S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

[schru]

There are a few more renders and pieces of concept art on the official site, along with some music: https://www.stalker2.com/

Where's the confirmation of A-Life 2.0? Without it, it's just another shooter to me.

Both monsters and factions that inhabit the Zone are constantly interacting with each other. The previous S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games introduced A-Life — a living world simulating system. The reimagined version of this system, which we call A-Life 2.0, will control the state of the world and the behavior of characters and mutants, making the Zone ever-changing and truly alive. Countless events and encounters will happen every moment — even if you are not around to witness them with your own eyes.

With S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, we want every player to have a unique playthrough. It will take much more than just A-Life 2.0 to do that, as you are the author of your story. Putting aside the scale, the decisions you make will cause not only short-term outcomes, but influence the world itself. We are crafting an epic, branching story culminating in lots of different endings. You’ll have to make tough choices regularly — and be brave enough to face the consequences.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/07/23/stalker-2-is-coming-to-xbox-series-x/

 

[mikaelis]

Is this a big problem though?
STALKER(s) maps were pretty big and resembled, e.g., Gothic approach (so, open world but limited. Or "open maps" so to speak).

Would STALKER(s) suffered much if all the maps were actually connected into one seamless world?
I don't think so.

It's not about the open world itself, but what them trying to sell it as open world game tells us about their priorities.

A game for console tards.

I understand your pessimism given the gaming industry track record of the last decade. But really, there is no indication (yet!) that they want to go Oblivion route.

To be honest, STALKER series is the only example I can think of, where famously rubbish saying "there was no technical possibilities back then to make the game open-world, bbbbut we TOTALLY always wanted it that way!" may actually hold true.

 

[schru]

Didn't they advertise the game as having an open, continuous (in some manner) world early on?

 

[Konjad]

I loved Shadow of Chernobyl, but it was only a shadow of Oblivion lost. The amount of not delivered promises was more than any other in games. Huge open world, very intelligent AI and a decent vehicles (at the time it was really new, only ArmA 3 delivered it in a shooter) were one of the largest disappointments (world divided into small parts, AI was meh, and no vehicles at all).

Therefore I shall hold my horses before being hyped for Stalker 2. Especially since the other two stalker games were meh.

 

[ADL]

There are a few more renders and pieces of concept art on the official site, along with some music: https://www.stalker2.com/

Where's the confirmation of A-Life 2.0? Without it, it's just another shooter to me.

Both monsters and factions that inhabit the Zone are constantly interacting with each other. The previous S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games introduced A-Life — a living world simulating system. The reimagined version of this system, which we call A-Life 2.0, will control the state of the world and the behavior of characters and mutants, making the Zone ever-changing and truly alive. Countless events and encounters will happen every moment — even if you are not around to witness them with your own eyes.

With S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, we want every player to have a unique playthrough. It will take much more than just A-Life 2.0 to do that, as you are the author of your story. Putting aside the scale, the decisions you make will cause not only short-term outcomes, but influence the world itself. We are crafting an epic, branching story culminating in lots of different endings. You’ll have to make tough choices regularly — and be brave enough to face the consequences.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/07/23/stalker-2-is-coming-to-xbox-series-x/

Sounds like

back on my radar very nice

 

[karoliner]

Hype cancelled. Thanks GSC you saved me money.

 

[thesecret1]

You know what's the worst part of all this? There's no mention of mod support anywhere in there.

 

[A horse of course]

I feel like jumping ship and applying to GSC just to keep GrafvonMoltke happy and occupied.

Don't forget to nuke your account if you get accepted.

 

[Zer0wing]

You know what's the worst part of all this? There's no mention of mod support anywhere in there.

That's because it's an UE4 title. And it's the most common worst kind of UE4 title. Default rendering system is unsuitable for anything near STALKER. Every material looks like plastic, glossy and shining. It is the antithesis to first STALKERs.

 

[Tacgnol]

You know what's the worst part of all this? There's no mention of mod support anywhere in there.

That's because it's an UE4 title. And it's the most common worst kind of UE4 title. Default rendering system is unsuitable for anything near STALKER. Every material looks like plastic, glossy and shining. It is the antithesis to first STALKERs.

It actually says they're "fully committed to making modding as simple as possible on day one" on their FAQ. Whether they can actually pull that off is another matter entirely.

https://www.stalker2.com/lang/faq_en.html

I don't think I've seen a single UE4 game with good modding capabilities.

 

[Zer0wing]

It actually says they're "fully committed to making modding as simple as possible on day one" on their FAQ.

Every single such promise ends up unfulfilled.

 

[Tacgnol]

It actually says they're "fully committed to making modding as simple as possible on day one" on their FAQ.

Every single such promise ends up unfulfilled.

Yep, I'm extremely dubious. I was just pointing out it does actually say that on their FAQ/site.

 

[schru]

Well, if we get into that, it's worth noting that according to the FAQ the graphics and atmosphere in the trailer are also something they for the time being aspire to have in the actual game:

DOES THE TRAILER FEATURE THE IN-GAME GRAPHICS?

