S.T.A.L.K.E.R. interested...

[Headshotkill]

So I've seen Robbaz play a bit of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and I think it's a fun game with good atmosphere but I don't really know what sort of game it really is?

 

Is it GTA styled with an open world and quests?

 

What needs does a player has to satisfy?

 

Which Mod(s) would you recommend to new players?

[RoboMat]

It is an open world game although the game is divided in different areas. You can't really compare it with GTA as it is ... more awesome

 

Well I only use a german / russian mod which is called Soljanka which is focusing on hardcore gameplay. Besides that there is a thread on this forum where the Misery Mod is highly suggested.

 

If you ask me it is one of the best games I have ever played. I have never before and never after seen an atmosphere comparable to this game. So yeah ... go and get it

[Headshotkill]

There are many versions:

 

-Shadow of Chernobyl

 

-Clear sky

 

-Call of Prypiat

 

 

Personally I would like to jump into the newest one cause it has the most improvements but is there an important storyline that goes throughout the series? If not, which versions is the best cause I know some games where previous versions are better than the newest ones.

[Pixel Bombs]

There are many versions:

 

-Shadow of Chernobyl

 

-Clear sky

 

-Call of Prypiat

 

 

Personally I would like to jump into the newest one cause it has the most improvements but is there an important storyline that goes throughout the series? If not, which versions is the best cause I know some games where previous versions are better than the newest ones.

Start with the first then progress is my suggestion.

[Augur]

There's a storyline sure but you don't necessarily have to follow it to enjoy the game. Like I started with Clear Sky, the prequel. I think any one of the three do a better job at nailing the post-apocalyptic setting than the Fallout series. For vanilla playthroughs I recommend Master difficulty since otherwise you turn into a bullet sponge even with just a windbreaker for protection. One thing to take note of though is that there are bugs in the games that I have encountered that may have made the game unbeatable past that point. It might just be me.

 

Also, for your sanity's sake; I'm not sure if this pertains to the later two games but if you take brain damage in SoC your vision will never stop being cross-eyed. To fix this, go into STALKER/Gamedata/config/creatures/actor.ltx (Open with wordpad) and change "psy_health_v" to 0.001 so your vision returns to normal after some time. I went through an hour of midnight gameplay, trying to shoot bandits like this is impossible.

[RoboMat]

I'd start with SOC... but you should really get a mod. As Augur said the vanilla games are still pretty bugged.

I think any one of the three do a better job at nailing the post-apocalyptic setting than the Fallout series.

Fallout 2 did a pretty good job at describing a post-apocalyptic world. IMO you can't really compare the two games because Fallout didn't take itself very serious, whereas Stalker feels pretty gritty.

[Rizly]

Stalker cop misery v2 mod is awesome and really well put together but I would recommend waiting till the next patch has been put out coz of corrupt saves and bugs, even after playing for 60 hours on this mod and fighting around the bugs it is just a great piece of work made by a very dedicated team but like they say "there is only one difficulty, Misery !" Expect to die a lot even if u are a pro gamer. If u love guns and you love survival it is the mod for you ! Also a bit of recreational drugs thrown in for good measure, enjoy !

[nuget102]

I only ever played COP... I understand the story line more or less.... I would suggest you try the game in Vanilla and if you want to try a mod go for Complete (there are versions for COP and SOC) and then there's also the Misery mod. I've played Complete, and it makes the game look beautiful. I downloaded Misery just last night and I plan on playing it within the next few days, so i'll tell you my personal opinion on Misery then. :3 Until then, I hope you enjoy whatever game you choose

[DirectorPr]

Ah, the discussion of wether to play with a mod the first time, or go straight vanilla. Choices, oh choices. Personally I couldn't play Shadow of Chernobyl without a mod, the stealth was completely broken, and it just didn't feel right to me. However I plan on playing vanilla once I finish my L.U.R.K. play through. Clear Sky is alright, but you might wanna look into some mods for that, there's very few mods for it, and its considered the black sheep of the series, but it was the first one I played, and that got me to fall in love with the series. Call of Pripyat I definitely recommend the MISERY mod, it definitely gives you the sense of, "Wow this place really is miserable," but in a fun way of course. The Zone never has really been described as pretty which is why it kinda irritates me that its clear and sunny in vanilla.

 

Pro Tip: Make sure you always play on the hardest difficulty, if you play on beginner 75% of the bullets shot disappear once fired, and that percentage decreases by so much in the harder difficulties. At least that's what I read.

[Headshotkill]

DON'T PLAY THE COMPLETE MOD

JUST DON'T, YOU'LL THANK ME

 

Now I have to play it! D:

[RoboMat]

It's because it's shit, not because it's spooky or interesting.

 

I concur.