Let's drink to him once more. He was a good S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Stolls
Brave Corporate LogoChicago, ILRegistered User regular
Brave Corporate LogoChicago, ILRegistered User regular
The choice is yours: either I brainwash you like I usually do with all the rookies, or I treat you like a real Stalker and start you with a mission straight away.
"Treat me like a rookie, I don't remember shit."
"Just give me a mission."
So you played Stalker; you know the ground rules, you like the concept, you think there's a gem there, but you need some help getting to the good stuff? No problem, the mod community's got you covered.
The Basics
It all starts here. Increase the range of the flashlight. Add a sleep system. Repair your gear. Revamp trader inventories. Add in vehicles. Force the AI to not be so stupid. Cut down on repeated sounds. Reskin weapons. Change the lighting. Change weapon damage. Make friends with any faction. Up your carry weight. Add artifacts as weapons. Click and drag destructable objects. Rework the noise that silencers make. Listen to new music over the radio. Grab new weapons. Throw in some Jin-Roh armor. Force the first trader to sell a gauss gun for ten roubles. Show Azumanga Goddamn Daioh on the TV at the bar.
It's not as sky's-the-limit as Oblivion, but damned if the mod community hasn't worked their asses off to make this game all the better.
The Specifics
Okay, so maybe it's not that simple. Mod conflicts are commonplace and not all are guaranteed to work with every patch and every hardware configuration. Towards that end, permit the royal us to guide you towards some fan favorites. Download links are in the titles.
The Zone Reclamation Project
Perhaps the most straightforward of the bunch, the Project began as an attempt at an unofficial patch for Stalker, courtesy of the GSC Game World forumers. Apart from scads of bugfixes, translation adjustments and other technical things, it adds a modifier program allowing you to adjust the parameters of the game itself: how long it takes to go hungry, how high you can jump, your carry weight, how long it takes for quests to recycle, whether enemies drop their weapons to the ground or stash them in their inventory when killed, headbobbing and nightvision quality, whether unique weapons degrade, how secrets are tracked on the PDA, and dozens of other things.
Extremely stable, it's been tested on the latest patch and is compatible with both the retail and steam versions. It's a complete package, it's user-friendly, and there's no reason not to try it if you thought vanilla was just a little too unpolished for your liking.
The Stalker Mod Compilation
A collection of various smaller mods, including the ZRP, this mod compilation - put together by yours truly - was crafted to be an easy to use starter kit; more or less for those of you who think the ZRP didn't go far enough, or for those of you who want a simple plug-and-play mod package that just smooths out the rougher bits of the game. On top of the ZRP fixes, I've included a HUD revamp mod, improved sound effects, the prefetch tweak (disables prefetching, a known cause of memory leaks), a mod that changes NPC names to proper Russian ones, a weather overhaul, and improved shader models. In addition, the Compilation contains extra packages that have been customized with additional mods, including ones that don't normally work together. These add features like closed captioning, a repair system, armor non-degradation, revised trading rules, forcing the game to pre-fill (but not mark) all stash locations, and much more.
Stable at last report, but it's a work in progress; I'll update this post as new versions become available. Any comments, suggestions or problems can be posted here, or directly to me via PM. I claim no credit for the mods themselves, only for getting them to work nicely together - this is done without express permission, but with the utmost respect for their creators.
Oblivion Lost
Far and away the most popular of the major overhaul mods, Oblivion Lost goes beyond simple gameplay tweaks and bugfixes to change pretty much everything about the game short of the whole 'point and click to kill mans' thing. New quests? You bet. New weapons? How's a minigun sound for starters, followed up by using artifacts to summon your own anomalies? New monsters? Well not really 'new' since they were in the code to begin with, but just try taking the Burer down with guns; just try. Random events? Mind-controlling mutants will now disarm you, possess your allies and send them to attack you, robed dwarves lead scores of zombies on the march, and the motherfucking sky will randomly turn red and radioactive.
Stable and easy to install, but most definitely not for rookie Stalkers. Practice in the original game (with mods, of course) before taking this one on.
WARNING - Regarding Compatibility between other listed mods and Oblivion Lost
Given the degree to which Oblivion Lost modifies Stalker, it is not recommended to install the Stalker Mod Compilation on top of it. I personally have tested OL when installed over the SMC and found it to work without any problems, but the reverse will cause at least one crash-on-startup conflict, and likely several. In the case of using the Zone Reclamation Project (which the SMC does), all modifications using the executable must be made before OL is installed, otherwise there is a risk that the modifier will overwrite a crucial file in OL. Tests for specific compatibility issues are ongoing.
It has been reported that the Closed Captioning mod crashes when Oblivion Lost is installed over it. I have not confirmed this myself, but I'll mess with the two as soon as possible.
