Looking for a sandboxy shooter

[Emotional Vampire]

Maybe Deus Ex?

 

[MetalCraze]

Stalker may be linear, but the WIP mods i linked up there will fix that problem and then some. Lost Alpha, for example, will use the maps found in the beta build which was released to the public earlier this year. Those maps are very big, and that means that you won't have to suffer through the crowded areas of "vanilla" Stalker.

I've played build 1935 - maps are certainly not very big - they are approx. 1.5 times bigger than Stalker's final maps but that's it.
And how do you know those mods will fix problems? Stalker continued to suck hard with AMK 1.4 with exactly same respawn problems because it is a core of the game, much like Oblivion's suckage that will never be fixed. Beta maps are good and all but unless they will make a meaningful gameplay and get rid of the respawn - the game will continue to be crap - and they won't fix anything. Other than that - what is the point of a game where all you can do is shoot constantly respawning enemies and there is absolutely no gameplay besides that?

OK, let's say STALKER sucks. So if I want a sandboxy shooter, what should I play?

Well as I've said tactical shooters are not what you want, though there are some good dynamic campaigns for OFP and ArmA with randomly generated missions where you have a total freedom of choosing tactics and approach on huge (200 sq. km usually) maps with one main goal of stopping the insurgency. They are not ideal though, the gameplay is certainly not fast-paced for obvious reasons and random objectives tend to get repetitive over time but that's pretty much the curse of all sandbox shooters (and a problem of ArmA2 sandbox campaign). You'll be better off playing original OFP campaigns though as while being linear they still give you enough freedom on a mission and missions are pretty varied and good if you'll ever decide to play it.

 

[kingcomrade]

sandboxxy rofl XD

 

[Emotional Vampire]

You are such a fucking manboob kc

 

[The Vanished One]

Has anyone tried Priboi story (an earlier mod by the team behind Lost Alpha)? Looks quite good, but I'd like to hear someone that played it before trying it.

 

[Volrath]

You know what might come close to your preferences? Project I.G.I.

I jused to play the shit out of that game back in the day. MASSIVE levels, decent weapon variaty and a good use of tactics. Never got around to playing it's sequel though.

 

[Secretninja]

1. The gear. How varied is it? Silencer pistols? Rocket launchers? Mines or sticky bombs?
Not very, once you get a sniper rifle you won't use much else
2. A.I. Is it as ridiculously aware as FC1's AI? Can you actually sneak by it?
You can sneak until you get spotted, then everyone within a large radius knows exactly where you are
3. Can you go wherever you want from second 1, or do you have to do missions to unlock areas of the map?
Half is open from the start, southern half gets opened up when you kill all your friends.

Overall, it was an enjoyable game for me. Its pretty much a fps GTA though, so if that isn't your bag of cats then look elsewhere.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

It was an FPS GTA, set solely in the wilderness parts of SA, minus the interesting locations here and there, doubling the travel time to get anywhere, and adding magic respawning negroes everywhere who magically go faster than you to prevent you from just driving past them.

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

I've played build 1935 - maps are certainly not very big - they are approx. 1.5 times bigger than Stalker's final maps but that's it.
And how do you know those mods will fix problems? Stalker continued to suck hard with AMK 1.4 with exactly same respawn problems because it is a core of the game, much like Oblivion's suckage that will never be fixed. Beta maps are good and all but unless they will make a meaningful gameplay and get rid of the respawn - the game will continue to be crap - and they won't fix anything. Other than that - what is the point of a game where all you can do is shoot constantly respawning enemies and there is absolutely no gameplay besides that?

A sandbox FPS rarely has more to do than "explore shit, shoot this dude". I enjoy Stalker because of the setting and the... immersion... it offers. (I loathe that word.)
Basically i play Stalker like those fags who enjoy Oblivion play their game, which is to say i LARP the shit out of it. What more is there to a sandbox game, eh?

Also, since i'm starting to sound like Volourn i'm going to add in a R00fles just so my fanboyism will be justified or something like that.

Has anyone tried Priboi story (an earlier mod by the team behind Lost Alpha)? Looks quite good, but I'd like to hear someone that played it before trying it.

It's a decent mod, but it feels the same as the mods which are based on the vanilla game in the end. Why? You have to suffer through the same areas over and over again.

I'd say play it if you havn't played through Stalker with different mods 50 times like i have.

 

[Gragt]

I reinstalled STALKER today, using the 1.005 patch and the Zone Reclamation Project, which is an unofficial patch. It mostly fixes bugs but also has a couple of tweaks that can be enabled or disabled easily with a small program.

So far it's pretty cool. I never really liked to mod the game and mostly like the vanilla mechanics. Sure it's frustrating to miss a lot, but using the iron sights makes you 20x times more accurate — you'll still miss a lot — and it forces you to use cover.

