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Call of Pripyat

Paperclip

Liturgist
Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
417
Location
Argo-Class Dropship
So I just beat Call of Pripyat and the are some things that I'd like to say:

Night vision (helmet NV not the weapon sight one) completely ruins the game. Don't tell me that I should've just not used it because that would be stupid. I found myself using the NV even in broad daylight because it's just easier to spot the enemies that way.

The 5.56x45 ammo should be more scarce because the LM300 and H&K G36 are OP. I haven't yet found the FN2000 perhaps it's even more OP.

The scariest thing award goes to the lion painting behind the kindergarten entrance in Pripyat.

You felt the maps were big when you first step into them but they are really not that big, especially in the day. I know the problem with big map is that there would be more empty space so in that respect perhaps the maps in CoP are balanced. I vastly prefer how they handled the map in this game compared to SoC.

Master difficulty is still somewhat easy because of the first two points above combined with the abundance of medkits and bandages. Other than that, it's perfect.

I don't know what to say about the food/hunger system.

Overall, I think it's a pretty decent game. I wish my PC was better though because I would have enjoyed the game more. Played without mods.
 

baronjohn

Cipher
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
2,383
Location
USA
If you didn't know, you can buy stuff from Nimble on top of the ship in the first map. He has a FN2000, a kickass special Groza, an even more kickass special Vintar, and he also sells exoskeletons and SEVA suits.
 

Gerrard

Arcane
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
11,925
Paperclip said:
I found myself using the NV even in broad daylight because it's just easier to spot the enemies that way.
So you were playing like this?

25u5wlj.jpg


And that's not even default settings, as I had turned down bloom a lot.
 

Paperclip

Liturgist
Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
417
Location
Argo-Class Dropship
Yeah I know but I decided not to buy from him because from what I've seen on the net, his goods are just uber versions of the standard ones, so they aren't that interesting (except the exoskeleton maybe).

BTW what's the point of using handguns? If you decided to be a light backpacker?

@ Gerrard

Mine is not like that. Perhaps it's because my shitty PC can't handle much lighting.
 

Icewater

Artisanal Shitposting™
Patron
Joined
Jun 12, 2011
Messages
1,952
Location
Freedomland
Project: Eternity Wasteland 2
Yeah I agree on most points. CoP is much more polished than SoC which is of course a good thing, but it's just not challenging enough. You even start the game off with a Stalker suit and an AK, and it just gets progressively easier from there.

There isn't much of a use for pistols at all, especially in CoP where you start with a damn assault rifle. In real life of course pistols are useful because they're easily concealable and store able but the only series I've played that really models this is Hitman. In most games, STALKER included, either concealing weapons is useless or even sniper rifles and rocket launchers magically disappear into your pocket when you hit the "put weapon away" key.
 

ChristofferC

Magister
Joined
Aug 12, 2009
Messages
3,515
Location
Thailand
I didn't like it enough to finish it. I finished both SoC and CS. The maps are poorly done and and it feels like you go from one "attraction" to the next. It feels more like an amusement park than the zone.
 
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
1,128
Started playing SoC recently.
WHY IN GODS NAME DO GAMES HAVE NO FAST TRAVEL?!!?!?! WHY DO I HAVE TO RUN AROUND THE SAME FUCKING PATHS FROM A TO B AND B TO A LIKE A MORON?!??!!

Combat
Shit. AI is impossibly retarded. I can even lean around corners and fire while they cant even throw a nade. Jesus. Its like sit down, lean, wait. Ffs, what happened to shooters...

Guns kinda feel all the same and it doesnt help that you use like 3 of em through the whole game. First the pistol and shotgun. Then I killed the military guards at the bridge by sitting and leaning around the corner... Took their AKSUs. Next gun is the extreme firerate AK from your hiding place which will be your main gun till you buy the G36. Ze end.

Pistols are worthless, except maybe for the first silent one.

Stealth is worthless. You can slaughter everything.