When in doubt, back up your gamedata folder before installing a new mod.
I believe you mentioned Clear Sky?
Indeed I did. Clear Sky predates the events of Shadow of Chernobyl and shows more of the history of the Zone. GSC's been a bit tight-lipped about what the plot will entail, save vague references to Strelok's past, but they certainly haven't been shy about showing off the shiny new DX10 features and hyping up the faction warfare and AI behavior. With SoC as proof positive that they've got a great sense for atmosphere, it's looking to be one of the better titles of the year. Whether it improves on the main weaknesses of its predecessor remains to be seen, but for my money it's as good as bought on release day.
Friends, it is time for S.T.A.L.K. T.A.L.K., round two! Let's do this thing.
Update: Potentially useful information on how to find out why Stalker just crashed this time, courtesy of IceBurner:
More Interesting Stalker Stuff, Plus a Eurogamer Review I Wholeheartedly Agree With
"Treat me like a rookie, I don't remember shit."
"What's all this about? What's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?"
In short, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl is an adventure-oriented shooter set in the blighted Exclusion Zone of Chernobyl.
Taking a sci-fi twist inspired by the novel Roadside Picnic, Stalker tells the tale of a second explosion following the 1986 meltdown. Left in its wake are bizarre spatial anomalies - gravity wells, electrical discharges, spontaneous bursts of flame or shockwaves - that seem to defy modern science. The anomalies themselves create mysterious, powerful artifacts that, when held or worn, strengthen the bearer: bulletproofing, radiation resistance, regeneration, improved stamina, and so on. This draws the attention of Stalkers, a blanket term for adventurers, thieves and the like who penetrate the army cordon around the Zone in search of artifacts.
To this we add one particular Stalker, who survives a truck crash inside the Zone only to awaken with no memory, and only a PDA containing an ominous instruction: "Kill the Strelok." Dubbed the Marked One, thanks to the tattoo of 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R.' on his arm, he sets out into the crumbling wastes to learn what happened to him, who Strelok is, and just what lays at the heart of the Zone.
"Oooh, amnesiac hero. Haven't heard that one before."
First, fuck you. Second, the story's not really why we're here. Let's talk about the actual game.
"Yes, let's. I've heard it's basically Oblivion With Guns, is that true?"
Words like "Oblivion With Guns(tm)" get thrown around a lot, and not without reason, but it's sort of missing the point. Stalker isn't about open-ended exploration, it isn't about the gunplay, it isn't about the typical metrics of RPG progression; it features these things to varying degrees, but they're not why we're here either.
Put simply, we're here for the atmosphere. This isn't just a random futuristic dystopia or Mad Max knock-off. This world exists, to a point. The Zone is a very real place, a time-locked radioactive monument to Soviet failure; from burned-out factories to garbage pits to the ghost town Pripyat, right up to the crumbling sarcophagus of reactor four itself. Whether that lends authenticity to the adventure or simply provides a new place to have a fierce gunfight, it is undeniable that, in drawing from the real Zone, Stalker brings something to the table that most shooters don't, that many games can't.
And that's before we start talking about opportunistic thugs, invisible mutants, heavily-armed cultists and psychic monstrosities.
"Okay, I'll bite. So what do you do in Stalker?"
As I said, the "Oblivion With Guns" label is off the mark, but not completely. You're tasked at the start with finding Strelok, which involves venturing into the Zone and currying favor with local communities of Stalkers. Groups ranging from lone Stalkers to scientists to competing survivalist groups have set up camps here and there, and might be willing to help you out if you scratch the right back. In these safe zones you'll have to cut deals, do some legwork, scavenge supplies and make trades to get by.
Out in the wild it's a different story. Whether near the edge of the army cordon, skulking around the derelict Rostok factory or picking your way through the wholly alien Red Forest, you'll have to stay on your toes. Bandits roam freely, looking for an easy mark, while packs of dogs scour the wastes for their next meal. The military makes periodic patrols, happily gunning down anything that moves, human or not. Mercenaries prey on the rich and give to themselves. Anomalies dot the landscape, ready to incinerate, crush or vaporize the unwary. Radioactive hot spots can leave a Stalker glowing in seconds, and dead in seconds more. Fearful Stalkers speak of ghosts and demons, haunted labs and abandoned villages used as feeding grounds by mutated abominations.
Just getting from one safe spot to another is part of the adventure; ensuring you have enough food, enough ammo, enough medicine to survive on your own. No matter how many bandits you've killed, it only takes one well-hidden survivor with a shotgun to cut your life short. That howl from down the tunnel means something has spotted you, and you might not know what it is until it's right on top of you. Shots ring out at your next destination, as a band of Stalkers tries desperately to repel a military incursion. After the battle, you watch as one of the survivors walks up to a wounded soldier, mutters a curse in untranslated Russian, and puts a bullet in his head. Night falls and your meager flashlight does little to keep you on the trail, all the while giving away your position to enemy snipers. Faint glimmers in the distance catch your attention, growing more numerous, closer, larger, and only too late do you realize they are eyes.
