E3: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

[clarky003]

3 new images have been released :D.. zomg

http://uk.media.pc.ign.com/media/480/480467/imgs_1.html

IGN are having trouble with their links though :( might want to look elsewhere.

[DEATH eVADER]

Thats normal for most of E3, they usually rectify it within the hour

[xcellerate]

so....stalker is still coming out then?

[Evo]

Yep!

No release date given atm though D:

[Asuka]

Soooo....anyone have a working link?

[ericms]

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/5456/stalkershadowofchernobyl200605.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5456/stalkershadowofchernobyl200605.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/790/stalkershadowofchernobyl200606.jpg

[Dalamari]

Hmmm, looks like they added some shinyness to make the graphics seem more updated

[clarky003]

and Parrallax mapping, if you look at the floor in the second pic.

[Mechagodzilla]

Ya, some sort of bloom or HDR. I think it helps, actually. Their original media had a "texturey" look to it. This sorta smooths things out.

I'd guess those models are higher-poly too. That exoskeleton armour looks complex.

[Evo]

Anyone in teh UK i suggest getting PC Gamer UK tomorow, nice Stalker piece there for you :p

[Ren.182]

Looking nice. Glad to hear it aint been abandoned.

[Javert]

If I'm not mistaken it was the publisher that pulled out (which just as well downs the game), but the development is still chugging along. Anyone know otherwise? It seems that THQ just said "Nvr mind, jk jk"

[VictimOfScience]

That second pic gives me much more hope than I had before. Looks really much better thanI imagined it would at this stage. I didn't know what to expect andnow I am pleasantly surprised--now as long as the gameplay modes are just as cool, this might be a really great title!

[Bad^Hat]

The indoor shots kinda make me think... Oblivion with guns :D

[DrDevin]

I still have my fingers crossed hoping this game will turn out good. The premise is amazing but so many things could go wrong, combined with its troubled development history. Wait that sounds like another game I play...........

[Krynn72]

Graphics < Release date.

If it still aint coming out before X-mas it might as well not come at all in me opinion.

[destrukt]

any word on the stalker demo @ e3 ? i want some videos. :(

[Asuka]

Wow. Looking good. Still on my must have list.

[ericms]

Graphics < Release date.

If it still aint coming out before X-mas it might as well not come at all in me opinion.

Oh, I didn't realize that the people behind S.T.A.L.K.E.R. owed you something. Seriously, for the time being just don't anticipate it's release and it won't be as bad.

[cadaver]

very nice!!

they can release it whenever they wan`t, I will play it anyway! there is no other game I look more forward to playing than STALKER.

[Gargantou]

Okay, I'm gonna clarify things.
1. Whilst there is no SPECIFIC official release date, I know for a fact that THQ has said that if the current build quality from GSC keeps up, they'll be willing to release the game in September, if the game isn't out before January 2k7, they will abandon the project(Financial suicide for GSC if you consider the amount of time and money they've probably poured into the project).
So lets hope that the build quality does keep up and we will get the game in our hands in September.:)

According to previews from outsiders who got to visit GSC, as I've previously stated, all features promised were in and fully functional, however, they did have 4 CTDs during about 4 to 5 hours of gameplay, proving that there are obviously still bugs that need to be finished.

For those of you who don't know, or are interested atleast, the biggest delay reasons from what I've gathered from statements off members of the dev team are as follows.
The AI is very ambitious and has thus needed far more balancing, bug fixing, etc than mostother games. They had to delay the game originally when DX9 became avaible in order to make a new DX9 engine to take advantage off that and keep up to date(Ironically enough DX10 is just around the corner so lets hope they don't delay it to update it to DX10 directly haha).:)

That's all I know, hope it helps someone...

[Unfocused]

Anyone in teh UK i suggest getting PC Gamer UK tomorow, nice Stalker piece there for you :p

I suggest you get a scanner and PM me that piece :p

[Gorgon]

yeah man, unfocused if you get it, pm me. OK thanks

this game still on top of my list.

come on bring on some vids..................

[Evo]

Sorry guys, but scanner don't work D:

[carrera]

Sorry guys, but scanner don't work D:


:( do PC Gamer still wrap their magazine in a plastic bag so you can't read it in the shop?

[Evo]

Not sure, get it on subscription nowadays

[Unfocused]

Sorry guys, but scanner don't work D:

Digital camera ftw? ;)

Someone else will probably post them in the net anyway, so don't worry :)

[Gray Fox]

Shit, what i feared has happend. They updated the graphics to satisfy the rest of the world, but now I won't be able to play it on my crappy PC anymore.

