Potatojohn said:
I don't understand how people like one STALKER game but not another
Let me explain the differences.
In Pripyat you have:
Actually meaningful sidequests with tangible consequences for people around you; actual exploration of the map thats rewarded with important findings and unlocking of quests on its own;
True.
huge expansive maps that actually realise the game potential of a live and open ended environment;
Well, not really *that* huge and expansive, but mostly true.
the activity of being a stalker per se through actual mechanics for artifact hunting/anomalies exploring and surviving (sleeping, eating, etc); a really plausible and down-to-earth central plot where you are a normal person doing what a normal person would do instead of a super-hero-like guy saving the world from some super-threat;
Those are actually common parts, of both SoC and CoP. Well, admittedly plot gets bent out of shape at the end in SoC, but earlier on it's perfectly serviceable.
Ok, SoC doesn't have sleeping, and doesn't have detectors, but eyecandy aside (anomaly fields in CoP are gorgeously twisted) getting "Souls" from whirlygig valley in Garbage was far more rewarding than most artefact hunts in CoP.
a setting that actually feels like a plausible (if alien) ecosystem oblivious to your presence and not necessarily out to get you;
Actually, there are two problems here. One that this ecosystem is often too oblivious to your presence - Zone in CoP is safe. Apart from scripted instances you don't get attacked by humans, in spite of Zone being in fact full of criminals out for loot. Bandits get into shootouts with stalkers, but they never bother you of all people.
On the other hand mutants seem far more determined to get you and far less focused on their own survival than in SoC.
To cut it short, CoP ofter forces you into the initial role of neutral bystander, but gives you no initiative to keep out of the way and if you do get involved Zone is out to get you, SoC tends to put you initially into hostile situations, but the Zone doesn't *care* about you in particular, and you are often best served keeping your head low and just getting the fuck out even if you're shot at or chased.
masks/helmet screen overlays
That's the main problem with your post - you're comparing heavily modded game that is already more polished and developed by the virtue of being "more of the same" style sequel, with its unmodded prequel.
weapons and armor upgrading and repairing.
Actually, while I love CoP upgrades, repairs took away one important element - good gear in SoC was precious. You always had to think whether the situation, even advantageous, was worth the extra wear on your weapon or suit.
In CoP you just go to a mechanic and repair stuff. If repair mechanics was accompanied by the necessity of cannibalizing same type firearms and suits for parts, then the question whether the situation is worth busting your new exoskeleton or fouling up your wonderful FN2000 would be meaningful. It would even make it worthwhile to consider using cheaper, but more widespread gear you wouldn't have problems finding spares for.
You also had to manage ammo more stringently, because it was much, much heavier, so if you had a good gun firing unpopular rounds it was often best to just walk away from an encounter rather than risking having to abort your trip and go back to trader because you ran out of ammo.
Now, in Chernobyl you have:
Generic fetch quests given by generic NPCs through generic walls of texts;
Yes, quests in SoC are shit and most side quest related text is shit.
a map that dont rewards exploration since findings only "materialize" after NPCs tell you about it;
Not entirely true. Yes, stashes do require stash info to find any items in them, which is dumb decision, but there is also plenty of items that are not part of any stashes but may be tricky to find. Some are very worthwhile, much more worthwhile, in fact, than finding a good gun or suit in CoP where you can afford buying unique, top-of-the-line guns from Nimble pretty much right from the start (which also robbed the game of much of its low-tech rugged feel)
lots of small maps that break continuity and feel cramped; absence of the activity of being a stalker per se; a more traditional, "gamey", central plot; a setting that feels like "Radioactive Resident Evil" with creatures jumping on your face all the time from everywhere;
Which begs the question - is your SoC even patched? Because if it is, then there aren't that many mutants and enemies in the game at a time and they are used conservatively.
Second, Zone is supposed to be not a place for men. It's been that way ever since Strugatsky brothers penned their Roadside Picnic way before Chernobyl disaster even happened. It's always supposed to be a place that will certainly kill you if you ever get too comfortable with it and that will fuck you up even if you are extra cerful and lucky enough to survive. It was never supposed to be a place where you can expect to live long, it was supposed to be a place brave, desperate and plain stupid sneak into to try to make small fortune and GTFO before they die, get irradiated or something fucks them up in ways science has yet to understand. And, unless you're a military operative yourself it's also a place where you get popped if you're caught sneaking in or out, because it kills military too and they can't take out their hate on the Zone itself so they will be happy to pop the reason why they are there in the first place.
Finally, maybe it takes a Pole or Ruskie to appreciate it, but while CoP's main plot is generally tying the loose ends left by SoC, SoC does the secret labs part much better. You see, in the west you have tin-foil wearing nutjobs fearing gubmint secret experiments and shit, but barring few exceptions this is just crackpottery. Behind the iron curtain it was all much more real and much more prevalent, and SoC capitalizes on it better, because it shows little and lets the imagination run rampant, whereas CoP simply tells you a lot, but doesn't show anything to spark up your imagination.
an ARENA where stalkers fight to the death to the joy of other expectator stalkers (wait, WHAT ?);
Never bothered with it.
The fact that it was dangerous to travel through the Zone was a definite plus of SoC. A lot of people dislike the respawns in that game, but I think they served an important role - no matter how much of a packrat god you were, you could always die to a group of mercs on the roof of a building or a whirlgig anomaly in the middle of the road if you weren't careful. Like DraQ said, this was all but lost in CoP, where you can walk around in total carebear mode, and as long as you don't enter any of the "special" locations marked on your map, the worst you can meet is a pack of wild dogs.
You can always do a simple experiment - take a map, plot a straight path avoiding major *known* anomaly clusters and walk this path. You can stop to fire at whatever attacks you but you can't actually move off the rail. Do it both in SoC and CoP (both vanilla, patched), count the times when it kills you due to anomalies in your path or NPCs shooting you up while you're in the open.
CoP is an *excellent* game, but it's both less atmospheric and easier than SoC.
I also preferred the more authentic Chernobyl look of SoC over somewhat wastelandized CoP, and pretty much the only area in CoP that could rival SoC in terms of atmosphere was Pripyat itself, and that's because of desolation (it sure helps that Pripyat in SoC, although a well designed level, was much more combat-centric experience - which was a major design mistake on part of the makers IMNSHO - if it were up to me, SoC from Red Forest onwards would be a desolate mindfuck with only sporadic, exclusively hostile, exclusively high level, human encounters and tons of unencountered before anomalies, mutants, deadlier environments and phenomena making your mind water - something like Oasis anomaly in CoP except more diverse and on larger scale - a Zone in Zone, if you will).
