S.T.A.L.K.E.R

[Pathy 0]

I've played the game through twice now, and i think its awesome, 9/10.

I've seen on other forums alot of people moaning about the ending they've gotten/whining that the story is bullshit, the only thing i can say is, if you're playing this, explore every avenue of the story if you want to get the most out of it, rush and you'll regret it! Thats why i had to play it through twice, i rushed the 1st time, hence why the story made little sense, the ending was abrupt, etc. Looking back at it with perspective from achieving the proper endings, it's a good story well told, but obviously is frustrating to the n00b who can't understand why he gets a crap ending after skipping vital story elements.

[Messiah 2]

enjoying it immensly - creepy as sin, mainly because unlike Doom 3, the lack of creepy monsters and scare tactics actually make it much scarier, because I honestly never know when I'll come across them, unlike Doom where I'd expect them to leap through every door.

my only gripe is the sheer number of anomalies - I expected them to be far rarer and harder to spot.. they just litter everywhere.

and for those who thought this was an original and unique game, its amazing what 5 minutes bored on wikipedia can dig up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalker_(film)

[Shadow NX 1]

The movie is oen of the many things that inspired the makers, also there is a novel by Boris Strugatzki that is often mentioned when the makers were asked for inspiration.

Sadly i only know the german title which is "Picknick am Wegesrand"

German Wkipedia link

It already has a zone, artefacts, nature going crazy and a so called "wishbringer" which also is in Stalker i think.

---

My impression of the game, well its very addictive played the whole weekend.

Great atmosphere ( the Thunderstorms at night are just wow ) and overall a nice and sometimes really frightening world ( Lab X18 for example ).

What i dont like is the differences in quality of some things like soem textures look like they were designed for the planned release 2-3 years ago and some look pretty polished and smooth fitting to a 2007 game.

Good example are weapon textures and some characters textures like the Army Stalkers.

And what annoys me most as a gun nut, you can do things that are possible in real life to customize your gun, soem can be fitted with few things while others cant have any upgrades even if its possible in rl.

For example, Pso-1 scope, can be mounted on nearly anything russian in rl, in Stalker it onyl fits to the AKS-74 or the AN-94 ( forgot the fantasy names they got in Stalker ) but not on a AKSU-74, VSS, AS VAl etc etc. even if these have the same mounting rails.

Also you cant remove things from some weapons like you cant remove a Pso-1 scope from the SVU and put it on another weapon.

I know its not important but it would add a lot for me especially in a world like the Stalker world, scavenge things build up your weap to your liking, configure your gear ( can only be done via artefacts or complete suits )...

Just feels weir when you think yay a acope lets mount it on my Ak and beeeeep wont work.

Think all the devs researched was maybe gneral look of the weapons ( and still they gave some fantasy parts which is weird cause on the old promo pics it was all realistic and good looking... like the AKs with wood handguards ) and what ammo they use.

However noone should get me wrong its a great game and i cant wait to play it again but after so many years a few things could be more polished... well lets wait for mods...

[Messiah 2]

agreed - I loved the idea of scavenging for parts for your weapon, perhaps paying gunsmiths or something along those lines to bodge/weld whatever a random scope you found onto your AK etc.

the bizarre creations we could have come up with . Enjoying the SA80 at the moment, and also my modded AK.

[NSX 8]

As I previously stated, game developers confessed, that they took main idea (Zone, stalkers, anomalies, The Wish Granter idea, habar term etc.) from book by Strugatskie brothers (Boris and Arkadiy) called "Roadside picnic". So, the Zone and all the terms are not the inventions, brought to community by GSC. The film also take place in the same Zone, Strugatskie were writing about. However, the main plot and idea, main characters are diffirent from the book's text. Tarkovsky was thinking about the idea of humans' disbelief in wonders and high feelings, while the book tells more about Zone itself, good sci-fi style.

Take a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadside_Picnic

There're links leading to the book itself, if you want to read it.

[Shadow NX 1]

"Roadside Picnic" damn that was so obvious that i didnt think of that translation

[kronzky 5]

It seems somebody has just released an OFP mod based on STALKER.

Google translation:

Quote[/b] ]- the enormous map with size of 512x512. of 30 kilometer ZONE.

- map combining two countries, Belorusiya and the Ukraine.

- a large quantity of known places.

- the realistic objects, made on the photographs, with the application of many textures from the real originals.

