S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

DaedalusMkV

2011-06-22, 12:59 AM

I just got around to installing S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and am about to boot it up. Advice? How often will I be screaming like a little girl? Best stories?

Advice: Make sure to adjust your difficulty on starting the game, since the game sometimes decides to default to Master Stalker difficulty, resulting in battles that are nigh unwinnable for quite a while, especially for new players. Ditch your Makharov as soon as you find a better gun (not the Sawn-off or the AK74u, both of which have some terrible flaws, but any other gun you find), and always carry the best assault rifle you can get your hands on and at least 5 clips of ammunition for it.

You'll probably jump a few times, but unless you're really wimpy there are only 3-4 really scary sections to the game, all of them except one underground.

Finally, get Stalker Complete 2009. By far the best mod for the game, and undeniably superior to the vanilla game without losing much of anything.

warty goblin

2011-06-22, 08:26 AM

The Makharov uses the sidearm slot, so there's no reason to replace it with the sawn-off or AK-74U, both of which sit in the longarm slot. And it's far more important to find a reasonably OK longarm than a better pistol. The sawn-off shotty isn't actually that bad a choice for the very early game; if nothing else you can usually get ammo for the thing and in my experience until you get through to the Bar, assault rifle ammo can be a bit hard to come by.

Always carry medical supplies; a lot of bandages, as many healthpacks as possible, and at least one dose of anti-radiation medicine. Should you run out of bandages your number one priority should be resupplying them. Also make sure to carry some food as STALKER does have a hunger system.

Remember you often don't have to fight wildlife. STALKER isn't an RPG, there's little or no reward for killing stuff and some of the creatures you meet won't attack you unless you invade their territory. If you can, do so, as killing a pack of blind dogs will just burn through your ammo and healing gear.

Oftentimes you will meet creatures you cannot even name. This is perfectly normal, and part of what makes the game awesome.

Headshots are your friend, they'll drop any human with one bullet. The better-armed stalkers later in the game can otherwise take a disgusting amount of punishment.

Cristo Meyers

2011-06-22, 09:37 AM

Finally, get Stalker Complete 2009. By far the best mod for the game, and undeniably superior to the vanilla game without losing much of anything.

Well, it does have one major flaw: putting in those super-mobs of critters from all different species. Just goes against the grain of the game in just about every way.

My advice: get used to dying. This game is brutal, even on easier difficulties. Learn where the bandage and medkit quickkeys are, you're going to use them a lot.

There's no need to worry about replacing your first pistol, really. You get the sidearm slot and the longarm slot and odds are you'll be using longarms far more often than pistols (remember: a rifle is what you fight with, a pistol is what you use to get back to your rifle).

Shotguns aren't exceptionally worth the effort. Good for saving rifle ammo against critters, but not much else.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-22, 10:13 AM

Well, it does have one major flaw: putting in those super-mobs of critters from all different species. Just goes against the grain of the game in just about every way.

Not sure what you mean by that. Are you referring to putting in more critters (IE: mob in the sense of a group?) or the occasional extremely tough enemy? Because I'm about halfway through and I haven't noticed either.

Shotguns aren't exceptionally worth the effort. Good for saving rifle ammo against critters, but not much else.

Well, they're usually not MUCH effort, and they can be really effective. Particularly against big critters; for things like bloodsuckers, where you're going to need to put a huge pile of bullets into a face in just a few seconds, they're a great thing to have handy.

@OP: Install Stalker Complete, definitely. It really shouldn't even be called a mod so much as a patch, because it does the sorts of things patches do. Fixes some of the weirdness in the AI, improves the graphics, and so on.

@OP: Play only on the highest difficulty. It's what STALKER was designed to be played on. It really isn't even that hard of a game, once you get the knack of the different fighting style required. In Halo, you charge in with an SMG and then punch the bad guys. In something like Codblops, you take position behind cover and machinegun the bad guys. In STALKER, you put one bullet into one head and then hide behind a tree.

warty goblin

2011-06-22, 10:28 AM

My advice: get used to dying. This game is brutal, even on easier difficulties. Learn where the bandage and medkit quickkeys are, you're going to use them a lot.

Particularly get used to dying in the beginning of the game. Bullets are rather deadly in STALKER, and unlike most modern 'tactical' shooters, unless you bandage yourself you stay hurt. In fact not infrequently you'll bleed out without some first aid - think of it as karmic retribution for all those regenerating health games.

So yes, learn where the bandage and medkit keys are. Also learn where the quicksave and quickload keys are, because they will be your very best of friends.

There's no need to worry about replacing your first pistol, really. You get the sidearm slot and the longarm slot and odds are you'll be using longarms far more often than pistols (remember: a rifle is what you fight with, a pistol is what you use to get back to your rifle).
Generally I like to replace my starting pistol with either the silenced one or, as soon as feasible, with one of the .45s. What you're looking for in the sidearm department is something you use to pull out and kill whatever ugly sucker is in your face right now. Given what lives in the Zone some serious artillery is what you want here.

Shotguns aren't exceptionally worth the effort. Good for saving rifle ammo against critters, but not much else.
Shotties can be handy in the underground sections, but in the open are usually a bad idea. Most humans you'll fight will be packing assault rifles, with which they will kill you from outside your effective engagement range. Since you've got to get to the underground parts by traveling above ground, generally I find shotguns to not be worth the weight. I'd rather have the extra rifle ammo I could pack instead.

It's definitely worth picking up the sawn-off shotguns in the very beginning, since they aren't that much shorter range than the pistol and have a hell of a lot more stopping power. Once you have access to some nice selective fire rifles however they're pretty pointless.

Etcetera

2011-06-22, 12:36 PM

There's a whole lotta loot to be found lying around in the first game if you know where to look: for instance, you can get a decent bulletproof suit in the starting village. Don't equip artifacts until you have one that removes radiation.

Turn the lights off and the sound up.

If you hear a growl, panic, and spin round in circles trying to locate it.

I find the Zone Survival Guide (http://zsg.dk/) very useful, a whole lot of work has gone into it. Also, I agree with suggestions that you pick up Stalker Complete 2009, in my opinion it makes the game less irritating without compromising atmosphere.

warty goblin

2011-06-22, 12:55 PM

I find the Zone Survival Guide (http://zsg.dk/) very useful, a whole lot of work has gone into it. Also, I agree with suggestions that you pick up Stalker Complete 2009, in my opinion it makes the game less irritating without compromising atmosphere.
I would absolutely avoid reading up on the game before playing it. One thing that STALKER does better than most other games is giving the player a real sense of exploration, adventure, and mindnumbing terror. Key to it's execution is the way it builds your knowledge of the Zone as you play it, which is to say slowly, painfully, and pretty much always in-world. There aren't names over creatures' heads or little pop-up windows telling you how to avoid something because it goes pretty directly against the atmosphere the game is trying to create. I think going through exhaustive FAQs beforehand would be just as damaging to the experience.

The sense of discovery in the game is marvelous. Learn about the Zone the way you were supposed to, by experiencing it blind.

Cristo Meyers

2011-06-22, 12:59 PM

Not sure what you mean by that. Are you referring to putting in more critters (IE: mob in the sense of a group?) or the occasional extremely tough enemy? Because I'm about halfway through and I haven't noticed either.

Mayhap it's just me, but just about any time I go to the Wild Territory after installing Complete I get attacked by a giant mob of bloodsuckers, pseudodogs, those mutant rats, and a couple of snorks for good measure.

Generally I like to replace my starting pistol with either the silenced one or, as soon as feasible, with one of the .45s. What you're looking for in the sidearm department is something you use to pull out and kill whatever ugly sucker is in your face right now. Given what lives in the Zone some serious artillery is what you want here.

I usually go for either the USP Compact expy or the Sig Sauer expy. The USP is particularly easy to get ahold of, seems just about everyone has one in the later game. Some folks swear by the Black Kite/Desert Eagle, but I can't stand the thing.

It's definitely worth picking up the sawn-off shotguns in the very beginning, since they aren't that much shorter range than the pistol and have a hell of a lot more stopping power. Once you have access to some nice selective fire rifles however they're pretty pointless.

I just usually took my chances and took on the military camping under the tracks after taking out the tutorial bandit camp. With a bit of maneuvering you can end up with an improved sidearm and AK SMG in one go. The only problem is lacking a steady supply of ammo for the AK.

deuxhero

2011-06-22, 01:01 PM

Install the complete mod (and realistic firearms add on for that if you want) before going further. It fixs a lot of bugs, but requires a new game.

I'm not sure if Complete changes it, but in the starting town one of the attics has a good suit of armor.

For the pistol, I prefer the silenced one (You aren't going to be using a pistol for any other purpose once you have a decent long arm), possibly changing to one with an added silencer once you get the possibility, which can easily be obtained in a trailer down the road from the starting village (its in a box, break it with your knife).

Etcetera

2011-06-22, 01:04 PM

I just usually took my chances and took on the military camping under the tracks after taking out the tutorial bandit camp. With a bit of maneuvering you can end up with an improved sidearm and AK SMG in one go. The only problem is lacking a steady supply of ammo for the AK.

Once you get to Agroprom you should be able to get a decent supply of 5.45, and, failing that, the bandits in the vehicle depot in Cordon will start respawning with AKM-74/2Us that you can kill for ammo.

Also, the AKM has absolutely atrocious range.

I'm not sure if Complete changes it, but in the starting town one of the attics has a good suit of armor.

Nah, there's still a Merc suit up there. Nice avatar, by the way.

I would absolutely avoid reading up on the game before playing it. One thing that STALKER does better than most other games is giving the player a real sense of exploration, adventure, and mindnumbing terror. Key to it's execution is the way it builds your knowledge of the Zone as you play it, which is to say slowly, painfully, and pretty much always in-world. There aren't names over creatures' heads or little pop-up windows telling you how to avoid something because it goes pretty directly against the atmosphere the game is trying to create. I think going through exhaustive FAQs beforehand would be just as damaging to the experience.

The sense of discovery in the game is marvelous. Learn about the Zone the way you were supposed to, by experiencing it blind.

Fair enough, I found it to be absolutely terrifying all the same, but I supposed it'd ruin the immersion, which STALKER does very well, as you said.

stainboy

2011-06-22, 01:21 PM

My advice: get used to dying. This game is brutal, even on easier difficulties. Learn where the bandage and medkit quickkeys are, you're going to use them a lot.

This is key. STALKER gets honestly unfair-hard toward the end when you have to fight enemies with assault rifles in close quarters. If you're like me and you usually crank the difficulty up to the highest thing you can stand, I'd still play STALKER on normal.

Resist the urge to install a fast travel mod. Hoofing it across Rostok or the Garbage is the best part of the game.

Grif

2011-06-22, 01:51 PM

Huh, good advice to be had all around. Maybe I'll actually start playing the game instead of dying horribly to some unknown lighting thing on the ground.

OH GOD THAT RADIATION!

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-22, 02:21 PM

Don't equip artifacts until you have one that removes radiation.

Clarification: Don't use radiation-causing artifacts without a counter-radiation artifact. For instance, some artifacts will give 5 radiation per second, but make you slightly more bulletproof. These are great, but only if you have an artifact that REMOVES at least 5 radiation per second. Otherwise, you'll just become irriadiated. Note also that carrying a radiation artifact in your backpack is fine; it's only equipping it that causes the effects.

If you're like me and you usually crank the difficulty up to the highest thing you can stand, I'd still play STALKER on normal.

Resist the urge to install a fast travel mod. Hoofing it across Rostok or the Garbage is the best part of the game.

I have to disagree. STALKER is totally winnable even on the highest difficulty if you're well prepared, and it was designed to be played on that difficulty.

massive mob of mutants in Wild Territory

That's probably not normal. I mean, I've encountered all of those things in that area, but never attacking as a group. Generally I run into the mercs, kill them, see a couple snorks, toss a grenade their way, mosey on into the bloodsucker, scream like a girl, fire wildly, run into some more mercs, they kill the bloodsucker...

I think you just had weird luck. Look on the brightside: You might be able to harvest some limbs, complete a couple quests.

warty goblin

2011-06-22, 03:18 PM

Clarification: Don't use radiation-causing artifacts without a counter-radiation artifact. For instance, some artifacts will give 5 radiation per second, but make you slightly more bulletproof. These are great, but only if you have an artifact that REMOVES at least 5 radiation per second. Otherwise, you'll just become irriadiated. Note also that carrying a radiation artifact in your backpack is fine; it's only equipping it that causes the effects.

I always like stacking up the - bleeding artifacts myself. Nothing like bleeding backwards. Saved a bundle on bandages I can tell you.

I have to disagree. STALKER is totally winnable even on the highest difficulty if you're well prepared, and it was designed to be played on that difficulty.
I liked it plenty well, and found it plenty challenging, on normal and the next highest. I certainly had not desire to increase the difficulty beyond that, I found myself dying plenty often as it was and don't get any particular enjoyment out of hyper-optimizing my playstyle. For me at least STALKER was about the mood, and normal was dangerous enough to get that aspect across without making me pay attention only to survival.

GolemsVoice

2011-06-22, 03:37 PM

Also: whenever you go underground, turn the lights out and the sound up. STALKER manages to make the underground portions so scary that even a normal room, which you KNOW to be free of enemies, has a lingering sense of dread. But that may just be because these old machines, the pipes, everything just gives me the creeps, even in RL. They just seem designed to harbour evil. And don't get me started on the broken glass containers....

TL; DR: STALKER has some of the best and scariest underground sections ever.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-22, 03:39 PM

I found myself dying plenty often as it was and don't get any particular enjoyment out of hyper-optimizing my playstyle. For me at least STALKER was about the mood, and normal was dangerous enough to get that aspect across without making me pay attention only to survival.

Oh, yes. I definitely agree that it's about the mood.