[Gargantou]

Shit, what i feared has happend. They updated the graphics to satisfy the rest of the world, but now I won't be able to play it on my crappy PC anymore.Actually, you will, there are two seperate engines, the DX8 engine which has been designed to run perfectly on the lower-end hardware, and the DX9 one which has all the fancy features, HDR, fully dynamic softshadows, normal mapping, parallax mapping and several other nifty things(Such as dynamic clouds iirc, not volumetric afaik, no point as you can't fly imo but still dynamic).:)
I so want this game.. It'll probably run like shit on my comp though, atleast the DX9 engine with maxed things(I'm a graphicswhore when it comes to modern FPSes).:p

[Lt. Drebin]

so....stalker is still coming out then?


Yeppers.....gonna be co-released with DNF. :|

[Trespassing]

Actually, you will, there are two seperate engines, the DX8 engine which has been designed to run perfectly on the lower-end hardware, and the DX9 one which has all the fancy features, HDR, fully dynamic softshadows, normal mapping, parallax mapping and several other nifty things(Such as dynamic clouds iirc, not volumetric afaik, no point as you can't fly imo but still dynamic).:)
I so want this game.. It'll probably run like shit on my comp though, atleast the DX9 engine with maxed things(I'm a graphicswhore when it comes to modern FPSes).:p
Stalker does not have HDR

[Gargantou]

Yeppers.....gonna be co-released with DNF. :|
If you had read what I posted you'd know this isn't true, unless ofcourse DNF is releasing this year, but by using your smiley I assumed you were using that sentence to call it vapourware...
Why can't you guys who think it's vapourware just ignore posting here? 'Cause I don't see the point...
Seriously, please.. It's annoying when people don't listen and just keep on living under their stone(Where they know nothing of STALKERs release date nor the progress on development..)
Sorry if I'm coming off as a jerk but it gets tiresome, please guys, I'm begging you seriously, just give it a break, please?;(

And Trespasser, give me proof? I've seen it stated multiple times that STALKER will have HDR, so a link to back up your statement would be highly appreciated.

[Trespassing]

If you had read what I posted you'd know this isn't true, unless ofcourse DNF is releasing this year, but by using your smiley I assumed you were using that sentence to call it vapourware...
Why can't you guys who think it's vapourware just ignore posting here? 'Cause I don't see the point...
Seriously, please.. It's annoying when people don't listen and just keep on living under their stone(Where they know nothing of STALKERs release date nor the progress on development..)
Sorry if I'm coming off as a jerk but it gets tiresome, please guys, I'm begging you seriously, just give it a break, please?;(

And Trespasser, give me proof? I've seen it stated multiple times that STALKER will have HDR, so a link to back up your statement would be highly appreciated.
Look ate the screenshots ate the beginning of this post...
It is not HDR...

[Gargantou]

I never said that the SCREENSHTOS have HDR, however the engine and game does have HDR implemented into it(as options ofcourse), ALONGSIDE bloom, this has been stated...
You said STALKER doesn't have HDR, that's incorrect, it's just the screenshots that doesn't have HDR.
I hope I didn't come off as a too big of a jerk now, I'm just easily annoyed as of lately, soz.:)

[Ren.182]

You can't see HDR in screenshots. It would just look like Bloom. Thats not proof.

[Lt. Drebin]

If you had read what I posted you'd know this isn't true, unless ofcourse DNF is releasing this year, but by using your smiley I assumed you were using that sentence to call it vapourware...
Why can't you guys who think it's vapourware just ignore posting here? 'Cause I don't see the point...
Seriously, please.. It's annoying when people don't listen and just keep on living under their stone(Where they know nothing of STALKERs release date nor the progress on development..)
Sorry if I'm coming off as a jerk but it gets tiresome, please guys, I'm begging you seriously, just give it a break, please?;(

And Trespasser, give me proof? I've seen it stated multiple times that STALKER will have HDR, so a link to back up your statement would be highly appreciated.

It was a joke. Don't take it personal. :)

Further...when this game get's discussed, it's innevitable that the release date, or lack thereof will be brought up. Especially in an ambiguous thread such as this one....the title is in fact the name of the game....that means open discussion on any topic related to the game. I suggest you simply ignore those who are posting who seriously believe the game is vaporware. That's what the folks over at the DNF Forums do....or the mod deletes the thread.

[Trespassing]

Ok so they say they have HDR but if it is implemented as an option why not show screenshots with HDR instead of a crap bloom effect... Also if you go to the official Stalker website and see the engine specs there is no mention of HDR at all…
The game is outdated that is why they put the bloom effect in.

[destrukt]

the title is in fact the name of the game....that means open discussion on any topic related to the game.
also, see the "e3" that means [basing upon what you've said] that this should only cover any info/media that is from e3 about stalker; so if there is no talk of release dates @ e3, we should just leave it alone and so on.