- map is executed in the smallest details, with the real cities and the hamlets, 70% of correctly going roads and railway lines.

- some places recreated on game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl.

- realistic relief.

- schools, five-storied khrushchevki, high-rise houses, building, stores, several cemeteries, nuclear tombs and the dump of the infected technology, plants, rural views, railway lines, the park of entertainments, enormous to the unprecedented scales in OFP atomic station, oppressed views vyzzhennykh by the radiation of forest and the romantic spaces of Ukrainian valleys. You will meet all this and much other traveling on THE EXCLUSION AREA.

Special features of realization THE ZONE:

- is improved the graphic part of the game. Are added such chips as pixelshader 1.1, blur effect, etc. (DXDLL v1.0)

- 30 kilometer ZONE to 60% authentic of real.

- the most enormous objects during entire history OFP.

- the USSR itself ZONE during entire history OFP.

- Post-4derye industrial, dead views.

- dynamic spaces populated by thick grass, by trees, etc.

- is changed chapter CONFIG and RESOURCE. Many sounds of technology, infantry, weather effects are substituted and so forth is improved dynamics of weather development. Here to not transfer.

- the renovated interface.

- in the composition ZONE - model of Stalkerov, military S.O.P. UA, new armament and, etc.

- changed shityu gameplay.

- the new animations of motion, etc.

- atmospheric musical compositions and sounds.

Do any of you Russian guys know anything about this?

[Shadow NX 1]

That indeed looks very promising, tried to dl the stuff but dont even find the DL button on the page that its linked to

[kronzky 5]

That indeed looks very promising, tried to dl the stuff but dont even find the DL button on the page that its linked to

I think they only let you download if you're from Russia.

We'll probably have to wait for some mirrors.

[Linker Split 0]

I've downloaded it from OFP.info... Cervo uploaded it on the server!

it's a huge MOD!

[NSX 8]

@Kronzky

It's a pack (well, I won't call it mod - too loud for just a pack), released on flashpoint.ru by Ed-Kalash (aka Megastalker). Nice object pack, the best ever for OFP IMO.

Thinking about ArmA's engine possibilities and pack of Chernobyl made specially for it -- it'll really can make STALKER cry.

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

Just bought the game and starting playing it. The graphics are rather unspectacular, the athmospherics are good and the gameplay is okay. It doesnt deserve to be hyped, but it is a fun game nevertheless.

I did a mistake though, I accepted several quests without knowing that there is a time limit for them all. So I guess I failed quite a lot of them.

[AWDrift 0]

I picked up the game and I'm having alot of fun so far. The world is extremly detailed, I spent alot of time just exploring and hanging out with the other stalkers in the game.

One of the things I really liked was how alive the game felt. I mean the story is linear, but your experiences in the game will still be different from everyone elses. It's one of the best games I've played in a while.

My only problem with it is just how much people and animals there are in the game. There's wild dogs and bandits everywhere and sometimes it feels like half of ukraine decided to move to chernobly.

[Shadow NX 1]

Just bought the game and starting playing it. The graphics are rather unspectacular, the athmospherics are good and the gameplay is okay. It doesnt deserve to be hyped, but it is a fun game nevertheless.

I did a mistake though, I accepted several quests without knowing that there is a time limit for them all. So I guess I failed quite a lot of them.

On a first look it might look unspectacular but after some playing to me its superb.

Yes few more effectsd on stuff like some more shading and bumpmapping wouldnt be bad but the way the engine plays with shadows and light is simply awesome.

When you fight trough a old factory ruin at a thunderstorm night and every light bolt ( looks best with the multiple ones cause they make the shadows zigzag around ) throws countless shadows of any object on the walls even mesh fences and things then its simply awesome.

It may not be a Crysis but its a damn fine looking game if the settings sliders are up and the lighting is set to full

[AWDrift 0]

I think stalker is probably going to get overlooked for awards and become a cult classic, because even though it brings more to the table gameplay wise than just about any FPS out there it's graphics are lacking.

It's a shame because a game like crysis is probably going to sweep the awards.

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

I think stalker is probably going to get overlooked for awards and become a cult classic, because even though it brings more to the table gameplay wise than just about any FPS out there it's graphics are lacking.

It's a shame because a game like crysis is probably going to sweep the awards.

but you cannot neglect the fact that crysis has an incredible graphical potential. The previews of this game are breathtaking.

