S.T.A.L.K.E.R is a P.O.S

[apoppin]

Damn you Apop!, trying to make me go broke?

Hmmm... Well, it is good to know that it ran good on your P4EE... My only worry then is the lack of AA... Seriously, that scares teh crap out of me especially since my display is large and is low resolution... Jaggies for the lose :-(

try to get it used or on sale. Some people hate it and it goes right on sale in FS/T.

seriously, i don't think anyone is complaining about jaggies; that is one thing you just don't notice ... even at 16x12 it looked fine ... with 16xAF and everything maxed
- with my P4 some of the details had to be 'medium' at 14x9, however.

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777
You guys make me want to try this game badly... But sadly, a few things keep me from it...

1) No AA? Thumbs Down!
2) Runs crap on anything except a C2D?
3) Dark all the time? I hate dark games...

Yep, that sums it up... Hey, if I am wrong, correct me! I want a real game to play and it sounds like fun... But those things hold me back.

1) no idea, my 5 years of using a sub-par system has kept me from using AA even on my new system.

2) WRONG. I have a stock A64 3200+ and 7600gt with 1Gb ram and can run it at 1680x1050 smoothly. Yes, you will have to turn stuff down to medium, but it's stll "gorgeous".

3) I say it's pretty bright... there is a day/night cycle IIRC.

 

[Maximilian]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777
You guys make me want to try this game badly... But sadly, a few things keep me from it...

1) No AA? Thumbs Down!
2) Runs crap on anything except a C2D?
3) Dark all the time? I hate dark games...

Yep, that sums it up... Hey, if I am wrong, correct me! I want a real game to play and it sounds like fun... But those things hold me back.

1) ... well it DOES "blurr" the edges with no performance hit. And there are few edges that really need it ... most of the time you are running from bullets or mutants or the army.
2) Nope, ran great on my Py 3.4EE @3.74Ghz and x1950p
3) Dark at night ... bright as day ... in daytime
:sun:

Damn you Apop!, trying to make me go broke?

Hmmm... Well, it is good to know that it ran good on your P4EE... My only worry then is the lack of AA... Seriously, that scares teh crap out of me especially since my display is large and is low resolution... Jaggies for the lose :-(

Save your money and buy something like Bioshock instead. I can safely say having played STALKER, that life would be the same having not played it. I wouldn't have missed anything if i didn't spend my £20. Dungeon keeper II on the other hand... WOW WHAT A GAME!! But thats another story. Buy something else dude, i really think you should.

 

[videopho]

Any one interested in my STALKER, shoot me a pm.

 

[Regs]

I do say the graphics have improved greatly from going from a 17in CRT to a 20 in WD LCD. Plus I'm now able to play with Full Dynamic Lighting at 1680x1050 with 4xAF. Even the character skins look cool (except for their faces). And the textures on the objects and walls look like a big step up from HL2.

I highly recommend anyone to switch from a CRT to a good LCD. The presentation of these games completely change for the better.

 

[Adn4n]

I killed most of the guards in the first mission with a knife. WTF is your problem? This isn't Halo, proceed slowly.

 

[Rankor]

The gameplay that this sorta reminded me of was Operation Flashpoint.

You couldn't run and gun in that game. If you did, you were toast.

Graphics looked similar too in a sense.

(Stalker) is what it is. After playing it a couple of times with the (finally acceptable) latest patch, it was alright.

 

[imported_mateo]

I have to agree with the OP. The game did not turn out to live up to my expectations and I just could not get into it.

I kept thinking somthing was wrong with the sound when I could not hear any voices. 5 years of development and there are no voices? (unless they appear later in the game...I did not stick with it) Seemed unfinished to me.

 

[TheSlamma]

Originally posted by: StrangerGuy

Originally posted by: TheUnk
Sounds like someone sucks?

Yes, I suck. I can actually hit stuff when I run'n'gun compared to standing still shooting at fvcking stationary targets at the same fvcking range. But wait, isn't this game supposed to be realistic?

Ever fire a real gun while running? it's not like paintball either kid. I would love to see you hit a target at 50 yards with a rifle while running.

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: TheSlamma

Originally posted by: StrangerGuy

Originally posted by: TheUnk
Sounds like someone sucks?

Yes, I suck. I can actually hit stuff when I run'n'gun compared to standing still shooting at fvcking stationary targets at the same fvcking range. But wait, isn't this game supposed to be realistic?

