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[Let's Play] STALKER: Call of Pripyat - STALKER series overview
Ninja Snarl P
My helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
My helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
WELCOME TO THE ZONE
As with my prior LP, updates will be kept here so you don't have to scroll through the whole OP just to get to the most recent videos. I would highly recommend playing these on HD (especially since I went through all the trouble of uploading files large enough for HD). Keep in mind that I may sometimes have a set uploaded and ready for viewing, but the HD processing is not yet finished. If that happens, just wait a while if you want the HD version. And yes, I know I keep recycling this OP with the same images, but these real-life STALKER images kick major radioactive ass and I just can't bring myself to replace them with something else.
Set 1 - Eyes! Set 2 - FIRE HAS RIGHT OF WAY Set 3 - Mad genius plan OH NOOOoooo THUMP! Set 4 - Did you just get back up? Set 5 - CSI: STALKER Set 6 - Monsters do not sleep Set 7 - Nightmare daycare Set 8 - Classic stabby time Set 9 - Mines! Game over! Set 10 - Funky mushroom artifact Set 11 - How to crash a chopper Set 12 - So not my fault Set 13 - On to Pripyat! Set 14 - Tools! Sprinting! Set 15 - Hidden lair of the death-fridge Set 16 - Strelok! Buddy! STALKER series overview
About the game:
STALKER: Call of Pripyat is the third game in the STALKER series and follows Shadow of Chernobyl in the storyline of the series (Clear Sky was a prequel to SoC). Whereas Clear Sky uses assets almost entirely from Shadow of Chernobyl with a few new maps and a few upgrades to the game, Call of Pripyat is a fairly massive overhaul. It uses an update version of the Xray game engine and utilizes some very impressive lighting along with expansive maps. CoP also expands on the RPG-lite aspects of the series by using a fairly extensive upgrade system for weapons and armor; similar to Clear Sky, a real piece of junk weapon can be repaired and upgraded to be very useful.
The STALKER games are pretty much all about surviving in the Zone, usually over the dead bodies of your enemies. Anomalies would fall under the category of natural hazards despite being the freakish, nightmarish spawn of the event which created the Zone. If the anomalies in CoP are anything like the other games, they'll range from simply blasting you with concussion waves to shooting gouts of fire at you to crushing you an inescapable gravity ball of death.
There are also plenty of mutants and basically all of them want to kill you. And some factions in the Zone will always shoot you on sight. And there are emissions, which are sort of like a surreal nuclear explosion and occur randomly. Oh, and radiation which, frankly, is pretty mundane in comparison to everything else.
My Let's Play objectives:
The STALKER games are pretty much all about surviving in the Zone, usually over the dead bodies of your enemies. Anomalies would fall under the category of natural hazards despite being the freakish, nightmarish spawn of the event which created the Zone. If the anomalies in CoP are anything like the other games, they'll range from simply blasting you with concussion waves to shooting gouts of fire at you to crushing you an inescapable gravity ball of death.
There are also plenty of mutants and basically all of them want to kill you. And some factions in the Zone will always shoot you on sight. And there are emissions, which are sort of like a surreal nuclear explosion and occur randomly. Oh, and radiation which, frankly, is pretty mundane in comparison to everything else.
Obviously, number one on the list is entertaining the viewer. To facilitate that, I try to edit out anything which drags down the pace of the videos. A 10-minute firefight at midnight in a lightning storm is tense and fun to watch, but watching someone sprint across a landscape and loot bodies for 10 minute is pretty dull viewing.
I also do these vids to show people what the STALKER games are like. Between the setting and the rather unforgiving nature of the STALKER games, there's just something enormously appealing about these games. However, it would be very easy to overlook these games since they definitely don't get the same kind of acclaim a big series like Halo gets. I want people to see and get drawn into the STALKER games themselves. Despite their various issues, the STALKER games are easily in my top 5 series of all time. I haven't played much of Call of Pripyat yet, but so far it seems like the game is 100% awesome without even any mods added, which is a first for the series. The first two games have some pretty massively broken elements and basically require at least some mods to bring up to playable and enjoyable.