[Gargantou]

Ok so they say they have HDR but if it is implemented as an option why not show screenshots with HDR instead of a crap bloom effect... Also if you go to the official Stalker website and see the engine specs there is no mention of HDR at all…
The game is outdated that is why they put the bloom effect in.Haha, for the first, it's well-known and admitted that the WEBSITE spec is outdated, and having talked to people who've gotten to both play the game and also are working on mods and have gotten to see the engine specifications, they've stated that it has HDR.

An example of how outdated the website is, "On demand loading makes it possible to create a single huge level.", whereas that's not true, the STALKER engine is split up into square zones that each have to be loaded once you move into'em..:) See?

Why not show screenshots with HDR? Good question, I'm afraid you'll have to ask the devs that.
You might also ask yourself, why have they been showing almost only DX8 screenshots? That one I can answer, because for some reason THQ didn't want'em to show off the game maxed, they want to keep that hidden until the last month(s) or so before release in order to have a so called mediablitz in order to get everyone hyped about it.
And last, the game nor the engine is outdated, they delayed the game mainly in order to make sure the game wasn't outdated at release, by writing an entirely new DX9 renderer..

But whatever, ignorance is bliss eh.:sleep:

Edit: And sorry Lt. Drebin, I'm just overcranky today, especially about STALKER, I still love you! I promise.*Gropes*:p

[Lt. Drebin]

also, see the "e3" that means [basing upon what you've said] that this should only cover any info/media that is from e3 about stalker; so if there is no talk of release dates @ e3, we should just leave it alone and so on.

:|

[Lt. Drebin]

Edit: And sorry Lt. Drebin, I'm just overcranky today, especially about STALKER, I still love you! I promise.*Gropes*:p

No worries mate. I'm looking foward to the game as much as anyone. :)

[Gorgon]

Guys, any Clips out yet ?

[destrukt]

:|
i'm just poking @ your comment. ^___________^

[weskerQ8]

the pics are good but i am getting sick of this game

[Krynn72]

Oh, I didn't realize that the people behind S.T.A.L.K.E.R. owed you something. Seriously, for the time being just don't anticipate it's release and it won't be as bad.

Wasnt saying that at all. I was just saying that if they cant release before the holidays they will take a huge hit in sales, and it probably wont even be worth it.

[DiSTuRbEd]

the pics are good but i am getting sick of this game

Kinda got old since this game was suppose to come out with HL2 before it was DELAYED. If there wasn't a playable demo at E3, it would be quite funny to see ET:QW and BF2142 beat it to release. :laugh:

[bryanf445]

Kinda got old since this game was suppose to come out with HL2 before it was DELAYED. If there wasn't a playable demo at E3, it would be quite funny to see ET:QW and BF2142 beat it to release. :laugh:

yes that and by the time it does come out, i really wont care for the graphics as much because there will be prettier games to look forward to

[Gargantou]

I do admit the graphics are not that impressive these days, atleast not in the screenshots, and that's one of the reasons they delayed it back in 2k3, they wanted to make the engine updated for DX9..
And anyway, if you(not talking about anyone specific here) seriously at any moment believed in the 2k3 date, you're a fool..
No offense but if anyone is stupid enough to think that such a super-ambitious game as STALKER would only take 2 years to develop and get released, you need a braincheck!

And anyway, only reason I'm holding out for STALKER is partly due to my interest in the Chernobyl accident and Pripyat and partly due to the fact that afaik there's no game quite like it, not even in development..

I just, as some others have stated here, want to walk around Pripyat and the reactor, I mean afterall, over 50% of the game area are fully accurate models off the entire Chernobyl+Pripyat area, heck, even several apartments you can enter etc have been precisely copied from the real ones.:p

And besides that, this game was never really about the graphics for ME atleast, it's the gameplay that made it more interesting, the ambitious AI, the cool environments and the whole weather effect, dynamic terrain etc!:D

But to each man his own I guess.

Also as stated, no matter if they'll have to rush the game or will make it in time, they will HAVE to release it this year, or THQ will abandon the project and demand a return off their investment in STALKER, which would probably be economic murder off GSC :p

And that's actually good imo, GSC seems to be one of those devs that can't decide when they should say "Ok, let's stop adding new things/changing ol' things and just fix all the bugs we can and get the game out!" :p

[Gray Fox]

I do admit the graphics are not that impressive these days, atleast not in the screenshots, and that's one of the reasons they delayed it back in 2k3, they wanted to make the engine updated for DX9..
And anyway, if you(not talking about anyone specific here) seriously at any moment believed in the 2k3 date, you're a fool..
No offense but if anyone is stupid enough to think that such a super-ambitious game as STALKER would only take 2 years to develop and get released, you need a braincheck!

