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

[sullynathan]

Why are you guys acting like STALKER wasn't open world? Did Chernobyl stop being open world because it had 3 loading screens between 3 zones?

1. It wasn't an amusement park which "open-world" games inevitably are.
2. Things didn't actually happen the same if you weren't there. This is more significant with A-Life-heavy mods.

There are modern open world games that put the stalker series to shame in terms of interactivity. I haven't played any of these mods and I'm not judging a sequel based on them.

Why are you guys acting like STALKER wasn't open world? Did Chernobyl stop being open world because it had 3 loading screens between 3 zones? Did the Witcher 3?

yes thats an accurate comparison for sure. SoC has ~16 maps, many of them having both literal physical barriers and magical death barriers to prevent you from just going anywhere you want, and the witcher 3, has just 3 maps where you can traverse upwards of 90% of the gameworld with next to no barriers, definitely the same thing.

SoC isnt open world. Neither is COP. This most accurately called a hub based design, and shares far more in common with something like Deus Ex than it does an actual open world game like GTA, twitcher or skyrim.

From what I played of CoP, I could definitely go where I want hence open world.

How many games differentiate between different parts of the torso and back for damage?

Fallout 3

 

[Dodo1610]

The Stalker games are weird no matter how much I read about them or hear about the crazy features they have. Whenever I actually play them, I get bored and lose interest after a few hours.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

I agree with those who say that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has a special atmosphere of the nuked Soviet bumblefuck. I don't like it myself, because I've been fed up with it over the years spent in post-Soviet countries. But I can understand people who like it, especially if it's a novelty for them.

For me, gameplay is still the king. And the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. gameplay is unbearably boring and monotonous. Of course, it's better than that of Fallout 3/NV/4. But this isn't so much of an achievement.

 

[Twiglard]

There are modern open world games that put the stalker series to shame in terms of interactivity.

It's not about the interactivity. But what are the actual tasteful open-world games?

 

[United Nations]

The Stalker games are weird no matter how much I read about them or hear about the crazy features they have. Whenever I actually play them, I get bored and lose interest after a few hours.

Have you ever played any of the Metro trilogy?

Both games were created by people who were at one time or another working on STALKER.

Metro to me is a lot more boring than STALKER, it's nothing more than a linear, on the rails, scripted shooter with QTE's.

The fact that STALKER features an open world, inventory, and quest system makes it a superior gaming experience.

Of course, because I'm Ukrainian myself, I'm biased to any/all games featuring Chernobyl/Pripyat as a setting.

 

[udm]

The biggest thing that killed the first Metro game for me was that Artyom could literally die in front of an NPC and they'd just keep walking as if he didn't exist. That, plus the clean gas filters that couldn't be picked up and the ultra-linear levels, made me uninstall the game and never look back at the series once I'd completed it.

 

[JDR13]

The Stalker games are weird no matter how much I read about them or hear about the crazy features they have. Whenever I actually play them, I get bored and lose interest after a few hours.

Have you ever played any of the Metro trilogy?

Both games were created by people who were at one time or another working on STALKER.

Metro to me is a lot more boring than STALKER, it's nothing more than a linear, on the rails, scripted shooter with QTE's.

The fact that STALKER features an open world, inventory, and quest system makes it a superior gaming experience.

Of course, because I'm Ukrainian myself, I'm biased to any/all games featuring Chernobyl/Pripyat as a setting.

Sounds like you were a victim of your own expectations. The Metro games weren't meant to be like Stalker.

 

[jaydee2k]

Best game

 

[GrafvonMoltke]

Deadly anomalies, dangerous mutants, anarchists and bandits. None of them will stop Gregorovich on his triumphant march towards destroying the STALKER series!

 

[cretin]

The first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy was incredibly overrated. Probably, the second part will be even worse though.

Modded, the visuals were excellent for their time and the atmosphere was second to none.

It also still has one of the most realistic ballistics (when properly applied, base games often fucked the values up) and armour systems I've ever seen in a game. The damage models on different pieces of armour are insanely detailed.

How many games differentiate between different parts of the torso and back for damage?

