Just Beat STALKER, loved it

Yea, I really loved it too... except for the occasional bug, and the guns are very innacurate(I'm thinking poor hit detection) I just got a new computer so I'm starting over with the highest settings, before I was on medium.

I'm taking it really slow and i actually find this game relaxing most of the time. I just explore or run after dogs with a pistol while laughing.

I started mostly with shotgun and just kept dying, newbie shotgun is totally worthless even at point blank range. Best way i found is stay close to a tree or rock and just pick them off with pistol or 1 shot at a time machinegun. Note that I'm not far into the game but so far its not bad.

At rate I'm playing will be a month or 2 before i finish which is fine with me. No rush.

I'm playing it right know!!! It looks killer! I'm maxing it out. I didn't like it in the beggining because it was hard as hell because the guns are rubbish. Once you get used to controlls and know how to mange weight/health you will be fine.

 I'm tottally into it big time know i got a couple decent guns and it freaking rocks..

Must have game 

Stalker is a good game, but it gets better and better the further you get into the game, with better weapons, better armour and better enemies.

If you are playing through, make a save before going to Chernobyl itself, as you can't return from the map, and may need to to get all of the different endings (or just watch them on youtube :))

youre supposed to use your brain and think about the story your self and make connections, its not a simple game, its pretty complex, and you must read and understand stuff and take whatever ending you get and make the connections for yourselfncderek

I went right through the main quest, I am not srupid, the ending didnt give me Jack, all that happened was

SPOILER

He went to make a wish and said, I wish the zone would dissapear, and it did, WTF?

I have a 3 and a half year old PC and it ran pretty decently and the graphics still looked great. So in my opinion it's pretty well optimized.

To appreciate the game you have to look past the first promises that were made by the developers. They said it was basically going to be an Oblivion with guns. Later they changed their minds and said that it was going to be a linear FPS. Because some smart ass, I can't remember who, thought that too much randomness would confuse the players. ROFL  Anyway, if you just play the game as a normal FPS you will quickly notice how much more dynamic and open ended the game is compared to all the other linear FPS games like FEAR, HL2, etc. The gameplay is solid so no problem there. The story is quite unique and well implemented. Again, it could've been made better but if you look at it like you would with a normal FPS, you will see that you'll get more choices trough out the game. The only thing I didn't like were the last 2 maps. It really shows that they rushed the ending and... Well, it's just totally crap compared to the rest of the game. The whole game is unique and random, it's almost like you are walking around in Oblivion and then BAM! It's like you are playing Serious Sam, shooting everything that moves non stop.

Let's just hope that enough people will buy the game so the next STALKER will be even more dynamic and open ended and hopefully more like Oblivion (minus the bad features from that game ofcourse). By the way, I heard that Fallout3 is going in such a direction. :)  Hooray for open ended games!

By the way about the ending (SPOILERS)

There are like 8 different endings. The stuff at the Wishmaker doesn't tell you much about the story. And about the zone disappear ending, I'm pretty sure he made it disappear by destroying the base of those weird people. He just made the Wish afterwards to be ironic. But maybe you've seen a different ending, I don't know.

I finish STALKER on 3 Different ends . Now i wana find some new end.

STALKER is great game but have several bugs. STALKERs graphics is good. I have video options on very high and it work fine. STALKER is not high-texture game because minimal requirements of game is for users who have computer for less money then other who have powerfull comp. This is good too.

I find 13 different armors and prototypes of all weapon but not of gauser gun.

It is good game 8)

if they had made stalker playable on computers other than the the ultra-powerful NASA ones, maybe I would have given it a chance. Developers need to learn how to optimize their products first.LfunkeyA

I played on an old p4 2.56ghz 1 gig ram 6600gt at medium. Game looked fine, no lag. Only flaw is at full screen sky was messed up.