And anyway, only reason I'm holding out for STALKER is partly due to my interest in the Chernobyl accident and Pripyat and partly due to the fact that afaik there's no game quite like it, not even in development..

I just, as some others have stated here, want to walk around Pripyat and the reactor, I mean afterall, over 50% of the game area are fully accurate models off the entire Chernobyl+Pripyat area, heck, even several apartments you can enter etc have been precisely copied from the real ones.:p

And besides that, this game was never really about the graphics for ME atleast, it's the gameplay that made it more interesting, the ambitious AI, the cool environments and the whole weather effect, dynamic terrain etc!:D

But to each man his own I guess.

Also as stated, no matter if they'll have to rush the game or will make it in time, they will HAVE to release it this year, or THQ will abandon the project and demand a return off their investment in STALKER, which would probably be economic murder off GSC :p

And that's actually good imo, GSC seems to be one of those devs that can't decide when they should say "Ok, let's stop adding new things/changing ol' things and just fix all the bugs we can and get the game out!" :p

Wait wouldn't that make the devs fools too, and what does that mean for the game, if it's devs are fools.

[Lt. Drebin]

i'm just poking @ your comment. ^___________^

LOL. That's one HUGH sigh.

[cadaver]

it still looks awesome.

[CptStern]

so is there a stalker E3 video anywhere? I havent heard any buzz whatsoever around this game at e3 ..none of the usual spots have any coverage

[clarky003]

I know.. beginning to worry, although I think we should be quietly confident that something will arrive before the end.

[Gargantou]

I know.. beginning to worry, although I think we should be quietly confident that something will arrive before the end.Yeah.. 'Cause if it don't..*Waves fist homer-style*
Believe me, I know I'm probably one of the biggest STALKER fanboys here, but I've also been fed up with broken promises, so if they don't show STALKER at this E3, then they can go to hell..

[Unfocused]

Can't someone simply walk up to a dev there and ask when will they show the damn demo? =)

[Gargantou]

The demo has been shown, but press-only, no media will be shown directly, it is regular for GSC though to release the media a week or so later :(
GS said a few days or so ago one of their peeps had been on the STALKER show and would be writing up a preview that'll be in the coming days, but if we don't get some new media soon I'm gonna loose my temper.. I will probably end up getting STALKER when it releases none the less though..

[destrukt]

if there are no gameplay videos.. i'm going to cry.

[clarky003]

Found something! not much but something.

http://stalker.myexp.de/en/index.php

Finally, some good and relevant news. :) Swedish PC Gamer writes:

At last, the super exclusive showase of Stalker. The game many thought was delayed or dead, now again stands on it's legs stronger than ever. THQ has sent a producer to ukraine to take care of the game and now it's back on track again with a realistic releasedate, Q1 2007. The game still looks really good and still has alot of unique features, it's not as impresive as we had hope it would be, after all it's supposed to be a super exclusive showcase.

[DigiQ8]

Meh stalker, i dont care anymore

[Gargantou]

Meh stalker, i dont care anymoreI think you've stated that in several other previous STALKER threads so we've UNDERSTOOD you don't care, would you please cut it out?:laugh:

[Lemonking]

I think you've stated that in several other previous STALKER threads so we've UNDERSTOOD you don't care, would you please cut it out?:laugh:


fan boi

[Asuka]

fan boi

Cool Kid

[Gargantou]

fan boiNo, it just gets tiresome that he has to post that in every thread about STALKER.:)
What if I posted "I don't like this game.", just that, in every single thread made about a game you're excited for?
I view that as a slight form of trolling, because I heard him the first bloody time.:upstare:

But yes, I'm a partial fanboy, but that doesn't make it any less annoying, does it?:laugh:

[Lucid]

So it seems that STALKER had an unfullfilling presence at E3?
No new info? videos? demos?

[Gargantou]

New info is on the way, GameSpot is writing up a preview/handson off the E3 demo as we speak, videos will probably as always release a week or so later by GSC(They never allow people to film with their cams iirc).
So we'll just have to wait a week(or two perhaps) and then we'll probably know how the game has turned out..
Other than that, there were two new previews of the game, handson, both in the UK(iirc) and the Swedish PCGamer, both were saying good things about the game..

[Sprafa]

blah. Reminds me too much of Oblivion really.

[Warbie]

blah. Reminds me too much of Oblivion really.