Gfx
Pretty, nice atmo at the beginning too. Gets tiresome though.
The cgi cutscenes are nice.

Sfx
Nice too.

Text
Dunno, infodumps without any character.

Other
The running, the running, why wont it stop?!

Money is worthless.

Loot spawns are mostly random so even exploring is pointless.

Radiation is pointless. There were those hills with insane rad levels. Got some artifacts to cover for it and went in to see if there is anything worthwhile there. Nothing...

Pointless grind side missions for pointless worthless rewards.

Whats with the rat race at the end of ending 3?

Verdict?
Bad. There are some moments like the atmo at the beginning, first pseudodog, vampire, controller encounter that are interesting or the 4 nades 1 knife fight but everything else is crap in a 20 hours running simulator.
 

MetalCraze

Arcane
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Messages
21,104
Location
Urkanistan
BBC is right about SoC

SoC and CS are meh

CoP shared the same faults with them but made up for it by being close to how Stalker originally should've been.
 

Admiral jimbob

gay as all hell
Joined
Sep 29, 2009
Messages
9,225
Location
truck stops and toilet stalls
Wasteland 2
Currently replaying CoP with the Complete mod. Wish I'd gone for a bigger overhaul mod, it's very close to the original experience - as in, I'd recommend it for a new player, but I want slightly more dramatic differences to keep a replay fresh. Ah well. Game is much easier than I remember, should've stuck it on Master difficulty instead of Veteran - gaining money and the best gear is just too easy, and only gets simpler as the game goes on. Absolutely drowning in ammo and roubles.

That aside, it's still a great game, really enjoying replaying it.
 

Vaarna_Aarne

Notorious Internet Vandal
Joined
Jun 1, 2008
Messages
34,585
Location
Cell S-004
MCA Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2
I tried CoP with the Complete mod. It utterly and irreversibly crapped out on me when I entered the second area and did the science beacon quest (somehow this managed to fuck up the whole game, it would always crash whether loading an earlier save or starting a new game). After a week of trying to fix it I decided that "fuck this, I'ma go play New Vegas."

Also, I had the Exoskeleton before leaving the first area.
 

CorpseZeb

Learned
Joined
May 3, 2011
Messages
947
Location
RP-3
I don't want to argue with obviously bad taste, if you don't like Stalker series that is, but I want to add some thoughts. Size of maps in Stalker isn't limited by artistic design (or something) but by limitation of A life system. There is no spoon, I mean, there is no fucking awesome scripted action path – Stalker aint COD – y'know. So, please, show some respect to game and its A life unique system and try observing – how it is works – follow some group of stalkers and... watch. There is no fucking COD'piece of shitness...

Ps. For the best game in series I still consider first title (Shadow of Chernobyl) – its only game at all which I replayed five times – first - Stalker SoC 1.0 (without any patch, brutal, pure, wonderful experience), second - with 1.4 patch (much easier), third - with mod Priboi Story (pretty hardcore), four - Oblivion Lost (some nice experience too) and five - finally with Complete mod plus Realistic Weapon mod – relaxing ride among pretty graphics and ironed bugs.

Ps2. If you don't play on master, you don't play at all.
 

MetalCraze

Arcane
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Messages
21,104
Location
Urkanistan
FYI "A-Life" is a heavily scripted path system.

That's why you always find people in exactly the same places moving in the same directions in Stalker.
But I have to give it to CoP - there the waypoints are placed in such way that they create a good enough illusion that stalkers actually wander around.
 

CorpseZeb

Learned
Joined
May 3, 2011
Messages
947
Location
RP-3
MetalCraze said:
FYI "A-Life" is a heavily scripted path system.

No. You are mistaken, I believe. A life is not a script system, but fully “procedural” thingy. Unfortunately I don't have any links to support my claim (there was something on GSC forums, but...). IIRC, there was several changes/reversions and in most ambitious forms it exist in the first Stalker. Later versions was somewhat... watered down.
 

