S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Series Megathread: The Zone will stop the Russians - Games

[QUOTE=DeeCeeTeeBee;41761883]There's a zombie npc outside the factory in Yantar, who will actually sell you artifacts, one of them is the one the scientists ask for. He's like, east of the entrance, then far north along the wall. [editline]8th August 2013[/editline] Man, I may prefer Duty over Freedom by a hell of a lot, but all this replaying CoP has reminded me why I don't despise Freedom as a whole. Loki is a chill as fuck guy, and isn't (in my opinion) as horrible as his past two predecessors. The simple fact that, when a Duty squad was trapped outside of Yanov during a blowout, he let them in as he didn't want them to die in such a horrible way, makes him one of the biggest bros in the entire Zone. Throwing aside all that hatred and hostility out of kindness, and then willingly forging neutral ground, is fantastic. It also makes me hate siding with either faction when I play through CoP, as I find the neutral stalker ending to be the best. (Where Freedom and Duty within Yanov resign and become Loners) Loner supremecy.[/QUOTE] Freedom faction best faction. [video=youtube;N3yzVdCC5PA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3yzVdCC5PA[/video]

[QUOTE=Rageblood;41762274]Freedom faction best faction. [video=youtube;N3yzVdCC5PA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3yzVdCC5PA[/video][/QUOTE] Thats not how you spell Monolith, scum.

True, it's spelt F.A.G.G.O.T.S Though you're correct, Freedom is far from the best. Everybody knows the glory of Duty and all the good things that they do. You don't hear of Duty stabbing you in the back, now do you? Oh no, that's Flint from Freedom! You don't hear Duty shooting you on sight? No, that's bandits and fanatics! You don't hear Freedomers ever helping poor stalkers clear out mutants on anywhere else but their territory. Oh no, they're too busy being anarchistic scum! Duty helps stalkers all around the Zone, cleansing fanatics, bandits, anarchists and mutants where-ever they might lurk! Stay on the good path, stalker, or we will drag you to it.

You do hear about Duty selling weapons to bandits

[QUOTE=Zezibesh;41762543]You do hear about Duty selling weapons to bandits[/QUOTE] And we would have shot him if we had known. Duty is justice. Duty is what the Zone deserves.

That applies to Flint too

[QUOTE=Zezibesh;41762543]You do hear about Duty selling weapons to bandits[/QUOTE] Those guys are rogue

I'm going to wade in on this one and say, the best faction, is no faction. Loner4Lyfe

Freedom has backstabbing jerks, Duty selling weps to bandits, Mercs are all egoists, Clear Sky is dead, Loners are not even a real faction and Bandits are just a bunch of criminal scums. Now you see why Monolith brothers are better than all of em?

[QUOTE=Hammer7;41762689]Freedom has backstabbing jerks, Duty selling weps to bandits, Mercs are all egoists, Clear Sky is dead, Loners are not even a real faction and Bandits are just a bunch of criminal scums. Now you see why Monolith brothers are better than all of em?[/QUOTE] Monolith are a bunch of crazy brainwashed crystal worshipers.

Let's see how Duty progresses through the games In CS they have a pretty badass compound but have huge mutant problems since their actions aggravate the Zone and just cause more mutants to appear In SoC they life safe and cozy at the Bar protected by rookie Loners Now let's see how Freedom progresses In CS they have a pretty badass compound in Dark Valley In SoC they have an even better compound at the Army Warehouses, and they hold the barrier keeping the Monolith and the mutants coming from the inner Zone at bay I can see who is the winner here

[QUOTE=Zezibesh;41762716]Let's see how Duty progresses through the games In CS they have a pretty badass compound but have huge mutant problems since their actions aggravate the Zone and just cause more mutants to appear In SoC they life safe and cozy at the Bar protected by rookie Loners Now let's see how Freedom progresses In CS they have a pretty badass compound in Dark Valley In SoC they have an even better compound at the Army Warehouses, and they hold the barrier keeping the Monolith and the mutants coming from the inner Zone at bay I can see who is the winner here[/QUOTE] Totally not biased. Besides, Duty would defend the barrier if they were there. The only reason Freedom defends it is because Monolith threatens their base.