[Guest]

The game is top notch for atmosphere, really everything i expected. I have no complaints. Well except for the AI coming back all the time. Im playing it on the hardest level and im getting pretty frustrated always having to run for my life. 9/10 for a single player game

... dont know about MP

[NeMeSiS 11]

but you cannot neglect the fact that crysis has an incredible graphical potential. The previews of this game are breathtaking.

But we dont really know how it looks on 'mortal' PCs with playable settings (20-30FPS)

I would love to travel more in this game but the constantly respawning enemies are a pain in the ass, i hope they fix it in a patch, some area's are so full of bodies that you can barely walk anywhere without stepping on someones head

[elected 0]

I'm having a problem getting that Chernobyl mod to run. If I install it my OFP won't start. When I remove it everything works just fine.

I haven't installed other mods than FDFmod but I know you guys have lots of experience =)

[Metal Heart 0]

Maybe a DXDLL problem, rename the file d3d8.dll in ofp dir to something else and it will be disabled.

[Dark_vityaz 0]

Just have finished the game.Had a big fun of it.But the end was so dull.Yeah,my last mission was X16 laboratory.So I took things to keep myself from psi-emanation to rich Pripyat and turned out under the sarcophagus And simply killed 'em all. So as I see: more comleted missions-more interesting end.

[kavoven 4]

I just read the article in my gaming magazine and they gave Stalker 90% and were really amazed by the game

Still, I guess it's not a game I could play, regarding all these scary dungeon-like enviroments... I already stopped playing Dark Project, when the first zombie appeared... ^^

[AWDrift 0]

That makes me think of something.

Early in the game at the garbage area, after I was done fighting the bandits I got a distress signal on my PDA. I went to the general area of the signal and it was coming from a half-destroyed building near the duty outpost. When I read the info about the signal on my PDA it said "probably from a downed stalker" Now I don't know about you guys, but the whole thing screamed abush or horrible monster to me so I ignored it.

Now though, I'm curious and wondering if anybody here did check it out and what was there.

P.S. The ruined, bloodsucker infested village has to be one of the scariest areas I've seen in a game. Mainly because I found out it was bloodsucker infested the hard way

[Thunnder Bunny 0]

I like it, and it gets a 9/10 from me.

Reminds me of FALLOUT, with the scavenging ammo and items. True ,you can't run and gun and win all the time.

AI can be run the entire gambit of intelligence. Think some people forget that, they have different levels of training.

I've seen groups split up and flank me screaming all the way, but I can't understand what their saying So are they telling each other where to find me?

They also seem to use suppression fire, and you can do the same with them...at a cost of ammo. A quick burst makes them think twice when their undercover. Sometimes pointing the gun at them is enough

AI can be tricked If you make them think your in building and you pop out another door ,then flank them....But ,you better grenade them, cause 1 shot from you, and their on your ass.

Vehicles would be cool ,but who knows what the future holds once more mods get involved.

The ZONE, haven't seen enough to make a a statement but I like what I've seen. Not OFP size, but the trade offs seem to work for me.....we can use building with ease...unlike ofp.

All in all it's good, may not be for the console crowd. As firefights like OFP can go badly quick....not a GEARS OF WAR where you can take 50 rounds in the face.

[ebud 18]

I never play many games other than OFP/ARMA, the occasional tank/flight sim, and every couple of year a shooter like Vietcong or GRAW so my overall experience in gaming is becoming very limited as the time I have for them dwindles as the years go by.

That being said, for me this game is one of the best games I've ever played. My favorite games years ago were Twilight 2000 and Gammaworld. My favorites movies back then were Road Warrior, Mad Max. The Post Apocalyptic setting will always be a favorite of mine. So for me, this game is a rare gem.

It does feel like an older game, but the environment and "mood" of the game is just friggin' great. The whole time I'm playing it with headphones on I'm always wanting to look over my shoulder, the sounds give me the creeps the entire time I'm playing. I had to turn the music off as it was just too much.

I really enjoy how alien the entire place feels while still grounding you in the familiar. Abandoned buildings always creep me out for some reason in RL so this game just has me by the throat. I played Doom3 for about 15 minutes. It made me jump a few times, but it didn't make me want to keep playing. This game isn't as pretty as some, but the overall feeling of dread I get while playing it is what keeps me playing. I have an overactive imagination and love the genre so I can "get into" the game.

I've never played a game I have as much "fun" playing as this one. It could be better, but I'll take it as it is. I just can't stop playing it.