MetalCraze

Arcane
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Messages
21,104
Location
Urkanistan
CorpseZeb said:
No. You are mistaken, I believe. A life is not a script system, but fully “procedural” thingy. Unfortunately I don't have any links to support my claim (there was something on GSC forums, but...). IIRC, there was several changes/reversions and in most ambitious forms it exist in the first Stalker. Later versions was somewhat... watered down.

A-Life isn't procedural.

This is very easy to check, especially in SoC.

You will always find somebody in the same places moving the same way and if you will try to provoke them and then start to run away you will quickly notice that AI simply doesn't even try to follow you unless you run along with a preset path.

A-Life is nothing but "AI spawns in point A, moves to point B, engages all enemies in between". And when they reach point B they move nowhere afterwards.

The only random thing is which model gets spawned.


In CoP it's hidden better thanks to a more complex waypoint grid from A to B and less spawning NPCs but if you will pay attention you will still be able to notice patterns in how AI wanders across the area.
 

Quilty

Magister
Joined
Apr 11, 2008
Messages
2,406
For anyone who's not interested in following a story but would like to just wander the world, taking over territory for their faction and earning money by doing quests, try out Clear Sky with the Faction War mod. You can find the links to the mod somewhere in the last ten or so pages of the "What games are you wasting time on?" thread. I enjoyed that mod a lot.
 

Gord

Arcane
Joined
Feb 16, 2011
Messages
7,049
I still consider SoC the most atmospheric of the Stalker titles.
Unfortunetaly it seemed so tedious to me, having to run across three entire maps to cash in some (shitty) quests that I haven't bothered replaying it.
CoP in comparison isn't as atmospheric but certainly more convenient and has better quests.

Are there mods for the first title that either reduce the necessity to travel between the maps or introduces some kind of fast travel system?
 

CorpseZeb

Learned
Joined
May 3, 2011
Messages
947
Location
RP-3
Gord said:
I still consider SoC the most atmospheric of the Stalker titles.

I fully agree. My most favorite Stalker.

Are there mods for the first title that either reduce the necessity to travel between the maps or introduces some kind of fast travel system?

Yes, it is. STALKER Complete 2009 has a fast teleport system (thanks to integrated ZRP mod). http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-complete-2009

MetalCraze said:
A-Life isn't procedural. This is very easy to check, especially in SoC.

Well, it is not only about what you see, but how it works "inside". Some info here:

http://aigamedev.com/open/interviews/stalker-alife/

Ps. If you looking for some A.I design fun - http://aigamedev.com/open/articles/bugs-caught-on-tape/
 

MetalCraze

Arcane
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Messages
21,104
Location
Urkanistan
Stalker devs bullshit more than Todd Howard and Pete Hines put together and multiplied by 100

Prior to game's release they were talking about how their game totally happens in the open seamless world and how factions fight for their goals and other stalkers can complete the game themselves Space Rangers-like. So yeah totally there are reasons to listen to their excuses.
 

CorpseZeb

Learned
Joined
May 3, 2011
Messages
947
Location
RP-3
Oh. Ok. Well, I do not code (except of some BASIC stuff), so I'm not able to provide some disassembled “A life” code right from Stalker binary dead body... I'm assuming here, only pure code of game is only thing that can convince you, sir.

Anyway, Mr. Skyway sir, whatever "A life" really is and how it really works, we can agree in one thing for sure - Stalker series is a series of great, hard, pure PC, free from console bullshitism, games.
 

Admiral jimbob

gay as all hell
Joined
Sep 29, 2009
Messages
9,225
Location
truck stops and toilet stalls
Wasteland 2
Just finished it for the second time. Was way easier than I remember, did Complete fuck up the balance somehow? I died maybe once in the entire Pripyat section.

Also, the Pripyat part was worse than I remember. It's understandable that it was rushed and shit in SoC, and it's an improvement on that, but it takes some skill to fuck up the same place - and the place that, on the second occasion, the game is named after - twice.
 

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