[QUOTE="LfunkeyA"]if they had made stalker playable on computers other than the the ultra-powerful NASA ones, maybe I would have given it a chance. Developers need to learn how to optimize their products first.Sleepyz

I played on an old p4 2.56ghz 1 gig ram 6600gt at medium. Game looked fine, no lag. Only flaw is at full screen sky was messed up.

nice sig lol 

[QUOTE="LfunkeyA"]if they had made stalker playable on computers other than the the ultra-powerful NASA ones, maybe I would have given it a chance. Developers need to learn how to optimize their products first.Sleepyz

I played on an old p4 2.56ghz 1 gig ram 6600gt at medium. Game looked fine, no lag. Only flaw is at full screen sky was messed up.

Upgrade your GPU drivers then it should be fine. S.T.A.L.K.E.R was A great game I really enjoyed it even the multi-player wasn't bad you just have to be stealthy and accurate.

what mods are out?

and whats the news on a 2nd stalker / expansion? didnt hear about that 

what mods are out?

and whats the news on a 2nd stalker / expansion? didnt hear about that

ncderek

OMG, after you read this, drop everything you are doing, go to filefront.com, search STALKER, and get to downloading mods.  Imagine drivable vehicles in every level; traders who repair and sell weapons, armor, ammo; improved weather and graphics (if your system can handle it), ability to sleep (make sure you eat before you go to sleep!); improved blood effects; real-life weapon skins and names; improved enemy AI; carrying capacity increased; the list goes on and on. One reason I loved Stalker so much is the mod community jumped on Stalker faster than you could blink and actually improved the game w/o making the experience radically different. It's like they did what the developers wanted but didnt have time to put in. Just ask yourself what would make the experience better and you will find a mod for it. Filefront.com and the official stalker website will have all the mods you need. Can make it harder, easier, longer, whatever you want. Installing mods is a snap, and there are even guides on how-to-mod Stalker so you can fine-tune your playing experience.

The news isnt anything specific, but the developers have said they have future games in development that will expand upon the Zone. They will be making official announcements about what that exactly is coming up this summer at E3. Youll find the link here in the Stalker news section. 

Let me know if you have any questions on installing, modifying, or creating mods. Like I said, Stalker is a great game, Stalker w/ Mods is one of the best games ever made. 

[QUOTE="ncderek"]

what mods are out?

and whats the news on a 2nd stalker / expansion? didnt hear about that

d12malu

OMG, after you read this, drop everything you are doing, go to filefront.com, search STALKER, and get to downloading mods.  Imagine drivable vehicles in every level; traders who repair and sell weapons, armor, ammo; improved weather and graphics (if your system can handle it), ability to sleep (make sure you eat before you go to sleep!); improved blood effects; real-life weapon skins and names; improved enemy AI; carrying capacity increased; the list goes on and on. One reason I loved Stalker so much is the mod community jumped on Stalker faster than you could blink and actually improved the game w/o making the experience radically different. It's like they did what the developers wanted but didnt have time to put in. Just ask yourself what would make the experience better and you will find a mod for it. Filefront.com and the official stalker website will have all the mods you need. Can make it harder, easier, longer, whatever you want. Installing mods is a snap, and there are even guides on how-to-mod Stalker so you can fine-tune your playing experience.

The news isnt anything specific, but the developers have said they have future games in development that will expand upon the Zone. They will be making official announcements about what that exactly is coming up this summer at E3. Youll find the link here in the Stalker news section. 

Let me know if you have any questions on installing, modifying, or creating mods. Like I said, Stalker is a great game, Stalker w/ Mods is one of the best games ever made. 

Hmm.......I didn't even know there were any mods out there for it yet. I guess that's what I get for not checking. As addicted to this game as I am mods would be great.

[QUOTE="d12malu"][QUOTE="ncderek"]

what mods are out?

and whats the news on a 2nd stalker / expansion? didnt hear about that

thanatose

OMG, after you read this, drop everything you are doing, go to filefront.com, search STALKER, and get to downloading mods. Imagine drivable vehicles in every level; traders who repair and sell weapons, armor, ammo; improved weather and graphics (if your system can handle it), ability to sleep (make sure you eat before you go to sleep!); improved blood effects; real-life weapon skins and names; improved enemy AI; carrying capacity increased; the list goes on and on. One reason I loved Stalker so much is the mod community jumped on Stalker faster than you could blink and actually improved the game w/o making the experience radically different. It's like they did what the developers wanted but didnt have time to put in. Just ask yourself what would make the experience better and you will find a mod for it. Filefront.com and the official stalker website will have all the mods you need. Can make it harder, easier, longer, whatever you want. Installing mods is a snap, and there are even guides on how-to-mod Stalker so you can fine-tune your playing experience.

