Get out of here GITPer!

[shadow_archmagi]

Hey guys why don't we have a thread for the delightful and atmosphere S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, with its famous titles of Shadow of Cherynoble, Clear Sky, and the recently-released-only-in-russia-us-english-speakers-have-to-wait-a-few-months-yet Call of Pripyat.


For those of you unfamiliar with the series:

Ok, so, Cherynoble was like this power plant in russia that exploded (this is real history here) and then a few years later they sent in hordes of people to do mad science and this also exploded (this is not real history). The result was a strange and hostile wasteland where mutants roam and physics are disobeyed frequently.

The sliding scale of realism says that in STALKER, it takes about four shots to the chest from a weak gun to kill someone. One headshot is always a kill against humans. Against the crummiest weak bandits, wearing the finest fully-repaired armor looted from the most elite and well equipped soldiers, you might be expected to survive... twelve bullets?

In addition to deadly gunfights, there are also deadly cherynoble-based things. For example, in many places, the ground will spit a six foot high pillar of fire for no reason, and only when you step on it. "Anomolies" as they are called also come in electric explosions, whirlwinds that drag you into the center and then cause you to combust, and more!

In addition to anomolies, there are mutants! Mutants that are invisible and can take thirty headshots and kill you in four punches, mutants that cause random physobjects in the level to lift up and bludgeon you to death, mutants that try to leap and bite off your face, mutants that turn your allies to zombies, etc.


discuss

[warty goblin]

Love Shadow of Chernobyl. Haven't finished it yet, since I'm currently stuck fighting my way out of the Monolith compound with completely destroyed armor and a broken down rifle. One of these nights I'll be feeling masochistic enough to power my way through, and then it's on to the endgame. Just as soon as I get a better gun that is.

Also, is there any game where sniping dudes is as satisfying as STALKER? Between the degraded condition of most of the guns, the bullet drop and flight times, and the insane body armor of most of the dudes, there's really not much that compares to the joy of getting headshots...

[shadow_archmagi]

Love Shadow of Chernobyl. Haven't finished it yet, since I'm currently stuck fighting my way out of the Monolith compound with completely destroyed armor and a broken down rifle. One of these nights I'll be feeling masochistic enough to power my way through, and then it's on to the endgame. Just as soon as I get a better gun that is.

Also, is there any game where sniping dudes is as satisfying as STALKER? Between the degraded condition of most of the guns, the bullet drop and flight times, and the insane body armor of most of the dudes, there's really not much that compares to the joy of getting headshots...

I am currently playing through it with the Oblivion Lost mod, which, of course, makes it much harder and more random (nothing like having freedom actually launch raids against Duty on it's own initative, or seeing a pair of controllers leading a dog/zombie army against the Freedom compound).

I am starting to reconsider my decision though

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6624/sspetereklund1009091809.jpg



In case you arn't familiar with the game, those are Bloodsuckers (on the left) and Dwarfs (hooded dudes on the right). Dwarfs are a pain. They have lots of HP, the ability to conjure a "bullet shield," they're responsible for random physobjects flying at you, and they can also fight in melee at close or long ranges (via psychic punches). They're also completely irrelevant to this picture except as an "it could be raining" factor to make everything worse.

Bloodsuckers, on the other hand, are enemies that, individually, are evil and hard. Caught off gaurd, you can easily die to one of these. They can easily catch you off gaurd. Still, if you can pump 2-7 shotgun blasts into it before it finishes eating your hitpoints, you can survive. It'll be a close call, but it's doable. With two of them? Nigh impossible to do enough damage to kill them before they kill you. Maybe in very special circumstances with lots of luck.

Seven? Seven is when my save file names change from being things like "in hallway, save one" to "F*** D*** C*** L*** M***"

[warty goblin]

Bloodsuckers are evil sods that on their own disprove the existance of any mercy in the universe. They are also absolutely scary as hell. Gave me nightmares they did.

I did find that if you could get the drop on them (snowball's chance in hell) they can usually be brought down by a burst to the skull. The problem is that once they start moving the cloak effect makes it nearly impossible to actually hit them, they've got to standing still. Makes a person listen for any sound like nobody's business.

Also, most awesome moment ever. I was breaking into Red Forest for the first time, and was about to start ventilating Monolith dudes with my trusty sniper rifle, when I heard a noise behind me. I turn around, and there's one of those mutant pig things about to get all up in my business. So I pull my pistol, reworked to fire rifle ammunition with abysmal accuracy and give it an all new skull piercing.

There's another noise, and I spin to my left. Another pig thing is bearing down on me, so I cap it in the head. It falls down, and I spin back to the right, just in time to blow the brains out of a third pig thing, before dropping a fourth right on top of the first.

So there I am, standing knee deep in mutated pork. I go back to sniping, with a new appreciation of my trusty handgun.

[SurlySeraph]

One headshot is always a kill against humans.

Not on the highest difficulty. Well, definitely not on the highest difficulty in Clear Sky, and I'm pretty sure it's the same in the original. I know this from shooting many Duty soldiers 2-3 times in the face with an AK-101 at point-blank range before they died.


I am starting to reconsider my decision though

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6624/sspetereklund1009091809.jpg



In case you arn't familiar with the game, those are Bloodsuckers (on the left) and Dwarfs (hooded dudes on the right). Dwarfs are a pain. They have lots of HP, the ability to conjure a "bullet shield," they're responsible for random physobjects flying at you, and they can also fight in melee at close or long ranges (via psychic punches). They're also completely irrelevant to this picture except as an "it could be raining" factor to make everything worse.

Bloodsuckers, on the other hand, are enemies that, individually, are evil and hard. Caught off gaurd, you can easily die to one of these. They can easily catch you off gaurd. Still, if you can pump 2-7 shotgun blasts into it before it finishes eating your hitpoints, you can survive. It'll be a close call, but it's doable. With two of them? Nigh impossible to do enough damage to kill them before they kill you. Maybe in very special circumstances with lots of luck.

Seven? Seven is when my save file names change from being things like "in hallway, save one" to "F*** D*** C*** L*** M***"


I don't know if it's because I'm good or because I have good luck, but I've never had a lot of trouble with bloodsuckers. They rarely surprise me, and I'm pretty good at keeping distance well enough to fight them successfully. But that is a hell of a lot of them to fight at one time.

Incidentally, Snorks are what get me. Shotguns are great against them, but I usually don't carry shotguns. So I end up fleeing backwards in circles strafing them inefectually with an assault rifle, while they continue to nonchalantly pursue me and gnaw my ankles off. I have run into more than one anomaly while fleeing Snorks, and I cannot count how many other Snorks I've run into while fleeing Snorks.

[warty goblin]

The trick to snorks is, as with most of the rest of the game, situational awareness. Get them at a distance with a good blast to the skull, and they drop like a rock.

Of course this is about as good as a flamingo in a jet engine underground. That's when it's time for knifework. The alt attack kills anything in one hit. The problem is lining it up, since the melee attacks keep knocking you off center.

[Zincorium]

I freaking love the stalker series. Except for the bugginess. If I seriously cannot continue the storyline on a given playthrough because some person won't talk to me or there's a insta-kill radiation patch that sprang up where there shouldn't be, or whatever, that is B-A-D. Also, guns do not break down that fast. If I find something broken, alright, it's been lying around Pripyat for a decade or two. But once it's fixed, it should stay that way.

That said, clear sky had what is probably the most interesting and satisfying weapon modification system I've seen in a game. And the atmosphere of both was extremely satisfying.

[shadow_archmagi]

I'm pretty sure it's the same in the original.

Really? Because I've been playing SoC for some time now and never seen anyone survive any of my bullets. Even the zombified stalkers (the ones who still carry guns, not the really-far-gone-ones) will drop to a single bullet from my sidearm SMG.

I'm going to be quite sad if Clear Sky does away with that little thing, because I loved the whole feeling of vincibility it gave to the world.

[warty goblin]

You can get an SMG as a sidearm? The only one I knew of in SoC was the Viper, which besides being about as lethal as thumb tacks, took the longarm slot.

[SurlySeraph]

I'm going to be quite sad if Clear Sky does away with that little thing, because I loved the whole feeling of vincibility it gave to the world.

It was only on Master difficulty, it wasn't until pretty much the endgame, I only noticed it on Duty soldiers (and almost all of the ones I saw it on were in exoskeletal armor), and about 85% of them still died to single headshots. It's definitely not done away with, it's just a few cases.

I think the biggest gameplay change in Clear Sky is that your power increases more slowly. You're going to be using a Makarov and shotgun for quite some time early on, and artifacts are decidedly rare. In SoC, I think I got an AK-74 within an hour of gameplay and an artifact within 20 minutes.

[Jibar]

I picked up Shadows of Chernobyl after Warty's numerous reccomendations.
After clearing out bandits from a camp and using a rip in space and time to distract a pack of dogs while I looted a corpse, I made it my mission to investigate a wrecked train car for artefacts, got radiation poisoning drank vodka and died.
And for some reason this one moment seemed better to me than many of the games I've been playing recently.

[shadow_archmagi]

After clearing out bandits from a camp and using a rip in space and time to distract a pack of dogs while I looted a corpse, I made it my mission to investigate a wrecked train car for artefacts, got radiation poisoning drank vodka and died.


And for some reason this one moment seemed better to me than many of the games I've been playing recently.

I know, right? It all seems so... minor, gritty, low-down, and unimportant.

And yet, in this era of heroism, courage, glory, and mounting rediculous amounts of firepower against obscenely powerful challenges... what stands out most isn't "And then drove my jeep along the wing of the plane, using the zombies as a ramp so I could jump into the air and ram into a bomber plane causing it to spiral down onto a giant zombie 200 miles tall that was about to destroy all of america, and of course the bomber plane was full of nukes it exploded it and so then I..."