That's Stalker. That and so much more.
"Sounds pretty cool. Why haven't I heard more about it?"
Because frankly, a lot of people never expected Stalker to make it out the gate. GSC Game World's long-delayed shooter (upwards of five years in the making) is a bit... unreliable. Okay, it's flat-out broken in a lot of ways and nobody knows exactly how to fix it.
The A-Life AI system can charitably be described as wonky, as some Stalkers will latch onto a target halfway across the map and gleefully march to their doom. Scripted sequences are notoriously easy to break. Some systems feel like they should be there, such as a stable equipment repair mechanism and a way to sleep, but aren't. Enemy respawn rates are high, and quests have an annoying tendancy to show up on your PDA without a clear indication of who issued them, or where they're directing you to. No matter how much horsepower your machine has, there's no real guarantee that Stalker won't eat your machine's resources for breakfast and ask for seconds. Lesser issues abound, ranging from sound repetition to clipping issues to a lackluster trading system.
While most of these issues are addressed by way of mods, the fact remains that game lacks the polish of, say, Half-Life or Crysis. In short, instead of mods adding to an experience that's enjoyable right out of the box, you may have to get your mod on to milk some fun out of the game.
"Mods? Man, it really is Oblivion With Guns. So why should I bother?"
Because it's still awesome. Because for all its problems, it delivers an experience you just don't see often in any game, let alone an action game. Because even though the scripted moments don't change, you'll never quite see the same battle play out twice. Because it was good enough to warrant a sequel (well, prequel) in the form of Clear Sky, which has fast become one of the most anticipated releases of the year - and it's out right the fuck now.
How about because it's $19.99 and you can even get it on Steam?
So what do you say?
In short, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl is an adventure-oriented shooter set in the blighted Exclusion Zone of Chernobyl.
Taking a sci-fi twist inspired by the novel Roadside Picnic, Stalker tells the tale of a second explosion following the 1986 meltdown. Left in its wake are bizarre spatial anomalies - gravity wells, electrical discharges, spontaneous bursts of flame or shockwaves - that seem to defy modern science. The anomalies themselves create mysterious, powerful artifacts that, when held or worn, strengthen the bearer: bulletproofing, radiation resistance, regeneration, improved stamina, and so on. This draws the attention of Stalkers, a blanket term for adventurers, thieves and the like who penetrate the army cordon around the Zone in search of artifacts.
To this we add one particular Stalker, who survives a truck crash inside the Zone only to awaken with no memory, and only a PDA containing an ominous instruction: "Kill the Strelok." Dubbed the Marked One, thanks to the tattoo of 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R.' on his arm, he sets out into the crumbling wastes to learn what happened to him, who Strelok is, and just what lays at the heart of the Zone.
"Oooh, amnesiac hero. Haven't heard that one before."
First, fuck you. Second, the story's not really why we're here. Let's talk about the actual game.
"Yes, let's. I've heard it's basically Oblivion With Guns, is that true?"
Words like "Oblivion With Guns(tm)" get thrown around a lot, and not without reason, but it's sort of missing the point. Stalker isn't about open-ended exploration, it isn't about the gunplay, it isn't about the typical metrics of RPG progression; it features these things to varying degrees, but they're not why we're here either.
Put simply, we're here for the atmosphere. This isn't just a random futuristic dystopia or Mad Max knock-off. This world exists, to a point. The Zone is a very real place, a time-locked radioactive monument to Soviet failure; from burned-out factories to garbage pits to the ghost town Pripyat, right up to the crumbling sarcophagus of reactor four itself. Whether that lends authenticity to the adventure or simply provides a new place to have a fierce gunfight, it is undeniable that, in drawing from the real Zone, Stalker brings something to the table that most shooters don't, that many games can't.
And that's before we start talking about opportunistic thugs, invisible mutants, heavily-armed cultists and psychic monstrosities.
"Okay, I'll bite. So what do you do in Stalker?"
As I said, the "Oblivion With Guns" label is off the mark, but not completely. You're tasked at the start with finding Strelok, which involves venturing into the Zone and currying favor with local communities of Stalkers. Groups ranging from lone Stalkers to scientists to competing survivalist groups have set up camps here and there, and might be willing to help you out if you scratch the right back. In these safe zones you'll have to cut deals, do some legwork, scavenge supplies and make trades to get by.