Because it's big and has trees?? :)

[Lucid]

New info is on the way, GameSpot is writing up a preview/handson off the E3 demo as we speak, videos will probably as always release a week or so later by GSC(They never allow people to film with their cams iirc).
So we'll just have to wait a week(or two perhaps) and then we'll probably know how the game has turned out..
Other than that, there were two new previews of the game, handson, both in the UK(iirc) and the Swedish PCGamer, both were saying good things about the game..


Sweet... my hype-train for the game might just start moving again. :D

[jimbo118]

i dont mind the delays if its still fun at the end of the day, yeah delays sucks but life goes on, as long as the game doesnt get cancelled outright, the setting of chernobyl is hella-cool IMO.

[Space Farm]

The game is outdated that is why they put the bloom effect in.

LOL SOURCE!

[Steve]

Why do the visuals of this game remind me of Messiah?

[cadaver]

Translated by Nihilanth.
Original article: http://www.gry-online.pl/S013.asp?ID=26173


The second thing we saw during THQ's show behind closed doors was a game I really didn't expect - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. The 30 minute demonstration proved to everyone who saw it that this title is still being developed and, what's more, it's doing well.

Let's start with the simple facts we heard from the project leader. It seems that game has been finished since last year, but the level of complexity of the world, which consists not only of the landscape and beasts, but also of the RPG-style NPC character management, the freedom of gameplay, the player's decisions affecting everything around him, vegetation, etc. - surpassed the developer's ability to balance everything. Huge ambitions were confronted with reality. That is why the developers gave up the character management and simplified such aspects as realistic eating and healing during sleep. In the final build there will be no such things, and eating and healing will be limited to clicking on food in inventory, which will cause automatic regeneration of health (I saw this during the demonstration). Currently there's no release date, but THQ thinks that it will come out in the first quarter of the next year. Regarding the plot, we start as a stalker who lost his memories. During the game we will try to find out everything about his past.

The simplifications I talked about earlier do not reduce the game's momentum. During the demonstration, I saw a fight between several Stalkers that took place in a devastated urban area, as well as a player's struggle with one of the monsters in a sewer. The graphics looked great in both scenes, especially lighting and shadows were cool, but there were however few things that still need fixing. Textures, colours and vegetation were not neglected but absence of lips synchronization with spoken words is noticeable especially in such a major title. On the other hand, the dynamic weather system and the effect of time on gameplay looked really good. The types of monsters encountered depend on time of day.

The demonstration focused mainly on typical FPS battle, however there were sound and visibility meters, which suggest that stealth will play an important role in gameplay.

There will be about 20 types of weapons, including machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket launchers. The case of controlling vehicles is still open. Authors assure that the player will be able to drive vehicles, but there's no decision of how often and what exactly we will be driving."

http://stalker.myexp.de/en/index.php

[stewie_griffin]

will stalker be another duke forever?

[Mechagodzilla]

The fact that appeared at E3 and is done except for balancing indicates that it already isn't a dnf.

[destrukt]

so, no videos from e3 ? what a kick in the face..

[Samon]

I'm partially looking forward to this.
I don't see any problem with voicing your dislike about a game in every thread that pops up either. Everytime there's a Crysis thread with new material, I make a comment on how nice the graphics look but how much I'm expecting it to suck. I expect it annoys those looking forward to it but it's just as annoying to see "Whoo! this games gunna pwnzo0r!"

[Gargantou]

"That is why the developers gave up the character management and simplified such aspects as realistic eating and healing during sleep."

Aww ffs, there goes the survival sim aspects of this game.:)
Oh well, it'll still be good hopefully, but I'm getting sick of the devs removing things, eating and sleeping.. No more random blowouts, because they couldn't even get the NPC characters to run into buildings when a blowout happens..:(

Now I'm just holding my thumbs that the whole AI system is as impressive as it's been hyped to be, otherwise this game can screw itself..>_<
I'm sick of the devs removing features.. Oh well, I guess I always have UnReal World(A shareware roguelike) if I want to have a "semi-realistic" survival experience..

[VirusType2]

I'm partially looking forward to this.
I don't see any problem with voicing your dislike about a game in every thread that pops up either. Everytime there's a Crysis thread with new material, I make a comment on how nice the graphics look but how much I'm expecting it to suck. I expect it annoys those looking forward to it but it's just as annoying to see "Whoo! this games gunna pwnzo0r!"
I agree with you on this, but I also find it so obnoxious when people repeat themselves by posting more than once in one thread just to say they think the game is stupid when I really like the game. This happens all the time with Doom 3, one of my favorite games. Nobody likes that game but me ;*(

I also can't stand when I am inulted for my interest in a particular game. For example, "you play anime games? you are a pathetic anime nerd." Or, "You are a sick pervert to say that a video game character is hot." Or, "anyone who buys a console is an idiot." Or, "WoW is for people with no life", etc., etc., Basically I hate when I come under personal attack for an interest in a particular game or game system. It's a low blow.


