S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

[vibehunter]

The trailer is obviously marketed toward the console sofa gamer crowd. They started the trailer with a call of duty esque shootout.

I feel like they will do an okay job getting the aesthetic right. Modders will have to fix the rest.

 

[whydoibother]

Visually, I like it. But that’s where it ends.

As soon as I saw the endless wave of “lul looks like metro and Tarkov” comments I knew it was all over.

When you saw the reception for the trailer, you knew the game is bad? I don't follow your reasoning.

 

[Tacgnol]

The trailer is obviously marketed toward the console sofa gamer crowd. They started the trailer with a call of duty esque shootout.

I feel like they will do an okay job getting the aesthetic right. Modders will have to fix the rest.

I'm still concerned about how moddable the game will be. It'll be the first moddable UE4 game I've seen if they actually pull it off.

Great thing about the originals is XRay used Lua for scripting and an open text format for the extracted data files.

 

[Malamert]

The trailer is obviously marketed toward the console sofa gamer crowd. They started the trailer with a call of duty esque shootout.

It's a major gaming event trailer. Did you really expect anything else? These trailers are the equivalent of dangling a shining object in front of a cat. Their only purpose is to look good, have some "exciting" action in them and to fool gullible retards into getting excited for the game. There's zero actual gameplay shown in them.

 

[LESS T_T]

No EGS exculsivity.

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive. It turned out that the center of the Zone hides the source of incredible power. Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chernobyl.

EPIC NONLINEAR STORY IN SEAMLESS OPEN WORLD
Take over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.


VARIETY OF ENEMIES AND HUNDREDS OF WEAPON COMBINATIONS
Meet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Engage intense gunfights with a variety enemies that follow different tactics trying to outsmart you. Choose your preferable firearms from 30+ types of weapons with numerous modifications that allow creating hundreds of distinctive lethal combinations.


LEGENDARY MUTANTS WITH DIFFERENT BEHAVIOUR MODELS
Prepare to encounter horrifying mutated creatures that will try to slaughter you following different behaviour model. Each mutant may appear in different subtypes which makes their behaviour less predictible. Truly extreme danger represent regions with lairs with numerous mutants hunting in large groups.


ARTIFACTS OF INCREDIBLE VALUE AND UNFORGIVING ANOMALIES
The most valuable artifacts and secrets of the Zone are hidden in the most dangerous places. Beware of the hazardous anomalies and unique devastating arch-anomalies as you hunt for highly valuable artifacts scattered around the Zone. Will you dare to unveil the mysteries of the Zone that took lives of many others before you?

Discover legendary S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe and experience:

• Unique gameplay built on a blend of FPS, horror and immersive sim
  
• Non-linear story with the variety of paths that lead to one of the several endings
  
• Benchmark-setting graphics developed using cutting-edge photogrammetric and scanning technologies
  
• Advanced artificial intelligence systems that will keep engaged even the most hard-boiled players
  
• Life-simulating system “A-life 2.0” that makes the game world feel alive as never before
  
• Immersive survival mechanics like hunger, sleeping, bleeding, radiation effects that enrich the gameplay
  
• Dynamic day-night cycle and weather will add even more realism to the gameplay experience
  
• Mod support giving the freedom to the creative players to extend and enrich the game universe

GOOD HUNTING, STALKER!

Also DLC plans.

DELUXE EDITION INCLUDES:

• Additional Story-Based Side Quest
  
• Single Player: 1 Costume Skin & 3 Weapon Skins
  
• Multiplayer: 2 Costume Skins & 3 Weapon Skins
  
• Digital Artbook
  
• Digital Soundtrack

PRE-ORDER DELUXE EDITION NOW TO GET EXCLUSIVE BONUSES:

• Extended Campfire Content: more guitar tunes and tales that you can hear in the game around the stalkers' campfires
  
• 'Early Bird' Weapon Skin
  
• 'Early Bird' Costume Skin
  
• 'Early Bird' Multiplayer Badge
  
• Steam Pack: Animated Avatar, Animated Avatar Frame & Animated Profile Background