*google google*

According to my ten seconds of research, the highest difficulty just ups the enemy accuracy a bit, and makes helpful items slightly rarer. So I'd say that you still don't need to absolutely optimize your playstyle or anything, you just need to make sure you attack with the advantage (Surprise, cover, etc.)

Anyway, barely surviving against a world that constantly tries to murder you is what STALKER is all about!

This morning I was playing and I was completely out of ammunition and food, so I holed up with some neutral mercs. You know in the Wild Territory, that big 3 level concrete building, the one you pass underneath to get to the fire tunnels of Yantar? Five guys sitting on the roof there.

I didn't want to move out during the night, but I couldn't wait until morning to eat, for fear I'd starve. I waited for one to move away from his friends and slit his throat so I could steal his bread and ammunition. I dumped his corpse off the roof; his buddies didn't suspect a thing. Then I remembered that I could probably have just traded him for it, since I had plenty of spare cash. Heh heh heh. I felt pretty silly.

Such is life in the zone.

stainboy

2011-06-22, 04:32 PM

deuxhero

2011-06-22, 06:00 PM

I completed the game on Master the first time through, and the game allows you to change it at any time, so just do it.

Only Clear Sky (apparently, never played it for that reason among others) makes the enemies in-humanly strong for high levels. SoC only makes the damage more painful, the enemies smarter/more accurate.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-22, 06:27 PM

@shadow archmagi and others about difficulty, I'm curious if others ran into the same problem I did:

The Brain Scorcher and the reactor both stick you in underground tunnels full of Monolith soldiers that you can't engage at long range. It didn't take me too long to get through those parts but it was a bunch of save, round the corner, get headshot before I even have time to scan the room, reload.

In general I liked how unforgiving the game was, it was just those last couple indoor levels where it seemed like the game was out of its element.

I have no memories of having trouble with monolith soldiers. I don't remember turning down the difficult or anything; I find indoor levels to be easiest because at the ~30 foot range I can rely entirely on headshots.

The area *I* recall having the greatest trouble with was outside the Brain Scorcher, where the psychedelic illusions constantly attack, and it can be hard to know which blurry bloodsucker is real.

I did run into an issue when I was playing Oblivion Lost (A mod which apparently Stalker Complete includes; this was a year or two ago so it may have been fixed) where, in the final area, not only were there huge numbers of powerful mutants, but they were in the habit of randomizing at every reload. I'd kill four out of six dwarves, run around the corner, quicksave, have a grenade accident, and then reload to find a controlling emerging from the door I had just come through!

I did eventually discover a "GIANT EVIL MONSTERS IN THE FINAL AREA Y/N?" button in the config files for Oblivion Lost, and so I was able to proceed fighting only the area's usual inhabitants.

iyaerP

2011-06-22, 06:40 PM

Cristo Meyers

2011-06-22, 06:42 PM

I always like stacking up the - bleeding artifacts myself. Nothing like bleeding backwards. Saved a bundle on bandages I can tell you.

Do they keep on stacking? I usually had enough benefit with one of the top-level anti-bleeding ones. Stopped bleeding usually within a second.

I usually ended up putting a variety of artifacts. I loved the +endurance ones. Nothing like being able to run all the way from the Bar to the Cordon non-stop.

I liked it plenty well, and found it plenty challenging, on normal and the next highest. I certainly had not desire to increase the difficulty beyond that, I found myself dying plenty often as it was and don't get any particular enjoyment out of hyper-optimizing my playstyle. For me at least STALKER was about the mood, and normal was dangerous enough to get that aspect across without making me pay attention only to survival.

Agreed. I played through on the easiest level the first time through and still ended up dying almost every 12 seconds at the endgame. It's plenty challenging on normal.

Speaking of my aforementioned mutant hordes, there's a video of one on the STALKER complete homepage (http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-complete-2009). Near the bottom of the page, just before the comments.

Maybe I just need to update my Complete version, but it's definitely something I can do without.

I recommend always carrying at least three different guns (one for each major assault rifle ammo type)and as much ammo as you can for each. There is nothing like entering a new area with your shiny new NATO assault rifle only to run out of ammo when you discover that these enemies drop only AK-ammo.

Heh...this happened ALL THE TIME to me in Clear Sky...

stainboy

2011-06-22, 06:45 PM

I have no memories of having trouble with monolith soldiers. I don't remember turning down the difficult or anything; I find indoor levels to be easiest because at the ~30 foot range I can rely entirely on headshots.

The area *I* recall having the greatest trouble with was outside the Brain Scorcher, where the psychedelic illusions constantly attack, and it can be hard to know which blurry bloodsucker is real.

Weird. I didn't have any trouble with those guys. The parts where I died a lot were the ones I already mentioned and

right after the parking garage in Pripyat. The part where you step into the street in full view of two gauss rifle snipers, with dudes on the ground shooting at you from the windows of the hotel and three snorks waiting in a crack in the ground if you run for cover. That was a really cool fight.

A lot of my deaths there may have had to do with trying to knock the snipers off the roofs and steal their gauss rifles, now that I think about it.

warty goblin

2011-06-22, 06:52 PM

I recommend always carrying at least three different guns (one for each major assault rifle ammo type)and as much ammo as you can for each. There is nothing like entering a new area with your shiny new NATO assault rifle only to run out of ammo when you discover that these enemies drop only AK-ammo.

I find I'm generally better off carrying a single AR with gobs of bullets. The weight saved allows me to pack 500 - 600 or more of whatever ammo type I like, and still have room for some other handy stuff. Should I start to run low on my chosen caliber of ammunition I can always start scavenging whatever's most common from corpses. I'll only switch out when I find a nice gun in a new caliber.

Do they keep on stacking? I usually had enough benefit with one of the top-level anti-bleeding ones. Stopped bleeding usually within a second.

I usually ended up putting a variety of artifacts. I loved the +endurance ones. Nothing like being able to run all the way from the Bar to the Cordon non-stop.

Oh yeah. I had 'em stacked so high I was actually regenerating health automatically, pretty quickly as well. The downside was, IIRC, it tanked my bulletproof cap, so I took more damage, but repaired it automatically. Still, I found it worked pretty well.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-22, 07:04 PM

Should I start to run low on my chosen caliber of ammunition I can always start scavenging whatever's most common from corpses. I'll only switch out when I find a nice gun in a new caliber.

I definitely prefer to carry multiple guns, although in my latest playthrough, I found a pistol called the Big Boy, which is apparently a small cannon, as it uses the same type of ammo as the Groza. Absolutely gorgeous, makes a huge noise when I fire it.

POW POW POW

Suck it, Duty! I'm murdering you with your own favorite ammo!

Neon Knight

2011-06-22, 07:22 PM

I personally am a big shotgun fan. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is one of the few game series to treat shotguns right; they have much better ranges than the typical 2-5 meters that most game shotguns have. The Over/Under gun, the TOZ-34? Load that puppy with slugs/darts, and you've got yourself a nice precision gun for ranged work. I really got good at popping out, taking two headshots, and slipping back into cover before I even got much return fire. True, there aren't any major advantages to shotguns over assault rifles, but shotguns will do the job just fine and can provide a different pace and feel to the assault rifle grind.

iyaerP

2011-06-22, 07:31 PM

I find I'm generally better off carrying a single AR with gobs of bullets. The weight saved allows me to pack 500 - 600 or more of whatever ammo type I like, and still have room for some other handy stuff. Should I start to run low on my chosen caliber of ammunition I can always start scavenging whatever's most common from corpses. I'll only switch out when I find a nice gun in a new caliber.

Except for the fact that in SoC there is no way to repair your guns, (glitching with resist artifacts can heal your armour tho) so if relying on a single rifle, I have found that by the end of a single area/underground lab/whatever, I am left with a nigh-worthless, jamtastic, piece of crap gun where I had a quality weapon before. This is also the biggest drawback with the fast-firing AK from Strelok's stash. It fires so many bullets so quickly that it is a piece of crap in just a couple of hours.

Oh yeah. I had 'em stacked so high I was actually regenerating health automatically, pretty quickly as well. The downside was, IIRC, it tanked my bulletproof cap, so I took more damage, but repaired it automatically. Still, I found it worked pretty well.

Yeah, although this seems to be good and fun, I found that by the time I hit pripiyet and the NPP, I would get one-shot by the gauss-snipers because it brought my bulletproof cap so low.

Exoskeleton + x2 prayer beads + x2 Nightstars + 1 antirad artifact is by far the best combo for facing enemy stalkers. 80% bulletproof resistance means that you can shrug off gauss rifle headshots, even at the higher difficulties.

I personally am a big shotgun fan. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is one of the few game series to treat shotguns right; they have much better ranges than the typical 2-5 meters that most game shotguns have. The Over/Under gun, the TOZ-34? Load that puppy with slugs/darts, and you've got yourself a nice precision gun for ranged work. I really got good at popping out, taking two headshots, and slipping back into cover before I even got much return fire. True, there aren't any major advantages to shotguns over assault rifles, but shotguns will do the job just fine and can provide a different pace and feel to the assault rifle grind.

They also have the awesome benefit of one-shotting most wild beasts/monsters which normally waste a stupid amount of assault rifle ammo.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-22, 07:40 PM

iyaerP

2011-06-22, 07:54 PM

Exoskeleton? Pfft. Hate those things. Without sprinting, there's no reason to live! A good stalker lives on his agility and his wits, not in a tank. The only thing close to an exoskeleton I'd consider using is one of those fishdome science suits. If the snipers are firing at all, you're spending too much time in the open.

Also, I'm really, really happy that people have different playstyles than me. Special warm feeling and everything. Because I feel like that's so typical of Stalker, that everyone approaches the zone in their own, personal way.

And when the time comes, the Zone claims them all.

Normally, I would agree with you. But the twenty extra kilos that you can carry with it? That's 2 extra guns, 400ish ammo for each of them, AND a scientist suit for anomoly exploration.

Also, by the time you usually have an exoskelli, you are fighting the scripted Monolith ambushes with gauss snipers who exist solely to camp the one area that the game allows you to enter the fight by. Different story in clear sky, but I love the exoskelli just as much there, especially since bulletproofing artifacts were removed, so having the best possible armour is that much more important.

In the modded games, it isn't such a big deal since you can carry 100 kilos by default, but in baseline SoC, it is GODMODE. Especially since so much of surviving the zone is about having enough supplies and ammo for long term endurance rather than just worrying about the next few seconds.

And yes, huzzah for rational and polite discussion of co-existing playstyles that differ radically. One of my friends who plays almost nothing but stalker games swears by using sniper rifles and sniper rifles only, and has suit and artifacts kitted out almost exclusively for elemental resistances. I don't know how he does it, as when I tried that, I died horribly.

warty goblin

2011-06-22, 08:33 PM

Except for the fact that in SoC there is no way to repair your guns, (glitching with resist artifacts can heal your armour tho) so if relying on a single rifle, I have found that by the end of a single area/underground lab/whatever, I am left with a nigh-worthless, jamtastic, piece of crap gun where I had a quality weapon before. This is also the biggest drawback with the fast-firing AK from Strelok's stash. It fires so many bullets so quickly that it is a piece of crap in just a couple of hours.

Weapon condition has hardly ever been a problem for me, and my favorite gun is the M4 clone. Sometimes if I find another high quality weapon in my current caliber of choice I'll carry it as a back-up, which is still lighter than two guns chambered for different rounds plus their ammo. Other than that I've found guns seldom become so unreliable as to be unusable until they're well under 50% durability, and that takes long enough it's easy to anticipate and work around. Sometimes that means switching calibers completely, sometimes just moving to my backup gun.

Armor durability has definitely been known to bite me in the ass on occasion, but I've never had much difficult working around my weapons falling apart.

Yeah, although this seems to be good and fun, I found that by the time I hit pripiyet and the NPP, I would get one-shot by the gauss-snipers because it brought my bulletproof cap so low.

I tragically never got to finish SoC because my virus scan went and deleted all my save-games at one point. I've been meaning to go back, but going through it all again just doesn't have the sense of wonder the first time does...

iyaerP

2011-06-22, 08:50 PM

I tragically never got to finish SoC because my virus scan went and deleted all my save-games at one point. I've been meaning to go back, but going through it all again just doesn't have the sense of wonder the first time does...

Try it with Oblivion Lost mod. Same basic gameplay with a ton of tweaks, updates and new stuff, so there are plenty of new "oh god i'm going to die" moments where you don't expect them.

Also allows for an upgrade/repair system similar to the one in clear sky.

Cristo Meyers

2011-06-22, 09:01 PM

I tragically never got to finish SoC because my virus scan went and deleted all my save-games at one point. I've been meaning to go back, but going through it all again just doesn't have the sense of wonder the first time does...

Yeah, same here. I got to the Red Forest in my second playthrough before it just kinda wore thin for some reason. The game is magnificent the first time through, but I've yet to be able to maintain interest through a second.

GolemsVoice

2011-06-22, 11:24 PM

In CoP, there's finally an upgrade that allows you to sprint in your exoskelleton. I never bought it before I had unlocked this. In SoC, you feel like a Space Marine, or a Terminator, even though you really weren't invincible. You just stomped around killing folks.

Also, luckily, in the original SoC, it seems that I had a bug that prevented weapons and armor from breaking down. The game would tell me that weapon condition is important, and I'd constantly wonder what exactly might change the condition of my weapon.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-22, 11:28 PM

In the modded games, it isn't such a big deal since you can carry 100 kilos by default, but in baseline SoC, it is GODMODE. Especially since so much of surviving the zone is about having enough supplies and ammo for long term endurance rather than just worrying about the next few seconds.

What mod have you been playing? I'm limited to 60 right now on Stalker Complete.

I find that if I survive the next few seconds, I can find plenty of supplies and ammo on my dead enemies. It's more exciting if I don't carry too much extra ammunition anyway, and being able to sprint is all important for getting from one base to another quickly.

