So, playing STALKER for the first time, mods

[Baron Dupek]

Starting location in Cordon in SGM is old military outpost. In ShoC it will be full of military forces.
And ShoC start in rookie village but in your mod it's empty.

Artifact system is simple.
Artifacts give benefits (protection and else) but are radiated.
You use those useful (fireproof when you need to walk into fire anomaly, acid resistance when you walk into acidic one etc.) and then use Medusa or better with green radiation numbers (Medusa have -2 so even accidental step into radiated ground is quickly healed) to deal with radiaton.
Sell these artifacts if you want but don't you dare to sell Medusa, it's extremely useful, especially at the beginning of the game.
For 2k rubles (price of Medusa) will be wasted on antirads anyway so..really, don't do it.

In ShoC artifacts are in random places, in Clear Sky and CoP they are in big anomalies only, pointed on the map.

See this map?

(2) is the Rookie village. Go to the yellow dot above (2) and there will be first anomaly. There should be Medusa.
Another artifacts is in the north from (7), go to the railroad and you will see wagon. Nearby there are rocks. Find Opera artifact (or whatever it is called) and keep it.
Another Medusa is in the south from (5) near flipped truck (watch out, extremely radiated).

 

[ArchAngel]

So all artifacts are preplaced afterall :D
In my game this rookie village is full of bandits and first quest is to clear them all. At at no 6 I found s "hidden" stash, the location I got from a USB stick of one of the dead raiders. Also that area was heavly irradiated and full of anomalies. That is the tunnel I was talking about.

How do you know which anomaly does what kind of damage?

BTW, my PDA map has no anomalies on it. Maybe that is something changed in 2.2 SGM. I only get villages I discover and main quest markers and red circles to mark stashes I get from USB sticks.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Anomalies on PDA are marked only in Zaton, Yanov/Jupiter and Pripyat only, it's CoP feature.
And you don't need to know about anomalies damage, your job is to avoid them.
Use screws set under key 6.

 

[ArchAngel]

I did notice the screw :D Although you can notice ripples in air without them. Also your detector starts beeping.

 

[United Nations]

What's better for SHoC:

Aurora AMK or OGSE?

Are the Autumn FX better aesthetically than Complete?

 

[Baron Dupek]

What's better for SHoC:

Aurora AMK or OGSE?

Are the Autumn FX better aesthetically than Complete?

Depend what you want.
Both are good gameplay wise.
Autumn? See screenshots from Autum Aurora and similar... do you like these grey, autumn colors?
Complete is garbage anyway.

 

[Tacgnol]

What's better for SHoC:

Aurora AMK or OGSE?

Are the Autumn FX better aesthetically than Complete?

Depend what you want.
Both are good gameplay wise.
Autumn? See screenshots from Autum Aurora and similar... do you like these grey, autumn colors?
Complete is garbage anyway.

I think there is a new version of OGSE hitting relatively soon? Might be worth waiting for that.

 

[Baron Dupek]

I think there is a new version of OGSE hitting relatively soon? Might be worth waiting for that.

Last time I checked it was ready in 99%, but translation to english was bigger problem.
There was translation for beta, played it and it was good. Some ideas like using exoskeleton on every suit was cool.
But the changes in gameplay and storyline, combined with terrible translation (95% os Stalkers mods in English are made through google translator) made me stop in the Yantar, where I got some tips where to go but I couldn't find it, thanks to translation.

Similar thing with StalkerSoup/JointPacks - there is not quest compass for some jobs, only puzzle notes, but good riddance with bad translation.

EDIT
and Vanilla+ is closer to release.

Rest of the mods, like new Misery is too far from release yet.

 

[Tacgnol]

I think there is a new version of OGSE hitting relatively soon? Might be worth waiting for that.

Last time I checked it was ready in 99%, but translation to english was bigger problem.
There was translation for beta, played it and it was good. Some ideas like using exoskeleton on every suit was cool.
But the changes in gameplay and storyline, combined with terrible translation (95% os Stalkers mods in English are made through google translator) made me stop in the Yantar, where I got some tips where to go but I couldn't find it, thanks to translation.

Similar thing with StalkerSoup/JointPacks - there is not quest compass for some jobs, only puzzle notes, but good riddance with bad translation.

EDIT
and Vanilla+ is closer to release.

Rest of the mods, like new Misery is too far from release yet.