ULTIMATE EDITION

ULTIMATE EDITION INCLUDES:

• Season Pass With Access to All Future DLCs, Including 2 Story Expansions
  
• Additional Story-Based Side Quest
  
• Single Player: 1 Costume Skin & 3 Weapon Skins
  
• Multiplayer: 3 Costume Skins & 7 Weapon Skins for Multiplayer
  
• Digital Artbook
  
• Digital Soundtrack

PRE-ORDER ULTIMATE EDITION NOW TO GET EXCLUSIVE BONUSES:

• Extended Campfire Content: more guitar tunes and tales that you can hear in the game around the stalkers' campfires
  
• 'Early Bird' Weapon Skin
  
• 'Early Bird' Costume Skin
  
• 'Early Bird' Multiplayer Badge
  
• Steam Pack: Animated Avatar, Animated Avatar Frame & Animated Profile Background

 

[Immortal]

The trailer is obviously marketed toward the console sofa gamer crowd. They started the trailer with a call of duty esque shootout.

I feel like they will do an okay job getting the aesthetic right. Modders will have to fix the rest.

I'm still concerned about how moddable the game will be. It'll be the first moddable UE4 game I've seen if they actually pull it off.

Great thing about the originals is XRay used Lua for scripting and an open text format for the extracted data files.

Not true, Tons of UE4 games are moddable, in fact the Unreal Engine makes it super easy to publish a devkit for your game where you can add custom game logic / assets as Blueprint that get loaded in a greedy fashion via .uasset packages.
For any of this to happen the developers need to support it though.

Modding with zero help from the devs - is doable, far more tedious although no different than any other game engine.

 

[Malamert]

No EGS exculsivity.






Also DLC plans.

Jesus Christ...
Just end it.

 

[vibehunter]

When you saw the reception for the trailer, you knew the game is bad? I don't follow your reasoning.

You're right, it’s illogical. I just felt that there is going to be a new audience for this game and they will be the focus. Not surprised, but sad all the same.

I'm still concerned about how moddable the game will be. It'll be the first moddable UE4 game I've seen if they actually pull it off.

Great thing about the originals is XRay used Lua for scripting and an open text format for the extracted data files.

I was under the impression that UE is very moddable. I don’t know much about game engines though.

Yeah X-ray is awesome and I’m really glad it’s open source now.

 

[whydoibother]

Did y'all niggers seriously wait 15 years for a game, and then after all this persistent hope, decide to ditch it based on not liking the early marketing?

 

[Tacgnol]

The trailer is obviously marketed toward the console sofa gamer crowd. They started the trailer with a call of duty esque shootout.

I feel like they will do an okay job getting the aesthetic right. Modders will have to fix the rest.

I'm still concerned about how moddable the game will be. It'll be the first moddable UE4 game I've seen if they actually pull it off.

Great thing about the originals is XRay used Lua for scripting and an open text format for the extracted data files.

Not true, Tons of UE4 games are moddable, in fact the Unreal Engine makes it super easy to publish a devkit for your game where you can add custom game logic / assets as Blueprint that get loaded in a greedy fashion via .uasset packages.
For any of this to happen the developers need to support it though.

Modding with zero help from the devs - is doable, far more tedious although no different than any other game engine.

Those devkits are complex to use and usually require a full install of the SDK are no where near the ease of open data files.

Also judging by the UE4 forums, lots of "simple" things are very complex via that route.

I can make massive changes to any of the three STALKER games with notepad alone.

I'm happy to be proven wrong though, could you provide some examples of UE4 games that are fully moddable? I.e. don't have cooked archives and allow full access to the data files?

 

[ADL]

Anyone with a brain knew from the start that STALKER 2 will live or die based on how moddable it is. If it is great and lacks meaningful mod support, it's dead. If it's mediocre but highly moddable, it'll be worthwhile. If it's bad but highly moddable, it'll have a tough time getting people to bother modding it but someone will do it and salvage it.