@Warty: A lot of the sense of wonder comes from the combination of mundane events. The time you got irradiated so you chugged vodka and then tried to fight a swarm of dogs drunk, blasting shotgun shells at random. Also, the first bloodsucker always makes me scream. Four playthroughs, and I still panic every single time.

iyaerP

2011-06-23, 03:45 AM

Also, the first bloodsucker always makes me scream. Four playthroughs, and I still panic every single time.

Bloodsuckers are TERRIFYING.

And each game makes them scarier and harder to kill.

In SoC, the hardest part was spotting them.

in clear sky, bullets don't hurt them so long as they are invisible.

In CoP, not only does the previous statement apply, they also will only attack you from behind with an attack that renders you helpless. Death is almost assured.

Scariest moments fo playthrough for me was when I first encountered poltergiests. Because where you first "encounter" one, you can't actually find and kill it till you go down a level, it is really creepy. No enemies to shoot. Just boxes and rubble trying to kill you.

Clear sky upgraded them so that their thrown objects were instakills rather than just being annoying or painful.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-23, 08:08 AM

Bloodsuckers are TERRIFYING.

And each game makes them scarier and harder to kill.

In CoP, not only does the previous statement apply, they also will only attack you from behind with an attack that renders you helpless. Death is almost assured.

I found that in CoP the bloodsuckers were much less deadly, because they lived in primarily in a swamp. The wide open space wasn't their element at all; they're much more terrifying when there's lots of cover, so you can be looking for them and not see them at all.

Also, bloodsucker's invisibility can be mitigated using the binoculars; it'll detect them. Of course, you can't look at them and shoot them, but once you know which blur is them, you can snipe it.

EDIT: As of now, my favorite pistol, machine gun, and rocket launcher are hereby named The Intimate Moment, The Hum Drum, and The Special Occasion

Neon Knight

2011-06-23, 11:18 AM

Re Bloodsuckers: Shotguns are useful against bloodsuckers, because less precision is required. An auto-shotgun can usually down a bloodsucker before the mag goes empty, provided you're hitting him with at least some of the blast. Still, bloodsuckers never get trivial or easy. Each game has a slightly different approach to bloodsuckers. CoP has the most effective approach. Nearly impossible to see unless they're either really close or uncloaked (duh), and they use hit and run tactics. They'll run circles around you in an open field, always coming from a new angle or a different vector. Can be really nasty if your equipment isn't up to scratch. Other Stalkers help a bunch, though.

The swamp bloodsuckers are indeed pathetic, but mostly because they don't cloak unless they see enemies, and the Yanov swamp does lack a lot of cover. For Trapper's bloodsucker hunt mission, I just climb up on the Cement Factory nearby and hail down slugs and sniper fire on them from afar. The bloodsuckers of Zaton are much more intimidating; they only come out at night, they're always cloaked when on the hunt, and they range far and wide, sometimes even camping outside Skadvosk. The terrain of Zaton is also much better for bloodsuckers in general; many of those drained lake areas still have tall grass, which can obscure a bloodsucker until you're almost on top of it. The blood drain sync attack is also a pain, mostly because other enemies can still hit and damage you during it.

The CS bloodsuckers were just cheap. The no-hit unless visible + pack behavior combo was really not fun. The original underground sequence in SoC is still a very memorable moment, but overall SoC bloodsuckers are too easy to spot.

___

Other anecdotes: My brother loved the Viper 5, and beat SoC pretty much using that gun alone.

I find both types of grenades to be fairly useless in all the games, although they suffer in CoP the most. Launched grenades are much, much better, but so very rare (and you don't always get to launch them from your favorite platform.)

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-23, 11:40 AM

I find both types of grenades to be fairly useless in all the games, although they suffer in CoP the most. Launched grenades are much, much better, but so very rare (and you don't always get to launch them from your favorite platform.)

What? Grenades are BEAUTIFUL in all the games. Admittedly, I sell the RGBs and keep the F1s, but still. There are few things that can survive an F1, and the ability to murder a roomful of enemies from around the corner is invaluable. It's also fun to throw a grenade in and then pull out a shotgun blast anyone who runs away from the blast.

So far, of the controllers I've killed, two have been using F1s, and a third using The Special Occasion

warty goblin

2011-06-23, 11:41 AM

Yeah, same here. I got to the Red Forest in my second playthrough before it just kinda wore thin for some reason. The game is magnificent the first time through, but I've yet to be able to maintain interest through a second.

I even found I couldn't really get into CoP, although given the mound of other games I got about the same time it never really got a fair shake. Really I should give it another go.

This thread has definitely put SoC/CoP back on the 'play them when there's time' list, although there's still a lot to get through first. There's Duke Nukem Forever to wrap up, Metro 2033 to replay/finish, I really should put some more time into F.3.A.R. to see if that ever stops being mindslayingly dull...

Demon 997

2011-06-23, 12:03 PM

Neon Knight

2011-06-23, 12:15 PM

Ah, anomalies. I can't beleive that we got so far into a Stalker thread without mentioning anomalies. Anomalies are... well, anomalies, regions of the world that have strange paranormal phenomena occur within them. There are lots of different types. Electric, chemical, fire, gravity... and a few wackier ones, too. They're fairly dangerous. Don't walk into one. Watch out for air distortions, and pay attention to sounds; the game will start beeping at you when you get close to one.If you press a button on your keyboard (the 5 or 6 key, I think) you'll pull out some loose bolts, which can be used to trigger them from afar safely.

___

Also:

What? Grenades are BEAUTIFUL in all the games. Admittedly, I sell the RGBs and keep the F1s, but still. There are few things that can survive an F1, and the ability to murder a roomful of enemies from around the corner is invaluable. It's also fun to throw a grenade in and then pull out a shotgun blast anyone who runs away from the blast.

So far, of the controllers I've killed, two have been using F1s, and a third using The Special Occasion

I kill controllers by unloading an auto-shotgun into their faces. Between an accurized TOZ-34 and a SPAS, I can take on most enemies in the game. (Although for exosuits, it is a lot more convenient to have an assault rifle on hand.) You gotta do it quick, though, before they start landing their mental attacks. Break line of sight, wait for it to shamble close, and then ice him fast.

Psuedogiants are the only thing I really feel warrant an RPG, and they're thankfully rare (although they can become somewhat more common in free-play CoP).

Etcetera

2011-06-23, 12:33 PM

What in the name of all that is radioactive are the distortion/heat blurs that start exploding when you get near them? Those things are scary.

They're Springboard anomalies. And yes, they are. At least they're easier to avoid than Whirlygigs, which are only visible from the way the screen lightens and the movement of leaves, which is easily missed.

I swear, STALKER is the only game that makes me actually scared of leaves.

And re: grenades, I tend to sell them and hardly ever use them: throwing grenades in STALKER is slow, clunky and quite unlike other FPSs, so I have a tenancy to blow my self up with them. They're useful in enclosed spaces against things you already know the location of, and zombies, but in general I find it better to keep shooting. I kill controllers by using a metal grille to block their mind powers, shooting them in the head and finishing them off with my rifle butt, but on my current modded playthrough of CS I took two out with a merc suit and a knife.

warty goblin

2011-06-23, 12:34 PM

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I'm barely into the game, I just got through the tunnel under the railroad tracks and helped Fox. Let me just say that having it not pause when you're looking at your PDA is annoying and scary. Had a sad face on spindle legs try to kill me while I was looking at the map. Not cool.

Just wait until you have a gun run out of ammo and need to change to a new one in the middle of a firefight.

I've been unable to locate a assault rifle yet, but hopefully one should turn up. The effective range on my silenced pistol is pitiful.
One thing to keep in mind is that STALKER has bullet drop. You're never gonna snipe a dude with the pistols, but learning to compensate for gravity pushes the range out a bit.

I'm also fairly sure, based on personal experience* in the game, that STALKER models the full parabolic arc of a bullet's trajectory, and doesn't just have it start falling the instant it leaves the barrel. That is to say that if you hold the gun level and fire, there will be a relatively short distance where the bullet actually climbs above the line formed by your sights, before falling back down. For very short distances - although not climbing up your muzzle distances - it may be necessary to aim under where you want the bullet to hit.

*I distinctly remember setting my sights on a guard's head from about five meters, and emptying my silenced pistol slowly and deliberately. I didn't score a single hit. I adjusted my aim downwards a bit, and the next shot got him straight in the cranium.

What in the name of all that is radioactive are the distortion/heat blurs that start exploding when you get near them? Those things are scary.

I call 'em 'things that kill me.' I use that designation for a lot of the things in STALKER. Because they kill me.

GolemsVoice

2011-06-23, 01:54 PM

I even found I couldn't really get into CoP, although given the mound of other games I got about the same time it never really got a fair shake. Really I should give it another go.

For me, CoP is the best part of the game. It's a synthesis between what SoC did and CS tried to do, and it keeps the best parts of every game (ability to upgrade guns from CS, a very downtoned version of the faction wars with t he achievements, and it adds much more missions and specifically designed anomalies, which improves on SoC a lot.)
The only thing I found a bit lacking was the mystery and horror elements, but I guess that's just because I already know much about the Zone.

warty goblin

2011-06-23, 02:31 PM

For me, CoP is the best part of the game. It's a synthesis between what SoC did and CS tried to do, and it keeps the best parts of every game (ability to upgrade guns from CS, a very downtoned version of the faction wars with t he achievements, and it adds much more missions and specifically designed anomalies, which improves on SoC a lot.)
The only thing I found a bit lacking was the mystery and horror elements, but I guess that's just because I already know much about the Zone.

Honestly I think the gun upgrades was part of what turned me off of CoP. It felt so, I don't know, gamey and not at all in keeping with the general atmosphere of slow decay and failure. I really rather liked having guns be unfixable, it made finding a good one feel special and precious.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-23, 04:55 PM

They're Springboard anomalies. And yes, they are. At least they're easier to avoid than Whirlygigs, which are only visible from the way the screen lightens and the movement of leaves, which is easily missed.

Yeah, Springboards are a nuisance. Just wait until you meet some Burner anomolies, though. You'll know them when you see them.

And re: grenades, I tend to sell them and hardly ever use them: throwing grenades in STALKER is slow, clunky and quite unlike other FPSs, so I have a tenancy to blow my self up with them.

They're also preposterously powerful. One grenade, I find, is worth at least one kill, possibly as many as five or six. There's nothing like being told to kill some of those Duty fascists in exoskeletons, and tossing a nice F1 into their campfire. They're a great way to start off a fight, and when you take cover to reload, you can take a second to lob one in the general direction of the enemy.

I kill controllers by using a metal grille to block their mind powers, shooting them in the head and finishing them off with my rifle butt, but on my current modded playthrough of CS I took two out with a merc suit and a knife.

Status Update: Kill Magpie

Honestly I think the gun upgrades was part of what turned me off of CoP. It felt so, I don't know, gamey and not at all in keeping with the general atmosphere of slow decay and failure. I really rather liked having guns be unfixable, it made finding a good one feel special and precious.

Well, the gun upgrades cost a bundle, so they're something to do with your huge cash reserves that develop. Which reminds me

PRO TIP: Keep one of every artifact in a stash near the barkeep/sidovich. Sometimes they'll issue quests for specific artifacts, and if you have one on hand, the quest reward is often several times the normal sell price; much better to complete a quest for 2500 than to just sell it for 500.

Anyway, the nature of the gun upgrades in CoP is that you frequently have to make choices, and in choosing between a bigger scope or a bigger clip, your gun is personalized. Over time, the relationship becomes intimate.

I think a big part of STALKER is knowing that your actions are just one possible viable option; you might go in shotguns blazing to an area that most people just sneak through. In Call of Pripyat, that deepens, as now you can have a slow, powerful, and unreliable shotgun, while your buddy prefers one with excellent handling and a huge clip.

GolemsVoice

2011-06-23, 05:57 PM

Well, CoP shifted the focus somewhat away from the unknown and fearful Zone to a place that is actively explored and exploited by Stalkers, which is probably the only logical next step. But you are right, in a way it also took something away.

But on the other hand, it adds so much more. Adding to archmagi's point: Stalker is a game where every gun isn't only defined by what it does, like in many shooters where you only have a very limited arsenal (this is the fast machinegun, this is the sniper rifle, this is the meelee weapon, this is the energy weapon usw...), but also by how it does what it's class does, so you already start with a bigger connection to the gun of your choice. You not only prefer the assault rifle to the shotgun, but you also think that model XY is the best assault rifle, because of XY reason. With the gun upgrades, you can further that connection, and make a weapon you not only prefer to other weapons, but which is individually fitted to your specifics. You can enhance strengths or soften weaknesses, you can choose durability over performance or the other way round. Keep in mind that (almost) all of these upgrades where totally normal upgrades (don't take my word for this, I'm no gun expert), so there's nothing supernatural or otherwise strange here. Stalkers live and die by the performance of their equipment, and the thing that distinguishes an expert Stalker from the people who seldom leave the safe areas is their individually designed gear.

Demon 997

2011-06-23, 05:59 PM

Etcetera

2011-06-23, 06:03 PM

So I'm now in the underground area that Mole tells you to go to. I've got an AK-47 and an MP5, both of which are serving me pretty well.

Those horrible things with the face tentacles which turn invisible and don't die after you put a full clip into them are just unfair.

Sawn-off shotgun and knife are your friends here.

Now, just wait until you get to CS: then they're really annoying.

Also, there should be an upgraded AK-74 and a decent suit later on in the underground, so that's something to look forward to, at least.

Also lots of 5.45 ammo.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-23, 06:20 PM

So I'm now in the underground area that Mole tells you to go to. I've got an AK-47 and an MP5, both of which are serving me pretty well.

Those horrible things with the face tentacles which turn invisible and don't die after you put a full clip into them are just unfair.

