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S.T.A.L.K.E.R has gone gold

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Originally posted by: BD2003
You know what would be a fun game? Lets give the player *barely* enough ammo, and weapons that make a paintball gun look like a sniper rifle. Then lets give him zero armor. Then let give ALL his enemies full body armor, with only their heads exposed. Then let the enemies either A) attack you from far, far away, or B) wait along with 5 of their buddies on the other side of the doorway, and NEVER come out, even though they outnumber and outequip you. And lets give the player *artifacts* which do as much harm as good, to even it out. Then to top it all off, lets give the player one slot for a non-pistol weapon, and force the player into the inventory screen to change, and make him use a mouse to do it. And just to be funny, lets make sure the action still goes on while in said inventory screen, and we'll make the AI so "smart" that they'll know when to jump you when you're trying your best just to switch to your other weapon with 5 bullets to hopefully kill the next guy.

The poor bastard will have to quicksave every time he kills someone.

Sounds like fun right? Best part of all? Horrendous load times. Because nothing spells fun like spending half the game staring at the load screen while waiting for your next try at hitting adamantium armored enemies in their inexplicably unhelmeted heads. Twice. The first shot straight through their brain with an 7.62mm AK47 round only knocks the wind out of them.

Either I'm losing my mind, or I'm starting to question whether every site that has reviewed this game has actually played it.


/agree with this statement and the comments regarding graphics performance - with my system, I should be able to run everything on high settings - however, I have to tweak a lot of settings down for it to be playable.

Sadly - this is another one of those "great idea, but terrible gameplay" games... 🙁
 
For those that are traversing the railroad embankment/camp elimination mission, if you go up the right side hill to get to the bridge, as you cross over you will see steps going up to the top of the bridge, go up them, then carefully traverse the beams to get to the other side where there is another set of steps.

Go down them and there are some wooden crates with ammo, collect them then go to the flat railroad car, jump up onto it then jump over the barb wire fence and you can go on down into the camp and bypass the soldiers altogether.

Or if you want some target practice you can try to pick the soldiers off 🙂
 
Originally posted by: coloumb
Originally posted by: BD2003
You know what would be a fun game? Lets give the player *barely* enough ammo, and weapons that make a paintball gun look like a sniper rifle. Then lets give him zero armor. Then let give ALL his enemies full body armor, with only their heads exposed. Then let the enemies either A) attack you from far, far away, or B) wait along with 5 of their buddies on the other side of the doorway, and NEVER come out, even though they outnumber and outequip you. And lets give the player *artifacts* which do as much harm as good, to even it out. Then to top it all off, lets give the player one slot for a non-pistol weapon, and force the player into the inventory screen to change, and make him use a mouse to do it. And just to be funny, lets make sure the action still goes on while in said inventory screen, and we'll make the AI so "smart" that they'll know when to jump you when you're trying your best just to switch to your other weapon with 5 bullets to hopefully kill the next guy.

The poor bastard will have to quicksave every time he kills someone.

Sounds like fun right? Best part of all? Horrendous load times. Because nothing spells fun like spending half the game staring at the load screen while waiting for your next try at hitting adamantium armored enemies in their inexplicably unhelmeted heads. Twice. The first shot straight through their brain with an 7.62mm AK47 round only knocks the wind out of them.

Either I'm losing my mind, or I'm starting to question whether every site that has reviewed this game has actually played it.


/agree with this statement and the comments regarding graphics performance - with my system, I should be able to run everything on high settings - however, I have to tweak a lot of settings down for it to be playable.

Sadly - this is another one of those "great idea, but terrible gameplay" games... 🙁

As soon as I got the mp5 the game got a lot easier. Ak came next followed by the colt. 🙂 The colt ownes the started pistol so bad.
I didnt have any trouble with aiming and have got burst firing down pat now. Head shots are a must skill.
Im looking for a better suit for the radioactive ****** thats around. I figured out how to use the PDA in about 2 minutes so I dont know why you guys think it sucks so much.

So far its 8/10. I hope a patch will be out soon to improve performance.
 
I think the biggest thing for my system was, to use the lowest quality grass and other bs. Put the grass to lowest and put shadows down to low quality. I had to change lighting to static. That made everything quite a bit better.

But ya, it starts to get a little easier once you get a suit and like AK/mp5 weps. The weps after those are the ones that start to rock. Im fairly far in, I got some pimp weaps with grenade launchers and scopes.

One tip: Try to find a stash, that is somewhat located like in the middle of a bunch of zones. Stash your extra weapons ammo and artifacts etc. there for reserves/backup. Try to hold the least amount of stuff on your body, because if you go over your inventory limit, you start to lose stamina very fast while walking/sprinting.

ALso, try to get a good pistol for a backup switch weapon. I have had quite a few times when I needed to quickly switch to something with ammo. ANd in this game, you cannot have hot keys for more than 1 automatic weapon, it makes you go to inventory to swap weapons.
 
running 1650x1050 on my x800 256, 3800+ 1 gig system. settings are high, lighting is set to low. Tried the high light setting and it was about .5fps, haven't tried the middle lighting settings. But with the default settings it runs beautifully on my box. Graphics are decent, game is actually pretty fun so far, it's nothing like the FPS's I'm use to, so much so I almost don't like it. I haven't invested even an hour into it yet, but I can tell I will probably end up playing it all the way thru and enjoy it.