 

[Immortal]

Those devkits are complex to use and usually require a full install of the SDK are no where near the ease of open data files.

Also judging by the UE4 forums, lots of "simple" things are very complex via that route.

I can make massive changes to any of the three STALKER games with notepad alone.

I'm happy to be proven wrong though, could you provide some examples of UE4 games that are fully moddable? I.e. don't have cooked archives and allow full access to the data files?

Ark and Conan Exiles come to mind.
Both let you completely modify the game and test those changes in a Sandbox environment.

The Dev Kits are no harder than using Unreal as you normally would to make a game. That can be Complex or Simple depending on your experience / familiarity with the tool but if you've modded one Unreal game, you've modded them all, it's always the same flow / pipeline. No need to learn a convoluted new Engine or Tech Stack.

Generally Game modders / Artists would far prefer this over cracking open Sublime or Notepad.. to each their own.

 

[Dodo1610]

Wierd, according to the steam page this a separate Ukrainian voice over. Also fully voiced in English btw

 

[Tacgnol]

Those devkits are complex to use and usually require a full install of the SDK are no where near the ease of open data files.

Also judging by the UE4 forums, lots of "simple" things are very complex via that route.

I can make massive changes to any of the three STALKER games with notepad alone.

I'm happy to be proven wrong though, could you provide some examples of UE4 games that are fully moddable? I.e. don't have cooked archives and allow full access to the data files?

Ark and Conan Exiles come to mind.
Both let you completely modify the game and test those changes in a Sandbox environment.

The Dev Kits are no harder than using Unreal as you normally would to make a game. That can be Complex or Simple depending on your experience / familiarity with the tool but if you've modded one Unreal game, you've modded them all, it's always the same flow / pipeline. No need to learn a convoluted new Engine or Tech Stack.

Generally Game modders / Artists would far prefer this over cracking open Sublime or Notepad.. to each their own.

That sounds great for TCs, but awful for small modifications. The great thing about all three stalker games is how easy they've been to make small mods that are easy to merge with other mods.

Also made it super easy to change things that I didn't like in big mods.

 

[ADL]

No EGS exculsivity.

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive. It turned out that the center of the Zone hides the source of incredible power. Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chernobyl.

EPIC NONLINEAR STORY IN SEAMLESS OPEN WORLD
Take over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.


VARIETY OF ENEMIES AND HUNDREDS OF WEAPON COMBINATIONS
Meet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Engage intense gunfights with a variety enemies that follow different tactics trying to outsmart you. Choose your preferable firearms from 30+ types of weapons with numerous modifications that allow creating hundreds of distinctive lethal combinations.


LEGENDARY MUTANTS WITH DIFFERENT BEHAVIOUR MODELS
Prepare to encounter horrifying mutated creatures that will try to slaughter you following different behaviour model. Each mutant may appear in different subtypes which makes their behaviour less predictible. Truly extreme danger represent regions with lairs with numerous mutants hunting in large groups.


ARTIFACTS OF INCREDIBLE VALUE AND UNFORGIVING ANOMALIES
The most valuable artifacts and secrets of the Zone are hidden in the most dangerous places. Beware of the hazardous anomalies and unique devastating arch-anomalies as you hunt for highly valuable artifacts scattered around the Zone. Will you dare to unveil the mysteries of the Zone that took lives of many others before you?

Discover legendary S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe and experience:

• Unique gameplay built on a blend of FPS, horror and immersive sim
  
• Non-linear story with the variety of paths that lead to one of the several endings
  
• Benchmark-setting graphics developed using cutting-edge photogrammetric and scanning technologies
  
• Advanced artificial intelligence systems that will keep engaged even the most hard-boiled players
  
• Life-simulating system “A-life 2.0” that makes the game world feel alive as never before
  
• Immersive survival mechanics like hunger, sleeping, bleeding, radiation effects that enrich the gameplay
  
• Dynamic day-night cycle and weather will add even more realism to the gameplay experience
  
• Mod support giving the freedom to the creative players to extend and enrich the game universe

GOOD HUNTING, STALKER!