Those are bloodsuckers. Let me be the first to offer you congrats on fighting one! Keep in mind that headshots are really important against mutants; they can make the difference between killing it in one clip and needing three clips.

Also, now that you've fought bloodsuckers, you've experienced one of the nastiest things the game has to offer!

Demon 997

2011-06-23, 06:44 PM

Sawn-off shotgun and knife are your friends here.

Now, just wait until you get to CS: then they're really annoying.

Also, there should be an upgraded AK-74 and a decent suit later on in the underground, so that's something to look forward to, at least.

Also lots of 5.45 ammo.

Is that the suit in the stash you're trying to find? I got it, but its the first suit I've found so far. Why can't I take them off corpses? The fast firing AK-74 is nice. Decent amount of ammo, but I keep burning it up fighting soldiers.

Those are bloodsuckers. Let me be the first to offer you congrats on fighting one! Keep in mind that headshots are really important against mutants; they can make the difference between killing it in one clip and needing three clips.

Also, now that you've fought bloodsuckers, you've experienced one of the nastiest things the game has to offer!

Thanks, I was in way to much of a oh god, what that distortion, why is it running at me, kill it now mode to do anything more than spray and pray. I also managed to somehow drop my gun, thankfully I had a back up. It also wouldn't leave the room it was in, which gave me some respite. Oh god, I'm going to have to fight more than one at once soon aren't I? :smalleek:

iyaerP

2011-06-23, 07:23 PM

Thanks, I was in way to much of a oh god, what that distortion, why is it running at me, kill it now mode to do anything more than spray and pray. I also managed to somehow drop my gun, thankfully I had a back up. It also wouldn't leave the room it was in, which gave me some respite. Oh god, I'm going to have to fight more than one at once soon aren't I? :smalleek:

You can get missions to hunt down whole PACKS of them.

Also, try not to use your nice shiney new AK unless you need to, as it is one of the best guns till late-game and one of the only guns you will ever get that starts at 100% durability. Each lost point of durability reduces the accuracy and reliability of the gun until it misses half of its shots and jams the other half. This is the one downside to our fast-firing AK, as it has a firing rate comperable to an autocannon, and thus the durability goes down just as quick.

I guess my point is that you just got a REALLY nice gun. Please don't waste it by shooting at pigs and dogs. Thats what your shotty is for. Don't feel bad about using it to kill the army guys you should be fighting right about now, but if you ever feel like it is overkill for the situation, save the durability wear and tear, and use a different shooter.

warty goblin

2011-06-23, 07:25 PM

Is that the suit in the stash you're trying to find? I got it, but its the first suit I've found so far. Why can't I take them off corpses?
Ever tried to strip a corpse? Neither have I, but I'll bet it's actually pretty hard and time consuming to do. Besides which you just put a bullet through that armor, do you really want stuff you've amply demonstrated doesn't work?

Thanks, I was in way to much of a oh god, what that distortion, why is it running at me, kill it now mode to do anything more than spray and pray. I also managed to somehow drop my gun, thankfully I had a back up. It also wouldn't leave the room it was in, which gave me some respite. Oh god, I'm going to have to fight more than one at once soon aren't I? :smalleek:

You have no idea. There's a couple parts where you'll look bad fondly on your days of being stalked by bloodsuckers...

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-23, 07:33 PM

Also, try not to use your nice shiney new AK unless you need to...

Actually, if he installed Stalker Complete, the various traders can repair guns. Admittedly, for thousands of dollars, but, you know.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-23, 08:19 PM

Downloading Stalker Complete 2011. Excited.

deuxhero

2011-06-23, 09:46 PM

Actually, if he installed Stalker Complete, the various traders can repair guns. Admittedly, for thousands of dollars, but, you know.

rubles. If Russian, ~35 bucks=1000. If Belarus Rubles (Part of The Zone is there), 3000=1 USD.

iyaerP

2011-06-23, 10:28 PM

rubles. If Russian, ~35 bucks=1000. If Belarus Rubles (Part of The Zone is there), 3000=1 USD.

I think it is supposed to be Ukranian rubles since that is where Chernobyl is located.

Etcetera

2011-06-24, 01:27 AM

I think it is supposed to be Ukranian rubles since that is where Chernobyl is located.

Ukrainian rubles don't exist. They use the Hryvnia.
I think repair costs is charged as simply the price of the item times the amount of damage taken. For example, a half damaged suit of armour that has a listed price of 1000 RU would cost 500 RU t repair.

Is that the suit in the stash you're trying to find? I got it, but its the first suit I've found so far. Why can't I take them off corpses? The fast firing AK-74 is nice. Decent amount of ammo, but I keep burning it up fighting soldiers.

There are two suits in the stash, a bandit jacket and a stalker suit, which is far far better. It's hidden in a box somewhere in there. I recommend getting it, it's a good early to mid game suit until you pick up something tougher.

Demon 997

2011-06-24, 11:32 AM

Ukrainian rubles don't exist. They use the Hryvnia.

There are two suits in the stash, a bandit jacket and a stalker suit, which is far far better. It's hidden in a box somewhere in there. I recommend getting it, it's a good early to mid game suit until you pick up something tougher.

I'm not sure whether to thank you for telling me about the better suit, or curse you for sending my back into that place.

Actually, if he installed Stalker Complete, the various traders can repair guns. Admittedly, for thousands of dollars, but, you know.

I installed the most recent version of Stalker Complete. I think.

I'll be careful with the Fast Firing AK, through I do have a couple of Repair Kits.

Etcetera

2011-06-24, 11:37 AM

I'm not sure whether to thank you for telling me about the better suit, or curse you for sending my back into that place.

I installed the most recent version of Stalker Complete. I think.

I'll be careful with the Fast Firing AK, through I do have a couple of Repair Kits.

I think Agroprom Underground is beautiful with Complete installed. True, there are lots of things trying to kill you, but all the blue glowing fruit punches are really pretty.

If you've got repair kits I'd save them until you're on a deep raid and/or using expensive equipment, I believe they repair the same amount of damage no matter what item they're used on, so they'd obviously be more economical when used on an exoskeleton than an AK.

Demon 997

2011-06-24, 01:03 PM

I think Agroprom Underground is beautiful with Complete installed. True, there are lots of things trying to kill you, but all the blue glowing fruit punches are really pretty.

If you've got repair kits I'd save them until you're on a deep raid and/or using expensive equipment, I believe they repair the same amount of damage no matter what item they're used on, so they'd obviously be more economical when used on an exoskeleton than an AK.

Oh its very pretty, I just don't trust the game not to respawn enemies. I found the stalker suit, thank you for telling me. I also found some kind of AKish weapon (forgot the name) with a grenade launcher, that's completely broken. Is it worth repairing? Slightly more accurate than the fast firing AK.

The damn Duty people won't let me through to the Bar, so it looks like I need to go clear out the military and take the research or whatever I'm looking for. I'm thinking attacking from outside, through I could use the underground to get in. Going that way hasn't ended well in the past.

I think I'm finally getting a feel for this game, not jumping at every noise, attacking roving groups of bandits and watching them run into anomalies, I'm starting to feel like a stalker.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-24, 01:30 PM

Oh its very pretty, I just don't trust the game not to respawn enemies. I found the stalker suit, thank you for telling me. I also found some kind of AKish weapon (forgot the name) with a grenade launcher, that's completely broken. Is it worth repairing? Slightly more accurate than the fast firing AK.

If you look at your PDA, you'll find that you actually have charts for guard movments in the Agroprom. I never notice it until after I've already infiltrated, but it is there, if you wanna be a stealth.

Demon 997

2011-06-24, 03:45 PM

If you look at your PDA, you'll find that you actually have charts for guard movments in the Agroprom. I never notice it until after I've already infiltrated, but it is there, if you wanna be a stealth.

I too, found it after I'd walked in, shot everyone, and then ran away as the reinforcements showed up.

But its all okay, I'm at the Bar now, where I can buy lots of wonderful toys. Night vision is really useful.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-24, 04:40 PM

This morning I saw a comet! It lit up the ground like a tiny, brilliant moon. I was using that darkness to hide from soldiers, so I had to scamper, and didn't get to fully admire it.

It was beautiful though.

Breltar

2011-06-24, 06:04 PM

I too, found it after I'd walked in, shot everyone, and then ran away as the reinforcements showed up.

But its all okay, I'm at the Bar now, where I can buy lots of wonderful toys. Night vision is really useful.

Somewhere in the game is a hidden MP5 that can shoot the 9x18mm makarov rounds rather than the normal 9x19mm luger. Can't remember where it is but I know it's there.

I tend to keep large stashes of equipment in places if I can't use it at the moment or if I think I might need it later. There are a few stashes near the bar you can use for your own stuff.

I think the 'ak' you are thinking of is the Obregon with the grenade launcher. Not really an AK family, but similar in appearance and uses 5.45. I like that it has a two shot burst option that has little recoil.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-24, 06:32 PM

I actually just found a Groza that fires AK bullets. Combined with my "Sniper" modified ZM, I have a short range and long range weapons.

Demon 997

2011-06-24, 06:49 PM

Somewhere in the game is a hidden MP5 that can shoot the 9x18mm makarov rounds rather than the normal 9x19mm luger. Can't remember where it is but I know it's there.

I tend to keep large stashes of equipment in places if I can't use it at the moment or if I think I might need it later. There are a few stashes near the bar you can use for your own stuff.

I think the 'ak' you are thinking of is the Obregon with the grenade launcher. Not really an AK family, but similar in appearance and uses 5.45. I like that it has a two shot burst option that has little recoil.

That's it. I'll be sure to try the other firing mode.

Is stuff I leave in a box in the Bar safe?

How do I become more experienced? Is it just killing people and completing quests, or is it tied to the story line? Because they won't let me fight more people in the Arena, despite me killing them all without taking a scratch.

I really wish I could find a scoped rifle :smallfrown:

Neon Knight

2011-06-24, 07:12 PM

Allow me to chime in with the "weapon upgrades are awesome" chorus. STALKER is one of the few games where the weapon customization is deep and actually matters. Weapon upgrades are solid, powerful changes to weapon performance; a gun tricked out to tier 3 upgrades majorly outperforms the base model, but because of the differing upgrade paths and optional attachments, your custom weapon will often look different from someone else's. Two AK-74s can be optimized for two very different roles, and can almost feel like entirely different guns by the time you reach Tier 3. The fact that nearly all upgrades flavor are based in actual performance modifications you can apply to real guns is just icing on the cake, at least for someone like me.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-24, 09:10 PM

That's it. I'll be sure to try the other firing mode.

Personally, I *always* use single firing mode. If I need to rapid fire, I just click really fast. It's a lot more accurate.

Is stuff I leave in a box in the Bar safe?

Yep! I don't think stalkers ever manipulate stashes

How do I become more experienced? Is it just killing people and completing quests, or is it tied to the story line? Because they won't let me fight more people in the Arena, despite me killing them all without taking a scratch.

I think it's some combination of the above; killing, quests, and the story.

I really wish I could find a scoped rifle :smallfrown:

<3 Scopes

Answered your questions

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-24, 09:40 PM

I was buzzed by a helicopter. I thought it was gonna kill me, so I freaked out and hid under a bridge.
I'm so bad at not hoarding items. Can I sell things to Sidorovich?

Demon 997

2011-06-25, 01:42 AM

I was buzzed by a helicopter. I thought it was gonna kill me, so I freaked out and hid under a bridge.
I'm so bad at not hoarding items. Can I sell things to Sidorovich?

The helicopters are scary. I don't think they'll directly attack you, but I think they'll drop off troops. You can sell stuff to anyone you meet (who isn't trying to kill/eat you) through the amount of money they have varies. Shopkeepers have infinite.

How do I switch firing modes?

Etcetera

2011-06-25, 03:28 AM

The helicopters are scary. I don't think they'll directly attack you, but I think they'll drop off troops. You can sell stuff to anyone you meet (who isn't trying to kill/eat you) through the amount of money they have varies. Shopkeepers have infinite.

How do I switch firing modes?

Choppers will directly attack you much later on in the game, but you don't have to worry about them until much later, and when you do, you can just run away.

Switch firing modes with the "9" and "0" keys. IIRC you can get a fair few SUSAT scopes, if you're using NATO weapons, by killing mercs.

Breltar

2011-06-25, 03:08 PM

Choppers will directly attack you much later on in the game, but you don't have to worry about them until much later, and when you do, you can just run away.

Switch firing modes with the "9" and "0" keys. IIRC you can get a fair few SUSAT scopes, if you're using NATO weapons, by killing mercs.

If I remember right there is a POSP (ak style) scope in one of the stashes in the garbage, but you need to have that one highlighted in order to loot it.

I'm usually in semi automatic mode (1 shot, 1 squeeze) except with that obregon, and only because its actually made to be fairly accurate with multiple shots.

I ended up having one assault type rifle in nato and ak, one subgun, one shotty and one sniper rifle at the end that I would move up when I went to new maps and stash in a cache.

Etcetera

2011-06-25, 03:52 PM

If I remember right there is a POSP (ak style) scope in one of the stashes in the garbage, but you need to have that one highlighted in order to loot it.

I ended up having one assault type rifle in nato and ak, one subgun, one shotty and one sniper rifle at the end that I would move up when I went to new maps and stash in a cache.

You can pick up a PSO-1 (Warsaw pact scope) in Dark valley fairly easily, and in Army warehouses if you explore enough, as well as the garbage stash.

I ended up just using the GP-37 (G36 expy). With AP ammo it could drop pretty much anything human with a shot to the head, and since in Complete it can mount an M203 even Pseudogiants go down pretty quickly. Fortunately Monolith drop a lot of 5.56 AP ammo in the end game, so I found that instead of having not enough ammo I had too much.