[QUOTE=PaChIrA;41762709]Monolith are a bunch of crazy brainwashed crystal worshipers.[/QUOTE] Is it supposed to be a bad thing? Someone need to make a mod which let the Monolith squad join Loners. I always feel bad when they join Duty or Freedom.

[QUOTE=Zezibesh;41762716]Let's see how Duty progresses through the games In CS they have a pretty badass compound but have huge mutant problems since their actions aggravate the Zone and just cause more mutants to appear In SoC they life safe and cozy at the Bar protected by rookie Loners Now let's see how Freedom progresses In CS they have a pretty badass compound in Dark Valley In SoC they have an even better compound at the Army Warehouses, and they hold the barrier keeping the Monolith and the mutants coming from the inner Zone at bay I can see who is the winner here[/QUOTE] Actually, here's some facts regarding the Army Warehouses. Freedom only held the barrier for two weeks, at the time of SoC. Before that, it was held by loners for a very long time. By the time Marked One arrives, Freedom have been struggling to hold the barrier to the point where they need outside help to get something as basic as ammunition to them. They were also unable to clear out the nearby bloodsucker village during this time. Now, the bloodsucker village could easily just be left alone, as it decreases entry points and areas of fortification, in the event of a hostile presence in the warehouses. However, that's like keeping a bear in your garden to stop robbers breaking in through your back door. Sure, your back door is safe, but every morning you wake to the sight of the mauled and thrown around remains of your family and friends who foolishly entered your garden. It is likely that many Loners and Freedom members died due to those Bloodsuckers. Skull has a small group of men, who, against orders from the leader of Duty, went to the Warehouses in order to take out the base Freedom had their. Whether or not Marked One helps them, they attack the base. In CoP, Skull is alive, and Lukesh is dead. It is more likely that Skull's attack was successful, regardless of Marked Ones help, than Skull getting pushed back after the attack, surviving, and Lukesh dying between the events of SoC and CoP, while Freedom [I]still[/I] hold the army warehouses. Notice how Freedom, despite Skull's successful attack, still own the warehouses. Why? Because Skull and his men are not a large enough group to hold that entire base, and they had already established that it is a [B]terrible[/B] position to defend. Voronin could not spare the men, or did not want to spare the men needed to hold such a position. Which is why he refused to aid Skull in what he called a "suicide mission." As a result, Freedom got a hold of the base once again. Duty did not retaliate, as they had established that they could take them out easily enough, and from a tactical position, it is better to allow an enemy to stay in a position you can breach rather than pushing them back to an unknown location. Now, let's say that Skull failed in his attack. It is very unlikely that, after being pushed back (and surviving) without killing Lukesh, Lukesh somehow dies in a fully staffed, guarded building in the center of a heavily guarded area, between the events of SoC and CoP. It has already been established that Duty have better firepower and training than Freedom. The two factions are completely different, so allow me to rip a description from somebody from /vg/. [quote]The difference in factions would manifest itself when you are running from a pack of wolves with a jammed gun and you run into your allies. It could be six Freedom rookies who are new to the zone and liked the appeal of drugs, a community, anarchism and the zone as a wonder. They help you with their pistols, sawn offs, etc but remember there are six of them Alternatively it's three hardened Duty veterans. They've seen the misery of the zone, lost friends to it, and want it gone. So Duty appealed to them. They help you with their rifles and great suits. But there are three of them.