Anyhow, I'm looking forward to STALKER. I've never had any complaints about how long it is taking to come out either.

[Gargantou]

I do however, I was expecting'em to use these delays and this extra time to make sure that the promised features, such as the whole survival-aspect of having to eat and sleep, would be in..
And now to only find out they've removed'em.. It kinda saddens me..:\
I mean sure, I understand it's a balancing aspect but still..
Alot of the dynamic that was supposed to make the game so unique in terms of survival seems gone..
You don't have to repair cars, you don't have to eat, you don't have to sleep, there's no more random blowouts so you don't have to run inside a house every few days for shelter..:\

I'm surprised myself to be saying this but alot of the appeal in STALKER for me has dissappeared now..

[The Brick]

I do however, I was expecting'em to use these delays and this extra time to make sure that the promised features, such as the whole survival-aspect of having to eat and sleep, would be in..
And now to only find out they've removed'em.. It kinda saddens me..:\
I mean sure, I understand it's a balancing aspect but still..
Alot of the dynamic that was supposed to make the game so unique in terms of survival seems gone..
You don't have to repair cars, you don't have to eat, you don't have to sleep, there's no more random blowouts so you don't have to run inside a house every few days for shelter..:\

I'm surprised myself to be saying this but alot of the appeal in STALKER for me has dissappeared now..
I didn't know that ;(

-16 stalker lovepoints
28 points remain

[CptStern]

-20 points for me

too many excuses, too many delays has killed whatever enthusiasm I had and I'm now at the point where my expectations are low to non existant. It went from one of my most anticipated to "I'll purchase it based on reviews and only then only after I've completed other more anticipated games"

[Gargantou]

Indeed, it's plain stupid that they're removing the entire survival aspect out off their SURVIVAL-FPS imo.

[CptStern]

the whole day/night cycle thing is useless now that sleep has been removed ..it'll seem like one endless waking romp through the radiated fields of chernobyl

[Gargantou]

Yup..
As I said, I've lost pretty much all of my faith in this game..
I'm fine with'em delaying it... To make sure that all the promised features are in...
I'm NOT fine with'em delaying it... To remove features, what the f00k!?

Am I the only one who has the feeling that suddenly they think they want to simplify the game as much as possible in order to make sure it sells more...?-_-

[CptStern]

I think they're simplifying it because they cant get other aspects of the game to work properly ..so in order to cut back on resources they've eliminated certain more complicated parts of the game ..I'm sure had they not gone through the pain of setting up the free roam aspect of the game they would have cut the ai life simulation altogether and made it more like a traditional fps (which imho would have completely killed my interest)

[Gargantou]

Well, I've seen several survival-RPGs, although not FPS succesfully implementd fatigue/sleep and fatigue/food/eat without any problems..
But yeah, it's probably a matter of them being tired of working now and deciding to skip some of the more tiresome things they have left..

[CptStern]

at e3 developers were saying q1 2007 for release ..so you'd think they would have had plenty of time ...I wonder if they'll delay it again so they can implement dx10? :O ;)

[clarky003]

Maybe they have already in the mean time, which is why they've been so quiet?. Might explain the Q1 2007 release.

[CptStern]

releasing screens could reinvigorate anticipation for the game, if they've already implemented it ..but my guess is that they have enouigh problems with ai that they wouldnt add to their workload by adding dx10

[The Brick]

I'd rather have the survival features back than dx10 graphics, there's Crysis for that!

[A True Canadian]

Well, I've seen several survival-RPGs, although not FPS succesfully implementd fatigue/sleep and fatigue/food/eat without any problems..
But yeah, it's probably a matter of them being tired of working now and deciding to skip some of the more tiresome things they have left..

Those things don't seem like they'd be that difficult to implement. Borrow from other games out there.

If you want to heal yourself, take a nap to help speed things up. Additionally, the less sleep you have, the more sluggish the shooting controls should be. Make it so that the crosshair is less accurate (similar to the first couple of levels in Deus Ex) and can be improved with rest.

If you haven't eaten in a while, your speed/strength will go down. Imagine not being able to sprint or lift heavy objects/weapons because you haven't kept up your strength. Borrow the system from San Andreas where its entirely optional, but still useful to have.

This stuff should be easy to put into the game. The more difficult programming (such as the AI that mimicks living enemies) is something that I could see them struggling with. But the fatigue/food system shouldn't be that difficult to do. I'm surprised they'd take it out.