The issues I'm reading about will be fixed with a patch, by then hopefully I'll have my x1950 and be able to crank everything up 🙂

I find the aiming to be difficult, but not completely horse sh!t like DOD:S but then again I notice my accuracy in CS:S went way up when I got this 24" I guess screen size can be a crutch ha.
 
Originally posted by: Zenoth
Is it actually a bad thing or ... ? Just wondering.

I thought it isn't bad to the point it makes one laugh.

It made me laugh cos a) it reminds me so much of HL1, plus GF was walking down corridors and stuff, and you're outside 😕 Plus this game is meant to have been in the works for ages, makes me think they started by extracting a couple of sound effects from a contemporary (at that time) game 😀

Look at video #3 instead for a good laugh at five years of work.

Yeah, I had to skip back a few minutes to catch the grenade throw. They're like "It's a flesh wound, I don't stand up for less than a headshot with an ICBM".
 
bahahaha! i sent an email to Direct2Drive asking why they are selling STALKER for 49.95 when everyone else is selling it for 39.99 and i got a message that the publisher stipulate the price point. I went back to the site this morning and STALKER is down to 39.95!


 
Update: I'm actually a few hours in and now am enjoying it. With all due respect to BD2003, I think he's being a tad harsh. All the criticism is warranted, period. As articulated early on, this game is just not "polished." It's as simple as that. If you want a polished game, like HL2 - with a real good balance and set story, this isn't it. It's a little clunky, both the combat and PDA take some getting used to, and alot of this bug stuff should have been fixed. But if you can get past the minor bugs, it's pretty good. And thus far, I personally would recommend it. I'm now glad I bought it. The first night at dusk when the sun went down behind the mountains with the HDR was just awesome. Turn off the lights and turn up your speakers.
 
Originally posted by: skace
What is worse, people who bought this game before good reviews were in and were therefor decieved, or a person like me, who will buy it after reading all these negative comments all the same 😛

Heh. I think I'll probably still pick it up. Its release price is low, some of the problems will probably be patched away. I've got a few medicore games in my library. I have to say that even if this game failed, I admire it for failing gloriously rather then succeeding in medicority that I see so much these days though.

I gotta say though, that AI pushing you thing sounds pretty stupid. I mean, I think they broke one of the 10 commandments of video game design with that one.
 
the game seems to be gettign great reviews by the game reviewers as well as other players. the only people who seem to not like it are on this site.


i'm currently downloading it from D2D
 
I picked up the game last night and player for a couple hours. I initially had a rough time setting it up, it was just chugging for some reason. I think I ended up reducing the texture slider and maxing everything else to get it smooth. (1680x1050, e6600, 7900GS, 2Gb) I also found the user file and turned 'always run' off, this makes the constant head bobbing effect go away unless running, which makes the game all the more enjoyable.

I've read the comments in this thread and they are put forth well. Ultimately it may come down to what style of game one prefers. The game is very atmospheric and moody, and difficult to a certain extent. I'd say a combination of Thief style lurking, Half-Life style shooting, in an open map like Operation Flashpoint or Oblivion. After the first mission I have plenty of ammo, as well as all the shotgun shells from the trader guy. The knife is really helpful in the first mission when you're hard up for ammo.

Things that stood out in the first few hours...

Positive
- Atmosphere and creepy factor. Amazing level of detail, day/night cycle not too fast.
- Xray engine with regard to blending interior light and exterior light, never seen this quality in a dynamic lighting system before.
- Pretty decent performance considering what's it's offering.
- AI system is pretty random... forcing you into a more cautious play style.
- Inventory and PDA screens are in real time, no game pause here. Adds a great deal to tension when looting, especially around a pack of sleeping dogs. 😛
- 'Always run off', and 'no running backwards' switches add some of the RPG style back into the game.

Negative
- Story isn't much of a driving or motivating factor.
- AI system is pretty random... sometimes they should be ripping you apart and they're just running around confused. AI could certainly be more aggressive toward the player.
- Turn cross hair off and you lose ID ability. 🙁
- Death screen and animation is lame.

I think it's a good game so far, it has a lot of depth which most shooters don't these days. As with anything it's the small touches and attention to detail that make a game stand out.
 
The AI pushing issue is really no big deal in my opinion. Just run to the next cover point when you're nudged, pretty standard tactic as the nudger is able to provide cover by the point you're being tapped out. Play paintball or airsoft on teams and you'll have plenty of pushing as you advance and provide covering fire. Not to mention SWAT tactics use a great deal of shoulder holding in advancing column scenarios.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex

We must have played different versions of Oblivion. The NPCs didn't seem to have that much personality. All the towns were basically the same.