Out in the wild it's a different story. Whether near the edge of the army cordon, skulking around the derelict Rostok factory or picking your way through the wholly alien Red Forest, you'll have to stay on your toes. Bandits roam freely, looking for an easy mark, while packs of dogs scour the wastes for their next meal. The military makes periodic patrols, happily gunning down anything that moves, human or not. Mercenaries prey on the rich and give to themselves. Anomalies dot the landscape, ready to incinerate, crush or vaporize the unwary. Radioactive hot spots can leave a Stalker glowing in seconds, and dead in seconds more. Fearful Stalkers speak of ghosts and demons, haunted labs and abandoned villages used as feeding grounds by mutated abominations.
Just getting from one safe spot to another is part of the adventure; ensuring you have enough food, enough ammo, enough medicine to survive on your own. No matter how many bandits you've killed, it only takes one well-hidden survivor with a shotgun to cut your life short. That howl from down the tunnel means something has spotted you, and you might not know what it is until it's right on top of you. Shots ring out at your next destination, as a band of Stalkers tries desperately to repel a military incursion. After the battle, you watch as one of the survivors walks up to a wounded soldier, mutters a curse in untranslated Russian, and puts a bullet in his head. Night falls and your meager flashlight does little to keep you on the trail, all the while giving away your position to enemy snipers. Faint glimmers in the distance catch your attention, growing more numerous, closer, larger, and only too late do you realize they are eyes.
That's Stalker. That and so much more.
"Sounds pretty cool. Why haven't I heard more about it?"
Because frankly, a lot of people never expected Stalker to make it out the gate. GSC Game World's long-delayed shooter (upwards of five years in the making) is a bit... unreliable. Okay, it's flat-out broken in a lot of ways and nobody knows exactly how to fix it.
The A-Life AI system can charitably be described as wonky, as some Stalkers will latch onto a target halfway across the map and gleefully march to their doom. Scripted sequences are notoriously easy to break. Some systems feel like they should be there, such as a stable equipment repair mechanism and a way to sleep, but aren't. Enemy respawn rates are high, and quests have an annoying tendancy to show up on your PDA without a clear indication of who issued them, or where they're directing you to. No matter how much horsepower your machine has, there's no real guarantee that Stalker won't eat your machine's resources for breakfast and ask for seconds. Lesser issues abound, ranging from sound repetition to clipping issues to a lackluster trading system.
While most of these issues are addressed by way of mods, the fact remains that game lacks the polish of, say, Half-Life or Crysis. In short, instead of mods adding to an experience that's enjoyable right out of the box, you may have to get your mod on to milk some fun out of the game.
"Mods? Man, it really is Oblivion With Guns. So why should I bother?"
Because it's still awesome. Because for all its problems, it delivers an experience you just don't see often in any game, let alone an action game. Because even though the scripted moments don't change, you'll never quite see the same battle play out twice. Because it was good enough to warrant a sequel (well, prequel) in the form of Clear Sky, which has fast become one of the most anticipated releases of the year - and it's out right the fuck now.
How about because it's $19.99 and you can even get it on Steam?
So what do you say?
"Just give me a mission."
So you played Stalker; you know the ground rules, you like the concept, you think there's a gem there, but you need some help getting to the good stuff? No problem, the mod community's got you covered.
The Basics
It all starts here. Increase the range of the flashlight. Add a sleep system. Repair your gear. Revamp trader inventories. Add in vehicles. Force the AI to not be so stupid. Cut down on repeated sounds. Reskin weapons. Change the lighting. Change weapon damage. Make friends with any faction. Up your carry weight. Add artifacts as weapons. Click and drag destructable objects. Rework the noise that silencers make. Listen to new music over the radio. Grab new weapons. Throw in some Jin-Roh armor. Force the first trader to sell a gauss gun for ten roubles. Show Azumanga Goddamn Daioh on the TV at the bar.
It's not as sky's-the-limit as Oblivion, but damned if the mod community hasn't worked their asses off to make this game all the better.
The Specifics
Okay, so maybe it's not that simple. Mod conflicts are commonplace and not all are guaranteed to work with every patch and every hardware configuration. Towards that end, permit the royal us to guide you towards some fan favorites. Download links are in the titles.
The Zone Reclamation Project
Perhaps the most straightforward of the bunch, the Project began as an attempt at an unofficial patch for Stalker, courtesy of the GSC Game World forumers. Apart from scads of bugfixes, translation adjustments and other technical things, it adds a modifier program allowing you to adjust the parameters of the game itself: how long it takes to go hungry, how high you can jump, your carry weight, how long it takes for quests to recycle, whether enemies drop their weapons to the ground or stash them in their inventory when killed, headbobbing and nightvision quality, whether unique weapons degrade, how secrets are tracked on the PDA, and dozens of other things.