[/quote] Freedom would have much larger numbers than Duty, due to its open nature, extremely lax rules (as is evidenced by the Dark Valley broadcasts-no morning wakeups/rollcalls, drugs for all etc. Whereas Duty, due to its militaristic structure, would only really accept people who could hold their own in the Zone. Freedom DOES have NATO connections (but only after the defeat of Clear Sky) but Duty has military connections, and with many of it members (veteran and new) having military experience. It would be very difficult for rookies with no training who love to lift the elbow to survive there. They'd be discharged in a heartbeat if they couldn't step up. Now, I may be a little over enthusiastic when it comes to servicing the big ol' Duty cock, but that was mainly because I preferred their color scheme to freedom. All that information is there, black and white. Freedom has the numbers, whereas Duty has the training. From a gameplay perspective, Duty and Freedom are pretty balance din most terms. Faction rewards are on par with one another, for one. But in Clear Sky, due to the AI, Freedom will practically always lose against Duty, due to their light armor. Also, on a side note, forging a huge Loner-friendly area in the center of the outer-CNPP area, and holding it from several areas (Bandits in the Dark Valley, Garbage, the horrors at Rostok that seep out from Yantar, and any stragglers from the warehouses) is a much bigger achievement from holding a barely defensible Army Warehouse from non-hostile Dutyers (remember, Voronin didn't want Duty at Freedom's neck) and a barrier. Chances are, Freedom at the Barrier were cleaned out quite frequently, with freedom relying on their large amount of rookie recruits as cannonfodder. I have no doubts that Duty would have been much more effective guarding the barrier, but even then, holding the Military Warehouses wa sa horrible move on Freedom's behalf, sandwiching themselves between Pripyat and Duty. tl;dr Freedom has large numbers, is chill, attracts a lot of people (rookies) as a result Duty is strict as shit Military 2.0, allows only trained to enter its ranks, puts off a lot of people as a result. Resulting in smaller numbers. Veteran stalkers realize joining either is bad and stay loners because that's smart. Duty v Freedom is like 10 master stalkers with Abakans and Vintorez variants against 100 sawn off and PMM rookie bandits. [editline]8th August 2013[/editline] That is, not to say Freedom is bad. It has veteran and master stalkers too, but as a whole they rely more on numbers than they do training to combat Duty. I really liked the quote at the top of this post. I'm not going to get in to the goals of the two groups, but as I said in an earlier post, I think Loki has been the only leader in Freedom with his head on straight, and Shulga the only Duty leader with their head in the right location. If you choose to stay neutral in CoP, both factions at Yanovq quit and become loners. Duty want to save the world from the Zone, and Freedom want the world to know its exploits. Duty fuck up by not exploiting the Zone, but unfuck up by understanding that the Zone is dangerous as shit and does need to be controlled. Freedom fuck up by not realizing how dangerous the Zone is, but unfuck up by understanding that the scientific advances that would come from the Zone are too good to pass up. But that only goes for Loki, the other two before him have different ideologies. Duty has remained mostly the same over the three games. The two factions are what are holding the Zone back. Free stalkers for lyfe. [sp]Monolith are the best.[/sp]

