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

[finglobes]

I played SoC and really liked it despite a slow start. I played with Complete mod. My only issue is I was not able to complete game because of a glitch near the end that made progress impossible. I had to go down a certain road to complete an objective and the game kept crashing half way down the road. Restarts from past saves and backtracking did nothing to fix problem.

SoC was very atmospheric and imaginative. It was quite creepy in places. Game had a "knowledgeable" vibe to it weapons and tactics wise. Early in game I recall turning corners and opening doors and getting killed by enemies crouching. Around same time I read about a soldier getting killed in a war when he opened a closet and got shot.

One unusla thing about STALKER is that there are no women and people barely talk. Coming from a family of 5 sisters I appreciated that lol

 

[Harrod]

I really liked the game, although the hardest part was when I pretty much cheated at the beginning and went to the camp next to where you start out at and killed everyone to get a better gun.

Then alittle later I ended up getting bored and went on a killing spree in some of the towns.

 

[Gibsons]

i won't try to compete with the OP's mammoth post, but imho Complete is vital - you will NOT finish the game without it, due to unnumerable game-breaking bugs (most of which destroy your saves unrecoverably once they happen)

I finished SoC without any mods, twice. CoP also.

For OP: you can't go in guns blazing, someone will take you out, either a headshot from a distance or a semi surprise shotgun up close. If there's a group, they will usually try to circle around you. Stay behind cover as much as possible and move after you shoot. Getting an assault weapon and some other gear have similar effects as leveling up and getting the magic sword in RPGs.

 

[bononos]

......
STALKER was meant to be difficult. It's gameplay was designed around using cover and avoidance of getting shot. I personally like it that way....harsh and unforgiving. It brings a certain level of anxiety going into a firefight, and even causes me to many times avoid the fight entirely if I have another goal in mind.
.......

Harsh and unforgiving isn't off putting for me as long as its harsh for the enemy bots too. But if game death is also very chancy and unpredictable, it becomes unplayable for me. I might as well play golf at night instead of getting frustrated at the gaming table.