I also do these vids to show people what the STALKER games are like. Between the setting and the rather unforgiving nature of the STALKER games, there's just something enormously appealing about these games. However, it would be very easy to overlook these games since they definitely don't get the same kind of acclaim a big series like Halo gets. I want people to see and get drawn into the STALKER games themselves. Despite their various issues, the STALKER games are easily in my top 5 series of all time. I haven't played much of Call of Pripyat yet, but so far it seems like the game is 100% awesome without even any mods added, which is a first for the series. The first two games have some pretty massively broken elements and basically require at least some mods to bring up to playable and enjoyable.
Now to get you acquainted with the zone. First off, Stalkers:
Stalkers are the free agents of the Zone. They are there because they choose to be. Whatever they were outside, in here they're the equivalent of gold-boom prospectors. Finding the right artifact means a quick fortune and there are legends of unbelievable wealth hiding in the Zone for the right Stalker. By the very nature of their job, they have to be tough, smart, and, not surprisingly, often drunk. Some Stalkers are also available as guides to take you around the Zone, serving as a much-needed fast travel system.
How about the common scummy adversaries of everybody, Bandits?
Bandits are, well, bandits. Rather than earn their own way in the Zone, they attempt to prey on others. Nobody likes these guys, so they have no real support base (as far as I know) and tend to have pretty crappy equipment. Five or ten of these guys can make you have a real bad day, though. They tend to wander the Zone and live wherever they can, but are more prevalent in some areas than others. Everyone in the Zone also shoots them on sight, but they seem to multiply as fast as the mutants.
On a more academic note, we have scientists. Yes, weeny scientists do in fact enter the Zone. Theoretically. Scientists are in both of the other games, but frankly I have no clue if they're in Call of Pripyat. But I'm willing to bet they're here somewhere, sending out research assistants on suicidal missions.
Scientists place themselves in mortal peril for a very obvious reason: to figure out the zone. Obviously not the greatest fighters, so I assume I will end up having to do some escorting when I finally run into them.
Let's not forget the Traders, the select few people who make the Zone at least livable and even sometimes bearable.
Without Traders, you couldn't make it in the Zone. Legally or illegally, they get what Stalkers need. Outside of the government, these guys are how artifacts get funneled to the outside world. In turn, the Traders bring in food, protective gear, weapons, and, most importantly, ammunition. Knowing the location of a good cache doesn't mean squat if you don't have some of these to toss around:
As long as you have the cash, Traders will get you what you need. If you don't have the cash, they usually have jobs for you. Sometimes they need an "accident" to happen to the right person, sometimes they have a client looking for a special artifact, and sometimes they just need a piece of wild radioactive boar to make a special recipe. It's usually better if you don't ask.
As long as you have the cash, Traders will get you what you need. If you don't have the cash, they usually have jobs for you. Sometimes they need an "accident" to happen to the right person, sometimes they have a client looking for a special artifact, and sometimes they just need a piece of wild radioactive boar to make a special recipe. It's usually better if you don't ask.
What about the other factions? I don't really know! I've never played Call of Pripyat before and I have no idea which other groups will show up again. I've been waiting for ages to play and I'm really looking forward to playing the game blind.
So without further ado, come in, Stalker! I've got something for you...
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Anyway, really looking forward to this LP. No idea what's going to happen and I like it that way.
As with the prior LP thread, I'm also putting the old LP videos for Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky right here so nobody has to search the old thread if they want to watch them.
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HYUUURRGHH
VOICE ACTING
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.
Makes sense. Otherwise, there's no reason to pick up guns. Well, besides to get the ammo out of, then put back on the corpse.
By the time I finished recording the second set, I'd found almost a dozen artifacts with a bit of searching. A couple of them were in some pretty sweet spots which I completely did not expect. I wasn't sure how more planned approach to anomaly placement would work, but now I'm pretty certain I love it. It simplifies artifact hunting, helps keep you from wasting time wondering where to find certain anomalies, and makes for some spooky and well-designed spots.
