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

[QUOTE=zombini;43542921]I didn't see a problem with pricing, aside from the repair costs going way the fuck above the cost of buying an Exo from Nimble for the sunrise suit though. The real problem was the unnecessary complexity brought on by the weapon repair and maintenance system. There's so many fucking things to buy, when it could be simplified into 3-4 items for each thing, 3-4 for armor, 3-4 for weapons. Tiered repair kits, first tier would be a cleaning kit or sewing kit, next would be heavier duty equipment for maintenance, 3rd would be actual repair kits and spare parts. Not this system of having 20 different cleaning kits for different things that are basically the same. IIRC there were 4-5 different cleaning kits just for hand guns, and none of them could bring a seriously damaged gun to working order, and the cost of paying Cardan or Nitro to do it would cost 100X more than a new gun would. I think SGM's system of self-repairing items works well, needs to be rebalanced, but it works. You have the option of stripping a similar weapon for parts to aid repairs, or use what's in the kit.[/QUOTE] My main gripe with the repair system is that for most of the repair shit you need the armor/weapon to be above 92% durability, which makes them almost useless since at that point it's cheaper to get it repaired by a mechanic, and you can't tell what the exact durability of items are.

[QUOTE=zeldar;43541851]So on a scale of 1-10 how would you guys rate AA2? Right now I'm looking for an excuse to get back into SoC again.[/QUOTE] 10 for me. Here's my review [QUOTE]Dec 31, 2013, 11:27 AM It's been 2,5 weeks and 2 patches further and I've got to say. Well done, once again. I am completely in love _____________________________________________ Dec 2, 2013, 6:29PM: So, I've been playing this for several hours now and here comes my review! First off, amazing introduction. Well done on the PR department as well, because those screenshots really hyped me and the rest of the community up! I've got to say, you've done amazingly well! Now for the mod ... VISUALS: 10/10 Stunningly beautiful, breathtaking almost. The custom Absolute Nature and Atmosfear really compliment SHoC. The tree placement is sublime so you have enough cover in a skirmish, yet not overdone to cause any stability issues! Add this with unique shaders, you get this MISERY like feel, yet (Yes, it's blasphemy I'm saying this as a MDT member) improved. I'm a real sucker for SHoC though! GAMEPLAY: 10/10 Gunplay = Superb! It feels strikingly brutal to blast someone's head off with a sidearm! They finally got the attention they deserve. It was always a pain I'd have to shoot a bandit in his head for 7 times! Now with 1 well placed shot, it's over. Same goes for the player, I actually feel frightened to die now! Again, well executed here. The economy isn't really MISERY hard, but it's suited for the experienced stalker. I as veteran did disable the money looting though ;) APPEARANCE: 9/10 UI textures, 10/10. Inventory, 9/10 (I like my transparent inventory though, but nothing I can't fix myself with a bit of editing. I never account for stuff like this because I can tweak it to my likings) Gun Textures, 10/10 (similar style, I like it!) Sounds, 10/10 (well done on sorting them out! again, fit eachother well) Music, 9/10 (I sometimes mistaken the thunder for a blowout because it shares the same sounds, so on clear day I'd seek for cover while there would be nothing there haha) Total: 77/80 Average Score: 9,63 Moddb Score (rounded up): 10! Well done. I'm proud[/QUOTE] ____________________ [QUOTE=The golden;43542146]Well I tried the MISERY mod for CoP and I fucking hate it. I respect the time and effort that went into making it but my god... I understand that the point is to make a really hardcore survival experience but it tries way too hard to the point of being silly. Unless you have a healthy supply of antirads or vodka (which you also need to carry food with because vodka makes you starving after one swig oh yeah and bread is fucking like 500+ each) then simply walking past a wrecked car by the side of the road will give you a lethal dose of radiation. I've died like 6 times now just from walking past irradiated objects and then keeling over and dieing. They've also upped the price of things which is kinda nice because it's a bit too easy to hoard money in vanilla CoP but holy shit it costs over 10,000 just to repair 3 bullet holes in my fucking raggy-ass trenchcoat. I don't even know how to make any money either because every NPC carries weapons that are near broken (trader won't buy) and going anywhere near an artifact will turn you into a vegetable. This isn't fun or thrilling survival this is just illogically stupid. Oh yeah, and it removes almost all color from the game.[/QUOTE] I want to comment on this but honestly I'll leave it for now :v: I will do this; [url]http://www.miserymod.com/?p=1554[/url] Read this, for now. Get known with the mod otherwise you'll always 'fail' at it. It takes time getting used to the mechanics a bit.