Vanilla+ sounds pretty awesome. I hadn't actually seen it before.

I'll probably finish my current OL 3.1 play through and then hopefully Vanilla+ and the OGSE translation will be finished when I come back to the game.

 

[ArchAngel]

There is that one mod that only changes graphics but way more than anything else. Don't know the name, anyone tried it? Can it be combined with some of the content mods?

EDIT: found it: http://www.moddb.com/mods/remake

 

[Baron Dupek]

Remake is improved Absolute Nature 3 so it should work. In theory. Depend on the mods, mostly. If they forbid such operation then - nope. Unless you're second incarnation of Cromm Cruac (the guy who made Absolute nature).

And one thing - artifacts appear in the anomaly fields again after every Emission.
What's the Emission? Well, you'll see soon...

 

[United Nations]

What's better for SHoC:

Aurora AMK or OGSE?

Are the Autumn FX better aesthetically than Complete?

Depend what you want.
Both are good gameplay wise.
Autumn? See screenshots from Autum Aurora and similar... do you like these grey, autumn colors?
Complete is garbage anyway.

Actually I dislike the Autumn setting in ShoC.

Checked out "Remake" and the mobs look like straight shit.

Complete still looks the best out of any ShoC mods I've ever encountered...

I wish I could find a mod that increases difficulty AND looks good.

 

[Baron Dupek]

I wish I could find a mod that increases difficulty AND looks good.

I know that one. Named Zone of Alienation. Problem? It's bug ridden shit and reloading system suxxx even for spergers.

On the topic - there are new textures for ShoC
http://absolute.crommcruac.com/shadow-of-chernobyl/screenshots.php
http://absolute.crommcruac.com/shadow-of-chernobyl/download.php
+
Shaders Max v1.05
Stalker Weather Overhauled v3.1.1

BTW. Absolute Nature for CoP have various themes, Autumn is one of the six of them.

 

[Beastro]

and I am always near or over weight limit (any way to increase carry weight?).

It can aid in bringing back loot to sell if you load up a dead body with vendor trash and then drag the body back in maps that have a vendor. It takes a long time to do it, but less so compared to running back and forth and less wear on your nerves. It can help in the beginning of the game when you want to build up your money.

Since trying out Lost Alpha I just mod the weight limit up high and keep a house rule of limiting myself to a main weapon, a side arm, about 200 of each ammo and a half a dozen nades.

 

[Baron Dupek]

While we're at files editing - there is option to increase running speed in actor.ltx but you also need to edit collision power (or whatever it is called)
otherwise character start making noise like in gay porno after collision with every pixel.

 

[United Nations]

Anyone else waiting for Lost Alpha: Developer's Cut?

It's supposed to fill in all the emptiness with content... Whatever that means.

Also, since I have NO experience with STALKER mods aside from Complete:

Which is best and what does it add?

• Oblivion Lost 3.1
• LURK
• Photo Realistic Zone

 

[United Nations]

The problem with CoP compared to SoC was that it had no atmosphere in comparison even though gameplay was improved.

CoP's atmosphere is very close to that of SoC, IMO.

I mean, you've got the underground road to Pripyat, a complete dark underworld which you travel with night-vision, and where the worst mutants and militant Monolith members dwell. You've got the railroad tunnel with burers in them. You have the very well hidden cave of the Controller that psionically tells you, "Get away from here, man." There's the burer that cries like a little girl in order to lure you to a toilet. There's the Ukrainian army soldier who finds himself inside a cupboard with no memory of how he got there.

After I played CoP, I was left wondering how the STALKER series would feel incomplete without it. There's so many great moments of the kind you never see in SoC.

Nah... SoC had the atmosphere, diversity, and most of all... HORROR.

After playing Clear Sky, all of the horror elements become obsolete with the stupid humor CS tries to add in...

Similar to a Nightmare On Elm Street movie with each successive release.

Irony here is that there is a track in the Pripyat level of CoP that sounds lifted straight from one of the Elm Street movies.

Anyways, while CoP was certainly the most "polished" STALKER game, it's still pretty much an expansion to SoC... Just like CS.

I have been trying to find a worthy successor to these games for quite some time... Metro series is waaaaaaaay too linear.

The STALKER games have a very distinct, Ukrainian feel... They recreated Chernobyl with the ferris wheel perfectly.

The setting is filled with trash, abandoned buildings, and overgrowned weeds... Very much like Chernobly + Pripyat is today.