I wouldnt call the ballistics realistic at all. It merely has ballistics, as opposed to almost every other FPS which lazily uses hitscan solutions. And no, mods dont really change this, most mods simply increase the range, accuracy and damage of weapons. Most modders are morons, frankly, and its much simpler for them to simply edit the basic weapon attributes until they get a result they want (more often than not: the COD-ification of the gameplay, e.g low TTK and high accuracy) than it is to do stuff like modify the ballistics.

 

[Mexi]

Yeah, I couldn't get into STALKER. They need to do something to not make it so fucking boring. I got pretty far, I think. Stopped after you get to that zone with all that radiation. I think it's the second or third town. The one where you can fight people in a cage or something... Anyways, it's a boring game. The world just feels so lifeless and boring.

 

[Mexi]

I agree with those who say that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has a special atmosphere of the nuked Soviet bumblefuck. I don't like it myself, because I've been fed up with it over the years spent in post-Soviet countries. But I can understand people who like it, especially if it's a novelty for them.

For me, gameplay is still the king. And the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. gameplay is unbearably boring and monotonous. Of course, it's better than that of Fallout 3/NV/4. But this isn't so much of an achievement.

It wishes.

 

[United Nations]

Yeah, I couldn't get into STALKER. They need to do something to not make it so fucking boring. I got pretty far, I think. Stopped after you get to that zone with all that radiation. I think it's the second or third town. The one where you can fight people in a cage or something... Anyways, it's a boring game. The world just feels so lifeless and boring.

Did you install the Complete mod?

It gets all kind of hate on this forum, but it seriously is the best and only one to go with for Shadow of Chernobyl, or any of them for that matter.

You either like the burned out, post USSR setting or you don't.

I have looked at all kind of pictures of the real Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and it's a pretty faithful recreation.

Without the Complete mod, which includes a major graphical overhaul, the game looks like complete shit.

If you want a damn hard challenge, Misery for Call of Pripyat is good too, but the graphical changes are way more washed out and not as nice as Complete IMO.

Also, for all of the love that Misery gets, they still managed to fuck up the inventory (non-stackable items) and you can't run more than five feet without being crippled by exhaustion (I can't remember if this was because of a lower weight limit or because the mod decided that distance running was "unrealistic").

 

[JDR13]

I heard the Complete mod makes the game too easy.

I think there's another mod that improves the visuals but doesn't fuck with anything else, but I can't remember the name of it.

 

[Tacgnol]

I heard the Complete mod makes the game too easy.

I think there's another mod that improves the visuals but doesn't fuck with anything else, but I can't remember the name of it.

ZRP (Zone Restoration Project) with texture mods like absolute nature is far superior to Complete.

ZRP fixes bugs/issues only and doesn't randomly decrease the damage of all the guns and player damage taken.

There are also a bunch of optional addons for ZRP that can be added according to taste.

 

[JDR13]

I heard the Complete mod makes the game too easy.

I think there's another mod that improves the visuals but doesn't fuck with anything else, but I can't remember the name of it.

ZRP (Zone Restoration Project) with texture mods like absolute nature is far superior to Complete.

ZRP fixes bugs/issues only and doesn't randomly decrease the damage of all the guns and player damage taken.

There are also a bunch of optional addons for ZRP that can be added according to taste.

The mod I was thinking of is called Starter Pack. I guess it includes some texture mods + ZRP.

 

[Tacgnol]

I heard the Complete mod makes the game too easy.

I think there's another mod that improves the visuals but doesn't fuck with anything else, but I can't remember the name of it.

ZRP (Zone Restoration Project) with texture mods like absolute nature is far superior to Complete.

ZRP fixes bugs/issues only and doesn't randomly decrease the damage of all the guns and player damage taken.

There are also a bunch of optional addons for ZRP that can be added according to taste.

The mod I was thinking of is called Starter Pack. I guess it includes some texture mods + ZRP.

Just had a quick glance, seems like a pretty decent compilation.

Pretty much anything is better than Complete in all honesty.

 

[CappenVarra]

I heard the Complete mod makes the game too easy.

I think there's another mod that improves the visuals but doesn't fuck with anything else, but I can't remember the name of it.

ZRP (Zone Restoration Project) with texture mods like absolute nature is far superior to Complete.

ZRP fixes bugs/issues only and doesn't randomly decrease the damage of all the guns and player damage taken.