THE TRAILER DEMONSTRATES THE LEVEL OF GRAPHICS AND ATMOSPHERE WE ARE AIMING TO ACHIEVE ON RELEASE.

 

[Dodo1610]

You know what's the worst part of all this? There's no mention of mod support anywhere in there.

That's because it's an UE4 title. And it's the most common worst kind of UE4 title. Default rendering system is unsuitable for anything near STALKER. Every material looks like plastic, glossy and shining. It is the antithesis to first STALKERs.

Epic now officially supports modding for their engine!
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/new-example-project-and-plugin-for-mod-support-released

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

where's mooze

Left during the development of Clear Sky.

 

[Cassar]

I loved Shadow of Chernobyl, but it was only a shadow of Oblivion lost. The amount of not delivered promises was more than any other in games. Huge open world, very intelligent AI and a decent vehicles (at the time it was really new, only ArmA 3 delivered it in a shooter) were one of the largest disappointments (world divided into small parts, AI was meh, and no vehicles at all).

Therefore I shall hold my horses before being hyped for Stalker 2. Especially since the other two stalker games were meh.

The technology and maybe their skill wasnt there at the time. They indeed wanted to make the game to end all games. The ultimate game. But it wasnt feasible at the time and in a reasonable timeframe. Stuff had to be cut, otherwise the game would never have come out. They were shooting for the moon, but the tech, manpower or money wasnt there. Its not a reason to be dissapointed. The trilogy is one of the crowning achievements in pc gaming. The other 2 games werent meh. Pripyat is a beacon of gamedesign in a sea of shit. Its so exceptional that when you look at it, nearly every complaint people have for modern open worlds is resolved in Call of Pripyat. From traversal to world layout, to activities.

The single greatest issue with this Stalker 2 here is its a multiplatform game. A game with gameplay designed for 2 sticks and four face buttons. With layers over layers of assists in every category. The simple fact that its a console game dooms it from the start

 

[Mikeal]

Oh just fucking kill me.

 

[mikaelis]

It actually says they're "fully committed to making modding as simple as possible on day one" on their FAQ.

Every single such promise ends up unfulfilled.

You should listen to Konjad about it. Shadows of Chernobyl was just a shell of what was promised. Yet, 15 years after release, it is considered a classic.

As with everything in Ukraine, you may get this:

Spoiler

but you may also end up with this:

Spoiler

 

[Zer0wing]

You should listen to Konjad about it. Shadows of Chernobyl was just a shell of what was promised. Yet, 15 years after release, it is considered a classic.

It was a commentary about UE4 games not having modding tools despite the promises, not Shadow of Chernobyl or S2 FAQ. Of which a lot was restored precisely because of free and available modding tools. Making your own engine makes it easier to deliver mod tools, who knew! (don't tell that to CDPR tho)

 

[ciox]

where's mooze

Left during the development of Clear Sky.

I remember hearing there was some kind of artistic disagreement between him and the rest of the team, and they parted ways. One of the greatest tragedies in gaming.

 

[jebsmoker]

i have so many mixed feelings about this

 

[Ismaul]

It's not out yet and you already came? Quite... premature

 

[CharacterNik]

I am impressed with that trailer it looks like Dead air mixed with Anomaly. I expected Metro popamole type of shit.

I still have warm feelings towards Shadow of Chernobyl.
And I still have an official cd of Stalker SoC, with that stupid copyright protection system where you need to insert a disc everytime you play the game. So me and my buddies finished it one after another.

Grigorovich just be smart and make an atmospheric shooter with deadly anomalies, dangerous mutants, anarchists and bandits...
None of them will stop Slavic people on its triumphant march towards saving the planet!

 

[Invictus]

I am so torn about this; the console exclusivity, UE4, the lack of ANY actual gameplay are all huge red flags

On the other hand it would really need some work to fuck up the basic Stalker gamestyle given that it will be open world, non linear, set in Chernobyl and with the same questing system from the earlier games... I mean given the popularity of current mods like Anomaly almost all of the community understand what is Stalker supposed to be like and hopefully the devs know it too

As for being designed with gamepad controls I really don’t worry much since games like Metro show that streamlined controls do not equal lesser experience but the modding tools are the biggest unknown right now

 

[fantadomat]

Surprised that this shit haven't been posted yet lol.




What is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2?
It’s a unique blend of FPS, immersive sim and horror with a really thick atmosphere. One of the biggest open-worlds to date is yours to explore — along with an epic branching story with multiple endings.

Which platform is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 going to be released on?
The game will have a simultaneous release on PC and Xbox Series X. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will also enter Xbox Game Pass on console on day one.

Is it open-world?
Yes. The Zone in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is one of the biggest seamless open-worlds to date.

What about the story?
The game will feature an epic, non-linear story. Your choices will influence both short-term consequences and global outcomes.

When is the game out?
We are not ready to disclose the release date just yet. Please follow the official social channels of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 to receive development updates.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I feel like as long as they keep the core gameplay the same, open world can actually work. The game was open-world as much as the devteam could make it. If they handle things sensibly this could turn out well. Sure, the engine is crap, but was the original one a masterpiece of programming? No. If its good, someone will figure out how to properly mod the badboy months down the line.