Extremely stable, it's been tested on the latest patch and is compatible with both the retail and steam versions. It's a complete package, it's user-friendly, and there's no reason not to try it if you thought vanilla was just a little too unpolished for your liking.
The Stalker Mod Compilation
A collection of various smaller mods, including the ZRP, this mod compilation - put together by yours truly - was crafted to be an easy to use starter kit; more or less for those of you who think the ZRP didn't go far enough, or for those of you who want a simple plug-and-play mod package that just smooths out the rougher bits of the game. On top of the ZRP fixes, I've included a HUD revamp mod, improved sound effects, the prefetch tweak (disables prefetching, a known cause of memory leaks), a mod that changes NPC names to proper Russian ones, a weather overhaul, and improved shader models. In addition, the Compilation contains extra packages that have been customized with additional mods, including ones that don't normally work together. These add features like closed captioning, a repair system, armor non-degradation, revised trading rules, forcing the game to pre-fill (but not mark) all stash locations, and much more.
Stable at last report, but it's a work in progress; I'll update this post as new versions become available. Any comments, suggestions or problems can be posted here, or directly to me via PM. I claim no credit for the mods themselves, only for getting them to work nicely together - this is done without express permission, but with the utmost respect for their creators.
Oblivion Lost
Far and away the most popular of the major overhaul mods, Oblivion Lost goes beyond simple gameplay tweaks and bugfixes to change pretty much everything about the game short of the whole 'point and click to kill mans' thing. New quests? You bet. New weapons? How's a minigun sound for starters, followed up by using artifacts to summon your own anomalies? New monsters? Well not really 'new' since they were in the code to begin with, but just try taking the Burer down with guns; just try. Random events? Mind-controlling mutants will now disarm you, possess your allies and send them to attack you, robed dwarves lead scores of zombies on the march, and the motherfucking sky will randomly turn red and radioactive.
Stable and easy to install, but most definitely not for rookie Stalkers. Practice in the original game (with mods, of course) before taking this one on.
WARNING - Regarding Compatibility between other listed mods and Oblivion Lost
Given the degree to which Oblivion Lost modifies Stalker, it is not recommended to install the Stalker Mod Compilation on top of it. I personally have tested OL when installed over the SMC and found it to work without any problems, but the reverse will cause at least one crash-on-startup conflict, and likely several. In the case of using the Zone Reclamation Project (which the SMC does), all modifications using the executable must be made before OL is installed, otherwise there is a risk that the modifier will overwrite a crucial file in OL. Tests for specific compatibility issues are ongoing.
It has been reported that the Closed Captioning mod crashes when Oblivion Lost is installed over it. I have not confirmed this myself, but I'll mess with the two as soon as possible.
When in doubt, back up your gamedata folder before installing a new mod.
I believe you mentioned Clear Sky?
Indeed I did. Clear Sky predates the events of Shadow of Chernobyl and shows more of the history of the Zone. GSC's been a bit tight-lipped about what the plot will entail, save vague references to Strelok's past, but they certainly haven't been shy about showing off the shiny new DX10 features and hyping up the faction warfare and AI behavior. With SoC as proof positive that they've got a great sense for atmosphere, it's looking to be one of the better titles of the year. Whether it improves on the main weaknesses of its predecessor remains to be seen, but for my money it's as good as bought on release day.
Friends, it is time for S.T.A.L.K. T.A.L.K., round two! Let's do this thing.
On the thought of a STALKER MMO, I could imagine what the chat log would look like.
Connected Player "Waka Laka" to server - The Den.
Connected.
Welcome to the Den.
(Trade) HUMMER557 - WTS Atrifact +5 Rad res +2 Rupture PST : )
(Local) Cockweasel - OMFG Tarox how the fuck did you hit me.
Bandit whispers - HEY WAKA! :P
You whisper Bandit - Hey.
(Local) Taroximation (HRST) - My bullets are gay seeking, and you are a faggot, stop being a faggot and
they'll stop hitting you.
(Local) Cockweasel -asshole, I know you're hacking.
(Trade)qkdkanfksk - WELCOME TO STALKTRADE!!! THE ONLY WEBSITE THAT GUARANTEES BEST VALUE STALKER MONEY ON THE WEB - BEST PRICED ARTIFACTS! 24/7 DELIVERY! WWW.GOLD4GOLD.COM/STALKERGOLD/default.htm
(Trade)(ZONE) Grudge - WTS AK47 with scope, Fired twice, dropped once - 1400r
(Local) Taroximation (HRST) - OMFG LRN 2 STALK FAG. IMA CHARGIN MAH FAG GRENADES
Bandit whispers - Want to raid X105 with me?