The news isnt anything specific, but the developers have said they have future games in development that will expand upon the Zone. They will be making official announcements about what that exactly is coming up this summer at E3. Youll find the link here in the Stalker news section.

Let me know if you have any questions on installing, modifying, or creating mods. Like I said, Stalker is a great game, Stalker w/ Mods is one of the best games ever made.

Hmm.......I didn't even know there were any mods out there for it yet. I guess that's what I get for not checking. As addicted to this game as I am mods would be great.

Exactly. I bought Stalker but didnt even get out of Cordon the first time I played it. Bugs, crashes, and a lost feeling overwhelmed me at first. The game sat there for a couple weeks and by the time I was ready to give it a go again, new patches fixed most stability issues and there was 100 mods available that made the experience better. That's why Im almost religious on this game now. I take it you have already beatin Stalker a couple times,  mods will refresh the experience for you. It won't be entirely new, but you will feel the game is more immersive and more like a RPG/FPS hybrid that the developers were aiming for. 

wow never knew mods were so big on this game, ive never modded a game, not sure if i should. the vehicle thing, the more suites, the improved graphics, the flashlight, the more guns and ammo, all sound great. not sure how to do them once i download them tho, or where to put them. i guess i have some questions about it.

1- it doesnt change the game around does it?

2 - these mods wont mess up my important files in my game and lead to me losing data or the game not working will it?

3 - what do some of these mods look like, such as the better graphics mode, or the vehicles? screenshots?

4 - do you have to get gas for the cars as i read? how do those work, you can just jump in and drive? sounds awesome

5- is the bloodier mod worth it? what about the better weather mod?

6- how to isntall the mods? if i think its worth it, never have used mods in a game before

THANKS if anyone can take the time to help me out a little 

OK, if you follow my instructions carefully, you shouldn't have any problems with installing mods. Mods are pretty much standard for any PC game now so don't worry about screwing things up or some crazy virus.

1. First thing is that with some mods you will have to start a new game. A few mods work w/ continued saves but it is better to start a new game anyways since it will be a different experience this time around. So decide if you are willing to start a new game. I personally would, because the game isnt terribly long anyways and you said you have already played through a couple times.

2. The next step is to enable mods to work. You have to change a simple game file to essentially turn mods on. If you installed the game to the default folder then follow this path: C drive--->Program Files---> THQ--->Stalker:Shadows of Chernobyl---->fsgame.ltx file. You will want to open this file w/ Notepad, if it is not already shown as being a notepad file. This is the file you need to modify and should look something like this

$app_data_root$=true|false|C:|Documents and SettingsAll UsersDocumentsSTALKER-SHOC
$game_data$ = false| true| $fs_root$| gamedata
$game_ai$ = true| false| $game_data$| ai
$game_spawn$ = true| false| $game_data$| spawns
$game_anims$ = true| true| $game_data$| anims
$game_levels$ = true| false| $game_data$| levels
$game_meshes$ = true| true| $game_data$| meshes
$game_dm$ = true| true| $game_data$| meshes
$game_shaders$ = true| true| $game_data$| shaders
$game_sounds$ = true| true| $game_data$| sounds
$game_textures$ = true| true| $game_data$| textures
$game_scripts$ = true| false| $game_data$| scripts
$game_config$ = true| false| $game_data$| config
$level$ = false| false| $game_levels$
$game_saves$ = true| false| $app_data_root$| savedgames
$logs$ = true| false| $app_data_root$| logs
$screenshots$ = true| false| $app_data_root$| screenshots
$downloads$ = false| false| $app_data_root$| downloads

In bold is the line you will need to modify. You need to change the $game_data$ false| true to true| true. So when you are done, it should read like this:

$app_data_root$=true|false|C:|Documents and SettingsAll UsersDocumentsSTALKER-SHOC
$game_data$ = true| true| $fs_root$| gamedata
$game_ai$ = true| false| $game_data$| ai
$game_spawn$ = true| false| $game_data$| spawns
$game_anims$ = true| true| $game_data$| anims
$game_levels$ = true| false| $game_data$| levels
$game_meshes$ = true| true| $game_data$| meshes
$game_dm$ = true| true| $game_data$| meshes
$game_shaders$ = true| true| $game_data$| shaders
$game_sounds$ = true| true| $game_data$| sounds
$game_textures$ = true| true| $game_data$| textures
$game_scripts$ = true| false| $game_data$| scripts
$game_config$ = true| false| $game_data$| config
$level$ = false| false| $game_levels$
$game_saves$ = true| false| $app_data_root$| savedgames
$logs$ = true| false| $app_data_root$| logs
$screenshots$ = true| false| $app_data_root$| screenshots
$downloads$ = false| false| $app_data_root$| downloads

Simple enough. Once you are done, you can close the file, save the changes, and you are now ready to add mods.

3. Go ahead and download any mod that interests you. Create a new folder on your desktop and call it stalker mods. You dont have to but it keeps all your mods you downloaded in one nice folder. Here is a list of mods that I have used and had no trouble with:

weather_overhaul_v101 (changes the weather to look more realistic, rain, wind, etc...nightime is also darker to where you will need your flashlight if it's like midnight)

no_time_limit_on_quests_v0.01 (eliminates time limit on side quests)

detection_mod_v1.0001fixed (changes AI to not be able to see you from a long way out in the dark, more lifelike enemy detection)

nodegradenormalweapons (normal weapons no longer degrade)

stalkerrealisticlookingweaponspack (changes weapon skins to look more realistic, and changes names to real world weapons)

armor_decay_mod_v0.01 (armor no longer degrades over time)

nodegradeuniqueweapons (unique weapons no longer degrade over time)

trader_modv1.1 (traders now sell armor, weapons, and ammo)

dream_mod_multilingual_v1.1 (lets you sleep)

endurancemod_v1.1 (can run longer)

Flashlight_Range_Mod (flashlight beam is brighter and longer, you can see down tunnels much easier)

tweakedbloodv1.3 (more blood and better blood splatter)

ultra_graphics_mode_v1.1 (enables higher res graphics)

annoying_audio_fix_1.3 (eliminates most repeated NPC lines, like "Get out of here Stalker!" or "I said come in!")

stalker_girl_tv (changes car image on tv in bars to a girl dancing, fits better for a bar)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.UAZ.Jeeps.Vehicle.Mod-v1.1 (adds drivable Jeeps in Cordon, Garbage, and Freedom base)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.Better.Headlamp-v1.1 (better headlamps for vehicles)

iphone_pda_reskin (changes your PDA to iphone skin)

red_bull_drink_skin_v1.0 (changes energy drink to Red Bull)

vodka (changes vodka bottle to Smirnoff bottle)

food (high res food skins)

cigarettes (reskin for real cigarette brands)

These are just some of the mods and there are also other mods that do the same things as listed above. Some mods come as a pack that includes alot of the above mods all in one, like the Faiakes Mod. These are good b/c they are easy and can do it all, but you may not like a couple of the new features they change. Installing specific mods lets you change just what you really want. As a beginner, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just download one mod that does it all. Read about Faiakes Mod and decide if you want to do one mod that covers it all or install each one seperately. Installing separate mods is not harder neccesarily, just more time consuming.

****DO NOT USE PACKAGE MODS AND SPECIFIC MODS TOGETHER AS ALOT OF TIMES THEY DO THE SAME THING. ONLY IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE KNOWING WHAT THE PACKAGE MODS INCLUDE AND WANT TO FURTHER ADD SOME OTHER MODS NOT INCLUDED IN THE PAKAGE MODS (e.g. Faiakes Mod includes a vehicle mod already so there is no need to install another vehicle mod, this will conflict and can cause some problems)*********

4. Now to install the mods. Most of the mods you downloaded will be in some type of zip file, you will want to extract said files and when it asked you where you want to extract to, locate your main Stalker file (the same folder where your fsgame.ltx file was). It will automatically place the mods in a new folder it created called gamedata folder.

****IT MAY ASK YOU TO OVERWRITE SOME README FILES, DO NOT WORRY, SAY YES TO ALL, IT WILL BE OK.*******

5. The vehicle mod needs further editing to work properly. Stalker wanted to use vehicles but did not include them in the final version, therefore you must edit the file (just like the fsgame.ltx file) to include an ignition button to turn on the engine. Go to My Computer---->Shared Documents---> STALKER-SHOC---->user.ltx file. Again, open user.ltx with notepad. It should look like this (I couldnt fit the whole file b/c of the size but you are in the right area if it looks similar to this):

_preset High
ai_use_torch_dynamic_lights on
unbindall
bind left kLEFT
bind right kRIGHT
bind up kUP
bind down kDOWN
bind jump kSPACE
bind crouch kLCONTROL
bind accel kC
bind sprint_toggle kLSHIFT
bind forward kW
bind back kS
bind lstrafe kA
bind rstrafe kD
bind llookout kQ
bind rlookout kE
bind cam_zoom_in kADD
bind cam_zoom_out kSUBTRACT
bind torch kF
bind night_vision kN
bind wpn_1 k1
bind wpn_2 k2
bind wpn_3 k3
bind wpn_4 k4
bind wpn_5 k5
bind wpn_6 k6
bind artefact k7
bind wpn_next kY
bind wpn_fire mouse1
bind wpn_zoom mouse2
bind wpn_reload kR
bind wpn_func kV
bind wpn_firemode_prev k9
bind wpn_firemode_next k0
bind pause kPAUSE
bind drop kG
bind scores kTAB
bind chat kCOMMA
bind chat_team kPERIOD
bind screenshot kF12
bind quit kESCAPE
bind console kGRAVE
bind inventory kI
bind buy_menu kB
bind skin_menu kO
bind team_menu kU
bind active_jobs kP
bind map kM
bind contacts kH
bind vote_begin kF5
bind vote kF6
bind vote_yes kF7
bind vote_no kF8
bind speech_menu_1 kZ
bind use_bandage kRBRACKET
bind use_medkit kLBRACKET
bind quick_save kF6
bind quick_load kF7
bind_sec use_bandage mouse4
bind_sec use_medkit mouse5
cam_inert 0.
cam_slide_inert 0.25
cl_cod_pickup_mode 1
cl_dynamiccrosshair on
g_always_run on
g_autopickup on
g_backrun on
g_corpsenum 10

You will want to type this line or copy this and paste at the bottom of the notepad document: bind turn_engine k~

The ~ stand for whatever key you want to use to turn the engine on. For instance, if you want to use t to turn on the engine replace ~ with t. It should now read like this:

_preset High
ai_use_torch_dynamic_lights on
unbindall
bind left kLEFT
bind right kRIGHT
bind up kUP
bind down kDOWN
bind jump kSPACE
bind crouch kLCONTROL
bind accel kC
bind sprint_toggle kLSHIFT
bind forward kW
bind back kS
bind lstrafe kA
bind rstrafe kD
bind llookout kQ
bind rlookout kE
bind cam_zoom_in kADD
bind cam_zoom_out kSUBTRACT
bind torch kF
bind night_vision kN
bind wpn_1 k1
bind wpn_2 k2
bind wpn_3 k3
bind wpn_4 k4
bind wpn_5 k5
bind wpn_6 k6
bind artefact k7
bind wpn_next kY
bind wpn_fire mouse1
bind wpn_zoom mouse2
bind wpn_reload kR
bind wpn_func kV
bind wpn_firemode_prev k9
bind wpn_firemode_next k0
bind pause kPAUSE
bind drop kG
bind scores kTAB
bind chat kCOMMA
bind chat_team kPERIOD
bind screenshot kF12
bind quit kESCAPE
bind console kGRAVE
bind inventory kI
bind buy_menu kB
bind skin_menu kO
bind team_menu kU
bind active_jobs kP
bind map kM
bind contacts kH
bind vote_begin kF5
bind vote kF6
bind vote_yes kF7
bind vote_no kF8
bind speech_menu_1 kZ
bind use_bandage kRBRACKET
bind use_medkit kLBRACKET
bind quick_save kF6
bind quick_load kF7
bind_sec use_bandage mouse4
bind_sec use_medkit mouse5
bind turn_engine kt

You will now be able to enter vehicles using your default action button, then press t to turn on the engine, and you are ready to drive around the Zone.

*****UNFORTUNATELY YOU CANNOT DRIVE VEHICLES THROUGH THE LOADING LEVELS BUT WHERE YOU LEAVE THE VEHICLES THEY WILL STAY. YOU SHOULD HAVE A JEEP IN PRETTY MUCH EACH LEVEL.******

There are different vehicle mods out there like transport_mod_v1.0 that give you more and different vehicles (like a truck and small car) in the Cordon starting area but none in the other areas. I like the UAZ Jeep Mod b/c they have jeeps in the other levels, like Garbage and Freedom Base, even though only jeeps and only one in each level. If you flip it, I don't think it will respawn. Dont worry about gas and dmg, as this has been eliminated from vehicles with the new mods.

6. Congratulations! You are now done and ready to play. Lets test to make sure it worked first. Start a new game, get through the intro, and exit the Cordon underground trader. If the mods worked properly, you should see a Jeep parked off to the right when you exit the underground bunker. Go ahead and hop in, hit whatever ignition button you assigned, and drive around a bit. Now lets test one more thing. find an NPC in Cordon that has the dialog option "Can you tell me something interesting?". Click that option TWICE. That will reveal another option, allowing you to tell the NPC that you would like to sleep. Clicking that option will then let you specify a time (one, three, or nine hours) or cancel. When you click a time your screen will turn black and you will be asleep. When you wake, the specified period of time will have passed.

****** Your HUNGER will still decrease when sleeping. If you are starving and sleep for nine hours, you will wake up to find yourself DEAD.*******

******** The zone is a very dangerous place, so be careful WHERE you choose to sleep. Life in the zone carries on without you, so you may be attacked if out in the open. Try to find a safe place such as the Bar area, and even better, indoors.***********

My suggestion, since you are just starting out w/ mods, is to download maybe a few mods at first and install them to just make sure you did everything correct, or go for the Faiakes Mod that does alot of what I listed above, all in one easy to use mod. I hope this helps and improves upon an already great game! Any problems, let me know.

Here are some screenshots of mods I have used:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e399/d12malu/Ugm1.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e399/d12malu/screen_02.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e399/d12malu/bar_2300.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e399/d12malu/Image.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e399/d12malu/FlashLightBeforeIndoors.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e399/d12malu/FlashLightAfterIndoors.jpg

Its a truely amazing game and I'm glad others enjoyed it as much as me rather than seeing those "STALKER SUCKS" threads. Althought I only got as far as Pripyat and then got greedy on graphics and tried to put extra effects in like HDR and all that but screwed it up and have been to preoccupied with to fix it.

The Radiation Edition is sitting on my desk infront of me as we speak calling out to me from its metal cased tomb... Ok ok I give I'm gonna play for a few hours.

wait till the end you get gas powered snipers, rpg's, auto shotguns, oicw, some other powerful rifles, its funncderek

See I never got any of those things and I dont know why!  I ran across one RPG, a couple sniper rifles, and everything else was just assault rifles.

thanks for typing all that, cant wait to try itncderek

No problem, let me know how it works out or any other questions. 

[QUOTE="ncderek"]wait till the end you get gas powered snipers, rpg's, auto shotguns, oicw, some other powerful rifles, its funmrbojangles25

See I never got any of those things and I dont know why! I ran across one RPG, a couple sniper rifles, and everything else was just assault rifles.

With the Trader and repair mods, you can buy most any gun from the traders and they can repair weapons as well. I thought this drastically improved the game and made it more like an RPG. Getting to use the Guass gun and other exotic assault rifles for only like one clip and just at the end wasn't fair. In fact, the most fun I had, was just buying or finding a simple assault rifle (like the AK), attaching a rocket launcher and scope to it, and stocking up on armor piercing bullets before I would head out on a mission. Check out Filefront.com for trader mods if you are interested.