There are small ticks sounds which warn you when you get near an irradiated area, iirc. [editline]15th January 2014[/editline] Unless they got rid of that in Misery. Also time to pull you into the zone of ~[URL="http://www.moddb.com/mods/call-of-pripyat-redux"]Redux[/URL]~. Join us and beacome one of us :v:

Man it's weird how different a tone SoC's music puts out over CoP's, and many other games for that matter. SoC's music almost feels like an amalgamation of 70s and 80s horror movie sounds and music (the thing, alien come to mind, etc), yet still sounds like it's own thing as well. It's very surreal compared to many other games and movie soundtracks. It's bizarre how some of the tracks, even the more ambient sounding once are put together in such a manner, that I feel they are almost listenable like a regular song. Although the maps do play a large part in the atmosphere of course, I really don't think it would have had half the impact it did on me were it not for the music of the game. Fuck where is Lost Alpha god damnit.

[QUOTE=zeldar;43541851]So on a scale of 1-10 how would you guys rate AA2? Right now I'm looking for an excuse to get back into SoC again.[/QUOTE] 8.9. If someone shows me how to tone down the grass density (or lower the size a tiny bit of it) its an easy 9

[QUOTE=The golden;43543254]Well I think its mechanics are terrible. It tries so hard to be super-hardcore that it becomes nonsensical. The issue with repairing things mentioned above is one good example. Another problem is how it handles radiation. [B]Unless you are a veteran CoP player[/B] then chances are [B]you won't know which items and areas in the world are irradiated[/B] - there is no mechanic in the STALKER games to test the radioactivity of an area before going into it. The mod gives no shits about any of this and goes and makes radiation lethal. Radiation in vanilla was always a bit weak but jesus christ in the mod I can die in seconds after walking past a car. I once walked past a swinging gate (the kind that you find near parking lots) and my radiation meter went from green to red in under a second and I made it a few meters down the road before I stumbled and died. This doesn't make me feel like I'm playing a survival game it just makes me hit my quick-load key with the speed of a woodpecker. I'm sure it becomes a smaller issue when you get better gear but fuck it I would rather play a mod which isn't out to be a dick just for the sake of being a dick at the cost of everything else.[/QUOTE] While I know the radiation is indeed pretty quick you would've read what I linked you; [QUOTE][B]Note though that MISERY is not intended for players who have hardly any experience playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series.[/B] If MISERY is your first contact with the Zone of Alienation we strongly suggest you put off playing it for a while and concentrate on gaining some experience in simpler, difficulty-wise and mechanics-wise, vanilla games. Otherwise, MISERY will simply feel and play like a chore, which isn’t something anyone – neither us nor you – wants. So do yourself (and us) a favor and play MISERY only on the condition that you have previous and extensive experience with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games and/or mods.[/QUOTE] I don't want to put you in some sort of 'noob spot', but it sounds like you are new to the games. I don't even recommend it to people who've only played it 3 to 4 times, let alone newer players. Plus what you said, you have to grind through the shit first to get good gear :v: Try it again in a longer while, it may still suit you after you've get to know the game itself a bit. Lastly, did you finish CoP? If yes, how many times?

[QUOTE=LoNer1;43543668]I don't want to put you in some sort of 'noob spot', but it sounds like you are new to the games. I don't even recommend it to people who've only played it 3 to 4 times, let alone newer players. Plus what you said, you have to grind through the shit first to get good gear :v:[/QUOTE] "Git gud" is not an appropriate advice here. Certainly not for artificial difficulty.

[QUOTE=Hammer7;43543862]"Git gud" is not an appropriate advice here. Certainly not for artificial difficulty.[/QUOTE] That's not what I'm saying. You even left the last 2 lines out just to be able to say this, didn't you? You're interpreting it in a negative way. He said this: [QUOTE]Another problem is how it handles radiation. Unless you are a veteran CoP player then chances are you won't know which items and areas in the world are irradiated[/QUOTE] Meaning he implies not to know where and what's actually radiated in [U]the vanilla game[/U] because of his [I]lack of experience[/I] in the game, hence why I responded with 'get to know the game, then the mod'. Not 'get good'. I didn't say he sucks, I said he is too [U]inexperienced[/U] to play a mod like MISERY. Read > then respond, instead of blatantly posting without actually understanding what I'm saying here. I noticed a lot of people on this whole forum do this. They pick something out of someones reaction just to complain about it and just leave the rest behind. I ask myself, [I]'why?'[/I] Is it so hard to read something fully and understand it as well? It isn't really mind gobbling what I'm writing here is it?

[QUOTE=LoNer1;43543954]So he implies not to know where and what's radiated in the vanilla game because of his lack of experience in the game, hence why I responded with 'get to know the game, then the mod'. Not 'get good'. I didn't say he sucks, I said he is too inexperienced to play a mod like MISERY.[/QUOTE] To be fair, I've played 200 hours of CoP and I still don't know where all the radiated spots are. I think Golden's criticism about the radiation is quite valid and it might be a good idea to make sure that the Geiger counter actually works when you're around radiated junk that is laying around. That's just my opinion though.

[QUOTE=Gatekeeper828;43543982]To be fair, I've played 200 hours of CoP and I still don't know where all the radiated spots are. I think Golden's criticism about the radiation is quite valid and it might be a good idea to make sure that the Geiger counter actually works when you're around radiated junk that is laying around. That's just my opinion though.[/QUOTE] I agree, but it's not about the [I]exact[/I] location of them, it's more about knowing [I]what to sacrifice when you get near them[/I]. If you've died numerous times because you came close to vehicles in a game, would you still go near them without protection? No. At least, I wouldn't. It takes getting used to placing this into the back of your mind while playing, that's also what I meant with 'get to know the mod'. Not in detail, hell no that's near impossible, but the general red line going through it. I think I'll just put a stop to this discussion as we've had this with every new version of MISERY. Basically, MISERY is what it is. Trying to cope to different people's needs is too much for a mod of this scale so [B]'The Golden'[/B], if you would like to know how to tweak MISERY to [B]your likings[/B], let me know. Same goes for the rest.

Surely one won't remember all the irradiated spots unless he's a modder of something. The only spots I can remember are the car leads the the Sawmill (gets me every got damn time), Claw anomaly, Preobrazhensky Bridge, Dredge Station, Iron Forest, the Village, Strelok's stash near Jupiter Factory, and (probably?) Strelok's stash in the digger. [editline]15th January 2014[/editline] Fuck that took too long to type

To be honest even if you conquer radiation troubles. Difficulty is so Artifical it makes no difference if you are new or a vet to COP. You'll still get fucked over by AI 99% of the time.

Also I think I'm gonna go Misery as soon as I buy Call of Pripyat. And judge it through my own experience. Speaking of buying Call of Pripyat, where is that "Loyalty Edition" on Steam?

[QUOTE=rikimaru6811;43544044]Also I think I'm gonna go Misery as soon as I buy Call of Pripyat. And judge it through my own experience. Speaking of buying Call of Pripyat, where is that "Loyalty Edition" on Steam?[/QUOTE] Looks like it might have been removed; I own SoC and CS and I don't see an option to buy the loyalty edition. It used to show the option for me even after I had bought the game.

I took over the Zone as a merc and now I'm going to be the one to make it all fall apart.

[QUOTE=Jamie1992GSC;43544036]To be honest even if you conquer radiation troubles. Difficulty is so Artifical it makes no difference if you are new or a vet to COP. You'll still get fucked over by AI 99% of the time.[/QUOTE] Did you try 2.1? I've heard this version is A LOT more stable + that Troj updated our build today yet again. [editline]15th January 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=rikimaru6811;43544044]Also I think I'm gonna go Misery as soon as I buy Call of Pripyat. And judge it through my own experience. Speaking of buying Call of Pripyat, where is that "Loyalty Edition" on Steam?[/QUOTE] Wait, have you never played CoP before? If not, I would tell you to lay off from MISERY for a long while as well.

[QUOTE=LoNer1;43544062]Wait, have you never played CoP before? If not, I would tell you to lay off from MISERY for a long while as well.[/QUOTE] Yeah. I might don't have nearly as many hours on CoP as you, but at least I managed to beat Redux twice with a TOZ-34 and a SIG P220. Blame Sality for the deletion of my games.

