S.T.A.L.K.E.R. I want to like you

[superbleeder12]

As a regular on /v/, an influx of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. threads have been popping up.

I've had S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadows of Chernobyl for a good year now, installed and uninstalled multiple times, new games made disbanded and made again.

I want to play and enjoy the game, but it just feels too empty to me. Combat is bland to me; consisting of standing behind a rock or a tree, shooting at an enemy across a field, hiding behind another rock or tree.

I also feel as though the difficulty curve takes a split depending how one tackles an event at the beginning. You have a choice of sneaking around a military barricade, or attacking it directly. If you sneak around, the remaining areas tend to be very difficult because you are under-armed. Attacking and picking off the military, allows you to get assault rifles, which makes the rest of the game(which I've played) quite easy.

I want to like the game, but I can't bring myself to enjoy it.

Does anyone feel the same, or is this game just not right for me?

 

[EittilDratsab]

Yeah, STALKER is just an acquired taste. I remember when I first played it, I was shocked that the bandits in the first camp could kill me so easily. But eventually, as I played on, I began to enjoy it for what it is. I also installed the AMK mod, which I recommend you do so as well. If memory serves correct, no matter how powerful your gun is, you have to treat fights like real life. A stray bullet to your head will kill you no matter if your armor is MJOLNIR Mark II. Enemies often appear in packs and have better AI than the vanilla game. Of course, it all depends on your preference. It's like AvP.

 

[superbleeder12]

Are there any recommended mods that will make the game more enjoyable? I've installed a few mods to increase graphics, as my gaming pc is a beast.

Are there any gameplay mods that make combat more enjoyable? (knifing better)

 

[Commissar Sae]

Yeah I tend to feel the same way. I really feel like I should be enjoying the game, but every time I play it I quit after maybe 30 minutes to an hour. Mods might just be the thing I'm looking for.

 

[xHipaboo420x]

Are there any recommended mods that will make the game more enjoyable?

From what I've read, the game really opens up with a few choice mods. Search online for the ones that interest you and add what you want. It's a good game, it just needs a few pushes in the right directions.

 

[The Madman]

Are there any recommended mods that will make the game more enjoyable? I've installed a few mods to increase graphics, as my gaming pc is a beast.

Are there any gameplay mods that make combat more enjoyable? (knifing better)

Methinks you're playing the wrong kind of game if knifing is what you want. STALKER goes for a more realistic angle for its combat, and no sane person in real life is going to try knifing their opponents when the opponent in question is aiming a gun at them.

What really makes a game like STALKER enjoyable however is the atmosphere and ambiance. Wandering the zone at night during a thunderstorm is a surreal experience, and the underground facilities eery and foreboding. You don't really play STALKER for the gameplay as much as simply the 'experience' if that makes sense, something it does much better than most any new game on the market. Wandering through decrepit rusting ruins, listening intently for the noises that might alert you to enemies all while soaking in the lush visuals.

The combat and difficulty are part of that since the game needs to employ some sense of danger to the player. See Bioshock for example; the game has great style and the Big Daddy are truly intimidating opponents when you first encounter them... then you realize if you just lure it close to a resurrection pod you could kill it with a wrench for all it matters since you'll just keep popping back up time and time again when it kills you. The sense of immersion is gone, replaced with boring game logic. STALKER has no such luxury however, and as such the enemy, especially the mutants, remain a dangerous enemy you fear encountering.

Apparently the new STALKER game is extremely good, some reviews are even calling it the best of the series so far. Gonna have to pick it up!

 

[superbleeder12]

STALKER Complete 2009 is pretty much the best mod out there. For sheer combat improvement however, I'd go with LURK, It adds a lot of new weapons, and makes stealth a viable option. It's not as pretty as Complete 2009, but still a great mod.

From what I've seen, the two mods conflict with one another. I'd love the graphical improvements of Complete, but the combat/stealth of LURK.

 

[lacktheknack]

I had the same problem. Heard it was amazing, and I was absolutely bored and confused after the first mission. So i uninstalled it and never looked back.

Which is sad, because it got reeeeeally good after the third hour .

 

[dududf]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat.

Yeah I just jizzed.
_____________________________

On a more serious note, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is an an quired taste. It's the real apocalypse-esk setting. Something fallout 3 could never do right. The game feels real, you take a realistic amount of damage before dieing (on the hardest of course) guns jam if over used, it just feels... awesome.

 

[Void(null)]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R Complete 2009 [http://artistpavel.blogspot.com/2009/04/stalker-complete-2009.html] not only updates the graphics, but fixes many of the pacing/balance issues and allows the game to shine as everything it can be, rather than forcing you to shovel through shit with your bare hands to get to the rare gem at the bottom.

I highly recommend giving it a short.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

I couldn't immerse myself in it for lots of little reasons that are difficult to pinpoint, one of them definitely being the lack of much voice-acting and having to read text of what the characters say instead. A minor thing for some people, but completely pulls me out of the experience.

Overall I just couldn't get into it, even after installing some select mods. I got it cheap from Steam though while a sale was on, so it's no big deal.