[QUOTE=Hammer7;41762689]Freedom has backstabbing jerks, Duty selling weps to bandits, Mercs are all egoists, Clear Sky is dead, Loners are not even a real faction and Bandits are just a bunch of criminal scums. Now you see why Monolith brothers are better than all of em?[/QUOTE] what about ecologists? :v:

[QUOTE=TheKingofBees;41763037]what about ecologists? :v:[/QUOTE] pansy nerds

[QUOTE=DeeCeeTeeBee;41763009]Freedom DOES have NATO connections (but only after the defeat of Clear Sky)[/QUOTE] I don't think this is ever stated anywhere. I mean, I [I]could[/I] be wrong but unlike Duty's confirmed on/off relations with the military, there's no word anywhere about Freedom getting assistance from NATO. It's a plausible (and popular) pet theory but I don't think it's ever spelled out directly. Otherwise I agree with you post except... [QUOTE=DeeCeeTeeBee;41763009]In CoP, Skull is alive, and Lukesh is dead.[/QUOTE] I'm drawing a complete blank on this one too. I don't think Lukash's fate is mentioned either. One could draw implications from Max's SVU appearing in Nimble's inventory that he was kill in the fight with Duty but Lukash, I don't think there's any mention on what happened to him after or during SoC.

[QUOTE=TheKingofBees;41763037]what about ecologists? :v:[/QUOTE] The only helpful and trusty people. But also a cowards.

[QUOTE=Hammer7;41763141]The only helpful and trusty people. But also a cowards.[/QUOTE] I gave up saving Kruglov on modded games, he must have 1hp. "Marked One you must help me!" "Nope" *dead* "Better him than me."

[QUOTE=Muukkis;41763083]I don't think this is ever stated anywhere. I mean, I [I]could[/I] be wrong but unlike Duty's confirmed on/off relations with the military, there's no word anywhere about Freedom getting assistance from NATO. It's a plausible (and popular) pet theory but I don't think it's ever spelled out directly.[/QUOTE] I don't believe it is ever said anywhere, but it makes a hell of a lot of sense. Their higher ups exclusively use NATO weaponry. Clear Sky have confirmed NATO/UN connections, because those governments wish to lather themselves in the fruits of the Zone, which would be made easier if it was controlled by a group that they were supporting (Clear Sky) After Clear Sky are wiped out, it is VERY doubtful that NATO/UN would just give up. Now that CS are gone, what are the options? A Paramilitary regime destined to control the Zone with strict regulations aimed at protecting those outside, and limiting Zone export (and even destroy the Zone, if need be) or an Anarchist, chill bunch of stalkers who want everyone to have free pickings? Freedom may not be as good a choice as CS, but they are a damn sight better than Duty to further their goals. This is also sort of semi shown by the weapons Freedom use in CS. They use Aks and shit, but as soon as CS are gone (soC and CoP) they suddenly start throwing around NATO tier weapons like they're cyanide covered Night Star artifacts.

The one thing I never understood about Ecologists is that they use NATO weapons instead of Ukranian Military weapons.

[QUOTE=Thomo_UK;41763153]I gave up saving Kruglov on modded games, he must have 1hp. "Marked One you must help me!" "Nope" *dead* "Better him than me."[/QUOTE] That's why they 99% of the time stay in bunker. They just a civilians. Still being friends with em gives you a huge profit.

[QUOTE=DeeCeeTeeBee;41763160]They use Aks and shit, but as soon as CS are gone (soC and CoP) they suddenly start throwing around NATO tier weapons[/QUOTE] They use roughly the same equipment between Clear Sky and CoP with mp5s, AKs and carbine AKs for the lower rank and file and 5.56x45 assault rifles and 7.62x54R sniper rifles for their marksmen. [QUOTE=PaChIrA;41763180]The one thing I never understood about Ecologists is that they use NATO weapons instead of Ukranian Military weapons.[/QUOTE] I think the choice of L85A2 was because of their compact size and the agency arming them might've just gone to the lowest bidder because they're not meant to get into combat. That's why you almost never actually see "real" ecologists toting a long weapon ; Even Kruglov / Semenov only carry around pistols unless you put a rifle in their hands. Judging from the games they just let the military / Duty / whoever pull security for them whenever it's needed.