I don't get it. Maybe I have some awfully quirky playstyle that makes me overpowered by accident, but radiation has been the LEAST of my worries in Misery 2.1. Honestly I've had little complaints with about anything besides the rather redundant variety in repair kits. I mean they cost so god damn much that I don't ever feel like getting them. I'd rather use Cardan/Azot's services and use the extra dosh into ammo/food/stims. I don't know, man. 2.0 definitely was a shitfest to behold but I can't find many complaints about 2.1. It's just that age old thing where you like other parts of vanilla than the next guy. Thus, a mod that changes some aspects can either be beneficial or detrimental to the experience. And I can live with the graphical changes. To be fair, I honestly understand perfectly why people are taken aback by it but I remember before I ever played any of these games or even saw any gameplay, I saw the cover art for ShoC with the crackly mutant who was cut from the game IIRC. Can't remember its name right now. Back then I figured it would've been like someone took a haunted forest from a fairy tale and the Mojave from Fallout 3 and slammed them together to form a twisted, unnatural-looking forest reeking of death and rot with folk scurrying around with haste trying to survive and encountering mysterious shit where-ever. Needless to say, my first actual gameplay experience was a shocker. Maybe it's that first mental image I had of the Zone that makes me not really offended by Misery's brownness. Then again, now that I know what the actual Zone looks like I am also hyped for Lost Alpha and other flora overhaul mods that may or may not pop up over time. I don't care about irrelevant purist views like "this is what the Zone should be like and if you think otherwise, well...you're just a cheeki breeki". The way I see it, if I like both styles, I have more mods to play. If I have more mods to play, that means I win double the amount I would with a more strict approach. [QUOTE=rikimaru6811;43544387]Yeah. I might don't have nearly as many hours on CoP as you, but at least I managed to beat Redux twice with a TOZ-34 and a SIG P220. Blame Sality for the deletion of my games.[/QUOTE] Misery is blue cheese, calling it. Some people just don't like it. Always gotta try out everything, but I can understand if it's not to your liking. Just like how I didn't really enjoy Clear Sky at all, TFW+TRW being the only redeeming thing about the entire damn game to me.

[QUOTE=LoNer1;43544062]Did you try 2.1? I've heard this version is A LOT more stable + that Troj updated our build today yet again. [editline]15th January 2014[/editline] Wait, have you never played CoP before? If not, I would tell you to lay off from MISERY for a long while as well.[/QUOTE] It was the fact that AI could shoot you through walls. A prime example being that you could be under the merc place and they know EXACTLY where you are and can shoot you through the damn floor. Your Ballistics were all off also. Snipers albeit accurate, weren't feeling right when you used them. Hard to explain. Either way. I shall be giving the latest build a go. At-least I will once I can get a new Rig as my current one has killed itself. :suicide:

[QUOTE=Bloodshot12;43543310]It's bizarre how some of the tracks, even the more ambient sounding once are put together in such a manner, that I feel they are almost listenable like a regular song.[/QUOTE] I use the SoC and CoP ambient tracks to fall asleep to quite commonly.

Does any one know which Call of Pripyat mod I should get to improve optimization? My PC is not that great but I ran SoC just fine, I think CoP has worse optimization, any mod I can try to improve it?

Call of Pripyat has the best native/vanilla optimization of all the Stalker games, if performance is all you're looking for just setting down the options should do good enough.

[QUOTE=FlyingAlien;43544739]Call of Pripyat has the best native/vanilla optimization of all the Stalker games, if performance is all you're looking for just setting down the options should do good enough.[/QUOTE] Hm, could have swore SoC ran way better on my PC, even without mods, although I did a run with both LURK and Complete

Latest MISERY build [img]http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/groups/1/11/10177/thumb_620x2000/swagyep.jpg[/img]

uh

[QUOTE=thexfiles123;43544745]Hm, could have swore SoC ran way better on my PC, even without mods, although I did a run with both LURK and Complete[/QUOTE] Latest SGM with custom anomalies and mines left on.

perhaps your post would make more sense with a little context [editline]15th January 2014[/editline] mein merge!

[QUOTE=Etcetera;43544904]perhaps your post would make more sense with a little context [editline]15th January 2014[/editline] mein merge![/QUOTE] Who, me? :v:

[QUOTE=nige111;43544894]Latest SGM with custom anomalies and mines left on.[/QUOTE] Thanks, I'll try.

[QUOTE=thexfiles123;43544951]Thanks, I'll try.[/QUOTE] Wouldn't recommend it, that was a joke. SGM runs pretty horribly, especially with those two things left on.