I think throughout the entire STALKER series the GP-37 has to be my most used weapon. It's just so versatile!

iyaerP

2011-06-25, 06:29 PM

You can pick up a PSO-1 (Warsaw pact scope) in Dark valley fairly easily, and in Army warehouses if you explore enough, as well as the garbage stash.

I ended up just using the GP-37 (G36 expy). With AP ammo it could drop pretty much anything human with a shot to the head, and since in Complete it can mount an M203 even Pseudogiants go down pretty quickly. Fortunately Monolith drop a lot of 5.56 AP ammo in the end game, so I found that instead of having not enough ammo I had too much.

I think throughout the entire STALKER series the GP-37 has to be my most used weapon. It's just so versatile!

It is indeed the gun of WIN.

I don't think I ever switched it out unless truely long range sniping or the use of heavy weapons were called for.

Demon 997

2011-06-25, 09:35 PM

iyaerP

2011-06-25, 10:15 PM

How does the upgrade system work? I have a number of upgraded weapons, but I haven't found anything to further upgrade them. Can you upgrade weapons in Soc?

Got a British NATO rifle from the Bar (Enfield LN or something like that) so now I have a scoped weapon, haven't had a chance to try it out.

I've found I'm far more afraid of dogs packs than groups of bandits, because you can see the bandits from a long way of and they're predictable (IE they'll stand there and shoot at you while you shoot them) while dogs are much harder to hit and hard to predict.

Since you have stated you are playing a modded game, how modding for your guns works in said game, I couldn't tell you. SoC doesn't have gun-modding by default.

The gun you just got is an Enfield L-85, referred to ingame as an IL-86.

The first shot will be almost precisely on the red dot from the scope at nearly any range, but the rest will be only in the same municipality. However, in comparison to what you have been using to date, it is a clear and definitive upgrade for ranged/sniping work. The Fast firing AK is better for cutting things in half and will remain so until you get a Groza (ingame called a Tunder 14).

As for dogs, just carry a shotgun and don't bother wasting ammo till they are almost in melee range. At which point a single round of buckshot should kill them quite nicely. I only ever carried about 30-50 rounds for the shotty because bandits almost always have it, and ammo is heavy. Note: This works for most all mutants, basically everything but Psuedogiants, Controllers, and poltergiests.

Snorks, dogs, pigs, boars, bloodsuckers and psuedodogs will all die to a shotty to the face. I recommend a SPAS-12.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-25, 10:32 PM

Can you upgrade weapons in Soc?

As far as I can tell, the "upgrades" system is that sometimes you randomly find customized rifles (Like the "sniper" ZM rifle I've been using.)

Demon 997

2011-06-25, 11:02 PM

Etcetera

2011-06-26, 02:43 AM

As far as I can tell, the "upgrades" system is that sometimes you randomly find customized rifles (Like the "sniper" ZM rifle I've been using.)

Okay, someone was referring to tiers of upgrades earlier in the thread, so I was confused. Probably one of the expansions.

This, basically. In SoC upgraded weapons are slightly improved version of the standard (Fast-firing AK, balanced IL 86, Mail Jacket), and some "sniper" version of assault rifles, although they're of less use in complete when most weapons can accept scopes.

In Clear Sky technicians can upgrade weapons and armour, although not all technicians can upgrade all weapons and to make some upgrade you have to recover flash drives with information on them.

In Call of Pripyat there are technicians in the first two areas than can perform four tiers of upgrades. The first tier has no requirements, but the second, third and fourth tiers require basic, fine and calibration tools respectively, which are located in irritatingly dangerous locations.

IMO, the upgrade system in CoP is by far the best, especially since it gives you something to do with all your disposable income, although I believe it could be improved.

Demon 997

2011-06-26, 08:10 PM

I just started poking around the wild lands, helped out some scientists, and got another nice NATO gun which I think will replace my fast firing AK for as long as I'm playing in areas with lots of NATO ammo. Got some rookies family gun back for him, and found a pistol which fire rifle rounds. :smallbiggrin:

I also pulled an RPG-7 and one round for it off a merc's corpse. I'm really glad he didn't use it. I'm don't think theirs any point in carrying to around for now, since if I need an RPG I imagine the game will give me one.

I got some Warsaw Pact scopes, whats the best use of them?

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-26, 08:14 PM

Demon 997

2011-06-27, 12:20 AM

I decided, on a whim, to kill the entire guard checkpoint under the bridge in SoC, from sitting on that beam above them. With the crappy shotgun. At the start of the game. :smallbiggrin: Not having to figure out how to get back through the lightning tunnel, yay! I spent a good while trying to get the second way through the tunnel, couldn't figure away.

Congrats, that takes skill. Now you have assault weapons way before the game expects you to. You get through that anomaly by following the lightening through, if that makes any sense.

I'm in the army warehouses now, and wondering if I should help Duty or Freedom. Will the Duty guys back at the Bar try to kill me if I help Freedom?

I had the arena fight with the two Spetsnaz soldiers, ran out of ammo, hid behind a shipping container then killed one with my knife when he came around the corner, took his gun and killed the other. All in the space of maybe five seconds. It was amazing.

Yora

2011-06-27, 02:00 AM

I also pulled an RPG-7 and one round for it off a merc's corpse. I'm really glad he didn't use it. I'm don't think theirs any point in carrying to around for now, since if I need an RPG I imagine the game will give me one.

I got some Warsaw Pact scopes, whats the best use of them?

The RPGs are completgely useless. Very heavy and there are no armored targets in the game.

Keep one scope and put it on whatever rifle you're using. Sell the rest.

Though I have to say starting at the Wild Territory, I switched to NATO guns and never turned back. Streloks AK is quite nice, but with the AR 15 (that gray merc rifle) and later the G36, there's really no need for anything else. AR 15 with scope is a great rifle for long distance shoting.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-27, 08:26 AM

I decided, on a whim, to kill the entire guard checkpoint under the bridge in SoC, from sitting on that beam above them. With the crappy shotgun. At the start of the game. :smallbiggrin: Not having to figure out how to get back through the lightning tunnel, yay! I spent a good while trying to get the second way through the tunnel, couldn't figure away.

Basically, there are five positions the lightning can be, and it goes through them in order, so the tunnel looks like this

-
1
2
3
4
5
-

So, if you wait until the lightning is on "2" and you stand on "1" then you'll be safe. Then the lightning will move to "3" and you'll move up to "2." So if you're on "4" when the lightning is on "5" it'll move back to "1" and then you'll be past it.

Note that you have to do this twice; there's a safe area in the middle and then another bunch of lightning (so the full tunnel looks like)

-
1
2
3
4
5
-
1
2
3
4
5
-

Yora

2011-06-27, 09:35 AM

Through the tunnel at north is easy. But through the tunnel back south is a very different deal. It's easier to cross the tracks through the gap at the fence at the rail to the east.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-27, 10:07 AM

Through the tunnel at north is easy. But through the tunnel back south is a very different deal. It's easier to cross the tracks through the gap at the fence at the rail to the east.

Exactly, I got through fine, it was coming back that was the tricky bit, because, once the lightning hits 5, where it's not closest to you, you can't go through. And after that, it hits 1, where it's now coming towards you.

And the guys were bloody difficult. I saved right before, cause if I died I would reload and just not kill them, but they were haaaard! Used up all my bandages and medikits. Luckily, being right above them took basically all their cover out of the equation, while giving me super cover. And I still almost died several times.

Demon 997

2011-06-27, 02:19 PM

DaedalusMkV

2011-06-27, 02:38 PM

So, any advice about Duty or Freedom in the Army Warehouses?

Will the Duty soldiers in the Bar become hostile if I side with Freedom? Are there merchants in the Freedom base? Am I correct in assuming Freedom will become hostile if I side with Duty?

Yes they will, yes there are (two of them, though only one has decent kit) and yes you are. Overall, my best advice is that siding with Duty is generally a better choice than Freedom, because while Duty's troops are extremely well armed and guard one of the most important areas of the game, Freedom's troops are comparitively poorly equipped and only need to be fought on the way to the Red Forest and Pripyat. Overall, though, the best choice is to not attack either faction, but rather just do the non-kill-all-of-the-other-faction missions you have available from one of them, which will net you all of the benefits you can get from a faction without making hundreds of enemies.

Also, Duty are a lot smarter about basically everything, so there's that too.

Etcetera

2011-06-27, 02:47 PM

Also, Duty are a lot smarter about basically everything, so there's that too.

But Freedom has these guys. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3yzVdCC5PA)

Wrong game, but hardly the point. Duty have to put up with Mitay.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-27, 04:36 PM

The Zone is scary! Lets seal it away or blow it up or something!

Truly, Duty's intelligence knows no bounds.

Admittedly, Shadow of Chernobyl is shaped like a cross, with the Bar being at the center of the world, so you'll have to pass through it every time you want to go anywhere, and the Barkeep has all the main storyline quests.

Thus, siding with freedom means engaging the entire Bar every time you want to so much as mail a letter.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-27, 05:21 PM

Guh, I clear out the Factory for the 3rd time, cause someone shot at me from there, and then of course the one last bandit sneaks up behind me and hits me in the back of the head with a pistol.

Demon 997

2011-06-27, 06:39 PM

What exactly does impact and rupture affect?

Also, are there any artifacts that actively heal you, as opposed to giving you more health?

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-27, 06:41 PM

What exactly does impact and rupture affect?

I believe that Rupture means damage from mutant attacks; claws and teeth.

Impact is falling damage?

Cristo Meyers

2011-06-27, 07:31 PM

What exactly does impact and rupture affect?

Also, are there any artifacts that actively heal you, as opposed to giving you more health?

Apparently if you pile on -bleeding artifacts they start healing you. Though I think this may be a bug.

I believe that Rupture means damage from mutant attacks; claws and teeth.

Impact is falling damage?

Pretty much it exactly. Rupture also covers getting knifed.

Demon 997

2011-06-27, 07:45 PM

I believe that Rupture means damage from mutant attacks; claws and teeth.

Impact is falling damage?

Got it. Is it worth carrying around extra artifacts so you can switch up as needed, or should I just carry bulletproof gear?

deuxhero

2011-06-27, 10:39 PM

Eh, beyond keeping the ones with no side effects (esp the batteries for free reapirs) I managed to do well by just sticking to things with no side effects, and avoiding getting shot/walking into hazards in the first place.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-27, 11:29 PM

Got it. Is it worth carrying around extra artifacts so you can switch up as needed, or should I just carry bulletproof gear?

Since artifacts weigh a half-pound (kilo?) each, carrying an extra 12 artifacts means 6 pounds, for which you could have an entire gun, or 30 medkits, or a few thousand rounds, or some combination of the above.

In general, I find that anti-anomaly (burn, electric) artifacts are worthless, since you can always see and avoid anomalies anyway. Anti radiation, anti-bullet, and anti tired artifacts are quite nice, though, as running and being shot are things you'll do all the time no matter what, and radiation is invisible and often unavoidable.

Etcetera

2011-06-28, 12:27 AM

Impact is falling damage?

More importantly, impact also covers the vortex, whirlygig, and springboard anomalies, as well as certain mutant attacks (most mutants have more than one attack).

deuxhero

2011-06-28, 07:50 PM

In general, I find that anti-anomaly (burn, electric) artifacts are worthless, since you can always see and avoid anomalies anyway.

True in SoC Complete or CoP, but not base SoC, where they can repair you.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-28, 08:08 PM

Update! Got through the tunnel to Strelok's stash. What do all the blue bubbly anomalies do? While checking the Encyclopedia to see what was up with that, I noticed a new creatures entry. I read it. It sounds terrifying. I turn around. OH MY GOD IT'S EATING MY FACE GAAAAH I WAS JUST READING ABOUT THAT THING.
So, I manage to survive the bloodsucker, barely. Then I'm pincered by some soldiers. I retreat into the dark room, hide in a corner, and turn off my flashlight. They walk in, with their flashlights blaring, and I kill them. Then I head outside, and find myself HEAVILY BLEEDING FROM SOME CREEPY MONSTER, AND BEING SHOT AT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE complex OH NOOOOO.

Anyways, long story short, I kill everyone INSIDE the complex, then a bunch of the guards OUTSIDE the camp come in. I assassinate one, but the second one shoots me up. And I didn't save since just before the creepy cut-scene monster, just before you leave the tunnels. So yay, get to fight my way through a whole complex of soldiers... Again.

Cristo Meyers

2011-06-28, 09:59 PM

Update! Got through the tunnel to Strelok's stash. What do all the blue bubbly anomalies do?

They're called Fruit Punch (http://stalker.wikia.com/wiki/Fruit_Punch) anomalies. Short answer: the mother of all chemical burns.

While checking the Encyclopedia to see what was up with that, I noticed a new creatures entry. I read it. It sounds terrifying. I turn around. OH MY GOD IT'S EATING MY FACE GAAAAH I WAS JUST READING ABOUT THAT THING.
So, I manage to survive the bloodsucker, barely. Then I'm pincered by some soldiers. I retreat into the dark room, hide in a corner, and turn off my flashlight. They walk in, with their flashlights blaring, and I kill them. Then I head outside, and find myself HEAVILY BLEEDING FROM SOME CREEPY MONSTER, AND BEING SHOT AT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE complex OH NOOOOO.

Ah, the first bloodsucker is always the worst. I was lucky, the bloodsucker ran off after the soldiers instead of me and got perforated the first time.

Anyways, long story short, I kill everyone INSIDE the complex, then a bunch of the guards OUTSIDE the camp come in. I assassinate one, but the second one shoots me up. And I didn't save since just before the creepy cut-scene monster, just before you leave the tunnels. So yay, get to fight my way through a whole complex of soldiers... Again.

It's a little easier in the complex if it's nighttime. Other than that, keep moving, don't stop for too long, getting into the main building helps a bit since it'll funnel the soldiers.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-28, 10:33 PM

Ah, the first bloodsucker is always the worst. I was lucky, the bloodsucker ran off after the soldiers instead of me and got perforated the first time.