Also DLC plans.

DELUXE EDITION INCLUDES:

• Additional Story-Based Side Quest
  
• Single Player: 1 Costume Skin & 3 Weapon Skins
  
• Multiplayer: 2 Costume Skins & 3 Weapon Skins
  
• Digital Artbook
  
• Digital Soundtrack

PRE-ORDER DELUXE EDITION NOW TO GET EXCLUSIVE BONUSES:

• Extended Campfire Content: more guitar tunes and tales that you can hear in the game around the stalkers' campfires
  
• 'Early Bird' Weapon Skin
  
• 'Early Bird' Costume Skin
  
• 'Early Bird' Multiplayer Badge
  
• Steam Pack: Animated Avatar, Animated Avatar Frame & Animated Profile Background

ULTIMATE EDITION

ULTIMATE EDITION INCLUDES:

• Season Pass With Access to All Future DLCs, Including 2 Story Expansions
  
• Additional Story-Based Side Quest
  
• Single Player: 1 Costume Skin & 3 Weapon Skins
  
• Multiplayer: 3 Costume Skins & 7 Weapon Skins for Multiplayer
  
• Digital Artbook
  
• Digital Soundtrack

PRE-ORDER ULTIMATE EDITION NOW TO GET EXCLUSIVE BONUSES:

• Extended Campfire Content: more guitar tunes and tales that you can hear in the game around the stalkers' campfires
  
• 'Early Bird' Weapon Skin
  
• 'Early Bird' Costume Skin
  
• 'Early Bird' Multiplayer Badge
  
• Steam Pack: Animated Avatar, Animated Avatar Frame & Animated Profile Background

Very strange that they're selling multiplayer bonuses when they're not even listing a multiplayer mode on the store page yet.

 

[Immortal]

That sounds great for TCs, but awful for small modifications. The great thing about all three stalker games is how easy they've been to make small mods that are easy to merge with other mods.

Also made it super easy to change things that I didn't like in big mods.

I think you'd benefit from giving it a try before comparing or worrying about this vs that.

 

[jebsmoker]

no one besides russkies played stalker mp lol

 

[Tacgnol]

That sounds great for TCs, but awful for small modifications. The great thing about all three stalker games is how easy they've been to make small mods that are easy to merge with other mods.

Also made it super easy to change things that I didn't like in big mods.

I think you'd benefit from giving it a try before comparing or worrying about this vs that.

Yep, fair enough. I'll withhold judgement till I've seen what we can do with the finished product.

 

[ADL]

Seems they want to protect the integrity of their paid campfire stories for now.

 

[Ghulgothas]

Can I paint my Vintorez up in Adidas stripes?

 

[Immortal]

Seems they want to protect the integrity of their paid campfire stories for now.

You want those exclusive drunken stalker stories you worm? Then pay the 140 dollar preorder price that includes our next 20 story expansions slated to release up until 2030 and bonus DLC skins for a possible multiplayer mode we haven't even started working on!

 

[LESS T_T]

Oh yeah system requirements from the store page.

• 
  MINIMUM:
  • OS: Windows 10
    
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X / Intel Core i5-7600K
    
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
    
  • Storage: 150 GB available space

• 
  RECOMMENDED:
  • OS: Windows 10
    
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X / Intel Core i7-9700K
    
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB
    
  • Storage: 150 GB available space

 

[ADL]

150GB? Jesus Christ.
I have the storage and plenty to spare but that's almost half of what the Series S has onboard and 1/5th of the Series X

 

[Curratum]

The only positive takeaway I got from the store page is the map size - they're listing 64 sq km, which is the size of the Hunter Call of the Wild reserves and those maps are HUGE to traverse on foot, like, REALLY HUGE, probably bigger than the Call of Chernobyl All-3-Games-Maps-Mashup together.

 

[ferratilis]

Just like many were predicting: thanks to advances in technology, developers will just get lazier. 150 GB, wtf. Even Flight Simulator was trimmed in half recently.