I'm going to give Cryostasis a go now... Hopefully its reminiscent of Eastern Europe in some way or other.

The images I found online look sort of like Penumbra.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Cryostasis is good. A bit of a technical mess, but it has an interesting setting and premise, and the atmosphere is great.
No idea why steam removed it though.

 

[United Nations]

Can anyone give me a reason as to WHY Complete mod for the STALKER series sucks?

I had a blast playing all three.

Only complaint I had was the lack of difficulty, even on Master setting.

But then again, this was only for SoC.

I had to set difficulty to Veteran with CS and CoP with Complete installed

 

[Beastro]

Can anyone give me a reason as to WHY Complete mod for the STALKER series sucks?

They fucked the AI.

Instead of having mad hacks like most mods they made it into an idiot.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Can anyone give me a reason as to WHY Complete mod for the STALKER series sucks?
I had a blast playing all three.
Only complaint I had was the lack of difficulty, even on Master setting.
But then again, this was only for SoC.
I had to set difficulty to Veteran with CS and CoP with Complete installed

http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136620
Because
1) they're recommended for 1st playthrough which is dumb because the changes goes too far.
2) they make it more plausable for modern shooters audience and casuals, which ruin the reason why people play STALKER
3) bigger damage resistance, dumb blind enemies. bigger carry capacility
4) ballistic removed, guns shoot where you point at, even when their condition is bad
5) changes like running speed (run like motorbike, lel) are not listed,

and cherry on the top - it use old ZRP fixpack. Which mean it add more bugs.

Complete mod for Call of Pripyat have no sense - it add more bugs and better graphic can be made with things like SweetFX + AtmosFear, giving bugfree experience and more customization (oh right, casuals get panicked when they got Choices) giving either more colorful, more autumnal or more toned down Zone.

Plus

- All weapons have their accuracy increased 10-20%
- All damage decreased by few percents.
- Weight limit increased by 10kg, maximum being 70kg. In vanilla the Exo-suit enabled up to 80kg!
- Limits NPC's eye sight distance so they can't spot you from beyond ~100 meters. =You see them always first. Said to remove enemies skill to spot you from"unrealistic distances".
- Sound radius of knife and other critical sounds such as falling dead bodies, grass, and footsteps greatly reduced
- Reduced the sound distance of death cries
- Repair Kit - A special item to the game that allows you to repair weapons and armors out in the Zone. Can be purchased or found.
- The bar trader and Screw now sell weapons and armor repair services.
- Elite Nightvision - Black & white night vision based on the psy_antenna postprocess effect. Replaces the original UV-based blue NV, and lets you see perfectly in the darkness, be there light sources or not.
- The old, “green” night vision has much less noise and blur. NVs don't emit any audio noise anymore (=can't be heard by NPCs/mutants).
- scientific suits with 90% rad protection now feature an anti-rad injection system.
- bandages auto-apply at 10% health.
- enabled a tracer effect for armor-piercing bullets, making them visually distinguishable when use
- allows looting cash from bodies (CS & CoP only)
- You can BRIBE hostile factions to leave you alone, even if you just massacred most of them!

 

[Akratus]

So the faction wars mod seemed fun. Untill I found out it freezes every ten minutes. Doesn't even have the courtesy of dropping me back to my desktop.

Oh well, Clear Sky is the worst one anyway. I guess I'll play Call of Pripyat. Never went further than the first area. Are any mods absolutely necessary for a first playthrough?

 

[Baron Dupek]

There is no mod necessary for CoP and fuck anyone saying "complete mods" .

 

[Akratus]

I tried it though, the performance was buttery smooth. That was the only positive. The fov was fucked up, the atmosphere and non-annoying writing was gone, and the game looked like shit. I didn't really play it but it gave me such a bad impression I'm still looking for a better way to get back into stalker. There's gotta be something for me out there!

I just want to fight for some faction and have the most fun I can with good performance and no crashes. Is the faction system in vanilla clear sky even remotely fun? I just tried to see if the game itself played well at all, and it's quite buttery smooth.

Damnit I just need someone to hold my hand and point out on my compass where the fun is located!!

 

[Carrion]

Is the faction system in vanilla clear sky even remotely fun?!

From what I remember it doesn't even remotely work. The whole faction thing was a botched opportunity in CS, although it did introduce a number of other good improvements compared to SoC (most of which were carried over to CoP).