Apparently, my parents and sister heard me scream upstairs. :smallredface:

It's a little easier in the complex if it's nighttime. Other than that, keep moving, don't stop for too long, getting into the main building helps a bit since it'll funnel the soldiers.

Well, given I pop up in the middle of daylight, in the middle of the camp, being watched, I figured I did quite well! Right near where I popped up was a bit that gave me total cover from one side, and partial cover from the other, and only one or two came at me from the chainlink fence. Mostly survived this one due to luck in not being hit, not having to fight more than 2 at close range at a time, and constantly moving in little circles, and sheer adrenaline rush raising my reflexes. It wasn't until I tried to go stealthy that I was shot in the back of the head.

It's always the back of the head! Why do they always shoot me in the back of the head! At least I got to knife one of the tower guards to death.
Hmmm, maybe I shoulda used my silenced AK for the stealthy bit...
The bonus of having that Bes dude you have to fight with die, is that you get to steal his gun! Second time trying that mission, second time I was the only one to survive. That's what happens when I use them as human shields.

Happened with the guy in the train-house too. Killed off all but the last guy easy-like. Last guy was playing hide-and-seek, hid while I went off one way, the other 3 go off a different way. He pops out of a train car, kills the dude I need to talk to, and then one of the survivor stalkers has to run up to him and shoot him in the face.

This game is great!

DaedalusMkV

2011-06-28, 10:42 PM

Truly, Duty's intelligence knows no bounds.

While Duty isn't perfect, let's look at Freedom's response.

Hey man, this Zone thingy is pretty nifty, and those stupid military and Duty guys are trying to seal it up and keep everybody except scientists and trained soldiers out! You know what, we should totally kill them all so that everybody who wants to can come in! Also, discipline is for losers.
Wow, Freedom, you're really setting the bar pretty high in the planning ahead department!

Honestly, I don't think Freedom and Duty were really intended to be anything other than the militant fanatics that they are. They're both radical paramilitary groups (admittedly, Freedom puts a lot of emphasis on the 'Para', while Duty's pretty big on the 'military' side), and the Loners (SoC, CoP), Clear Sky (CS) and the Military (CoP only) were always intended to be both more sympathetic and more reasonable. Oh, and the Scientists I guess, but they hardly count.

Etcetera

2011-06-29, 01:32 AM

While Duty isn't perfect, let's look at Freedom's response.

Hey man, this Zone thingy is pretty nifty, and those stupid military and Duty guys are trying to seal it up and keep everybody except scientists and trained soldiers out! You know what, we should totally kill them all so that everybody who wants to can come in! Also, discipline is for losers.

Wow, Freedom, you're really setting the bar pretty high in the planning ahead department!

'Cos we all know how well those scientists and soldiers survive, don't we? Operation Fairway was the only time the military ever succeeded, and even that was a failed mission.

Meanwhile, the ecologists need STALKER or Merc guides/guards to go anywhere and still die half the time they venture out of their bunker.

That said, I don't tend to side with either side more than the other, although that maybe less due to idealogical reasons and more due to an aversion to getting filled with lead, be it 5.45 or 5.56.

Freedom have the more interesting characters, though.

Demon 997

2011-06-29, 01:32 AM

So I'm in the Dark Valley now, and absolutely loving the game, but my computer keeps overheating and crashing. :smallfrown:

I'm on a laptop, I have already cleaned the fan (through not the heat sink, as that is harder to get at). Any suggestions?

A friend recommended replacing the thermal paste, how much will that help?

How effective are external fans/other cooling devices?

Cogwheel

2011-06-29, 02:35 AM

First time I ran into a bloodsucker, it was... in that one area past the Bar. Where you rescue those scientists from a merc attack.

It was at night. I was taking cover to hide from gunfire, saw something flickery, didn't pay much attention. Just popped up to take a few shots when I could, ducked back down again. Eventually, the shooting stopped. I went to loot. Saw the flickery thing again, figured it was a trick of the light/rain. Went back to looting and suddenly realized that I had no recollection of shooting most of these people. Then the bloodsucker killed me.

Yora

2011-06-29, 08:49 AM

Etcetera

2011-06-29, 11:47 AM

Have fun at X16 and X18. :smallbiggrin:

Oh god X16.

The hardest part is all the supplies to tempt you into picking them up and becoming over encumbered. And then a bloodsucker wakes up and eats your face.

Oh, and the hordes of brainwashed lunatics trying to shoot you.

Yora

2011-06-29, 11:56 AM

I'm usually easily scared by games. Half-Life 2 scares me!

But somehow I never understood why people think Stalker has scary levels. Or rather, I see how the levels should be scary, but I just don't feel frightened in any way. Blood Suckers are no more scary than a monolith soldier, even less so, since they can't shot. And the labs didn't scare me either. Which one is the haunted one? X18 or X16?

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-29, 12:15 PM

Oh god X16.

The hardest part is all the supplies to tempt you into picking them up and becoming over encumbered. And then a bloodsucker wakes up and eats your face.

Oh, and the hordes of brainwashed lunatics trying to shoot you.

No, the hardest part is when the supplies murder you.

Demon 997

2011-06-29, 12:44 PM

Oh god X16.

The hardest part is all the supplies to tempt you into picking them up and becoming over encumbered. And then a bloodsucker wakes up and eats your face.

Oh, and the hordes of brainwashed lunatics trying to shoot you.

Oh god. I'm about to head in there. Well, try to, then have my computer crash. Why can't you kill everything then come back for the supplies?

Celesyne

2011-06-29, 12:52 PM

Ok, installed SoC, Installed patches, and Installed Stalker Complete. Now can someone point me at a newbs guide, so I stop getting murdered by the starter bandits?

Etcetera

2011-06-29, 12:57 PM

Oh god. I'm about to head in there. Well, try to, then have my computer crash. Why can't you kill everything then come back for the supplies?

Because *mumble grumble grumble*.

You can, I was just so driven at the time I wanted to march right up to the CNPP and shoot the ████████████ in it's silly face.

Ok, installed SoC, Installed patches, and Installed Stalker Complete. Now can someone point me at a newbs guide, so I stop getting murdered by the starter bandits?

The zone survival guide (http://zsg.dk) is rather useful, although as mentioned, it may contain a few spoilers. Kill the bandits guarding Nimble by sprinting around, hiding in cover and shooting them in the head with the pistol.

Cover is very important.

Also, grab a sawn-off as soon as you can.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-29, 01:17 PM

Ok, installed SoC, Installed patches, and Installed Stalker Complete. Now can someone point me at a newbs guide, so I stop getting murdered by the starter bandits?

Use cover and flanking. Ideally, you want to inch around a corner and then lean for exactly as long as it takes to fire.

Actually, *ideally* you want to sneak up on them. Complete makes the AI a lot more limited in its detection abilities, so you should be able to circle around a lot of the time.

thorgrim29

2011-06-29, 02:31 PM

I'm having lots of fun with this game (Complete 2009) so far, just killed the bandit leader guy and got the keys to the lab (X-16?). I joined duty, got their second suit (saving up for the 130 000 roubles military suit). I always carry 3 guns, a groza, that weird NATO gun (G-something) you get fighting the 6 bandits in the arena that I silenced, and the grenade revolver (admittedly probably not the best weight/destruction ratio but it's fun as hell to use), oh and the Colt 1911 with around 40 round. I would use the Groza for everything but I hate Warsaw pact scopes. So far the scariest part of the game was the controller that jumped me after I emptied Strelok's cache. The first time I was there I panicked and ran, but then I realized I had to go back because I'd forgotten the flash drive. I eventually killed it with grenades.

Oh and about Yantar... How the hell does that work? Do I get protection from the psy emissions eventually? Because I'm pretty sure the head scientist guy's quest bugged, he never accepted the mutant suit so I had to cancel the quest, hope I didn't screw up my game too bad.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-29, 02:47 PM

In my playthrough, I joined Freedom, so the bandits were neutral. I strolled in all the way to the Bandit King and chatted with him for a bit before slitting his throat while the guards were not looking.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-29, 03:00 PM

Just got to duty. After holeing myself up in the Agrowhatever building for a while, fighting off enemies, I snuck past in night-time, past the guards, into the Garbage. By the time I arrive to help the Outpost fight against the bandits, the Outpost is all dead. I suck at missions where I have to keep someone alive! So far the only guy who didn't die was Mole! Mind you, that silenced assault rifle is a godsend, so kinda glad Bes died. Just upgraded from Strelok's AK to something I bought from the Bartender, and managed to suddenly find myself with a Stalker suit. I should have been probably wearing that one earlier, n'est pas?

Accidentally found myself in the back of Duty's base, because some guy said "psst" at me, so they all shot me to death. Yaaay!

Etcetera

2011-06-29, 03:29 PM

Oh and about Yantar... How the hell does that work? Do I get protection from the psy emissions eventually? Because I'm pretty sure the head scientist guy's quest bugged, he never accepted the mutant suit so I had to cancel the quest, hope I didn't screw up my game too bad.

Mutant Suit?

If you could cancel the quest, then it wasn't part of the main story. What have you been to X18 yet?

Demon 997

2011-06-29, 11:06 PM

So I just got into the lab you get access to by killing the bandits and getting his half of the key. Then things started floating around, and I decided I was done for the night. :smalleek:

iyaerP

2011-06-30, 12:12 AM

So I just got into the lab you get access to by killing the bandits and getting his half of the key. Then things started floating around, and I decided I was done for the night. :smalleek:

Something strange.

In the neighbor hood.

Who ya gonna call?

Some STALKERS!

Stalkers go in.

But the don't come back.

Who ya gonna call?

**** if I care. Lets get out of there before whatever it is that got them gets us too.

Demon 997

2011-06-30, 02:46 AM

Something strange.

In the neighbor hood.

Who ya gonna call?

Some STALKERS!

Stalkers go in.

But the don't come back.

Who ya gonna call?

**** if I care. Lets get out of there before whatever it is that got them gets us too.

That is my rough response. I played a bit more, had crates throw themselves at me, then had TWO SNARKS! attack me. Then flame traps killed me. So when I try again I'll have to fight the Snarks again.

I'm thinking I might need a better environmental suit for this place. What kind of gear did other people have going through the Labs?

P.S. I've realized I really hate snarks. Bloodsuckers are scary, but they at least have the decency to run at you and let you shoot them, and to stand up while you do so. All this jumping and floor hugging is not okay.

seanpual

2011-06-30, 06:08 AM

Hahaha yeah it is very horrible games i love this game. Yes set the difficulty to medium...

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-30, 09:05 AM

So I just got into the lab you get access to by killing the bandits and getting his half of the key. Then things started floating around, and I decided I was done for the night. :smalleek:

Poltergeist? I think I read a little about those. They throw things at you and try to kill you, until you find one and kill it. Don't know what they look like, though.

Cristo Meyers

2011-06-30, 09:26 AM

I'm thinking I might need a better environmental suit for this place. What kind of gear did other people have going through the Labs?

Really you can get through just fine with watching your step and throwing a lot of bolts.

Barring that: try and get your hands on a SEVA suit. Good resistances all around.

Poltergeist? I think I read a little about those. They throw things at you and try to kill you, until you find one and kill it. Don't know what they look like, though.

Floating ball of energy. In the lab in question you'll probably see it without even realizing what it is. I know I didn't put it together until someone pointed it out.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-06-30, 09:30 AM

Really you can get through just fine with watching your step and throwing a lot of bolts.

Barring that: try and get your hands on a SEVA suit. Good resistances all around.

Floating ball of energy. In the lab in question you'll probably see it without even realizing what it is. I know I didn't put it together until someone pointed it out.

Coolio! Not quite there yet, gonna do a bunch of side quests before heading into to the Dark Valley.

shadow_archmagi

2011-06-30, 09:30 AM

Floating ball of energy. In the lab in question you'll probably see it without even realizing what it is. I know I didn't put it together until someone pointed it out.

You can actually kill them by firing at random into the energy. It wastes a lot of ammo, though. Still useful if you really HATE random box attacks.

warty goblin

2011-06-30, 09:37 AM

You can actually kill them by firing at random into the energy. It wastes a lot of ammo, though. Still useful if you really HATE random box attacks.

It's worth doing once just to find out what they really look like.

Actually the poltergeist sequence was one of my favorites, since at least in my playthrough I'd never even heard mention of something like that before. It's the rare game that'll throw a completely unknown enemy at the player like that, and it definitely amped up the fear significantly.

Yora

2011-06-30, 09:41 AM

The only really important resistance is radiation, because there's no way to evade it. The last level after Pripyat is so highly irradiated, you simply die within a minute if you don't have a good armor and one or two strong -radition artifacts.
Except for that, all other resistances are nice, but not vital.

Chemical burn damage is caused only by very highly visible anomalies, so resistance is useless.
Electric shock and Burn are a greater hazzard, but also easy to avoid.

The good artifacts are Endurance, Health, Bleeding, and Radiation. When you have a good one and protection from radiation, Bulletproof Cap and Rupture are also not useless, as you'll get those damage types a lot. But the bonuses from artifacts to them are very low.
I like to have a few artifacts in the backpack so I can switch to lots of Endurance artifacts when I'm on my way back to camp with lots of equipment to sell. Once that's done, it's back to health and bleeding artifacts. Radiation is always good, as it allows you to safely take some shortcuts.

Nano

2011-06-30, 10:43 AM

So, I am now installing SoC and Complete.

I played Call of Pripyat first, and I've clocked 80 hours on it, most recently playing through on the hardest difficulty.

I'm looking for a challenge, now... I'm thinking a pistols only run of SoC, but that doesn't feel like enough. Any other suggestions?

Yora

2011-06-30, 10:47 AM

No Artifact run?