You whisper Bandit - Nah, dude you always tell me to raid with you and then when I want to raid you're like "Oh my dog died or my auntie is sick" So no, go ask someone else.
(Local) (R.A.D) Argh, fucking respawning dogs, I was looting and they all spawned around me!
(Trade) Monkeyfarts - Too expensive Grudge
You whisper Bandit - Technically your Auntie has died 4 times in the last 2 months, I'm wondering if she's a zombie or some shit. Say hi to your goldfish, cos I think he might be on the way out when I ask you to raid the Sarcophagus
Bandit whispers - Fag you're out of the guild
(You have been removed from your guild)
(LFG) Baxter Stockman - LF2M, prefered Medic, Heavy and/or Robber LVL 18-21
Buttseckz whispers - Can you make me some bread and vodka?
(Local) You wrote - Fuck the lot of ya!
(Local) Taximation - Ask Cockweasel, he does alot of fucking. Like cocks and dicks and stuff
(You disconnect)
Update: Potentially useful information on how to find out why Stalker just crashed this time, courtesy of IceBurner:
I finally have some useful, possibly OP-worthy info: Whenever S.T.A.L.K.E.R. crashes, with or without an error message/popup, it copies the reason for the crash into your windows clipboard.
So if S.T.A.L.K.E.R. ever crashes for you, immediately open notepad or your favorite text editor and paste to find out why. The report looks something like this:Expression : fatal error Function : CInifile::r_string File : E:\stalker\sources\trunk\xrCore\Xr_ini.cpp Line : 352 Description : <no expression> [B]Arguments : Can't find variable launch_speed in [wpn_mac10][/B]Discovered this by accident while debugging my own mods.
More Interesting Stalker Stuff, Plus a Eurogamer Review I Wholeheartedly Agree With
Hey Stolls, this might be worth a mention in the OP. The guy that gave the 68% PCG UK review (and said there was less atmosphere/scares in CS and the faction war was kind of goofy), Jim Rossignol, has done a few good features about the original.
Eurogamer review: basically says the exact thing we tell newbies -- shaky mechanics with awesome atmosphere. Good summary for new folks.
The game in relation to real-life Ukranian history: this along with the PCG UK three part feature and RPS interview has some nice background details about the inspiration for the game, from the Russian film and sci-fi novel we all know, to the historical context and Ukranian culture. Neat read for those that aren't aware of this. Good for new players and old.
Mini LP: just a nice story of how he continues to enjoy the game after completing it twice. Also mentions some of the game's faults, and hope for Clear Sky that is kind of sad (at least now that I know he's a little disappointed in it). It's a retrospective for experienced players.
kstolls on Twitch, streaming weekends at 9pm CST!
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Excellent OP Stolls! The sky turning red in Oblivion Lost is terrifying.
As for the original STALKER, I'd go so far as to call it one of my favourite games of all time. Never played anything like it, and aside from Clear Sky I doubt I ever will.
(disclaimer: crisp, foamy beer in clean mugs is not actually available in Russia, Eastern Europe, or The Zone)
1. You don't absolutely have to play the game with mods the first time through if you're the type that prefers vanilla. You'll survive.
2. Encourage new players to give the game at least until Lab X18, when things really take off. If they don't like it after going through that experience, then the game simply isn't for them, and there's no point fighting the mechanics.
3. Have you figured out whether your mod pack works with Oblivion Lost, or if that even makes sense to do because of overlap? That's one of the most frequently asked questions.
4. Niche games developed in Eastern Europe have a tendency to be sloppy. You touched on this, but I think we've started referring to it as "The Will of the Zone" when someone encounters an AI bug or general wonkiness in the game. If something breaks, just think of it as part of the bleak atmosphere! ;-)
5. Stop being modest and just call it the Stolls Mod Compilation for easy reference!! Help us out here. 8-)
Or the first time I was walking along happily on a road and turn around only to see a bandit casually sneaking up on me, resulting in both of us scrambling to the sides of the road looking for cover.
This thread is relevant to my interests.
:^:
Planning to get it once I get Vista.
I have, after several attempts, decided to mod the hell out of STALKER to make it a more polished, accurately-firing experience. It's playable, but I find the weapon accuracy, inventory/trading system and quest setup to be frustrating; I expect more control out of an FPS, and want more, given the setting.
No one else is more qualified to make this OP than you, Stolls. :^: on the new thread, and here's hoping my stay in the Zone is a long one.
I've always said that if you are fretting about the mechanics in STALKER, you are missing the point. Maybe I should modify that to say that the mechanics are so unimportant that you might as well mod out as many roadbumps as you can to get on with the atmospherin'. If any of that causes you a moment of heartburn, or is the reason you can't get through the game, then by all means fix it! No one's going to chide you. But if you're the personality type that just has to play vanilla, I'm here to say that you'll be okay.