I'll still stand by my allegiance to Duty. While their philosophy isn't flawless, it's much preferable to the utter disregard of caution Freedom has, the pure profit ideology of bandits or serving a dead "god" like the Monolith. Ecologists and Duty work together often so they're cool and loners rarely cause trouble for Duty anyway, besides they have no set ideology so they can't be good or bad, they're neutral stalkers, true to their name. I get where people come from when they would rather stay with Freedom. The thing is, if anyone would get shit done, it would be Duty simply because of the faction's innate nature and the effectiveness that comes with it. They might be a smaller faction, but god damn are they effective. Also I had a dream that was a Skyrim-STALKER crossover. All the Bar guards had the voices of Skyrim's guards. They commented on my skills, achievements and other shit. Loners had unique dialogue, like every single one. The Barkeep said iconic lines from Skyrim. I've been playing that damn game for too long :v: Guard dialog that I remember: [I]"You're on Duty territory now. Best keep that in mind. "So you're a sniper? I'm more of a shotgun man myself." "Stay out of trouble, loner." "Let me guess, somebody took your vodka." "Been dealing with petty barfights and rodents. Been too long since we had a good bandit raid."[/I] Loner dialogue: *What's your business here?* (Player) [I]Semka Busy: "I've been delivering artifacts for the Barkeep for years. To think someone doesn't know me around Wild Territory! ...ah, what the hell. I'm just a rookie, really, trying to make a name for myself. All these boars and dogs make me too afraid to leave the perimeter. Wish I could have a set of armor those veteran Dutiers have. What I wouldn't do for that..."[/I] *What's your business here?* [I]Tolik Trash: "I'm a scavenger from the Garbage. Don't worry, I'm not irradiated. This suit might look weak, but I carry many strong artifacts. They just make me so tired that all I want to do when I get to the bar is rest. The guys at the Bar laugh at me and call me a dumpster diver. The next time someone says that I'll drag them into the Arena, no matter how tired I am, I'm telling you."[/I] When trading with Barkeep: [I]"Let's sate that appetite, huhuhuh." "I got a new shipment, let's see what it contains." "Just what you see here, Marked One."[/I] When talking with a Duty guard: [I]"If you know any true friends of Duty, tell them to head to our headquarters in Rostok." "You look like you can handle yourself. Might want to consider joining Duty!" "Howdy, stalker. Don't make a fuzz, or we'll incarcerate you."[/I] There was a crucified Freedomer in the dream for some reason, opposite to the Duty base entrance. I could talk to him so I did. *Who are you?* [I]Example: "What does it look like? I'm a poor fucking bastard who got crucified by those FUCKING NAZIS! YOU HEAR ME, YOU ASSHOLES?! NAZIS!"[/I] *What's happened to you?! You're nailed on the wall!* [I]Example: "I was sent to scout any information about the Bar by our leader. I was caught, and they made me an example. I've been here for three days, now. The vomiting has stopped but now I'm so thirsty I can't even see."[/I] I had an option to take him down but I shot him in the head with this weird-ass gun that looked like a really, really fucked up AK-74. The Duty guards behind me were like "woah, woah, watch the shooting" but didn't react otherwise. It was a cool dream.

[QUOTE='[Green];41763261']I'll still stand by my allegiance to Duty. While their philosophy isn't flawless, it's much preferable to the utter disregard of caution Freedom has, the pure profit ideology of bandits or serving a dead "god" like the Monolith. Ecologists and Duty work together often so they're cool and loners rarely cause trouble for Duty anyway, besides they have no set ideology so they can't be good or bad, they're neutral stalkers, true to their name. I get where people come from when they would rather stay with Freedom. The thing is, if anyone would get shit done, it would be Duty simply because of the faction's innate nature and the effectiveness that comes with it. They might be a smaller faction, but god damn are they effective.[/QUOTE] My one gripe is that black and red color scheme, It's all about presence but they look like gimps. Freedom have that Flecktarn/some other camo scheme which is quite nice, apart from the yellow. Ew.