Nano

2011-06-30, 10:53 AM

That's the only thing that I'd rather not do, considering that artifacts were my favourite part of SoP. The feeling of being a badass post apocalyptic treasure hunter is awesome.

Yora

2011-06-30, 10:57 AM

No armor would be very masochistic. What about limiting yourself to very crappy weapons? Like the AK-74. It's awesome at Garbage, but beyond the Bar it should be really underperforming.
And don't ever switch it, until it breaks completely down. :smallbiggrin:

Etcetera

2011-06-30, 11:30 AM

Nano

2011-06-30, 11:37 AM

Etcetera

2011-06-30, 11:44 AM

So, here's what I'm getting out of this:

Crappy pistols only
No repairing items
No replacing items until they're completely used up

Any other restrictions?

Edit: OH HEY THERE THORNS I don't know what people soup means. Or Putin run.

Oh hey there Nano!

You need to resize your avatar.

I've lurked just enough in the Facepunch stalker thread to hear about People Soup (http://www.gsc-game.com/index.php?t=community&s=forums&s_game_type=xr&thm_page=1&thm_id=18718&sec_id=17&offset=-60), which is apparently insane, and the Putin Challenge (http://www.gsc-game.com/index.php?t=community&s=forums&s_game_type=xr&thm_page=1&thm_id=18718&sec_id=17&offset=-60) (not run after all) which could be interesting.

And then there's always LURK. (http://www.moddb.com/mods/lurk)

Nano

2011-06-30, 11:55 AM

Avatar RESIZED. I was just sort of eyeballing it.

Annnd, the LURK link doesn't work, and uh... The others aren't telling me anything about what they actually are. What's the deal?

Etcetera

2011-06-30, 12:03 PM

Avatar RESIZED. I was just sort of eyeballing it.

Annnd, the LURK link doesn't work, and uh... The others aren't telling me anything about what they actually are. What's the deal?

That's weird, the link worked five minutes ago. Now it seems to be broken.

EDIT: Cache. (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.moddb.com/mods/lurk)

People Soup: "Its basically AMK with a new story, invisible people, tripping balls in a cave, and laser guns." Oh, and it's poorly translated.

I'm mainly mentioning it to you in the hope you'll be some sort of test subject for it, really.

Now, to continue being not entirely helpful (not on purpose):
Anyone tried out The Faction Wars mods for CS? If not, I recommend it.

Demon 997

2011-06-30, 03:00 PM

You can actually kill them by firing at random into the energy. It wastes a lot of ammo, though. Still useful if you really HATE random box attacks.

Two questions: Does it have to be near you to attack you, and is there only one in the level? Because if I kill it, just to have another show up its not worth it. If I kill it, and that's one less thing to worry about then it definitely is.

Etcetera

2011-06-30, 03:11 PM

Two questions: Does it have to be near you to attack you, and is there only one in the level? Because if I kill it, just to have another show up its not worth it. If I kill it, and that's one less thing to worry about then it definitely is.

No and no.

The first thing I saw upon entering was a floating pelvis.

Then it flew forwards and hit me in the face.

There are about seven in there, I believe, but that feels like infinite poltergeists.

warty goblin

2011-06-30, 03:52 PM

No and no.

The first thing I saw upon entering was a floating pelvis.

Then it flew forwards and hit me in the face.

There are about seven in there, I believe, but that feels like infinite poltergeists.

I only recall two, although it's quite possible I simply ran past the other ones.

Yora

2011-06-30, 03:53 PM

The first time they are quite annoying, as you don't know the layout of the area yet and those stairs down are just tiny with no rail or anything. Trying to figure out what you're supposed to do while there's stuff and lightning flying around is quite annoying.

GolemsVoice

2011-06-30, 05:08 PM

The most annoying case of poltergeists is in the

X8 (I believe, the laboratory beneath Pripyat) labs. God, I hated them. At least in CoP they are much easier to kill.

deuxhero

2011-06-30, 05:42 PM

Where are they to kill them? I thought it was the dwarfs disguising themselfs as poltergeist so they could nail me when I stood still until I checked the STALKER wiki.

iyaerP

2011-06-30, 06:22 PM

Ok, for the underground lab in the Dark Valley, if you don't have a good suit yet, there is a stalker suit that is outside the entrance to the labs. To find it, go outside, go to the entrance to the factory, and look for the tree in the left hand corner by the doors that you enter the factory through. Next to the tree, behind a fence, should be a concrete pipe. Inside the pipe is a brand new stalker suit.

Slipperychicken

2011-06-30, 06:55 PM

Nano

2011-06-30, 09:05 PM

Anomalies, heh... I've done far, far too much artifact hunting. By this point I don't even toss bolts, I just sprint right through anomalous areas and come out unscathed.

WOW that sounds a lot like tooting my own horn. It's just that I've spent so much time around them, I can see the edges of anomalies and I skirt them pretty well.

iyaerP

2011-06-30, 09:10 PM

Nano

2011-06-30, 09:30 PM

No, I mean, I dodge around the edges of where they activate. I don't sprint through the actual anomalies, because that is a sillypants thing to do. Though if you jump in addition, it can get you past some gravity ones -- Like in CoP there's a little opening in the Claw with a Gravity anomaly completely blocking the way out. You can sprint and jump through it, though, and come out unscathed. Only way to get through it.

Demon 997

2011-06-30, 10:26 PM

warty goblin

2011-06-30, 10:59 PM

So I got the documents, started back up, and got killed by the military. Goddammit. I really wish I'd packed more ammo, and that the game paused for inventory or at least gave you a bit more breathing room.

That's like complaining the gimp suit is hard to breathe in and the handcuffs chafe halfway through your S&M session. It's kinda what you volunteered for.

GolemsVoice

2011-06-30, 11:12 PM

Wrong game, Stalker, wrong game. But the military killed me, too. And scared the crap out of me the frist time. But it gave me enough of an adrenaline shock to last a lifetime, probably.

Demon 997

2011-06-30, 11:48 PM

That's like complaining the gimp suit is hard to breathe in and the handcuffs chafe halfway through your S&M session. It's kinda what you volunteered for.

Oh I'm enjoying our hypothetical S&M session, but next time I'm bring fuzzy handcuffs.

I came to the point where my thought process was: I'm going to walk into the next room, somethings going to jump out and startle me, and I'm going to shoot it, there's no getting around it, its pointless to try to find it before it jumps out, just shoot it when it does.

I really hate poltergeists.

iyaerP

2011-07-01, 12:08 AM

Oh I'm enjoying our hypothetical S&M session, but next time I'm bring fuzzy handcuffs.

I came to the point where my thought process was: I'm going to walk into the next room, somethings going to jump out and startle me, and I'm going to shoot it, there's no getting around it, its pointless to try to find it before it jumps out, just shoot it when it does.

I really hate poltergeists.

Just wait till you meet your first controller.

DaedalusMkV

2011-07-01, 01:09 AM

Just wait till you meet your first controller.
Or Burer. God I hate Burers... Controllers really aren't so bad, as long as you don't get jumped by one in the wilderness. Of course, when you do get jumped by one in the wilderness you can go ahead and kiss your brain goodbye. Oh, and then there's Pyrogeists...

You know what's really fun? Running into a random Pyrogeist in the middle of an extensive tunnel network, realizing that it is in fact above ground, and thus you cannot hurt it while it can still hurt you, and frantically searching your inventory for the fire resisting Artifact that you just sold to a trader. The one and only time I've ever died in CoP after getting a fully upgraded Exoskelly and Gauss Rifle.

Demon 997

2011-07-01, 01:57 AM

Just wait till you meet your first controller.

I've already met one, its in the tunnels with Streloks stash.

I've also met a pyro-geist, its the the room with the documents. Nasty ******.

I'm back at the Bar now, what should I do to get better equipment? I'm using a Stalker suit, IL-86, and the grey NATO assault rifle. What kind of gear can I get at this stage in the game?

iyaerP

2011-07-01, 02:53 AM

I've already met one, its in the tunnels with Streloks stash.

I've also met a pyro-geist, its the the room with the documents. Nasty ******.

I'm back at the Bar now, what should I do to get better equipment? I'm using a Stalker suit, IL-86, and the grey NATO assault rifle. What kind of gear can I get at this stage in the game?

hop on up to the army warehouses. Poke around for a bit and grab a G-36.
The game calls it something different. GP-37 I think, but it is the G-36 in real life, so thats what I call it. Anyway, that is pretty much the most versatile and best all-around gun that you can get till the very very end of the game when you can pick up a Fabrique Nationale F-2000.

Don't join the duty assault on the Freedom base. It is a suicide mission. I in fact recommend staying neutural with both factions.

For a good suit, head out to Yantar through the wild territories. You'll fight mercs mostly. They'll carry plenty of scopes and NATO ammo, primarily because they use the M4 knockoff.

For the suit, go talk to the scientist guy and do his quest. KEEP HIM ALIVE NO MATTER WHAT. SAVESCUMM LIKE A LITTLE BITCH IF YOU HAVE TO.

If you manage to keep him alive through all the various shenannegins and quests you do, you will get the armoured scientist suit. This is the best suit in the game up until you get the exoskeleton and/or the Spetznaz suit. But everyone uses the exoskelli.

Also availible from the scientists is their non armoured version of the suit which has the best anomoly protection availible. Bar none. I always carry one of those around with me for exploration of anomoly fields and artifact hunting.

Yora

2011-07-01, 05:57 AM

The G36 is a wonderful weapon. And apparently I don't think so just because I'm german. :smallbiggrin:

Etcetera

2011-07-01, 06:40 AM

Or Burer. God I hate Burers... Controllers really aren't so bad, as long as you don't get jumped by one in the wilderness. Of course, when you do get jumped by one in the wilderness you can go ahead and kiss your brain goodbye. Oh, and then there's Pyrogeists...

You know what's really fun? Running into a random Pyrogeist in the middle of an extensive tunnel network, realizing that it is in fact above ground, and thus you cannot hurt it while it can still hurt you, and frantically searching your inventory for the fire resisting Artifact that you just sold to a trader. The one and only time I've ever died in CoP after getting a fully upgraded Exoskelly and Gauss Rifle.

If you don't mind me asking, which tunnel system was that? Under the Burnt Farmstead?

James the Dark

2011-07-01, 06:45 AM

Isn't the burnt farmstead in Call of Pripyat? Might be thinking of the wrong episode in the series.

iyaerP

2011-07-01, 08:55 AM

Well. THIS (http://www.shacknews.com/article/67459/modders-rebuilding-stalker-with-cryengine) certainly looks interesting.

Nano

2011-07-01, 09:03 AM

Isn't the burnt farmstead in Call of Pripyat? Might be thinking of the wrong episode in the series.

The post he quoted is talking about CoP. >_>

Archonic Energy

2011-07-01, 10:12 AM

That's like complaining the gimp suit is hard to breathe in and the handcuffs chafe halfway through your S&M session. It's kinda what you volunteered for.

That really deserves to be sigged, but without context would only make people go :smallconfused::smalleek:

DaedalusMkV

2011-07-01, 11:43 AM

If you don't mind me asking, which tunnel system was that? Under the Burnt Farmstead?

Yeah. Apperently, after the endgame Pyrogeists have a tiny chance of spawning near any major fire anomoly or something. I was spelunking for Artifacts when it appeared, and it took me about five minutes of being blasted while I ran through the tunnels looking for it to realize it was outside. Then I ran out of medkits and died.
You know, I was never too impressed with the Spetznaz armour. In SoC, rad protection is so damned important in the late game that I never went anywhere without my SEVA or Armoured Scientist suit, at least until I got a hold of the Sprint-enabled Exoskeleton you can find in the NPP. In CS, it just always felt like an inferior option to the CS armour you have access to and in CoP there's (again) the CS armour, and the incredibly broken fully upgraded Exoskeleton.

Etcetera

2011-07-01, 11:49 AM

Yeah. Apperently, after the endgame Pyrogeists have a tiny chance of spawning near any major fire anomoly or something. I was spelunking for Artifacts when it appeared, and it took me about five minutes of being blasted while I ran through the tunnels looking for it to realize it was outside. Then I ran out of medkits and died.
You know, I was never too impressed with the Spetznaz armour. In SoC, rad protection is so damned important in the late game that I never went anywhere without my SEVA or Armoured Scientist suit, at least until I got a hold of the Sprint-enabled Exoskeleton you can find in the NPP. In CS, it just always felt like an inferior option to the CS armour you have access to and in CoP there's (again) the CS armour, and the incredibly broken fully upgraded Exoskeleton.

Huh, weird. Never heard any other mention of it. Sorry if this is irritating, but you are totally sure it's not the moving fire anomaly in the caves?

The only info I can find says the pyrogeist only spawns in the Circus anomaly.

Also, you used the Bulat? I just sold it after the sniper mission.

DaedalusMkV

2011-07-01, 12:12 PM

Huh, weird. Never heard any other mention of it. Sorry if this is irritating, but you are totally sure it's not the moving fire anomaly in the caves?

The only info I can find says the pyrogeist only spawns in the Circus anomaly.

No, it was definitely a Pyrogeist. I got the blueish screen of doom and everything. I do have a couple of mods installed though, so that may have something to do with it.

thorgrim29

2011-07-01, 01:23 PM

Gonna repeat that question... By mutant suit I mean the suit that acts a healing artifact, but what I really want to know is how do I get psi protection?

shadow_archmagi

2011-07-01, 05:27 PM

Gonna repeat that question... By mutant suit I mean the suit that acts a healing artifact, but what I really want to know is how do I get psi protection?

You should do a quest where the scientist does science and you protect him, and then he gives you the magic earmuffs

Jothki

2011-07-01, 07:09 PM

Demon 997

2011-07-01, 08:01 PM

There's a guy who likes to wander outside the walls to the south of the Bar, and there are packs of dogs who like to kill that guy. He's carrying a pretty good unique gun, so it's probably worth checking for corpses. Or creating one.