Ever fire a real gun while running? it's not like paintball either kid. I would love to see you hit a target at 50 yards with a rifle while running.

You can hit things occasionally while walking/running, but not well.

Now if you can't hit anything while standing still, then I think we found our problem. I could barely hit anything until I got to "Garbage" with a viper. The pistols were absolute crap, as was the AKSU you get early on. However, after you get to the Bar, it gets a lot easier. If you still can't hit anything by then, well, don't complain about the game. And if you didn't notice, all guns have stats. If you want early accuracy, get a normal length AK74. Used that for almost half the game, even sniped with it.

 

[NicColt]

There was good and bad in this game and I liked it allot, the levels were very nice the AI was very good, this game had/could have had allot more potential. and yes I do like dark games like that.

I think that Stalker is just another step in the evolution in FPS, it belongs in the same league of games such as Doom, Half Life, CoD, Far Cry and FEAR all of which took a giant step in the evolution of the FPS.

we always seem to complain about the bad things so here goes.

-You should have been able to carry more, it's a game for gawd sakes.
For example, there are weapons I would have like to have used more but could not, like the sniper or RPG ect..

-You should have been able to buy all that stuff very easily but it wasn't

-Some of the storyline and missions were screwed up and could not be fixed depending on what you did.

-The magic bullet, at times specially near the end reaches absolutely ridiculous levels.

-The lack of replacement suits and radiation was not done right.

-Some huge levels you just have to zoom through as fast as possible.

-When you get to the last level the NPP you can't go back todo missions or explore more.

-the 5:00 countdown at the NPP was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in FPS games. It seems that the ending was botched and rushed to be completed.

The game engine and technology was very impressive but at times the game is badly produced and scripted.

 

[Regs]

I guess I was too rich for the ending...

EAX had to be disabled because it screwed up the sound.

Does not seem like an RPG to me at all.

I don't know if the experience level, or artifacts effect the gameplay at all. I didn't notice much at least. Just better guns that can be used.

Reaching the core seemed like it was halfway through the game.

To be honest I didn't like it any better than ROE Doom. I though HL2 was better in the story and flow department obviously.

 

[MarcVenice]

Any suggestions on what settings to use with an x2 3800+ at 2.6ghz and a 8800gts 320mb, with 2gb of ram, at 1680*1050? I guess I can run it all on high with some aa/af, and static lightning. Is there a better option, coz dynamic lighting does look good.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Regs
I guess I was too rich for the ending...

EAX had to be disabled because it screwed up the sound.

Does not seem like an RPG to me at all.

I don't know if the experience level, or artifacts effect the gameplay at all. I didn't notice much at least. Just better guns that can be used.

Reaching the core seemed like it was halfway through the game.

To be honest I didn't like it any better than ROE Doom. I though HL2 was better in the story and flow department obviously.

Artifacts definitely make a difference. You just need to use the right combos at the right times. Although I found Rad/Endurance Artifacts to be the best all round combo useful most often.

 

[imported_Imp]

Ya, artifacts were pretty useless. The radiation damage was also insane near the end, especially cause the suits were not repairable; this was one of my greatest gripes.

It was pretty buggy. There were lot of graphical artifacts in the rain, outdoors looked a bit flat. Think I also turned off EAX to try and fix some screwy noises.

Oh, and death to very high pitched noises as "unnatural" or "cool" sound effects...

 

[BFG10K]

Artifacts were quite useful but you had to find the rarer ones which required thorough exploration; if you burned through the game you were unlikely to find them.

I also didn't have a single issue with EAX.

 

[TheUnk]

Originally posted by: Regs
I guess I was too rich for the ending...

Sounds like you "finished" the game at the wishmaster? There is still more left if you don't, and better endings.

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: BFG10K
Artifacts were quite useful but you had to find the rarer ones which required thorough exploration; if you burned through the game you were unlikely to find them.

I also didn't have a single issue with EAX.

I did find some of the rare ones since I explored practically everything. Still, none of them really turned the "tide" of the game or made you uber. I mainly stuck to the health enhancement and speed ones, which didn't make THAT noticable an effect. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention... I'm leaning towards this explanation myself. Must admit though, I was kinda disappointed in artifacts cause for things spawned from a nuclear accident, they sure weren't that bad as*.

 

[foghorn67]

This game was rushed. Not an opinion, THQ put the pressure on the developer and on their QA team to get it out there.