[Gargantou]

Well, I was thinking more realistic, like in UnReal World, a ugly-as-hell but deep survival-RPG, if you go on for too long without sleep, you degrade in your "skills" and success as you state, and even eventually collapse..

[A True Canadian]

Either way, it isn't really a hard thing to implement because it's been done numerous times in other games already. They could either go for a passive approach with the system like they did in San Andreas, or they could go all out like in UnReal World and have it significantly impact the gameplay.

The developer's decision to dumb down the gameplay and remove these elements seems very curious to me.

[cadaver]

I don`t care about the eat/sleep stuff. just let me explore the Zone with its day/night/weather cycles and I will be a happy gamer. I bet it will blow our socks off. go GSC!

[zombieturtle01]

is this game worth buying?

[Lucid]

HOLY THREAD REVIVAL!

Yes, to answer your question.
If you have the right rig to run it.

[Thunderclap]

I can't recommend it enough. An excellent , atmospheric game if you have the system for it.

[zombieturtle01]

I heard it has outdated graphics, so it shouldn't be hard to run right?

[Lucid]

I heard it has outdated graphics, so it shouldn't be hard to run right?

Graphics aren't terrible, but the game is still fairly demanding...huge outdoor areas and the amount of the things all happening at once... it's a resource hog.

[zombieturtle01]

Graphics aren't terrible, but the game is still fairly demanding...huge outdoor areas and the amount of the things all happening at once... it's a resource hog.

well, a lot of games run fine on my computer, but games like Battlefront 2 lag a little bit due to the fact that there is a lot going on at once. So would this game lag?

[Lucid]

well, a lot of games run fine on my computer, but games like Battlefront 2 lag a little bit due to the fact that there is a lot going on at once. So would this game lag?

The best thing I can tell you is to check out the System Requirements Lab (http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest), and see if your computer can run it.

It's usually fairly accurate.

[Stigmata]

Probably. It's still an awesome game, even if it is incredibly difficult.

[Letters]

No, it's not worth getting. Sure, it has atmosphere, but they also threw in an assload of some of the most annoying "features" you can think of for a FPS. A horrible inventory system where you can only carry so much, your guns will eventually break, sometimes they'll just jam, and if you want ammo from a weapon a guy had you have to pick up the new gun, manually empty the ammo out, then drop the gun. You also need to eat. There's radiation spots where you need special items in order to survive. Your aim is horrible. Only headshots do much damage to enemies. Bad voice acting, except for all the russian because you can't understand it (unless you can, in which case it's probably just more bad acting). Let's see, what else... the objectives are unclear a lot of times, it's very easy to find bugs, horrible tutorial that doesn't tell you shit, you'll likely be reloading like a mad man at certain points, aaand... uhhhh, alright finally lost my train of thought there.

But hey it's got fkin atmosphere! (setting + sound)

[Stigmata]

I loved everything you just listed, except that some objectives are unclear and the damage system isn't perfect.

[CyberPitz]

Wow, I passed every bit for recommended...this game isn't as intensive as I thought.
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/media/srl/graph_all_5.gif

[Krynn72]

No, it's not worth getting. Sure, it has atmosphere, but they also threw in an assload of some of the most annoying "features" you can think of for a FPS. A horrible inventory system where you can only carry so much, your guns will eventually break, sometimes they'll just jam, and if you want ammo from a weapon a guy had you have to pick up the new gun, manually empty the ammo out, then drop the gun. You also need to eat. There's radiation spots where you need special items in order to survive. Your aim is horrible. Only headshots do much damage to enemies. Bad voice acting, except for all the russian because you can't understand it (unless you can, in which case it's probably just more bad acting). Let's see, what else... the objectives are unclear a lot of times, it's very easy to find bugs, horrible tutorial that doesn't tell you shit, you'll likely be reloading like a mad man at certain points, aaand... uhhhh, alright finally lost my train of thought there.

But hey it's got fkin atmosphere! (setting + sound)

Easy to find mods can fix most of those things.

[ktimekiller]

why in the ****ing world did you revive this dead thread?

[jimbo118]

*snip*

nearly 6,000 posts? i havent seen you much around the forums :|

[Shakermaker]

nearly 6,000 posts? i havent seen you much around the forums :|

Maybe Numbers changed his name? ;-)

[Kadayi]

why in the ****ing world did you revive this dead thread?