[EDIT] I see something else missing from the OP -- a bigger mention of your Let's Play! It's all the adventure without the effort.
I've played Half life 2 at around... 5 fps before? I'll put up with anything if the game is good, and STALKER sounds incredible.
Still, mod pack definitely recommended?
I also have to admit I was pretty disappointed with the difficulty throughout the game. I was playing on Master, and the difficulty did this weird flux. In the beginning it was ridiculously hard, then, once I got a couple weapons it was ridiculously easy up until the very end where all the monolith soldiers are carrying FN2000s and have ridiculous accuracy and will kill me in one hit even if I'm wearing an exosuit. I would have liked to see the mutants be more of a threat - I was especially disappointed how by the end of the game you were fighting only people. I expected to encounter some kind of crazy mutants in the NPP.
Anyways, now that I'm done with my Stoll's pack playthrough I want to jump back in with Oblivion Lost on master difficulty to really get a taste of what the game can be. Should I just install OL by itself or are there any other QoL mods I should pop in beforehand?
Steam | XBL: Elazual | Last.fm
That's my boy, you've made my day!
Anyway, I've reached X16 on my Master playthrough. Master's not TOO bad if you're any good at, y'know, not getting shot. There are occasional one hit kills and stuff, but it adds to the tension. Personally I've always found the raid on the military base to steal the documents in Agroprom to be the most tense part...up until X18 that is...and then the Bloodsucker village after that...
so, Clear Sky! I hope the writing and localization are up to scratch this time!
I think I'll be buying the Steam version when I get home >.<
So how do I start anomalies with my artifacts in Oblivion Lost?
Now with people on board with the whole STALKER thing (I had kinda forgotten about it because it kept getting delayed), I'm hoping the dev team will be more motivated to get a good game out.
I remember my time playing this game fondly, apart from desperately trying to shoot vicious pig dogs with a gun that was apparently being held by a completely untrained marksman.
Got a mod for that right quick.
Oblivion Lost 2.1.1 is brilliant by the way. Not entirely keen on some of the new skins though, they kind of look like someone fucked with the color swatch in photoshop and said "There... new skin!". All the gameplay changes keep getting better though. Minigun? Shit hot!
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I'm waiting until it hits Gametap soon... I want to make sure it'll work on my system. My old computer didn't run it so hot, and this laptop isn't that much better.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
I played (and just last night, beat) S.T.A.L.K.E.R. with exactly 1 gameplay mod. I added a repair mod and only after collecting all but one piece of the unique equipment; the pack rat in me couldn't bear the thought of them getting worn out.
Aside from this I used a few "flavor" mods such as "Real Gun Names" and an adjustment to the flashlight radius. That's it. I was still blown away by this game, especially its conclusion!
Edit: Stolls, wonderful OP!
Further Edit: Any complaints about gun accurracy are easily addressed by three things: ditching that POS starter pistol, turning the difficulty up from Novice, and realizing the guns & bullets are treated realistically (bullets are affected by gravity and your aim is affected by your movement).
The difficulty is a bit of a strange system: lower difficulties make guns seem less accurate because a % of hits are randomly disregarded. This applies equally to both you and your enemies. On Novice, something like 80% of on-target shots are ignored, making it seem like the guns are horrible, but also making you nearly invincible early on. After you get the hang of the controls and a few minor gunfights, all players should immediately switch the difficulty up to Stalker.
PSN: theIceBurner, IceBurnerEU, IceBurner-JP | X-Link Kai: TheIceBurner
Dragon's Dogma: 192 Warrior Linty | 80 Strider Alicia | 32 Mage Terra
Does this carry over to OL as well? Maybe that's why the weapons seem more accurate in it, people are just bumping up the difficulty for it and that in turn makes the guns more accurate?
Edit: Totally forgot about this. If you're playing vanilla S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you need a few minutes in preparation before ou can mod it. This topic at the official GSC World forums lays it all out clearly in it's first post, at the top where it says "Getting Started".
If you're playing with mods already, chances are some of the config files you might want to modify were already provided in the mod download. If they're there already you can just open these in a text editor and edit them. Don't overwrite them by extracting vanilla copies or you'll break the mod.
Once you have the config files extracted *coughsorry*, you can easily change these settings yourself no matter what else you have going on in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. There's a few settings:
In the file "Weapons.ltx":
hit_probability_max_dist = 10 ;
This sets the distance beyond which the random hit chance kicks in. The default is 10, so all shots beyond 10 meters in vanilla S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are affected by random chance.
In the file "Actor.ltx":
hit_probability_gd_novice = 0.20 ;
hit_probability_gd_stalker = 0.30 ;
hit_probability_gd_veteran = 0.40 ;
hit_probability_gd_master = 0.50 ;"
These lines set the random hit chance to different values depending upon the difficulty. On Novice it's 0.20, so shots beyond the above range setting have only a 20% chance to hit properly.
hit_power = 0.36, 0.40, 0.43, 0.46 ;
This is the line defining damage scaling per difficulty. Lowest difficulty is 36%, highest is 46%.
If you want tweak the random hitchance, you can modify the four lines in Actor.ltx.
If you want to make it a non-factor instead, you can modify the range in Weapons.ltx. Make it something ridiculous like 1000 and only shots hitting a target beyond 1 kilometer would be affected by the random hit chance. Of course this will make your enemies quite deadly as well ... keep your head down, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
If you want something more realistic, you can set it to 100; most rifles in the game have a real-world spread of 6 inches at that range, good enough for deadly chest & head shots. (Of course in the real world, this requires bracing the weapon properly and not moving, but we're playing a game for fun here. )
PSN: theIceBurner, IceBurnerEU, IceBurner-JP | X-Link Kai: TheIceBurner
Dragon's Dogma: 192 Warrior Linty | 80 Strider Alicia | 32 Mage Terra
this game is good
but
holy fuck i die fast, and im used to TF2, so I keep pushing "E" and expecting to get healed.
Right now Im doing little quests to make some money to buy some vodka to go kill sterlyloks or something.
See, it ran beautifully on my machine before, and I've made upgrades since.
Try running away.
If you can, reduce your resolution. I mentioned many times in the last thread that I preferred dynamic lighting at 1024x768 over static lighting (or whatever it's called) at 1600x1200.
Yeah I run it silky smooth at 1280x760, so reducing the resolution is a bit of a problem...
What crazed mad man came up with that system?
I finally understand why my pet Stalker couldn't hit the broad side of a packed schoolyard unless he was carrying something with a full auto setting.
That's not toward the end of the game though. Still, try to shoot the head.
So, last night I beat the game. I'd completed all the Strelok tasks, so I got the more interesting of the endings. What an endgame, seriously just incredible! I did not expect any of that.
As a bit of a side note, the VSS Vintorrez + 800 rounds will last you all of Pripyat + NPP with a wiggle room of 300 shots or so
PSN: theIceBurner, IceBurnerEU, IceBurner-JP | X-Link Kai: TheIceBurner
Dragon's Dogma: 192 Warrior Linty | 80 Strider Alicia | 32 Mage Terra
It's hard not to gravitate towards the F2000, since towards the end Monolith troopers use 5.56mm ammo almost exclusively, but the VLA and Vintorez rifles are excellent weapons; shared ammo loadout, scope on the Vintorez, silencer on both guns. The only thing they lack is a grenade launcher attachment, and you don't find too many of those anyway unless you're doing quests for Duty or Freedom. Besides, pineapples are better at getting over and around obstacles.
A while ago someone suggested an OSP mode for Deus Ex, wherein you drop everything at the start of the next mission and have to scavenge whatever equipment you can. It actually turned out kind of fun, forcing you to use stuff you were planning on saving up and doing things you might not ordinarily do. I've been thinking about doing a similar thing for Stalker, although with OL 2.1 out I've been itching to give that a more thorough runthrough.
Edit: Also, thanks for the complements, guys. Couldn't have done it without the feedback to the package and the LP :^:
(Which reminds me, I really should go through and clean that thing up, imageshack's been eating a couple images lately.)
Now playing: Teardown and Baldur's Gate 3 (co-op)
Sunday Spotlight: Horror Tales: The Wine
Its my first night, and things are dark. I can barely see a thing. Its pretty fun so far except to problems I need help with:
I installed the complete mod pack, but the flashlights of the NPCs are huge sun like eye-sores. If you talk to anyone at night, they will blind you. How to fix?
Tech: I can run the game at 1280x760 with all settings on high except AA (on 2x). I really want to turn down some settings and get dynamic lighting on objects. Is there a way to tweak it? I really like HDR especially in singleplayer games, it adds so much. Any way to just turn on Bloom?
It makes a freaking Rail Gun useless.
STALKER TweakGuide should be all you need.
Off the top of my head: first, turn off AA. Apparently the way they do it, it doesn't really give you much. I believe grass shadows are broken, so turn that off. Consider turning off sun shadows, but that reduces a lot of immersion as well.
Looking at that guide, I can't even remember if I had full dynamic shadows or just object ones. In any case, something above the DX8 static mode makes a big difference in immersion.
Finally, you could try Float32 if it's not included in the pack. Supposedly it does a better job with the lighting system and improves performance at the same time. I noticed the shadows were a lot "harder" and sharper, but they are also much deeper and makes the game look better overall.