[QUOTE='[Green];41763261']I'll still stand by my allegiance to Duty. While their philosophy isn't flawless, it's much preferable to the utter disregard of caution Freedom has, the pure profit ideology of bandits or serving a dead "god" like the Monolith. Ecologists and Duty work together often so they're cool and loners rarely cause trouble for Duty anyway, besides they have no set ideology so they can't be good or bad, they're neutral stalkers, true to their name. I get where people come from when they would rather stay with Freedom. The thing is, if anyone would get shit done, it would be Duty simply because of the faction's innate nature and the effectiveness that comes with it. They might be a smaller faction, but god damn are they effective.[/QUOTE] I agree entirely, but did not say so in my wall of text because it'd just stir shit. I believe that Freedom are just too lax. Duty, from the get go, state that they're there to protect the world from the Zone. They are fucking up by not exploiting the Zone, but first and foremost, they should be trying to secure it and ensure that it doesn't ruin more than it already has. This goal has stayed the same across the life of the group. Freedom, on the other hand, has had three leaders with three separate ideologies. One wanted to research the zone, and didn't really care about protecting it. One treated it as if it was a wildlife reserve. Loki hit a balance of both. He wanted to research and protect its inhabitants and the Zone itself, but not nearly as aggressively as the past two. Loki is undeniably moving in the right direction, though. There's no real mention of drugs as a recruitment incentive in CoP, and Loki doesn't maul Trapper for being a mutant hunter. But, even then, the dangers that the Zone poses to the rest of the world must be adressed before all others, which is why I still support Duty. Pre full-auto-c-consciousness-strelok-train Monolith is still #1. There's something about a group of dangerous fanatics dedicated to the glorious Monolith that strikes a cord with me. [QUOTE=Muukkis;41763083]I'm drawing a complete blank on this one too. I don't think Lukash's fate is mentioned either. One could draw implications from Max's SVU appearing in Nimble's inventory that he was kill in the fight with Duty but Lukash, I don't think there's any mention on what happened to him after or during SoC.[/QUOTE] Well, as the groups have several founders (Freedom has three, for example) but only one Leader at any one time, due to different ideology, it's safe to assume that Loki's predecessor died for Loki to take up his place. Having multiple leaders with different ideologies would be hell, otherwise. I find it very unlikely that the leader of a faction would just give up on their goals after achieving so much.

[QUOTE=DeeCeeTeeBee;41763385]Pre full-auto-c-consciousness-strelok-train Monolith is still #1. There's something about a group of dangerous fanatics dedicated to the glorious Monolith that strikes a cord with me.[/QUOTE] Well, the Monolith faction that existed before they went to the Scorcher and got brainwashed was pretty cool, albeit they were apparently dicks to others because of their beliefs. Regardless, I would've at least tried to befriend that faction...before they went haywire.

[QUOTE='[Green];41763462']Well, the Monolith faction that existed before they went to the Scorcher and got brainwashed was pretty cool, albeit they were apparently dicks to others because of their beliefs. Regardless, I would've at least tried to befriend that faction...before they went haywire.[/QUOTE] I dislike the Monolith in CoP as they're no longer brainwashed fanatics following the sweep whispers of a demigod. Instead, they're mad men that have lost their cause, without the strength of will to break free from their batshit insanity. My guess is that Monolith close to the CNPP when Strelok slapped the c-consciousness got their brains fried somewhat, but those further away weren't effected as much, suffering amnesia at worst (Stryders group is my only evidence of this. They were fine, having broken off so far from the CNPP)

26 awesome posts later, i'm caught up with the thread

[QUOTE=DeeCeeTeeBee;41763009] That is, not to say Freedom is bad. It has veteran and master stalkers too, but as a whole they rely more on numbers than they do training to combat Duty. I really liked the quote at the top of this post. I'm not going to get in to the goals of the two groups, but as I said in an earlier post, I think Loki has been the only leader in Freedom with his head on straight, and Shulga the only Duty leader with their head in the right location. If you choose to stay neutral in CoP, both factions at Yanovq quit and become loners. Duty want to save the world from the Zone, and Freedom want the world to know its exploits. Duty fuck up by not exploiting the Zone, but unfuck up by understanding that the Zone is dangerous as shit and does need to be controlled. Freedom fuck up by not realizing how dangerous the Zone is, but unfuck up by understanding that the scientific advances that would come from the Zone are too good to pass up. But that only goes for Loki, the other two before him have different ideologies. Duty has remained mostly the same over the three games. The two factions are what are holding the Zone back. Free stalkers for lyfe. [sp]Monolith are the best.[/sp][/QUOTE] i believe the main thing that makes me like freedom over duty was their original goal of researching the zone, granted i didn't like their drug use. lukash made me pretty much hate them at first, and but chekov and loki did give some hope in them. also if im not far off i believe that monolith before it got taken by the C-Consciousness had a similar idea to freedom.