Probably because the game just got a Steam release. :rolleyes:

No, it's not worth getting. Sure, it has atmosphere, but they also threw in an assload of some of the most annoying "features" you can think of for a FPS. A horrible inventory system where you can only carry so much, your guns will eventually break, sometimes they'll just jam, and if you want ammo from a weapon a guy had you have to pick up the new gun, manually empty the ammo out, then drop the gun. You also need to eat. There's radiation spots where you need special items in order to survive. Your aim is horrible. Only headshots do much damage to enemies. Bad voice acting, except for all the russian because you can't understand it (unless you can, in which case it's probably just more bad acting). Let's see, what else... the objectives are unclear a lot of times, it's very easy to find bugs, horrible tutorial that doesn't tell you shit, you'll likely be reloading like a mad man at certain points, aaand... uhhhh, alright finally lost my train of thought there.

But hey it's got fkin atmosphere! (setting + sound)

Strangely enough I'd say all these 'features' are what makes Stalker an excellent game, because it deals in the realms of uncertainty, reality and choices. It's a realistic shooter in a fictional environment, so yes guns do jam, aiming is hard, and no you can't carry 8 different rifles, 7000 rounds of ammo and a rocket launcher around at the same time.

[Lucid]

No, it's not worth getting. Sure, it has atmosphere, but they also threw in an assload of some of the most annoying "features" you can think of for a FPS. A horrible inventory system where you can only carry so much, your guns will eventually break, sometimes they'll just jam, and if you want ammo from a weapon a guy had you have to pick up the new gun, manually empty the ammo out, then drop the gun. You also need to eat. There's radiation spots where you need special items in order to survive. Your aim is horrible. Only headshots do much damage to enemies. Bad voice acting, except for all the russian because you can't understand it (unless you can, in which case it's probably just more bad acting). Let's see, what else... the objectives are unclear a lot of times, it's very easy to find bugs, horrible tutorial that doesn't tell you shit, you'll likely be reloading like a mad man at certain points, aaand... uhhhh, alright finally lost my train of thought there.

But hey it's got fkin atmosphere! (setting + sound)

Sounds like RPGs aren't your thing.

[Letters]

Sounds like RPGs aren't your thing.
Only they are, and this is just a bad game that I wouldn't even consider an RPG. I can't believe you guys bought into the whole "annoying for the sake of realism" bit.

[Lucid]

Only they are, and this is just a bad game that I wouldn't even consider an RPG. I can't believe you guys bought into the whole "annoying for the sake of realism" bit.

Meh, the only thing I dislike about it are the 15 minute load times.
But that's a problem on my part.

Everything else about it is great.

[The Brick]

Only they are, and this is just a bad game that I wouldn't even consider an RPG. I can't believe you guys bought into the whole "annoying for the sake of realism" bit.

I played with 150kg inventory mod, no armor and weapon degrading mod the first time I went through it. It was really enjoyable.

The graphics (at max with Float32 (1.7088b rev A), S.H.A.R.P.E.R. and Realistic Headlamp) are geoooooorgeous. I liked how varied the AI is, though it's still exploitable. Sound is amazing, story was pretty bad, accuracy and damage are terrible, saving & loading is terrible, atmosphere is superb, gunfights are awesome, gameplay is awesome, exploring is awesome, finding alternative routes is awesome, going to places you actually shouldn't be is awesome, game is just awesome with minor flaws and annoyances.

Good atmosphere can make up for a lot. And the other way around. HL2 is a superb game, but I never really liked it cause it lacked atmosphere. EP1 was better.

[zombieturtle01]

why in the ****ing world did you revive this dead thread?

Go cry, we all got bigger fish to fry!

[Aki]

{snip to reduce length]

Basically, it's horrible because you can't stand a little realism and prefer being a walking armory who absorbs ammo through his feet, is armed with indestructible weapons, unerring aim, and the ability to put holes in body armor without trying.

Also: Objectives unclear. How is "go here, get documents" unclear?

[Rapstah]

Seriously Aki, check the dates of these posts.

[phantomdesign]

Basically, it's horrible because you can't stand a little realism and prefer being a walking armory who absorbs ammo through his feet, is armed with indestructible weapons, unerring aim, and the ability to put holes in body armor without trying.

Also: Objectives unclear. How is "go here, get documents" unclear?

It is forbidden to practice necromancy!

BURN!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g

[Aki]

Seriously Aki, check the dates of these posts.

What? It's not like it was a month old.

[Rapstah]

But the thread was dead, and it was until you ressurected it again.

[Kadayi]

But the thread was dead, and it was until you ressurected it again.


The game just got a second wind with the Steam release DF, so if people want to talk about Stalker this is the best thread to do it in. No doubt if the guy started a new thread about stalker he'd have ****tards like you complaining at him for not searching. God forbid that the guy dare to eat up a minuscule portion of the virtual space that you're not remotely paying for :dozey:

[Rapstah]

What are you talking about? He didn't ressurect this to talk about the Steam release of Stalker, he ressurected it to respond to a message that was weeks old.

[Kadayi]

SFW :dozey: