but only before you talk to Wolf after killing the bandits. It has like a 5% chance of showing up. Going for it is an interesting challenge, as you can only get that cash from looting, and Nimble's quest. Taking on the army base with a sawed off and a pistol is about as hard as you can make the early game. But then you have a somewhat game breakingly good rifle.
Also Klash, I don't know about Complete, but LURK definitely makes the game harder. I believe it tweaks all the mutants to have more health, and it also changes where some of them show up and how they spawn.
Also those smaller metal-ish kits.
Oh, wow, I had no idea. At least the game-breakingness is balanced by 5.45 being more or less non-existent until Wild Territory.
It's worse. He's selling the modified unique version, not the normal gun. The one that takes AK ammo.
For fun I started a new game last night and grabbed it. Walked up to the end of Cordon, saved to get ready for the garbage, turned around and one shotted a dog at about 100 ft.
I also had about 600 rounds for it.
It will also take a silencer, I think it can take a scope, and it has that nifty grenade launcher attachment.
So yeah, major difficultly breaker if you get it. But it's just such a fun gun...
I'll turn up the difficulty. I can do that without restarting, right? I'm gonna also start headsetting it.
I look forward to modded playthroughs. The wall thing can become quite awkward when you're desperately out numbered and using cover as best you can.
Where? Where do I get this magical weapon?