There are also a bunch of optional addons for ZRP that can be added according to taste.

The mod I was thinking of is called Starter Pack. I guess it includes some texture mods + ZRP.

Just had a quick glance, seems like a pretty decent compilation.

Pretty much anything is better than Complete in all honesty.

dudes, it's AD 2020 and it gets better:

https://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-memories-of-the-zone

A highly customizable Vanilla+ modpack based on the OGSR x64 bit engine and ZRP, as well as various other graphics mods, enhanced sound (working EAX without a soundcard) and OWR3. Included are optional gameplay difficulty addons as well as options for visual customization.

 

[TripJack]

 

[Twiglard]

Did you install the Complete mod?

It gets all kind of hate on this forum

ZRP (Zone Restoration Project) with texture mods like absolute nature is far superior to Complete.

This. But most importantly -- the Complete mods are simply obsolete. The SoC version was released in 2009! Clear Sky Complete doesn't have the SRP fixes for faction war that is reportedly not too buggy anymore. STALKER has an active modding scene.

 

[Tacgnol]

I heard the Complete mod makes the game too easy.

I think there's another mod that improves the visuals but doesn't fuck with anything else, but I can't remember the name of it.

ZRP (Zone Restoration Project) with texture mods like absolute nature is far superior to Complete.

ZRP fixes bugs/issues only and doesn't randomly decrease the damage of all the guns and player damage taken.

There are also a bunch of optional addons for ZRP that can be added according to taste.

The mod I was thinking of is called Starter Pack. I guess it includes some texture mods + ZRP.

Just had a quick glance, seems like a pretty decent compilation.

Pretty much anything is better than Complete in all honesty.

dudes, it's AD 2020 and it gets better:

https://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-memories-of-the-zone

A highly customizable Vanilla+ modpack based on the OGSR x64 bit engine and ZRP, as well as various other graphics mods, enhanced sound (working EAX without a soundcard) and OWR3. Included are optional gameplay difficulty addons as well as options for visual customization.

I'll be sure to check that out next time I feel like a vanilla SOC playthrough. Sounds pretty neat.

 

[Ialda]

We are in 2020 and people still believe Complete is the best way to play Stalker games, CoP is best Stalker, and CS is crap

The Stalker games are weird no matter how much I read about them or hear about the crazy features they have. Whenever I actually play them, I get bored and lose interest after a few hours.

I have the exact same problem with Metro.

 

[Mexi]

Yeah, I couldn't get into STALKER. They need to do something to not make it so fucking boring. I got pretty far, I think. Stopped after you get to that zone with all that radiation. I think it's the second or third town. The one where you can fight people in a cage or something... Anyways, it's a boring game. The world just feels so lifeless and boring.

Did you install the Complete mod?

It gets all kind of hate on this forum, but it seriously is the best and only one to go with for Shadow of Chernobyl, or any of them for that matter.

You either like the burned out, post USSR setting or you don't.

I have looked at all kind of pictures of the real Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and it's a pretty faithful recreation.

Without the Complete mod, which includes a major graphical overhaul, the game looks like complete shit.

If you want a damn hard challenge, Misery for Call of Pripyat is good too, but the graphical changes are way more washed out and not as nice as Complete IMO.

Also, for all of the love that Misery gets, they still managed to fuck up the inventory (non-stackable items) and you can't run more than five feet without being crippled by exhaustion (I can't remember if this was because of a lower weight limit or because the mod decided that distance running was "unrealistic").

Pretty sure I only installed the bugfix mod and the graphics mod. I barely remember since it was quite a while back now.

 

[Tacgnol]

We are in 2020 and people still believe Complete is the best way to play Stalker games, CoP is best Stalker, and CS is crap

I blame the hype Complete got from all the game journos. They all sold it as the definitive way to play the games, completely ignoring the fact it made so many pointless changes and the graphical changes were all easy to implement independently.

 

[jaydee2k]

SoC with ZRP once in a lifetime experience. Best Game BEEEEST FUCKING GAME!!!
Trojanuchs dynamic weather for atmosphere is the only thing you could consider but it's not absolutely necessary.
https://www.moddb.com/mods/clear-sky-faction-mod/downloads/stalker-weather-overhaul-311-by-trojanuch