I played Oblivion for about 2 weeks before it bored me to death. Copmbat got boring, traveling got boring. The story was very lacking imo. I'm not sure how the side quests "mattered". They added nothing to the game.(

I only lasted about 2 days before reselling Oblivion. It just seemed fairly cheesy that I was told to take something so I took it but then have the police in various towns trying to capture me for stealing something. Plus how did they find out faster than it took me to get there?
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
the game seems to be gettign great reviews by the game reviewers as well as other players. the only people who seem to not like it are on this site.


i'm currently downloading it from D2D

Thanks for reminding me of D2D. Saved me a trip to Target 😀
 
Some of you were/are having problems with the combat in game, and I think a lot of it can be cleared up with proper ammo type. The ballistics in the game were actually modeled fairly realistically; for armored targets use armor piercing, for soft targets use a standard jacket. If you're sitting there filling a vest/plate carrier full of fragmenting rounds, you're not going to get very far. Regarding the headshots issue...I'm not sure what you are doing, but I haven't run into a problem plugging someone?s noggin' with a fragmenting round (not AP), dropping them in one shot. Maybe it is changed at higher difficulty settings; I can check when I get home...although, to be honest, that's a pretty stupid rule system for difficulty that I really wish developers would stop using. Choose Difficulty: N00bcake, Medium Fry, LOL DEY JUS TAKE MOAR DAMAGE, NO SRSLY WE NO CHANGE ANYTHING ELSE?also wallhax lawlz.

Also, jumping on the burst-fire bandwagon, controlled bursts will take enemies down quickly and accurately. You can't go full auto and expect any kind of accuracy using the weapons they have modeled in game. There are weapons designed for that function, and an AK-47 is not one of them 😛. For distance shooting I?m not sure yet if weather conditions affect the ballistics, ie: excessive wind can vastly affect point of impact, but if anyone knows about this I?d be very interested.
 
Originally posted by: Ryland
Originally posted by: pontifex

We must have played different versions of Oblivion. The NPCs didn't seem to have that much personality. All the towns were basically the same.

I played Oblivion for about 2 weeks before it bored me to death. Copmbat got boring, traveling got boring. The story was very lacking imo. I'm not sure how the side quests "mattered". They added nothing to the game.(

I only lasted about 2 days before reselling Oblivion. It just seemed fairly cheesy that I was told to take something so I took it but then have the police in various towns trying to capture me for stealing something. Plus how did they find out faster than it took me to get there?

Regional Bounties mod FTW.
 
Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
Originally posted by: pontifex
the game seems to be gettign great reviews by the game reviewers as well as other players. the only people who seem to not like it are on this site.


i'm currently downloading it from D2D

Thanks for reminding me of D2D. Saved me a trip to Target 😀

you should thank me for getting them to lower the price to 39.95 too, lol
i don't know if it was my email that made them lower it but it was funny that i emailed them last night about it and this morning its $10 cheaper.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
Originally posted by: pontifex
the game seems to be gettign great reviews by the game reviewers as well as other players. the only people who seem to not like it are on this site.


i'm currently downloading it from D2D

Thanks for reminding me of D2D. Saved me a trip to Target 😀

you should thank me for getting them to lower the price to 39.95 too, lol
i don't know if it was my email that made them lower it but it was funny that i emailed them last night about it and this morning its $10 cheaper.

Yeah, good job on that too. That's why I usually don't order from them-insane markups for the "luxury" of downloading vs. box. But 39.95 is fair 🙂
 
Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
Originally posted by: pontifex
Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
Originally posted by: pontifex
the game seems to be gettign great reviews by the game reviewers as well as other players. the only people who seem to not like it are on this site.


i'm currently downloading it from D2D

Thanks for reminding me of D2D. Saved me a trip to Target 😀

you should thank me for getting them to lower the price to 39.95 too, lol
i don't know if it was my email that made them lower it but it was funny that i emailed them last night about it and this morning its $10 cheaper.

Yeah, good job on that too. That's why I usually don't order from them-insane markups for the "luxury" of downloading vs. box. But 39.95 is fair 🙂

i just hope its finished when i get home. i was getting about 350kbps when i left. it says its 3 gb so i shouldn't have any problems unless something happens to my connection
 
jesus, I can barely run the game on a x1950xt. Have these guys ever heard of optimization?

Dynamic lighting set to object, Graphic settings at low, 1680x1050, and it's a slideshow. Even with AA/AF turned off. WTF?
 
Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
jesus, I can barely run the game on a x1950xt. Have these guys ever heard of optimization?

Dynamic lighting set to object, Graphic settings at low, 1680x1050, and it's a slideshow. Even with AA/AF turned off. WTF?

Don't use the presets... go to the advanced tab and lower shadow quality and textures to the middle of the slider. Every other slider can go to the top, as well as full lighting.
 
Ya, like I said earlier, you prolly will need to put static lighting on, it made a big difference. Definitely keep AA/AF off, theres no point anyways. Id try to drop your res a tad. Put the grass and shadows at lowest. There is no need to have high quality shadows on objects.
 
Yeah, turning dynamic lighting off made the difference. I was able to put everything else on high afterwards. Still sucks that I can't use dynamic lighting though.
 
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