Also, the end of my Clear Sky LP really screwed me over for the firefights in this game. While the enemies seem to be ridiculously good shots even while moving around, it doesn't help that my armor is so low at the moment and I'm not wearing the exosuit I'm used to. I end up in a firefight with about a half-dozen mercs and died countless times; I'm talking comparable to the way the bloodsucker pair in the Agroprom underground completely destroyed me in my first LP. I know the enemy AI doesn't have X-ray vision because I manage to maneuver during the fight and blindside them (as long as none of them see or hear me moving), but their aim is outright hellish. I can be leaning out from cover while crouched and they can walk through a doorway and hit me perfectly without any hesitation.
Despite the frustration, I do like the fact that the game is really, really lethal on Master difficulty. Snorks? Lethal. Dogs? Lethal. Bullets? Lethal. Wandering balls of flame? Holy shit, lethal. I'm actually enjoying the game so much that right now I'm irritated that I have to get through the videos I have recorded right now before I can play again.
EDIT: The A-life is also great now. In Clear Sky, you might occasionally run across some two conflicting groups or an attacking pack of mutants. So far, I've seen Stalkers shoot each other over accidental friendly fire, multiple dog attacks on other Stalkers, Stalkers attacking other Stalkers, and so on. I remember a couple of reviews complaining about how the Zone seemed overcrowded, but this is in infinite improvement over Clear Sky and Fallout 3 where there is virtually nothing alive for miles. Life is actually in conflict and there is no guarantee of survival for anybody.
The merc fight teaches me some important lessons (besides the obvious one of not fighting them when they all are better off than me). One, the silencer actually works in Call of Pripyat and isn't just decorative. Two, apparently when one enemy sees another enemy die mysteriously, everyone gets alerted despite not hearing or seeing me. Three, mercs are crack shots and will kill the living hell out of me. Repeatedly. End lesson.
Set 2 - FIRE HAS RIGHT OF WAY
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I'm currently going through this game, but only on normal difficulty. Looks so much more fun like this though so I may change that.
About that helicopter you couldn't reach-
Watched through your SoC and CS LP's as well, so thanks for those. From what I've seen of this game, you're in for some treats. The anomaly fields are quite unique, and look amazing. Also nice that the stashes are just sitting out in the open now, so you don't even need the info on your PDA for them to spawn.
Just don't forget about poor Nimble, he's got some great stuff if you have the cash.
Also, personally, I think you rely too much on Artifacts for healing. But that's your style, I guess. It's not how I play, is what I'm trying to say, and I find it WEIRD as hell watching you with a sliver of health waiting for your Artifacts to kick in and heal you up.
Also, you might want to consider dumping your unsellable guns on a corpse so they don't clog up your system resources. I know Shadow of Chernobyl had a thing where if you had too many things in one area it'd lag your game. Umh, corpses do disappear after awhile in CoP, right?
Also, I'm starting to get away from using artifacts to heal. I'm used to the artifacts healing much faster so that I can duck behind cover for a 15-20 seconds and recover most of my health while I reload. However, I'm pretty happy with how artifacts work now; slap on an anti-chemical artifact and your chemical resistance indicator immediately jumps up to compensate. You can actually know right away just how resistant you are to a given hazard.
Another element I'm happy with is the sheer overwhelming atmosphere of the game. SoC did a great job with atmosphere, but in CoP the atmosphere is completely unrelenting. I've actually already recorded the fourth set and at one point there's something roughly a whole half-hour where I don't shoot even once but I'm on my toes the entire time. It's not even some big, well-designed creepy area like the Agroprom Underground in SoC, it's just some buildings and tunnels and sounds. So awesome.
Maybe.
I eventually grew to like not being able to sell poor condition equipment. I explained why in the STALKER thread, and am too lazy to reiterate it. But I like it now.