 

[Engraver]

Originally posted by: apoppin
Most of it is hidden - except for the "quests", dialogs choice and trade.

You choose you skill set by your actions - 'Stealth' worked very well for my Nameless One ... just as you choose your comrades and alignment - you also get a different ending based on your choices; Plus you gain skill by using a particular weapon and i also believe your "hit or miss" IS chosen by 10-sided dice.

If you cared to notice, you DO "level-up" and the very same weapons you couldn't hit the broad-side of a barn with formerly, now become deadly accurate; not to mention there are weapons and suit upgrades.

STALKER is very RPG

There are no skill sets in this game (however there is/was a mod called Freedom mod that replaced artifacts with skills you buy for the same effects).

Stealth works horribly unmodded; iirc human npcs have 170-180 viewing angles and can see you from 1km away even at night. I'm not making these numbers up, although I might not be remembering them correctly. These values are plainly listed if you unpack the game's data files.

You don't gain weapon skill. All weapons have an innate value called "dispersion factor" that determines the bullet spread. It doesn't matter how much you use a weapon it won't become anymore accurate than it was when you first bought it. The only change is getting accustomed to a particular set of iron sights or scope.

It is more like a FPS with RPG elements than the other way around.

 

[Mogadon]

Originally posted by: Engraver


You don't gain weapon skill. All weapons have an innate value called "dispersion factor" that determines the bullet spread. It doesn't matter how much you use a weapon it won't become anymore accurate than it was when you first bought it. The only change is getting accustomed to a particular set of iron sights or scope.

It is more like a FPS with RPG elements than the other way around.

If you read the developers FAQ you'll discover that they were actually trying to avoid 'gaining weapon skill' with the idea being that you would personally become more skillful at using each weapon the more you used it, or to use your words become "accustomed to a particular set of iron sights or scope".

So, whilst it doesn't make everyone happy, the developer obviously managed to achieve what they set out to do in this respect

 

[Skacer]

Originally posted by: Imp
I did find some of the rare ones since I explored practically everything. Still, none of them really turned the "tide" of the game or made you uber. I mainly stuck to the health enhancement and speed ones, which didn't make THAT noticable an effect. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention... I'm leaning towards this explanation myself. Must admit though, I was kinda disappointed in artifacts cause for things spawned from a nuclear accident, they sure weren't that bad as*.

There was a very rare artifact that would lower your radiation level over time. If you stacked several of them onto your character, they could completely negate radiation at all. Very, very useful. Some of the other ones were excellent as well.

 

[LcarsSystem]

I am playing the game right now; I'm at the bar, and so far my only real compliants are:

* You should be able to get upgrades for carrying loot.

* Quest Management

* No Transit system :roll:

* No Loot Migration (Say you put all your loot in the chest at the beginning with the Trader, you should be able to access that loot in say the bar in the city) :|


Correct me if I'm wrong on the last one, but it seems so simple to me to think that the player might actually appreciate a transit or loot migration system in the game. I was hooked on this game, but ever since I got to the bar and discovered that I'll have to haul all 100+ lbs. of my loot seems ridiculous, and thus has turned me off from the game, I haven't played it for about a week now.

 

[imported_Imp]

Loot was somewhat annoying in that I had to stash 50 MP-5s, oh I mean Vipers, in the Bar's hangar/warehouse cause I wanted to sell them. Same thing happened after clearing out the other Faction's base outside the Bar. After a while though, I realized that it was completely pointless to horde anything, including money. If I needed ammo, I had loads and loads of corpses to feed me. Medkits dropped often enough that I never had to buy any. Armour was also common enough to be "exchanged" before most of its protection was gone. So after you get far enough in, you'll realize that a loot system really isn't necessary. I just stashed everything in the bin at the Bar (managed to make this my 'home' all the way to the end of the game), had a couple thousand rounds of every type of ammo.

As for a transit system, my god how I wish there were one. It was no fun running through the same pack of freaking dogs outside the bar or the same 10 bandits in the West end of Garbage for the 50th time. Worst was when I had to go all the way back to the Trader...and back again. I was tempted to just put a brick on the "w" key and take a nap sometimes.

 

[LcarsSystem]

It just really kills me, crap like this is what pissed me off about WoW... Things that should be so simple and instinctually put into the game somehow manage to go overlooked. I expected more from a game from the likes of THQ who are known for making, imo, some of the best games out there. :|