What kind of gun? I'm not sure if he's dead.

Jothki

2011-07-01, 11:10 PM

Can't remember, unfortunately. I guarantee it's nice, though.

iyaerP

2011-07-02, 12:42 AM

Can't remember, unfortunately. I guarantee it's nice, though.

You talking about the Groza modded to fire 5.45 ammo?

Only time i've seen him die a Zoney death was when he got killed by one of the packs of infinity dogs/rats/snorks/psuedodogs that bumrushes all the way from one side of the wild territories to the other.

He had been chilling at the campfire that duty and loners set up after you take out the merc snipers at the barricade.

Yora

2011-07-02, 04:45 AM

Gonna repeat that question... By mutant suit I mean the suit that acts a healing artifact, but what I really want to know is how do I get psi protection?

You get the armor when you enter the lab you need the psi protection for. After you passed out and you're on your way back outside, the armor is on a corpse right before you drop into a hole in the gound (I think there's a controller there as well).

iyaerP

2011-07-02, 05:19 AM

It gets confusing, because there is also an always-there set of armour you can pick up of the corpse of a soldier outside that does the EXACT SAME THING as the quest armour, but it isn't labeled the same and can't be turned in for the quest.

Etcetera

2011-07-02, 05:50 AM

You get the armor when you enter the lab you need the psi protection for. After you passed out and you're on your way back outside, the armor is on a corpse right before you drop into a hole in the gound (I think there's a controller there as well).

Yeah, it's not part of the main quest, but it's easy to grab the suit while you're in the lab. It's on Ghost's corpse (Ghost suit, see), and he was killed by a controller that's still there.

It gets confusing, because there is also an always-there set of armour you can pick up of the corpse of a soldier outside that does the EXACT SAME THING as the quest armour, but it isn't labeled the same and can't be turned in for the quest.

You can take the healing Beril to Lukash as part of a quest, though.

Demon 997

2011-07-02, 05:53 PM

Yeah, it's not part of the main quest, but it's easy to grab the suit while you're in the lab. It's on Ghost's corpse (Ghost suit, see), and he was killed by a controller that's still there.

You can take the healing Beril to Lukash as part of a quest, though.

This confused me as well. I have the healing beril, but the suit the scientist wanted me to find isn't there despite it being on my map. So its down underground? Should I be more worried about anomalies or gunfire down there? How much ammo should I pack?

CoP is 50% off on Steam, but its not marked as a daily deal or anything, anyone know if I have to buy it today, or if it'll be on sale the whole time?

deuxhero

2011-07-02, 06:54 PM

It's at the very end. Only when you exit the facility in drainage pipes have you gone too far.

Etcetera

2011-07-03, 03:31 AM

It's at the very end. Only when you exit the facility in drainage pipes have you gone too far.

Deuxhero is correct.

Map.
http://zsg.dk/Resources/Maps/X16_Spots.jpg

Sprinter

2011-07-05, 01:14 PM

CoP is 50% off on Steam, but its not marked as a daily deal or anything, anyone know if I have to buy it today, or if it'll be on sale the whole time?

CoP is 75% off on Steam today its only for 2,49 if u already have SoC or Clear Sky from Steam. Go get it now! :)

Demon 997

2011-07-05, 01:49 PM

CoP is 75% off on Steam today its only for 2,49 if u already have SoC or Clear Sky from Steam. Go get it now! :)

I actually bought it and Clear Sky yesterday, because I have that kind of luck.

Cristo Meyers

2011-07-05, 06:06 PM

I actually bought it and Clear Sky yesterday, because I have that kind of luck.

Definitely get Clear Sky Complete. The tales of Clear Sky's bugginess aren't all that exaggerated. Hell, if you have it on disk like I do the copy protection sometimes won't even let the drive read the disk!

thorgrim29

2011-07-05, 07:19 PM

I bought CoP and Portal 2 today, so I'll have more stalker fun when I eventually complete SoC (maybe I'll even finish it before 2 comes out)

BTW I convinced a buddy to buy the game, could anyone give me the link to the latest Complete mod for SoC?

Etcetera

2011-07-06, 01:48 AM

iyaerP

2011-07-06, 10:11 PM

I actually bought it and Clear Sky yesterday, because I have that kind of luck.

SAME! Well, except that I bought CoP, but /highfive of steam sale fail!

Speaking of Pripyet, I am only a couple hours in so far, but I think my favorite thing is no longer having to discover PDAs with a stash's location to be able to raid said stash. You just have to find the stash.

I got an M4 and 120 ammo this way before I even left the first map. Coupled with the suit I found on top of the Ark, the first few missions have been a breeze. Although having to constantly buy more ammo has been less amusing.

Etcetera

2011-07-07, 01:34 AM

SAME! Well, except that I bought CoP, but /highfive of steam sale fail!

Speaking of Pripyet, I am only a couple hours in so far, but I think my favorite thing is no longer having to discover PDAs with a stash's location to be able to raid said stash. You just have to find the stash.

I got an M4 and 120 ammo this way before I even left the first map. Coupled with the suit I found on top of the Ark, the first few missions have been a breeze. Although having to constantly buy more ammo has been less amusing.

Once you complete the mutant hunting lines of quests there's an achievement that makes people give you a random selection of ammo every day, and when you encounter Freedom the general incidence rate of 5.56 increases, so you shouldn't have much of a problem.

James the Dark

2011-07-07, 07:28 AM

Are you running with Complete? If not, I recommend it so long as you have the power to run it. It pretties everything up, makes the enemies smarter, and makes the blowouts something to be legitimately worried about (mostly because there is now a 0% chance of surviving one, ever, unless you're in cover).

Did I mention how pretty Complete makes it?

Cristo Meyers

2011-07-07, 09:10 AM

Actually, that reminds me since I also took advantage of the Steam sale (hard to argue with only spending $12 and getting both Hydrophobia and COP). Can you install Complete on a Steam version of any STALKER game?

James the Dark

2011-07-07, 09:36 AM

Not sure, but there are Completes for all three games. It was easy as pie to get CoP:Complete working.

And the ability to repair guns and armor in SoC is reportedly a godsend.

Cristo Meyers

2011-07-07, 12:29 PM

And the ability to repair guns and armor in SoC is reportedly a godsend.

Yes and no. It's expensive as all hell to repair the higher level stuff and it does kinda fill in the logical leap of "why are they buying all these crappy guns I keep selling if not for parts?", but some have pointed out that it does take something away from the survival atmosphere of the game.

Not necessarily agreeing, but I can see where they are coming from.

thorgrim29

2011-07-08, 09:41 PM

So, how do I get through the second key coded door in the lab? The one that tries to open but seems stuck? Also, poltergeists are weird as hell, but more annoying then anything, they're not worth the bullets to kill as far as I'm concerned. Finally, I may be forced to leave the grenade revolver behind to my great sorrow, but it's just too heavy for the limited use it has.

Cogwheel

2011-07-08, 09:43 PM

thorgrim29

2011-07-08, 09:48 PM

Well no, it's like a giant six shooter that shoots grenades, so it's the grenade revolver for me.

iyaerP

2011-07-09, 12:54 AM

Well no, it's like a giant six shooter that shoots grenades, so it's the grenade revolver for me.

I left it in the stash in the bar until I had an exoskelli.

Demon 997

2011-07-09, 01:30 AM

Well no, it's like a giant six shooter that shoots grenades, so it's the grenade revolver for me.

Where was this? If its in the lab in the Shadow valley I must have missed it. :smallfrown:

Etcetera

2011-07-09, 02:17 AM

Where was this? If its in the lab in the Shadow valley I must have missed it. :smallfrown:

Army Warehouses, in a basement in the Bloodsucker village and in the Freedom armoury.

iyaerP

2011-07-09, 05:22 PM

That thing is a rapecannon for the NPP mission.

shadow_archmagi

2011-07-11, 09:21 AM

Picked of Sky of Chernobyl when it was five dollars! Hurrah

Demon 997

2011-07-12, 12:29 AM

Etcetera

2011-07-12, 02:08 AM

So I got through the second lab, and am wondering what to do/buy next. The barkeep is offering a G36, the better (black) military suit, and the noiseless rifle. I can afford one of these. I also have the armored scientist suit, so I'm pretty well set for suits. Which one should I buy? Are any of these likely to become easy to find soon?

The Winchester 3100 is amazing against mutants, it earned its weight very quickly by being an excellent dispenser of lead flavored Snork repellent.

G36, definitely.

It's incredibly accurate, has a good scope, and is still useful at short range. With AP ammo it'll kill any human in the game with a single headshot, and, in the later stages of the game AP 5.56 isn't exactly rare.

Yora

2011-07-12, 02:28 AM

With the G36 and the armored science suit, there isn't really anything left to buy in this game. :smallbiggrin:
You can replace them later when they get to worn out though.

thorgrim29

2011-07-12, 08:45 AM

The G-36 is, especially if you can find a silencer , an incredibly great gun (seriously, I always wait for night before attacking a position because with night vision and a silent long range gun I kill everything and barely get shot) , I use it for medium to long range and a groza when things get more personal (might switch the groza to a shotgun eventually, I'm a bit torn about that, the groza is a killing machine for everything human, but when I get mobbed by mutants I have to shoot so many bullets to kill them I'm not sure it's worth it).

I have a question about armour tough, I have the second duty armour, the one with the shiny helmet, and I'm wondering if I should bother to replace it with the 130 000 rouble armoured military suit. It has better bulletproof and other physical protections but it's 3 kilos heavier and has lesser radiation and electrical/burn/chemical resistance.

Also, demon, how come you have so little cash? I just finished x-16 and I have nearly 300k roubles, but you're through x-18 and you can only afford one gun?

Cristo Meyers

2011-07-12, 10:10 AM

The Winchester 3100 is amazing against mutants, it earned its weight very quickly by being an excellent dispenser of lead flavored Snork repellent.

The pump-action, right? My favorite shotgun and well worth the extra weight to carry around. Even better if you can find the upgraded one: it's almost better than the automatic shotgun.

I have a question about armour tough, I have the second duty armour, the one with the shiny helmet, and I'm wondering if I should bother to replace it with the 130 000 rouble armoured military suit. It has better bulletproof and other physical protections but it's 3 kilos heavier and has lesser radiation and electrical/burn/chemical resistance.

I'd go for it, unless you can get your hands on a SEVA suit, anyway (only sold at Lake Yantar).

shadow_archmagi

2011-07-12, 10:33 AM

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-07-12, 10:52 AM

My philosophy goes like this:

Can I win every fight without anyone but me firing a bullet?
Answer: Nope

Can I avoid standing in the lightning?
Answer: Probably, unless I get distracted with eating this sandwich and walk in by mistake.

As such, bulletproof is higher priority.

Once in a while, I forget and accidentally run into a windy thing. Which always ALMOST kills me, but generally I notice in time and am able to sprint away before it DOES kill me.

Etcetera

2011-07-12, 11:27 AM

I'd go for it, unless you can get your hands on a SEVA suit, anyway (only sold at Lake Yantar).

You can obtain a SEVA suit from Duty for free by accepting the "
Obtain an Bulldog 6 from Freedom." There's one in their base and another in the bloodsucker village. It's good, but I prefer the upgraded Ecologist suit, or the exoskeleton when you get it.

Demon 997

2011-07-12, 02:07 PM

Also, demon, how come you have so little cash? I just finished x-16 and I have nearly 300k roubles, but you're through x-18 and you can only afford one gun?

I'm not sure, maybe I'm not doing enough side quest, or I'm not hauling enough loot back to sell?

thorgrim29

2011-07-12, 03:24 PM

Probably both actually, I can get a bit obsessive about side questing and looting.

Also, I believe the SEVA suit is the one I have, but the Duty guy who sells guns and always waves around a dragunov when I speak to him sells a suit that has better bulletproof and penetration but less other stuff.

deuxhero

2011-07-13, 05:32 AM

My philosophy goes like this:

Can I win every fight without anyone but me firing a bullet?
Answer: Nope

Can I avoid standing in the lightning?
Answer: Probably, unless I get distracted with eating this sandwich and walk in by mistake.

As such, bulletproof is higher priority.

Rads being the exception (though rad is completely ignorable in CoP)

Cristo Meyers

2011-07-13, 09:48 AM

Rads being the exception (though rad is completely ignorable in CoP)

And the main reason I prefer the SEVA over other armor. Going through the Red Forest in SOC without decent rad protection is an exercise in masochism.

Etcetera

2011-07-13, 11:42 AM

And the main reason I prefer the SEVA over other armor. Going through the Red Forest in SOC without decent rad protection is an exercise in masochism.

Going through the Red Forest in either game is an exercise in masochism. Although, I suppose, at least in SoC it's much clearer.

Yora

2011-07-13, 11:49 AM

I always stayed close to the road. I tried to get deeper into the forest for about 20 meters or so, and never tried it again. And even then, the radiation is terrible.
The same thing comes up in the end level. So there I was at my first play through with inadequate radiation protection and only a single save file. Which I saved after jumping down the radioactive hole.

iyaerP

2011-07-13, 07:51 PM

In clear sky, there is a hilarious bug that only seems to occur in the red forest, where if you are fighting a psuedodog and it leaps at you and hits you at the right angle, it will launch you hundreds of feet into the sky. And then you die horribly when you hit the ground, but it is amusing when it happens.

On a related note, is it just me or is there almost no falling damage in CoP? I fell something like 30 meters down this giant crevasse and lost only about a third of my life. Only armour I was wearing was the starting sunrise suit with a couple modifications. Speaking of armour, I have this funny thing where I am going to go directly from sunrise suit to an exoskeleton, as nimble really isn't asking too much for one, and as we all know, exoskellis are AWESOME.