To be fair, in CS health regeneration was so fast that it was dumb not to use artifacts for it.
It took forever, though. Bodies would often despawn as soon as you zone out of an area, but some items left on the ground could stick around for the entire game. CoP is the same way, actually. If you walk away from an area (even in the same zone) for 15 minutes or so, pretty much all of the bodies will be gone. But most items on the ground will still be there.
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.
Looking forward to watching your next sets with great anticipation.
The snork area with the elevated cave, the fireball racing death, and god damn Beard. Man, this is great. You using any mods at all?
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For the merc aim, those guys had insane accuracy. They could fire more accurately while walking around than I could while sitting still. I cut out about 95% of that whole experience since most of it was just getting hit repeatedly with freakishly good shots. But my armor at the time was also very, very weak against bullets; once I get better armor and artifacts and weapons, I anticipate fights like that to be enormously less frustrating. As it stands, it's given me a healthy desire to avoid mercs and I'm fine with that.
For grenade damage, they just don't seem to do hardly anything at all. I had one go off right by a dog and it didn't seem to do much at all. However, I did notice that humans can get downed by bleeding; it's a nice touch and as far as I know I've only seen it in mods for SoC. So not only will raw damage down them, but so will bleeding. Don't care too much about the weak grenades, though.
No, Vanilla SoC had people go down from bleeding too. I remember shooting some bandits in the Garbage, and one of the bandits while behind cover just upped and fell to the ground. After I cleared the rest out, he was still there, in that "Need rez plox" pose. So I shot him in the head with a Kora.
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.
Was it the
If its the former yea that was kind of annoying, I did it during the early morning because I didn't have night vision yet. And even then I hid in that shack across the river.
The latter can be bribed for like 5 loaves of bread.
Steam/PSN/XBL/Minecraft / LoL / - Benevicious | WoW - Duckwood - Rajhek
I gave the other ones a wide berth once I found out they were mercs.
CoP runs fine on any decently modern hardware. I think the only setting I had to turn off was the fancy Ambient Occlusion. SSAO maybe?
CS is/was badly optimized out of the box and needed some tweaking to run ok, god rays looking at you.
Steam/PSN/XBL/Minecraft / LoL / - Benevicious | WoW - Duckwood - Rajhek
But you still occasionally get those bizarre hitches where the game just stops for a few seconds. Not the kind of hitch from the game loading a bunch of items in a container (CoP doesn't seem to have any trouble with that), but the one where you'll be walking around and everything just stops briefly for no apparent reason. I've only encountered it 3-4 times so far, but I suppose it's just an engine issue they've never solved. Just a part of the Zone now and I just edit out the dead space when they pop up.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Protip: Don't climb up in that goddamn pipe. The pipe is a trap. A giant fucking explodey grenade trap.
There is no acceptable reason that you should not be doing that right now. You can give me any reason, and I can assure you that I will not accept 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.
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.
Also my assault on the merc filled plant was done in the dead of night, so that helped me a -ton-. Got killed a few times but nowhere near as much as you. When you entered that lower area I kept thinking "He's got a silenced pistol... shoot out the light, it'll help a ton."
Well, what is he playing? Splinter Cell? Lightbulbs are bulletproof in the zone.
Not in CoP, unless I'm remembering wrong.
Lost my old save but it wasn't super far in. Started over. I think I stopped playing it when Mass Effect 2 came out and never got back to it.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
I'll have to try shooting out light bulbs when I get a chance; LURK added that element to SoC, but I had no idea it might be in CoP. Human enemies seem to actually be more or less blind in the dark so it could help me out.
Am not accepting 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.
Well, in atonement, I bought Call of Pripyat to play after. Also it was on sale since I had the first one.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
This doesn't need to be spoiler-ed. I forgot survival of the asshole-iest in the zone. Damn.
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You're a dead man, Tuna.
Set 3 - Mad genius plan OH NOOOoooo THUMP!
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About Tuna:
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