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

I prefer the "heavier" mods because they make the game more like the movie, and the book, which is what i wanted to play.

+1 to Gragt though!

 

[MetalCraze]

You know what might come close to your preferences? Project I.G.I.

I just to play the shit out of that game back in the day. MASSIVE levels, decent weapon variaty and a good use of tactics. Never got around to playing it's sequel though.

I forgot about the game. Yeah it's a bit like old Delta Force games, except battles are in close quarters - certainly gives you a good freedom of approach. Still consists of several missions rather than one big map. Worth a try if you'll feel like playing one.

 

[Tails]

Has anyone tried Priboi story (an earlier mod by the team behind Lost Alpha)? Looks quite good, but I'd like to hear someone that played it before trying it.

I tried it out long time ago and didn't convict me to play longer. The first thing I didn't like that Zone became so green - loads of trees, grass and other things. So if you had performance problems with vanilla Stalker, here your pc could choke like hell. The + thingie is that maps are a bit larger and have new stuff, buildings etc.

Second was the plot - player becomes Russian Lt. Priboi, so from the start Military is very friendly to you. Overall Priboi has task to discover what happen to some scouting choppers and crew. You have to talk with people (and yes there is loads of talking) to get info, or look in hard-to-get places for pda's, documents. It's probably most good thing about the game. But strange is that when you kill someone from Military you get only warning massage, so on beginning you can kill one-two soldiers (third kill makes Military attack you) to get some decen't AK and ammo.

If you played Oblivion Lost, then probably you will be disappointed about the way AI works (they don't pick up items/loot corpses and don't throw nades) and blowouts that do almost no harm to player. The cars are in a big quantity available but because of debris there are not very useful at all. Also so "vanilla encounters" weren''t removed so some times you will have Deva Ju.

So if you don't mind hippie-green Zone that makes pc choke - dl it now.

 

[crazy_dave]

Has anyone tried Priboi story (an earlier mod by the team behind Lost Alpha)? Looks quite good, but I'd like to hear someone that played it before trying it.

If you played Lost Alpha, then probably you will be disappointed about the way AI works (they don't pick up items/loot corpses and don't throw nades) and blowouts that do almost no harm to player. The cars are in a big quantity available but because of debris there are not very useful at all. Also so "vanilla encounters" weren''t removed so some times you will have Deva Ju.

So if you don't mind hippie-green Zone that makes pc choke - dl it now.

You mean oblivion lost?

 

[Tails]

You mean oblivion lost?

Yeah, fixed. Thanks

 

[MetalCraze]

The first thing I didn't like that Zone became so green - loads of trees, grass and other things.

Because that's like it is in reality?

Don't confuse PA with desolated.

 

[Stereotypical Villain]

I played the game through with the "super mod pack" a while back and i must say that the green, lush, zone was something i really liked (because that's how it's depicted in the movie, and the book).

Priboy, if i remember correctly, doesn't have as many wild flowers as the "super mod pack" does. Guess that makes the smp more of a hippie then, eh?

 

[Tails]

Because that's like it is in reality?
<snip>
Don't confuse PA with desolated.

Heh, I know this, just didn't like the way it looked in Priboi Story, especially Cordon.
Desolated terrain etc. can be PA too.
Funny thing that Lost Alpha will have crazy grass density, like this.

 

[WholesaleGenocide]

sandboxxy rofl XD

[/img]

 

[xuerebx]

STALKER SoC with patch 1.0005 and the modOblivion Lost 2.2

 

[NiM82]

Second Stalker + OL, as well as Flashpoint (which is p.much the ultimate sandbox shooter).

 

[Emotional Vampire]

AMK > OL.

 

[Data4]

What about that ArmA2 thing people were arguing about a couple of weeks ago? I might be playing it in... oh... about 40 minutes, plus install time, from now.

And as if it can't be said enough, DON'T GET FAR CRY 2!!! It has exactly 2 missions in it, and you repeat them ad nauseum. The difference is the objective. Either kill someone or blow something up. They all go like this. Go to Pala. Speak with faction mission dispenser. Make your way through stupid respawning checkpoints to one of the 4 corners of the map. Complete objective. Backtrack through those same godfuckingdamned respawn checkpoints to Pala to turn the mission in. The game was fun for about an hour until I realized I could get better enjoyment out of repeatedly slamming my head against a fire hydrant.

 

[Emotional Vampire]

ArmA2 is not a shooter, it's a sim. Other than that, and the bugs, fantastic

 

[entertainer]

Oblivion Lost is a pretty bad mod - unbalances the game, im playing stalker right now with the complete 2009 mod which changes only visual things only. I certainly wouldn't call stalker a sandbox game though, the zones are pretty linear with fences making it feel like a corridor. Call of Pripyat is gonna change that with only 3 massive size zones.

Hi Koki.