It's "I was attacked by wild dogs, had my spleen ripped out, and then leaned against a tree bleeding, going crazy, and drinking vodka until everything got dark"

[warty goblin]

Exactly. STALKER is a 'pleasure in the little things' sort of game. Often as not, the little things are 'well, my gun is a broken down piece of crap that jams every other shot, I've only got 30 rounds of ammo left, my armor has the consistancy and protective virtues of tissue paper, the only artifacts I have will kill me in five seconds flat and emit enough radiation to pop popcorn, and my medical supplies are three bandages and that healthkit I took from that dude I knifed out in the wilderness. It's night and I can't see, but if I turn on my headlamp, the Army will find me and it'll be curtains.'

'On the other hand, I've still got thirty bullets."

With enough care and patience, a man can do amazing things with thirty bullets. The first thing will be to kill somebody with more bullets, and a gun not nicknamed 'Toejam.'

[Flickerdart]

Oh man.

On my second playthrough, I was coming back to the starting area to pawn some junk from the bandits. Suddenly, I hear shooting, run outside to see the entire goddamn staff of the military checkpoint storming the place. Most of the other stalkers have died. After a number of reloads, I managed to take them all down with my crummy pistol (it got easier after I looted some AKs off the dead ones). By this point, the settlement was wiped out. I spent my last healing kit on the only "not-dead-but-dying" guy, and set out to loot the checkpoint now that everyone from it had a nice helping of lead. You know what the Zone is locked by? A run-of-the-mill padlock on a chain link fence. Yeah.

The place started repopulating, though. It was a riot to see the one guy standing in the middle of the road and guarding an empty village, but after a while the campfire got a bunch of guys at it again, telling their corny jokes. Man, those are some awful jokes they tell.

[shadow_archmagi]

Just beat the game in Oblivion Lost.

-SPOILERS-

Oblivion Lost replaces the final teleporter, which would take you to a cinematic of Marked One destroying the C-consciousness, with a different teleporter, which drops you adjacent to a controller who is immune to bullets and extra deadly.

Luckily I had a rocket launcher.


It turns out that you can just walk all the way back to wherever and do your own gig.

[SurlySeraph]

By the way, I'd like to thank warty goblin for reminding me that the knife's secondary fire exists. Because stabbing people in the back of the head while they're shooting at my allies is now my favorite early-game tactic. I managed to get a lot of AK ammo while the military was storming the rookie camp by waiting for the soldiers to engage the stalkers, then stabbing them. Or, if they notice me, by waiting until they reload and then rushing up and stabbing them. It's a lot better then plinking away with the Makarov while they machine-gun me.

[warty goblin]

Oh man.

On my second playthrough, I was coming back to the starting area to pawn some junk from the bandits. Suddenly, I hear shooting, run outside to see the entire goddamn staff of the military checkpoint storming the place. Most of the other stalkers have died. After a number of reloads, I managed to take them all down with my crummy pistol (it got easier after I looted some AKs off the dead ones). By this point, the settlement was wiped out. I spent my last healing kit on the only "not-dead-but-dying" guy, and set out to loot the checkpoint now that everyone from it had a nice helping of lead. You know what the Zone is locked by? A run-of-the-mill padlock on a chain link fence. Yeah.

I once did this on purpose at the beginning of a game-took some potshots at a patrol of soldiers to get them to attack the Stalker camp, then tried to loot their stuff. The only problem with this plan is of course the early soldiers only really carry the stockless paratrooper AK varient, which is an absolute turd of a gun, and woefully ineffective against their body armor. Worse still, after killing all the stalkers, they more or less took up temporary residence in that hamlet. This made selling stuff at the beginning of the game a right pain in the ass, since I had to sneak through withering fields of gunfire, unload my merchendise, then hightail it back out of town, skipping merrily through the tracers.


The place started repopulating, though. It was a riot to see the one guy standing in the middle of the road and guarding an empty village, but after a while the campfire got a bunch of guys at it again, telling their corny jokes. Man, those are some awful jokes they tell.

Know the urban/industrial zone just outside the Bar? That zone is, in my game, the single most awesome place to be, ever. Right now it's the scene of a three way battle between bandits, stalkers, and the wildlife. And there's pretty much every possible form of wildlife in there too, dogs, wolves, I think I've shot a couple of the pig things, the occasional bloodsucker...There's even a sort of mutant giant rat...thing which hunts in swarms and I've never seen anywhere else in the game. Individually they aren't very deadly, although hard to hit, but in swarms they are decidedly nasty. A horde of about fifteen of them once chased me up a sniper tower. Fortunately they proved unable to climb, and I picked them off with my trusty NATO rifle.

[warty goblin]

By the way, I'd like to thank warty goblin for reminding me that the knife's secondary fire exists. Because stabbing people in the back of the head while they're shooting at my allies is now my favorite early-game tactic. I managed to get a lot of AK ammo while the military was storming the rookie camp by waiting for the soldiers to engage the stalkers, then stabbing them. Or, if they notice me, by waiting until they reload and then rushing up and stabbing them. It's a lot better then plinking away with the Makarov while they machine-gun me.

It's an attack that comes in surprisingly handy. I find it works wonders on any SOB wearing an exoskeleton, since they can soak an aweful lot of rifle fire before dropping. My favorite memories of it however involve the Arena.

The first time I used it there, I was thrown up against I think three enemy stalkers. All of us had sawn of double barrels loaded with buckshot. This meant that within about fifteen feet, fights were insanely lethal, but outside of that, not so much. I had dropped two of the three, and was hiding behind a crate, taking turns with the survivor unloading some lead in the general vicinity of the other. The geometry of the fight was such that neither of us could move closer without becoming swiss cheese, but were sufficiently far apart as to render our fire fairly ineffective.

So I unload both barrels in the general direction of my adversary, listen for his return fire, pull my knife, then run up and shank him while he's trying to reload. Those double barrels take a while.

The second time I was thrown into the arena armed only with a knife against some bastard in an exoskeleton with that fancy German NATO rifle, the one apparently manufactured by the Grim Reaper and rejected due to excess lethality. Yeah, there was some serious sneaking went on there.

[SurlySeraph]

You know, I just realized that I have no memory of any character ever actually telling me "Get out of here, stalker!" Who says that?

[Yora]

It's when you enter Duty camp from the South and you have to cross the hall with the gas tanks I think, to get to the "main street" of the camp. In that hall, there's a guard on the catwalks who says this every time you come through there. I think it's a bug, as you're totaly supposed to go through the room very often.

I just read the threat title and immediately knew what this is about. :smallbiggrin:

[shadow_archmagi]

Yeah, since the game is layed out like this


STUFF
V
THE BAR -> STUFF OVER HERE TOO
^
BEGINNER AREA

You pass through the bar every time you go anywhere. Every time you pass through the bar, you'll probably visit this guy's warehouse where he sits on a catwalk and tells you to get out of here stalker.

[SurlySeraph]

Thanks. I actually posted that just before I first got to the bar on my latest playthrough of SoC, ironically.

By the way, you know that first underground part in SoC? Where first you fight a bunch of bandits who have a pretty good ambush position, and then there's one or two bloodsuckers, and then about 10 soldiers come at you the moment you finish off the bloodsucker(s)? And then there's a Controller at the very end, and after all that you come out in the army base? I hate that part.

Also, I had what I'm pretty sure is the only well-timed jam in the history of gun jams. I got a jam right after firing the last AK round I had. I didn't know you could even get a jam after firing the last round in the magazine.

[Stormthorn]

This game seems interesting. Makes me wish i had never vowed to only play shooters on console.
Of course, i couldnt pay full price for a game this difficult.


the bullet drop and flight times,
Wait...what?
How long a range are you engaging at? If your using a rifle shouldnt that only factor in at over 100 yards or so? Most .22 rifles have their scopes 0'd for 100 yards right?

[warty goblin]

This game seems interesting. Makes me wish i had never vowed to only play shooters on console.
Of course, i couldnt pay full price for a game this difficult.


Wait...what?
How long a range are you engaging at? If your using a rifle shouldnt that only factor in at over 100 yards or so? Most .22 rifles have their scopes 0'd for 100 yards right?

Well first of all, only a short lived crazy person would use .22LR in the Zone. Most things that live there laugh off anything under .223NATO, and you really want the 9x45mm subsonic. Also, my understanding is that for distances under the zero point, in real life at least, you need to aim under your target. STALKER may model this- I know I've gotten headshots at very short range by shooting for people's necks, but it's hard to be sure.

Secondly, the guns, although reasonably realistic, are quite gamy. They are much less accurate, have shorter range, and jam much more easily. I don't mind so much, since if engagement ranges were realistic the game would enter new realms of brutalizing hardness.

Also you should be able to get STALKER for well under full price. And yes, it is hard, but dying is generally not as frustrating as it is in other games for some reason. Probably because, although merciless, the rules are fairly evenly applied.

[shadow_archmagi]

Well first of all, only a short lived crazy person would use .22LR in the Zone. Most things that live there laugh off anything under .223NATO, and you really want the 9x45mm subsonic. Also, my understanding is that for distances under the zero point, in real life at least, you need to aim under your target. STALKER may model this- I know I've gotten headshots at very short range by shooting for people's necks, but it's hard to be sure.

I have noticed sometimes the bullet flies over the marker on the scope. Of course, I aim at people's necks by default, because that means that as my gun recoils upwards, it's very probable that it'll be a headshot.

[SurlySeraph]

The Vintar's bullets definitely arc up before going down, though I haven't noticed it on any other guns.

[warty goblin]

The Vintar's bullets definitely arc up before going down, though I haven't noticed it on any other guns.

Vintar, that's the silenced specops sniper rifle, right? I can't keep the fake gun names straight, remembering real gun names is enough work.

The shot that makes me fairly certain that STALKER models zero points was a 10 yard or so shot with the silenced pistol. I distinctly recall lining up my target's head square in my sights, and firing. I missed, but since the pistol was silenced and I was double crouched, the soldier didn't notice and remained stationary. So I fired again with basically the same aimpoint, and also missed. Again, the target was stationary, and the range short-on top of which the gun was in good shape- so I was fairly sure it wasn't mechanical inaccuracy.

Anyway, next shot I lined up on his neck, and that one definitely hit. Moreover I know it was a headshot, because he was in military bodyarmor, and there's no way that 9mm rounds put down soldiers in STALKER that easily.

[Stormthorn]

Does the game also model realistic wounds?

Sometimes in games I find myself engaging in realistic gunfighting (two to the center of mass, one to the head) and then realize how silly it is with the fact that AIs dont sucumb to shock or bleed out.

The real problem is that after years of the smooth gradual shifts in motion from console sticks i wont be able to walk in a PC game.
At least aiming is easier on PC.

[SurlySeraph]

Vintar, that's the silenced specops sniper rifle, right? I can't keep the fake gun names straight, remembering real gun names is enough work.

Yeah, the quick-firing one with the red stock. It's in the intro cutscene of Clear Sky, and on the main menu screen in SoC.


Does the game also model realistic wounds?

Sometimes in games I find myself engaging in realistic gunfighting (two to the center of mass, one to the head) and then realize how silly it is with the fact that AIs dont sucumb to shock or bleed out.

To a degree. Wounds bleed (how badly depends on where you got hit, and I think on chance), and you have to bandage them to stop them from bleeding. Severe wounds take more than one bandage. But you can bandage a wound and perform first aid on yourself instantly while running and continuing to fire your gun.

I'm pretty sure NPCs who get shot can bleed out. I know they can get incapacitated to the point that they'll only live if you give them a medkit. Be careful with enemies that this happens to, though; sometimes they'll spring up with a sidearm if you turn your back on them while they're lying there dying. This has caused me some trouble, as I like to finish them with a knife to avoid wasting ammo; I'll walk up to one to stab him, get shot at by his surviving comrades, take cover and ignore him, and then he gets up and blasts me while I'm dealing with the others.

Two center of mass, one head is quite effective; the first shots will make them stagger, and then you can line up the headshot. However, a lot of enemies have some degree of armor, so sometimes the center of mass shots won't affect them much or at all. It'll work great on the guys with leather jackets, less so on the ones with exoskeletons. It's tricky to get headshots on mutants since they move fast and don't flinch.

[chiasaur11]

I'm pretty sure NPCs who get shot can bleed out. I know they can get incapacitated to the point that they'll only live if you give them a medkit. Be careful with enemies that this happens to, though; sometimes they'll spring up with a sidearm if you turn your back on them while they're lying there dying. This has caused me some trouble, as I like to finish them with a knife to avoid wasting ammo; I'll walk up to one to stab him, get shot at by his surviving comrades, take cover and ignore him, and then he gets up and blasts me while I'm dealing with the others..

As a great man once said:

Double tap.

1 more makes 100% sure.

[warty goblin]

Does the game also model realistic wounds?

Sometimes in games I find myself engaging in realistic gunfighting (two to the center of mass, one to the head) and then realize how silly it is with the fact that AIs dont sucumb to shock or bleed out.

It doesn't model realistic wounds exactly. What it has is what I would consider a reasonable intepretation of a wound system. You get shot, you bleed for a while, how long depending on how bad the wound is. There's a color coded blood drop symbol that pops in the HUD when you get shot. Green bleeds probably won't kill you, but will knock off a bit of health. Orange are fairly worrisome, and I'm usually dead by the time I notice a red bleed. There are a few ways to get health back.

1) Bandages. These restore very little health, and are mostly useful for stopping a wound bleeding.

2) Medical Kits. Reasonably rare, particularly early game, and of not inconsequential bulk, these restore quite a bit of health. You can also give them to severely wounded ally characters to get them back on their feet. This can rank as one of the most difficult choices in gaming, because you really need those things for survival, but the poor sucker is lying there writhing in agony and crying.

3) Food. Food items don't restore very much health, and are mostly good for getting rid of hunger. You actually need to eat in STALKER (at least in Shadow of Chernobyl, I hear they removed this from Clear Sky, but I dimly recall reading that they are bringing hunger back in Call of Pripyat). Bottom line, if you're down to sausages for healing, you're probably screwed.

4) Artifacts. If you slot the right ones, these can actually heal you over time. I haven't found it to be enough to turn me into a bullet sponge or to encourage general Call of Dutyish shenanigans, but it does save a lot on medical supplies since it allows me to passively heal up between fights. It also comes with significant trade offs, such as not being able to run for as long, resist radiation as well, and so on.

The body armor system is also not exactly realistic. Some of the better late game suits are frankly ridiculous, able to withstand multiple rifle rounds at close range. Unlike most FPSs though, STALKER is fair. You can generally get the same gear as everybody else. Of course the armor and guns wear out, and can't be repaired (again in unmodded-there are mods that allow this IIRC- Shadow of Chernobyl, they can be in Clear Sky and I assume in Pripyat as well), so new armor and guns are constant expenses.


The real problem is that after years of the smooth gradual shifts in motion from console sticks i wont be able to walk in a PC game.
At least aiming is easier on PC.

That could be a problem. There's a lot of walking in STALKER. Much of it occurs while something is trying to eat you.

edit: something happened to my carriage returns. I blame the snorks.

[Stormthorn]

Yea, walking.

I was playing Morrowind for the MicrosoftBox.

I longed for mods and whatnot to get more content.
I bought it for the PC.
Gave up after an hour.
On the con i could leap into the air (that character had 100+ acrobatics), twirl 180 degrees, and swing my sword down at the guy following me with little effort.
On the PC i strafed when i ment to turn and fell off a rock whilst in combat.

Eating food to survive. Lol. I was in a situation like that playing Fallout 3 recently. New swamp DLC. Level 5 melee fighter in a swamp where all the swamp-crazies get +20 damage with every weapon and have tons of health.
I was picking fruit in the swamp and eating it on the run as i tried to get back to town alive.

[shadow_archmagi]

Yea, walking.

Personally, I find that the synchronization of mouse-WASD does seem a bit less intuitive than a simple console joystick, but after a few years of PC gaming, I feel confident I could thread some needles with this keyboard and mouse.

It's just a matter of getting used to it.

[warty goblin]

Personally, I find that the synchronization of mouse-WASD does seem a bit less intuitive than a simple console joystick, but after a few years of PC gaming, I feel confident I could thread some needles with this keyboard and mouse.

It's just a matter of getting used to it.

It's also a matter of the game itself. Some console ports I've played make movement feel loose, floaty and weird. A game like Half-Life 2 however has very precise, razor sharp movement. If I walk off a cliff, it isn't due to weirdness, it's because I wasn't paying attention.

STALKER is probably not quite as crisp as VALVe's games, but it comes real close in the movement department. The gunplay is a lot different, but aiming is much, much smoother than in a lot of other games.

[Archonic Energy]

There's a lot of walking in STALKER. Much of it occurs while something is trying to eat you.

i have to add that STALKER is one of the few games where it isn't just the enemies you have to worry about killing you...
or the wildlife...
The landscape is actively attempting to kill you.
and it will, frequently!

[SurlySeraph]

In other words, this is a fairly typical five minutes of gametime:

"Oh hell, I'm out of rifle rounds. Gotta run now, no sense trying to fight off half the Russian army with a pistol at this range."
...
"Uh oh, this is where all the wild dog packs were."
...
"AUGH THEY'RE EATING ME RUN RUN RUN"
...
"NO NOT SNORKS NOT NOW NOOOOO"
...
"If I can get back to the base, I'll have walls to hide behind and a whole bunch of Freedom soldiers to fend them off. That should let me - why is the wind only blowing in that one sp-IT'S AN ANOMALY."
*Is sucked in and killed by the anomaly in a shocking twist ending*

[shadow_archmagi]

NOTE: For those of you playing Oblivion Lost, try this recipe for fun:

INGREDIENTS:
1. One Vehicle
2. One Whirlwind Anomoly


TO MAKE:

1. Place whirlwind somewhere wide open; The middle of the road is ideal for this
2. Drive vehicle at great speed into whirlwind; for best results, experiment with driving along the edges of it.

The idea is that by moving through it very quickly, you get the "Object starts floating upwards" physics effect applied to the jeep while moving outside of the "Object is sucked into the whirlwind" effect, meaning that the end result is that you continue moving at the speed you left the ground at while also moving up, resulting in insane jumps. For example, you know that little bridge near Cordon? The very first bridge you ever see, just north of the town? Used a whirlwind there, landed on a rookie in the camp.


EDIT: Here's my corpse leaving the draw distance: http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/shadow_archmagi/ss_petereklund_10-10-09_18-34-50_l0.jpg

EDIT2: and another, less impressive one http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/shadow_archmagi/ss_petereklund_10-10-09_17-20-55_l0.jpg

[Flickerdart]

Oh, Oblivion Lost added the vehicles that were supposed to be usable from the original? Neat stuff. I should go get my hands on that sucker.

[warty goblin]

Oh, Oblivion Lost added the vehicles that were supposed to be usable from the original? Neat stuff. I should go get my hands on that sucker.

Not sure how I feel about vehicles in STALKER. Seems like it could make things too safe somehow...

[GolemsVoice]

Ahhh S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. I think I'll just reinstall it and play it at the hardest difficulty, just to get that zone-survival vibe going. When I first played it through, unmodded, it was rather easy. Not laughably easy by any means, and some passages were VERY hard, but after a certain point in the game, you are more or less the modern equivalent of a Space Marine, walking around in powered armour and spitting leaden death at anything that awakens your wrath.

But I like how enough resistance (and there WILL be resistance) will still bring you down fairly quick.

Any mods that can be recommended? I'm not looking for (even) more realism, but I've heard many mods also introduce new content.

[Flickerdart]

Not sure how I feel about vehicles in STALKER. Seems like it could make things too safe somehow...
Driving Russian cars is dangerous. Driving vehicles abandoned in irradiated areas is doubly so. I'd be surprised if simply getting in didn't make the thing go up in a ball of death.

[chiasaur11]

Wow. STALKER is now $5 on Steam.

I'm getting it this week, I figure.

[deuxhero]

I heard STALKER is good only with (or at least much better with) mods and that steam often interacts... poorly with such (though some, I think Bloodline mods are OK with it). SteamxSTALKER?

[warty goblin]

I heard STALKER is good only with (or at least much better with) mods and that steam often interacts... poorly with such (though some, I think Bloodline mods are OK with it). SteamxSTALKER?

I've enjoyed the monkeys out of STALKER without mods, mostly because I've never felt like making a decision between the three or four almost certainly deeply incompatible 'must have' mods.

[GolemsVoice]

A man chooses, warty, a slave obeys! But, speaking of mods, what ARE the alternatives? I've heard that there is a mod that introduces cars (as if Marked One didn't know better than to get in any cars ever again.), and that other mods add more realism, and of course fix bugs.

[Stormthorn]

Wow. STALKER is now $5 on Steam.

I'm getting it this week, I figure.

If i knew what Steam was....

[SurlySeraph]

@^: Google is your friend. (http://store.steampowered.com/)

[Rettu Skcollob]

Man I love STALKER. My only problems with it are that money and ammunition are too easy to come by. I bloody LOVE games with that scavenging survival aspect, and hence spend 5 minutes after every battle systematically taking the most valuable weapons, ammo from corpses and by unloading dropped weapons and otherwise hoard in a manner that would put a dragon to shame. Hence I amass enough rubles to make a sprawling multi-storied ruble mansion where I can construct ruble children and a small ruble dog to play in my ruble picket fence.

[GolemsVoice]

Yeah, getting money is really easy, almost pathetically so. Once you have your set of artefacts (I managed to get them just right so that I would never tire unless overburdened, and offset the radiation some caused with other artefacts), you can sell all others, likewise with weapons, armor, anything. And then you are RICH.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Just finished the game again on the second highest difficulty. Next is the extreme one I guess. God I wish I'd left that Exoskeleton well enough alone, not only was the SEVA suit I was wearing soak up 100% radiation with my artifact shelf, but you can't run in the bloody thing. 10% extra bulletproof cap just isn't worth it

[GolemsVoice]

Not being able to run was a major concern for me, so I made sure I always had the right artefacts, and stayed out of the too heavy suits.

[Yora]

Man I love STALKER. My only problems with it are that money and ammunition are too easy to come by. I bloody LOVE games with that scavenging survival aspect, and hence spend 5 minutes after every battle systematically taking the most valuable weapons, ammo from corpses and by unloading dropped weapons and otherwise hoard in a manner that would put a dragon to shame. Hence I amass enough rubles to make a sprawling multi-storied ruble mansion where I can construct ruble children and a small ruble dog to play in my ruble picket fence.

My favourite item would have been a Bollerwagen (http://www.trends-and-more-online.de/images/spielzeug/9401.gif). :smallbiggrin:

[Rettu Skcollob]

Not being able to run was a major concern for me, so I made sure I always had the right artefacts, and stayed out of the too heavy suits.

Have you got the exoskeleton before? You actually can't run in it, regardless of how much weight you have. On the plus side it boosts your max load by 20 and it has the highest bulletproof cap in game, but along with have really terrible anomaly protection and the fact you move like a particularly lethargic glacier while wearing it (Which is even more irritating since your enemies seem to have no such impediment, and the suits description specifically said the mobility drawback had been removed) it has really terrible radiation protection, and pretty much the whole of the Chernobyl NPP is a nuclear hot-spot, particularly the room you find it in.

[Yora]

There's also one in Pripyat. Which you can wear to get into the NPP.

[Rettu Skcollob]

My favourite item would have been a Bollerwagen (http://www.trends-and-more-online.de/images/spielzeug/9401.gif). :smallbiggrin:

Yeah, I'll get out of here... IN STYLE...! *Scoot Scoot*

You look friggin' awesome in the SEVA suit as well, I had major scavenger's remorse for the last part of the game. My biggest facepalm moment in that game was getting in Freedom's good books and then running into a skirmish between them and Duty and accidently murdering all the Freedom guys instead of the Duty ones. *facepalm*

[Jahkaivah]

Just got this.

Would you guys recommend just ignoring the vanilla game and giving Oblivion Lost a shot?

Also is there any other must have mods I ought to know of?

[warty goblin]

Just got this.

Would you guys recommend just ignoring the vanilla game and giving Oblivion Lost a shot?

Also is there any other must have mods I ought to know of?

As previously stated, I've not played with any mods. My understanding is that many of them, and certainly Oblivion Lost, make the game more difficult. STALKER is harder than brass tacks on viagra unmodded, and features a tutorial that covers the game's basics slightly less well than a string bikini.

Where other shooters start with some enemies far below you in power, or a training course, in STALKER you start in a twisted hellscape where a wrong step can literally cause you to explode, gives you a leather jacket for protection, a couple of bandages, a pistol and something like eighteen rounds of ammo, then tells you to go kill a bunch of bandits armed with shotguns which will drop you in a shot or two.

Bottom line, I'd highly recommend playing it for at least a while without anything to jack up the difficulty before making it even harder.

[shadow_archmagi]

I'd suggest the exact opposite! Since the mods don't change the storyline, if you play through it normally first you'll just have to play the exact same missions but sliiighty different.

Install Oblivion Lost, play on hardest difficulty.

[Flickerdart]

I thus draw the conclusion that shadow_archmagi feeds on suffering and frustration. Do not be tempted by his fiendish guiles!

[Rettu Skcollob]

Honestly, the hardest part of the game is the very start, after that it's easy as hell, I find. Even on the hardest difficulty, once you get a decent longarm I actually find the game is way too easy. I think I might do a Let's Play of STALKER some time, I think the game is a little underloved. (finished it again last night, and I respect other shooters and I'mma let them finish, but S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl has some of the best gameplay of all time. Of all time)

[warty goblin]

Honestly, the hardest part of the game is the very start, after that it's easy as hell, I find. Even on the hardest difficulty, once you get a decent longarm I actually find the game is way too easy. I think I might do a Let's Play of STALKER some time, I think the game is a little underloved. (finished it again last night, and I respect other shooters and I'mma let them finish, but S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl has some of the best gameplay of all time. Of all time)

Out in the open it's not too bad, once you get to the NATO, or even the higher accuracy Soviet Bloc guns. The beginning is indeed brutal- in no small part because a lot of the game's features are barely explained- and I find most of the underground parts to be relentlessly difficult as well. Probably because I insist on playing with the reticule off* and using assault rifles. I'm sure a shotty with slugs or dart ammo would clean up in the labs, but I never seem to have one of them.

*I can't imagine playing STALKER with the reticule on. It just seems so very, very wrong.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Out in the open it's not too bad, once you get to the NATO, or even the higher accuracy Soviet Bloc guns. The beginning is indeed brutal- in no small part because a lot of the game's features are barely explained- and I find most of the underground parts to be relentlessly difficult as well. Probably because I insist on playing with the reticule off* and using assault rifles. I'm sure a shotty with slugs or dart ammo would clean up in the labs, but I never seem to have one of them.

*I can't imagine playing STALKER with the reticule on. It just seems so very, very wrong.

I love my Vintar BC, and it's automatic-extended magazine special assault rifle counterpart. It's not as accurate as the other sniper rifles, or as damaging per round, but the fact that it uses a more common round, is silenced, and is semi-automatic make up for it by far. Especially after you get into the NPP and everyone is using AP rounds you can slot in there. Calculating bullet drop is more important with it, but fun regardless

[Izual6764]

I really loved Stalker, but i gave up when i was playing for 2 hours straight, and of course without saving,and i died.:smallannoyed: It was nearly 2 years ago. Now i want to play it again and i find out that my copy is lost. I remember it was fun when i went to Freedom's camp and killed them all. G36 is fun. Killing Freedom members as they respawn and go to camp mentioned above is fun too.:smallamused: I stopped it only because i got bored.:smalltongue:

[GolemsVoice]

God, this game is hard! Say, is there any key to quicksave? I've just exited Cordon, after I had the most amazing shootout with a group of bandits, and managed to acquire an automatic rifle. The game really makes you appreciate such things.

[Rettu Skcollob]

F6 is the quicksave key. And believe me, use it a lot. :P

PROTIP: You know that guy you rescued from the bandits? Talk to him before you exit the Cordon and ask if he has any jobs for you. Take the 'Find the Perfected Suit' mission, the object of which is to find a suit of upgraded bandit armour (it has metal plates sewn in it) which has a 28% bulletproof cap, a whopping 18% extra protection against firearms than your leather jacket. (which your first encounter with bandits should have shown is pretty useless) The reward for handing it in isn't anything special, so keep it. Should last you a while. In fact you don't even need to get the mission, you can just follow the road from where you fought the bandits into the cave (it's guarded by a pseudodog, so take a shotgun)

[GolemsVoice]

I can't do that, I'm too much of a nice person/completionist to leave that job unfinished, even moreso because it's a handcrafted quest instead of a "Hey, you know what I made up the moment you opened my door? Kill these boars there"-quest.

[warty goblin]

I can't do that, I'm too much of a nice person/completionist to leave that job unfinished, even moreso because it's a handcrafted quest instead of a "Hey, you know what I made up the moment you opened my door? Kill these boars there"-quest.

The real thing to remember is that even if you give the armor back, I don't think it matters what condition it's in. This means you can complete the quest and profit on the side by wearing the thing until it a bullet shredded ruin. Granted, the quest has a time limit, but you can still end up more or less getting paid twice.

[GolemsVoice]

I had my first run-in with a controler this day, and god, these... things are scary beyond belief. So, once I tried tu run from him, knowing that my already shaky aim would hit nothing. Shortly before I died I thought I saw myself, hanging from the ceiling Anybody else noticed this? On my first playthrough, I never had such sights. No matter, it really scared the hell out of me.

[SurlySeraph]

I haven't seen that. It might have been the zoom-out from your corpse that normally happens when you dies, with the altered perspective from the Controller's psionics blurring things enough for you to confuse the floor and ceiling.

Also, that reminds me. The AI in this game can be pretty impressive. I was playing yesterday, escaping one of the underground labs with all the Monolith soldiers coming in to block your way. I engaged one of them who was in an area with a bunch of pillars, popping in and out of cover. He appeared to be trying to get closer, so I focused on him, and he spent most of his time jumping in and out of cover instead of firing. Suddenly, a different soldier burst through the doorway in front of me and I heard loud assault rifle fire both from him and from behind me.

As I died and the camera zoomed out, it showed that there was one soldier right in front of me and another right behind me. One of them had been acting as a diversion so two others could get up to me, one from the front and one from behind, and both reached me at exactly the same time. I don't know many human players who can coordinate that well.

[chiasaur11]

I haven't seen that. It might have been the zoom-out from your corpse that normally happens when you dies, with the altered perspective from the Controller's psionics blurring things enough for you to confuse the floor and ceiling.

Also, that reminds me. The AI in this game can be pretty impressive. I was playing yesterday, escaping one of the underground labs with all the Monolith soldiers coming in to block your way. I engaged one of them who was in an area with a bunch of pillars, popping in and out of cover. He appeared to be trying to get closer, so I focused on him, and he spent most of his time jumping in and out of cover instead of firing. Suddenly, a different soldier burst through the doorway in front of me and I heard loud assault rifle fire both from him and from behind me.

As I died and the camera zoomed out, it showed that there was one soldier right in front of me and another right behind me. One of them had been acting as a diversion so two others could get up to me, one from the front and one from behind, and both reached me at exactly the same time. I don't know many human players who can coordinate that well.

Could have been (I'll go as far as almost definitely was) the AI being brilliant, but there still is the possibility of assuming a less impressive tactic was better than it was. People assume a lot of cleverness out of, say, animals that ain't there, and I've caught myself doing the same thing a couple of times with old games.

In the likely event the AI was that smart: Wow. Awesome.

[Rettu Skcollob]

I like how the AI can think you're in a different place to where you really are. After a fight's started I've managed to hide behind stuff or flank enemies because they advance on a position where they think I am, while I take them out.

[warty goblin]

Could have been (I'll go as far as almost definitely was) the AI being brilliant, but there still is the possibility of assuming a less impressive tactic was better than it was. People assume a lot of cleverness out of, say, animals that ain't there, and I've caught myself doing the same thing a couple of times with old games.

In the likely event the AI was that smart: Wow. Awesome.

I don't know whether the human enemies in STALKER coordinate their movements like that, but it actually wouldn't surprise me all that much if they did. From the behavior of the mutant dogs and rat things, I strongly suspect that the game has at least some form of group level AI, so it's not that much of a reach to believe they extended it to humans as well.

What I do know for sure is that the human AI moves around a lot during a firefight, and generally has very good, albeit reasonable, situational awareness. I have vivid memories of one firefight I had around an abandoned farmhouse and outbuildings in a small valley. There were three bandits in the area, two of which I quickly killed, but in doing so I lost sight of the third. The farmhouse had a fully modeled interior, and so I ended up playing this amazingly intense game of cat and mouse with the bandit around and through the place as night was falling.

He'd go one way, I'd go the other, or cut through the house, and we'd end up almost getting a killshot in, but either one of us would miss, or I'd hold fire, not wanting to give my position away. He actually managed to kill me once or twice before I finally snuck through the bedroom and put a few rounds in his head as he stood on the porch, apparently waiting for me to come around the corner. I bet we circled that place two or three times, and half of that I had no notion where he had gotten.

Without a doubt the best firefight I've ever had against a single enemy in a game. And he was a perfectly ordinary bandit, with normal gear in a run of the mill bit of the landscape no less. But because he moved around, it became a really memorable fight.

[GolemsVoice]

Yeah, most enemies eschew the "he's clearly hiding around that corner, let's run clueless into his fire" tactic that works so well in many other FPS. Ok, granted, they eventually will come around the corner, but god, they are fast on the trigger.
They also "know" about the area in which the fight happens, and can very effectively seek cover and, in a building for example, come in through other doors. They are quite bright, as video games go. Shame I don't speak Russian.

[shadow_archmagi]

There is no sound I hate more than the sound of a shotgun coming from just behind and to the left of me. That's where they hide. One bandit inside the building, firing, and then one sitting in the corner.

:-/



Oh hey, if you liked STALKER, maybe you'll find these comics awesome!


http://i27.tinypic.com/2vi2tj5.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/2qsyrlt.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/209llar.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/2roi3ux.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/mltd2f.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/2egctqb.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/2ppyq2f.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/20p1u7c.jpg

[Rettu Skcollob]

There is no sound I hate more than the sound of a shotgun coming from just behind and to the left of me. That's where they hide. One bandit inside the building, firing, and then one sitting in the corner.

:-/



Oh hey, if you liked STALKER, maybe you'll find these comics awesome!


http://i27.tinypic.com/2vi2tj5.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/2qsyrlt.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/209llar.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/2roi3ux.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/mltd2f.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/2egctqb.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/2ppyq2f.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/20p1u7c.jpg


Damn, those are awesome. Are there any more?

[shadow_archmagi]

Damn, those are awesome. Are there any more?

I'm glad you asked


http://i28.tinypic.com/13zyj9u.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/14jnm94.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/3wwva.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/mii8u1.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/33jtfux.jpg











EDIT: Oops that's the first one again.

My bad. Uplaoding new one now

EDIT2: Should be all better

[GolemsVoice]

More! I must have MORE! Those are fantastic! I guess they are translated from Russian, as STALKER and it's universe are immensely popular over there. I think they even own a world record for the most novels puplished for a game, 21, if I remember correctly. The developers also meet with their fans to have regular LARPS somewhere out in the Russian wilderness, I've heard. Man, those guys... If only I could speak Russian... :smallmad:

[Rettu Skcollob]

More! I must have MORE! Those are fantastic! I guess they are translated from Russian, as STALKER and it's universe are immensely popular over there. I think they even own a world record for the most novels puplished for a game, 21, if I remember correctly. The developers also meet with their fans to have regular LARPS somewhere out in the Russian wilderness, I've heard. Man, those guys... If only I could speak Russian... :smallmad:

Seriously? I would LOVE to read some novels set in the Zone. I wonder if any are translated?

[GolemsVoice]

(German) Wikipedia lists six works translated into German. It doesn't say if they are any good, however, and the English site doesn't mention any, but I bet if they have been translated to German, English shouldn't be the problem. But maybe it is more popular in Europe, since Stalker is a Eastern European thing.

EDIT: The novels seem to be German originals, not translations from Russian, and as far as I can see, no English literature exists. Most websites judge the novels quite good, even one website that seeminlgy didn't know about the game they are based on. Amazon has them, at least, German Amazon, so, unless you're willing to learn or already know German, I fear you're out of luck. I'm going to get them, I think!

[Flickerdart]

Seriously? I would LOVE to read some novels set in the Zone. I wonder if any are translated?
*snort*
Roadside Picnic. Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, 1972. Written years before the Chernobyl incident. Later loosely adapted into a movie (Stalker, 1979). The new books are hack. This one is incredible.

[warty goblin]

There is no sound I hate more than the sound of a shotgun coming from just behind and to the left of me. That's where they hide. One bandit inside the building, firing, and then one sitting in the corner.

:-/



Oh hey, if you liked STALKER, maybe you'll find these comics awesome!


http://i27.tinypic.com/2vi2tj5.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/2qsyrlt.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/209llar.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/2roi3ux.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/mltd2f.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/2egctqb.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/2ppyq2f.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/20p1u7c.jpg


Those comics are indeed awesome.

Yeah, really the only game I've played with AI that is as effective as STALKER's is ArmA, and a lot of that comes less from their brilliant tactics and more from their ability to hit a moving target with an AK-47 at 200 meters coupled with the game's strict 'you get shot, bad things happen permanently' policy.

Also random question. Does anybody know if there are scopes available for the 9x45mm special forces guns? I really like the 9x45's armor piercing and stopping power, but without a scope I'm afraid of being consistantly outranged, or having to fall back on my sniper rifle, wasting valuable ammo for fairly short range shots.

[shadow_archmagi]

Those comics are indeed awesome.

Also random question. Does anybody know if there are scopes available for the 9x45mm special forces guns? I really like the 9x45's armor piercing and stopping power, but without a scope I'm afraid of being consistantly outranged, or having to fall back on my sniper rifle, wasting valuable ammo for fairly short range shots.

I'm not sure; can you give me a bit more info? I havn't the foggiest idea which gun you mean and a google search for

9x45 stalker

Turns up only this thread. I'm pretty sure there are at least four different kinds of scopes that each attach to different kinds of rifles, so probably. Scopes are good.

[warty goblin]

I'm not sure; can you give me a bit more info? I havn't the foggiest idea which gun you mean and a google search for

9x45 stalker

Turns up only this thread. I'm pretty sure there are at least four different kinds of scopes that each attach to different kinds of rifles, so probably. Scopes are good.

Probably because I got the caliber wrong. It's 9x39mm, and is used by the Tundar assault rifle with integrated grenade launcher, the silenced sniper rifle, and a couple of others. Even though it's a bit of a pain at longer ranges due to its lower velocity, some of the more expensive ammo in that caliber is very effective. But with only iron sights, it simply is less effective than the M16 knockoff with the ACOG scope thingy, or the G3, which is absolutely insanely good, although apparently unable to mount a grenade launcher.

[Rettu Skcollob]

It sounds like you're using the assault rifle version, which trades the scope for a larger magazine (20 bullets, right?) You're looking for the Vintar BC, which is IMO the best gun in game, as I discussed earlier. If you've gotten to the military warehouses, after completing one of the story missions the Barkeep mentions the leader of Duty has a job for you. He'll tell you to go get a grenade launcher Freedom lost, but if you ask him for a job he'll tell you to get some sort of modified rifle from a mercenary camp. Do that and hand it in to get one in perfect condition. (For maximum profit, also take the mission from Freedom (I think) to wipe out the merc camp.)


*snort*
Roadside Picnic. Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, 1972. Written years before the Chernobyl incident. Later loosely adapted into a movie (Stalker, 1979). The new books are hack. This one is incredible.

I'd actually found out about that after wiki'ing STALKER before I went to bed last night, and my roommate says that Stalker and The Sacrifice are both by Andrei Tartovski (sp?) and are two of his favourite films, so I'll look in to getting them, and the book from next time I go to the library.

[warty goblin]

It sounds like you're using the assault rifle version, which trades the scope for a larger magazine (20 bullets, right?) You're looking for the Vintar BC, which is IMO the best gun in game, as I discussed earlier. If you've gotten to the military warehouses, after completing one of the story missions the Barkeep mentions the leader of Duty has a job for you. He'll tell you to go get a grenade launcher Freedom lost, but if you ask him for a job he'll tell you to get some sort of modified rifle from a mercenary camp. Do that and hand it in to get one in perfect condition. (For maximum profit, also take the mission from Freedom (I think) to wipe out the merc camp.)


Can't do the Freedom mission, since I stormed their base and shot everybody in there to death in the face in a truly wonderfully large battle. Once I get out of the hellhole with the Brain Scorcher in it I'll be sure to do that job though. Of course that is made difficult by the completely disintegrated state of my body armor, and the hordes of exoskeleton wearing SOBS between me and the exit.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Can't do the Freedom mission, since I stormed their base and shot everybody in there to death in the face in a truly wonderfully large battle. Once I get out of the hellhole with the Brain Scorcher in it I'll be sure to do that job though. Of course that is made difficult by the completely disintegrated state of my body armor, and the hordes of exoskeleton wearing SOBS between me and the exit.

I usually play a more profiteering Sanjuro to both factions myself, since the first mission from Freedom and any other subsequent butchering of Duty members outside of the Bar doesn't negatively impact your relations with them. If you haven't already, buy a SEVA suit, also IMO the best armour in game.

[GolemsVoice]

I was partly relieved and partly dissapointet that even the stalker suit you get for bringing the information from the Agroprom Institue makes you almost immune to small arms fire, to the extend that you can more or less walk up to bandits and shotgun them in the face. Anything bigger than a pistol however... ouch. By the way, how long do bodies stay? I made a heap of all the dead Agroprom soldiers, but forgot to make a shot. But then, I only left them for the remaining military to find. The Zone has a new horror!

[Rettu Skcollob]

I'm fairly sure they stay indefinitely, unless dogs take the bodies away to eat. (Animal behaviour is calculated regardless as to whether or not you're there, which is cool) And the problem is I'd say that you're playing the game on a too easy difficulty. :P What are you playing it on, by the way? I can't do it on anything less than Stalker, preferably Master, it just feels like cheating and takes away the atmosphere. Sidearms are fairly underpowered in Stalker, since swapping to it isn't faster than reloading your longarm by any significant amount and they're inaccurate and weak enough that it wouldn't be worth it anyway. The only time they might be useful is if you're going up a ladder, since you can't use longarms while doing that. (although amusingly you still use both hands as you take out the pistol.)

[warty goblin]

I don't think it's quite indefinite, but it certainly is a long time. Every time I go through the Garbage there's a bandit ambush at the big warehouse. There's always a pile of bodies there, but it's nowhere near as huge as it should be given how many bandits I know I've taken down in that area. Dogs are possible, but I haven't seen any around there.

[Flickerdart]

I'd actually found out about that after wiki'ing STALKER before I went to bed last night, and my roommate says that Stalker and The Sacrifice are both by Andrei Tartovski (sp?) and are two of his favourite films, so I'll look in to getting them, and the book from next time I go to the library.
Tarkovsky. The film has very little to do with the novel, though. It's got artistic merit, but can get a bit confusing. The Stalker in it is considerably smarter than the novel or the game's versions: he ties long strips of white cloth to his bolts, makes 'em easier to follow.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Tarkovsky. The film has very little to do with the novel, though. It's got artistic merit, but can get a bit confusing. The Stalker in it is considerably smarter than the novel or the game's versions: he ties long strips of white cloth to his bolts, makes 'em easier to follow.

GENIUS

Otherwise, yeah, they sound really fascinating. Also; has anyone else had the idea that an RPG set in the Zone would be bloody awesome? I think I read there's a Finnish one, but no official English version. :C

[Archonic Energy]

GENIUS

Otherwise, yeah, they sound really fascinating. Also; has anyone else had the idea that an RPG set in the Zone would be bloody awesome? I think I read there's a Finnish one, but no official English version. :C

what makes you think SALKER isn't an RPG?
armour/weapons with stats.
magical healing "things"
NPCs who give you quests

sound's pretty RPG to me, all it's missing is a party & a leveling system.

[Rettu Skcollob]

what makes you think SALKER isn't an RPG?
armour/weapons with stats.
magical healing "things"
NPCs who give you quests

sound's pretty RPG to me, all it's missing is a party & a leveling system.

I should've been more specific, I mean a table-top RPG, a la D&D.

[Archonic Energy]

I should've been more specific, I mean a table-top RPG, a la D&D.

fair enough then...

Session starts starts
Player 1: i take 1 step forward
DM: Roll a D20
Player 1: erm, i got a 1
DM: you stood in an anomoly, you're dead. start a new character.
Player 1: that's the 5th guy i've lost this month! :smallfrown:

[GolemsVoice]

I believe I hace seen one, once. Fan made, but English, somewhere on /tg/. The quality may vary, maybe you'll find it.

[Flickerdart]

I think there was development of a Fallout 3 mod that takes place in Moscow, but I'm not sure what ended up happening with that. That's...sort of closer.

The Zone of Alienation as-is isn't that exciting in a game, and once you add monsters and people it's not the Zone anymore. If someone could adapt the original Zone from Roadside Picnic though, that would be awesome. No people, no monsters, not even birds. Everything is made up of anomalies and artifacts, which will kill you in new and exciting ways (sometimes hours after the fact). Oh, and it does have undead, but there's a twist.

Running a Zone campaign for D&D would be fun, though. Get that Trapfinding on, and don't stop taking 20 for Search ever.

[GolemsVoice]

Definitely not D&D, any system would be better suited.

DM: "Your stalker hasn't been careful. While running after the guy who stole your loot, you run into an anomaly. You take 30 damage."
Player: "Oh noes, only 70 left. Ouchy ouchy ouchy!" :smallwink:

But, seriously, what have you got against the STALKER-Zone? By this I mean with mutants, secret labs and the whole stalking business going on? It makes for a very good video-game, why not a tabletop RPG?

[SurlySeraph]

I should've been more specific, I mean a table-top RPG, a la D&D.


I believe I hace seen one, once. Fan made, but English, somewhere on /tg/. The quality may vary, maybe you'll find it.

I have this downloaded, and can email it to you if you want. It's not great (needs rules for the DCs of tasks other than shooting things), but it's pretty true to the game. Twilight 2013 or a heavily houseruled d20 Modern might work better, though they'd be more complicated to work out.

If I had more free time I'd love to run or play a STALKER campaign. Unfortunately, my second round of midterms is about to start.

[SurlySeraph]

Actually, I'll just put it on Rapidshare. This is a fan-made tabletop RPG of STALKER, produced by the Traditional Games board of 4chan. It's a simple, functional, and pretty loyal reproduction of the game. You'll need to do a bit of houseruling to manage tasks other than treating injuries and fighting never mind, you use the d20 Modern rules for them, which are in the d20 Modern SRD (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd).

Rules (http://rapidshare.com/files/302071040/stalkerrpgrulesv9.doc.html)
Weapon statistics (http://rapidshare.com/files/302071041/woponszims.xls.html)
Blank character sheet (http://rapidshare.com/files/302071042/Blank_Character_Sheet.doc.html).

Each can be downloaded up to 10 times, so if a lot of people want this just post here to note that it stopped downloading and I'll re-upload it.

EDIT: I somehow didn't realize this before, but you use the d20 Modern rules as a base and these as houserules altering it. So that's why character creation and the DCs for different things seem incomplete.

[Flickerdart]

But, seriously, what have you got against the STALKER-Zone? By this I mean with mutants, secret labs and the whole stalking business going on? It makes for a very good video-game, why not a tabletop RPG?
Against the game's Zone? Nothing. But it's a different sort of appeal than the Zone of Alienation, which would never shock anyone in a game, really. And I also like being elitist about my obscure novels. :smallbiggrin:

[Rettu Skcollob]

Actually, I'll just put it on Rapidshare. This is a fan-made tabletop RPG of STALKER, produced by the Traditional Games board of 4chan. It's a simple, functional, and pretty loyal reproduction of the game. You'll need to do a bit of houseruling to manage tasks other than treating injuries and fighting, but the setting is one that definitely lends itself to creativity and DM improvisation anyway.

Rules (http://rapidshare.com/files/302071040/stalkerrpgrulesv9.doc.html)
Weapon statistics (http://rapidshare.com/files/302071041/woponszims.xls.html)
Blank character sheet (http://rapidshare.com/files/302071042/Blank_Character_Sheet.doc.html).

Each can be downloaded up to 10 times, so if a lot of people want this just post here to note that it stopped downloading and I'll re-upload it.

EDIT: I somehow didn't realize this before, but you use the d20 Modern rules as a base and these as houserules altering it. So that's why character creation and the DCs for different things seem incomplete.

DO WANT

Downloadan now, immeasurable thanks, this is awesome.

[GolemsVoice]

I'm going to get Call of CthulhuPrypjat tomorrow, Special Edition. I'll let you know if it's any good, but according to what I've read, it's the best Stalker so far.

[Rettu Skcollob]

I'm going to get Call of CthulhuPrypjat tomorrow, Special Edition. I'll let you know if it's any good, but according to what I've read, it's the best Stalker so far.

Ooh, do so, please. I don't think it's out here yet, but I've heard it has a lot of cool new things like repairable weapons and the need to sleep.

[SurlySeraph]

I just read a review of Call of Pripyat (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=986550) that was quite glowing. Sounds like the developers really listened to the community and put what everyone wanted in. You need to sleep and eat, and you can get your equipment repaired and upgraded. It sounds like the atmosphere and gameplay are excellent but the plot is weak. I loved Clear Sky's gameplay improvements (except for removing eating), but it annoyed me that Clear Sky had less atmosphere than the original. Characters virtually never referred to the world outside the zone, no helicopters flying around, etc. Apparently that's back, and stalkers now actually loot bodies and hunt for artifacts. One of the things I love about STALKER is that it gives you such a sense of a living world, and it looks like that'll be even more true in Call of Pripyat. And the best news? It's almost entirely bug-free.

EDIT: And here's another, shorter one. (http://forums.bf2s.com/viewtopic.php?id=131034) Note that there are more screenshots after a few of the comments. Healing takes time to go into effect, so you can't just tap the medkit key over and over while getting machine gunned. That means (at least for me) that you're going to die a lot more, but it's more realistic so I'm good with it. Areas are bigger and less densely populated, and the mutant-to-human ratio is higher, which I'm glad about. I always wondered how the feral dogs always managed to come back in the Cordon when there were so many people around killing them all the time.

EDIT: One of the comments:
So I've been playing some more with the first proper translations and it just gets better. There are no more tasks of "go to X, kill dude, run back here." Now they're all "so yeah some stalkers have disappeared and I thínk it's because of bloodsuckers why dont you go have a look oh look at that yes it is well we need to find their nest I think I know a guy who can help you oh Hi stalker yeah I know where it is come with me" and then you end up fighting a bunch of the improved bloodsuckers lurking around their lair before actually having to sneak through a corridor full of sleeping bloodsuckers without waking them up.

Then you go back to the guy you got the mission from to discuss how to deal with the bloodsuckers, and he decides you should find some poison gas left behind by the military on an anomaly-ridden bridge and **** this mission just keeps going while staying the same amount of awesome.

[warty goblin]

I just read a review of Call of Pripyat (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=986550) that was quite glowing. Sounds like the developers really listened to the community and put what everyone wanted in. You need to sleep and eat, and you can get your equipment repaired and upgraded. It sounds like the atmosphere and gameplay are excellent but the plot is weak. I loved Clear Sky's gameplay improvements (except for removing eating), but it annoyed me that Clear Sky had less atmosphere than the original. Characters virtually never referred to the world outside the zone, no helicopters flying around, etc. Apparently that's back, and stalkers now actually loot bodies and hunt for artifacts. One of the things I love about STALKER is that it gives you such a sense of a living world, and it looks like that'll be even more true in Call of Pripyat. And the best news? It's almost entirely bug-free.

EDIT: And here's another, shorter one. (http://forums.bf2s.com/viewtopic.php?id=131034) Note that there are more screenshots after a few of the comments. Healing takes time to go into effect, so you can't just tap the medkit key over and over while getting machine gunned. That means (at least for me) that you're going to die a lot more, but it's more realistic so I'm good with it. Areas are bigger and less densely populated, and the mutant-to-human ratio is higher, which I'm glad about. I always wondered how the feral dogs always managed to come back in the Cordon when there were so many people around killing them all the time.

EDIT: One of the comments:

Both of those previews/reviews are utterly drool inducing. Sounds like Call of Pripyat is set to be absolutely wonderful. I'm still not entirely sure about the smaller number of zones, as I loved how unique some of the areas in STALKER were, but if they are enough larger, I suppose it could work out. Also being able to get directly from any one zone to any other zone sounds nice, running through Garbage all the time is a bit annoying.

Also I went to play some STALKER last night only to discover that somehow or another the executable that launches the game had disappeared. I blame my malignancy of a college-imposed anti-virus since I know damn well I didn't do it. May their offices be haunted by bloodsuckers!

[Flickerdart]

When is it coming out in English? I could always try and get my hands on the non-localized copy for you guys. I'd do an LP if I wasn't struggling to update my M&B one at any decent frequency.

[SurlySeraph]

Unclear. Within the first quarter of 2010 is all that's been announced.

[GolemsVoice]

Woah! That's actually the first time I've seen a game coming out in Germany earlier than in the USA. But I didn't get it yet, as the Special Edition (containing EXTRA RADIATION!) hasn't arrived yet, and I've preordered it. The German magazine Gamestar gives it 85% and calls it "the best STALKER so far", which looks promising. I'll let you know how I fare.

[Archonic Energy]

(containing EXTRA RADIATION!)

Wait WHAAA?

is the disc radioactive?

[Flickerdart]

Unclear. Within the first quarter of 2010 is all that's been announced.
Hah, all right. I'll see if I can devote my winter break to some Stalkering for your amusement.

[warty goblin]

Hah, all right. I'll see if I can devote my winter break to some Stalkering for your amusement.

Everything good seems to be coming out Q1 next year. By spring I'll probably have fractured my index finger from clicking so much.

[GolemsVoice]

Slightly unrelated: why is the Zone called Zone of Alienation (I've heard Zone of Estrangement, too)? I mean, sure, the idea is that noone is supposed to live there, and that the land is no longer suitable for mankind, but they couldn't have chosen a more ominous name, could they? Well, save for Zone of DOOOOOOOM, or Pit of DESPAIR, or something like that. Why not Call it Zone of Exclusion, or Depopularized Area, etc..?
Sure, the name is probably pretty fitting for what hs become of the Zone, but it sound really depressing and strange.

[warty goblin]

I have heard Exclusion Zone as one translation. I'll bug my brother in law about it sometime, since he speaks Russian as to which he considers most accurate. Actually I should make him play STALKER sometime, just so he can tell me what all the Russian stuff means.

[Flickerdart]

The official name seems to be the Chernobyl NPP Zone of Estragement (Зона відчуження Чорнобильської АЕС in the Ukranian, which I don't speak despite its similarities with Russian). Colloquially it's called the Chernobyl Zone or the Fourth Zone. I can't find the origins of the term Zone of Alienation.

I've found an online, translated version of Roadside Picnic, though. Catch (http://www.cca.org/cm/picnic.pdf) (PDF).

[GolemsVoice]

I'll get the copy sometimes, but I can'T stand reading novels on PC. At least I now have the movie, and I'm gonna watch it! I also thought about taking a tour of the Zone, as you can do in Real Life. It seems to be really moving, and shows the whole sadness and depressing loneliness of the Zone. Probably alsow explains the Alienation bit. Speaking of that, I really really like MooZe's background music, so haunting and brooding. Good for roleplaying sessions, if it fits the game. You can download them somewhere.


Despite police control, intruders often infiltrate the perimeter and remove polluted materials, from electronics to toilet seats Taken from Wikipedia, on the Zone. Real-life stalking is much less dramatic. :smallannoyed:

[Rettu Skcollob]

I've found an online, translated version of Roadside Picnic, though. Catch (http://www.cca.org/cm/picnic.pdf) (PDF).

http://i34.tinypic.com/xde5tt.jpg

[Flickerdart]

Real-life stalking is much less dramatic. :smallannoyed:
Back in the day, I can imagine it'd be pretty hardcore. Everyone waits around for years to get their hands on a crappy car, and you come swinging with a sweet motorbike that has the slight drawback of melting your balls off when you ride it. So you sell it, and go back.

[SurlySeraph]

Is it just me, or is the RPG-7 completely useless? I lugged one around for a large part of SoC on my most recent playthrough to shoot down the helicopters at the power plant at the end. After repeated tries, I managed to hit one. Boom! Its propellor caught fire and started belching smoke and I immediately heard panicky radio discussion in Russian. The helicopter started leaning to one side and... completely recovered. It flew around a bit, then came back over and shot me.

I reverted to my last save and managed to shoot the helicopter again, then saved so I could hit it with another. However, whenever I went back to the save I made after hitting the helicopter, it was no longer on fire and seemed completely fine. I have yet to manage hitting a helicopter with two rockets without having to revert to saved in between, but at this point I strongly suspect that nothing would happen.

So, is there ever any good reason to use the rocket launcher?

[warty goblin]

So, is there ever any good reason to use the rocket launcher?

That's more dedicated about the thing than I've ever been, but I really can't imagine a good reason to carry it. Evading helicopters isn't particularly hard, and you don't need to do it all that often, and against everything else short of maybe a pseodogiant an assault rifle with grenade launcher should be just as effective.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Is it just me, or is the RPG-7 completely useless? I lugged one around for a large part of SoC on my most recent playthrough to shoot down the helicopters at the power plant at the end. After repeated tries, I managed to hit one. Boom! Its propellor caught fire and started belching smoke and I immediately heard panicky radio discussion in Russian. The helicopter started leaning to one side and... completely recovered. It flew around a bit, then came back over and shot me.

I reverted to my last save and managed to shoot the helicopter again, then saved so I could hit it with another. However, whenever I went back to the save I made after hitting the helicopter, it was no longer on fire and seemed completely fine. I have yet to manage hitting a helicopter with two rockets without having to revert to saved in between, but at this point I strongly suspect that nothing would happen.

So, is there ever any good reason to use the rocket launcher?

There's only one time the rocket launcher would ever really be useful, and that's when you kill an enemy holding one, you can just run up, pick it up and use up any ammo remaining for it. Tactically it's useless, but it's fun as hell to have some guy pop out of cover and get him in the face with an RPG

[GolemsVoice]

So STALKER does have RPG-elements :smallbiggrin: But seriously, I never found that thing, so I really didn't care much.
Soo, I reinstalled Windows yesterday (it was about time), but had Stalker on my external HD. Now, whenever I tried starting it, it checks the CD for a small eternity, and then tells me that I don't have the original CD inserted (although autostart recognizes it and asks me if I want to install it). Does anyone know what to do about this one? I guess rewriting it in the registry would help.

[Flickerdart]

If it doesn't think it's installed, then reinstalling it should fix the problem handily. Fixing the registry is probably faster though, if you know what to change.

[GolemsVoice]

Problem is, I don't know. I was hoping one of you would. Reinstalling it is fine, of course, but I want to keep my savegames, do you know where they are kept?

[shadow_archmagi]

Problem is, I don't know. I was hoping one of you would. Reinstalling it is fine, of course, but I want to keep my savegames, do you know where they are kept?

I believe they're kept in Shared Documents

[GolemsVoice]

I'll look for them, I dimly remember an option to keep your savegames when deinstalling. I'll check as soon as I'm on my own PC again, thanks!

EDIT: Screw Shadows of Chernobyl, I've got Call of Pripyat! I could do a Let's Play on it, if you guys like?

[Rettu Skcollob]

Hey, look what I found:


http://i35.tinypic.com/2hebrrb.jpg


I'm going to be watching this later tonight, if anyone that hasn't seen it is interested, I'll tell you about it. From what my roommate tells me, it's a very Russian film, though. The narrative style and the way tension builds is completely different to western cinema, so I'm told.

[SurlySeraph]

I'll look for them, I dimly remember an option to keep your savegames when deinstalling. I'll check as soon as I'm on my own PC again, thanks!

EDIT: Screw Shadows of Chernobyl, I've got Call of Pripyat! I could do a Let's Play on it, if you guys like?

That would be awesome, Please go right ahead with it.

[Yora]

The narrative style and the way tension builds is completely different to western cinema, so I'm told.
French and skandinavian movies are also very different. So I guess rather different from american action cinema. :smallbiggrin:

Does anyone know if there's a Stalker d20 threat somewhere?

[Flickerdart]

EDIT: Screw Shadows of Chernobyl, I've got Call of Pripyat! I could do a Let's Play on it, if you guys like?
Dooooo eeeeet. Unlocalized, I presume? Do it in video!

[Rettu Skcollob]

Hey, look what I found:


http://i35.tinypic.com/2hebrrb.jpg


I'm going to be watching this later tonight, if anyone that hasn't seen it is interested, I'll tell you about it. From what my roommate tells me, it's a very Russian film, though. The narrative style and the way tension builds is completely different to western cinema, so I'm told.

Damn... Just got back from watching this. This film was intense, even for a Russian one. The way it builds up is just masterful, the cinematography is amazing and the acting is superb. The symbolism is at times subtle and vague, and at others is right in your face, yet it is omnipresent throughout the piece, and I feel as if I could watch it and rewatch it a thousand times and not cover a fraction of the possible interpretations.

[GolemsVoice]

Well, sadly I found no option to change the language, so I'll have to do it in German, and likely without video (for the beginning, maybe my video-fu evolves!) I'll start when I'm back at my PC. Oh, I'm looking forward to it, though I have never done this kind of thing before. Maybe I'll be able to capture the Russian friend of mine and lock him in my room, so that he will be able to divert all his attention to translating the Russian copy that I got from his money. Do you approve?

[Flickerdart]

I dunno, playing Stalker in a language you don't know seems like an entertaining enterprise. We won't hold it against you when you die repeatedly.

[GolemsVoice]

You mean, MORE often than I do. There's literaly NOTHING that isn't trying to kill you. Nothing! But I've got a gun....

[Flickerdart]

You mean, MORE often than I do. There's literaly NOTHING that isn't trying to kill you. Nothing! But I've got a gun....
The gun, is it also trying to kill you?

[GolemsVoice]

Passsively, of course. It's probably so full of radiation from lying in some radioactive ditch before I found it, it tends to fall apart in my hands, and it consumes ungodly amounts of amunition. And that's a GOOD weapon, I found it in a hiding place. It's better not to speak of what the rest of the zone carries. They seem to work fine AGAINS me, but as soon as I pick them up, they degrade before my very eyes. Or goggles. Since you can't go without a gasmask, yet it doesn't seem to protect you from anything, least of all gas.

[SurlySeraph]

There are fan translation packs for it online, but if you're willing to it might actually be funny to play it with no Russian except for what you can put into an online translator every so often. Maybe role-playing a [person from whichever country you're from] who decided to come to the Zone without planning or thinking things through at all.


French and skandinavian movies are also very different. So I guess rather different from american action cinema. :smallbiggrin:

Does anyone know if there's a Stalker d20 threat somewhere?


Actually, I'll just put it on Rapidshare. This is a fan-made tabletop RPG of STALKER, produced by the Traditional Games board of 4chan. It's a simple, functional, and pretty loyal reproduction of the game. You'll need to do a bit of houseruling to manage tasks other than treating injuries and fighting never mind, you use the d20 Modern rules for them, which are in the d20 Modern SRD (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd).

Rules (http://rapidshare.com/files/302071040/stalkerrpgrulesv9.doc.html)
Weapon statistics (http://rapidshare.com/files/302071041/woponszims.xls.html)
Blank character sheet (http://rapidshare.com/files/302071042/Blank_Character_Sheet.doc.html).

Each can be downloaded up to 10 times, so if a lot of people want this just post here to note that it stopped downloading and I'll re-upload it.

EDIT: I somehow didn't realize this before, but you use the d20 Modern rules as a base and these as houserules altering it. So that's why character creation and the DCs for different things seem incomplete.

Or did you mean discussion, instead of just rules?

[GolemsVoice]

No no, I'm fine with understanding what is being said. After all, I'm Major Dagtarev, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM honored member of the Ukrainian special forces. He should speak his own language, shouldn't he?

[SurlySeraph]

In that case, here's an English patch for it. (http://megauploadlist.blog.friendster.com/uncategorized/s-t-a-l-k-e-r-call-of-pripyat-english-patch.html)

[Flickerdart]

No no, I'm fine with understanding what is being said. After all, I'm Major Dagtarev, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM honored member of the Ukrainian special forces. He should speak his own language, shouldn't he?
Ukranians speak Ukranian. It is a very similar language, but the differences are immediately apparent. A Ukranian could reasonably have trouble speaking/understanding Russian.

[GolemsVoice]

Yeah, a friend of mine, who speaks Russian himself, told me that, too. I reckon it's kind of like Dutch and German. It's just that I wouldn't recognize the difference if it glowed in the dark. Or dragged me into a gravitational anomaly and swung me round. Or...

Anyway, I think I'm going to apply the English patch, both for you and for my sake. The German translation and synchronization isn't bad, but you won't have much from it.

[Yora]

I reckon it's kind of like Dutch and German. It's just that I wouldn't recognize the difference if it glowed in the dark.
IF you are neither Dutch nor German! :smallbiggrin:
The similarities are no greater then between Spanish and Italian.

[GolemsVoice]

I AM German, and I found that I can read Dutch instruction manuals just fine. Speaking it, however, or understanding someone speaking it, no chance.

[shadow_archmagi]

I AM German, and I found that I can read Dutch instruction manuals just fine. Speaking it, however, or understanding someone speaking it, no chance.

I'm just waiting for someone to post

"And as an American, I can read british instruction manuals just fine, but understanding one? No chance."

[Jahkaivah]

And as a British person, I can read american instruction manuals just fine, but understanding one? No chance.

[Yora]

In Germany, most people can understand americans just fine. But people from england?
"English English" indeed. :smallbiggrin:

[GolemsVoice]

I once had the pleasure to talk to a drunken man claiming to be from New York. Every SECOND word began with an f, and ended with a sound that rhymes with clucking.

And now to contribute something: When i#ll start my LP (soon, guys, soon) I'd like to take the game I ahve begun, would you mind? Nothing world shattering has happened, I just did a few quests and shot some people. And got shot, as it happens.

[SurlySeraph]

Eh, I'd prefer beginning at the beginning but it's no problem if you don't.

@V: Go for it, stalker. :smallwink:

[GolemsVoice]

Yeah, I really can't stand doing things I already did. I will, if you decide to let me have my way, explain what I've already done, and make it as exciting as it is possible to me. You'll give me a glowing review. You'kll radiate happines. It will be anormal. You see?

Ze madness has begun! Check it out under Reactorside Picnic!