Stalker

Liquid · Post by **Liquid** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:50 pm

Gamespot gave it 8.5/10

The Good: Atmospheric, immersive, open-ended first-person survival gameplay; amazing virtual world is like being at chernobyl; excellent blend of action, horror, and exploration.
The Bad: Bugs both minor and major, especially when it comes to Windows Vista; story is a bit incoherent.

In spite of its small quirks and bugs, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is definitely a game that deserves to be played. For first-person shooter fans looking for the next big thing in the genre, it's difficult not to be impressed by the game's unique and evolving world. Meanwhile, fans of role-playing games will appreciate the open-ended nature of the gameplay and being able to explore different paths through the zone. This is a bleak game, but in a good way, as it captures its postapocalyptic setting perfectly. It's also an excellent combination of combat, horror, and exploration.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/stalk ... lk=topslot

Sulley · Post by **Sulley** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 7:30 pm

Sounds cool, if anyone wants the PC Powerplay article, please sing out, if someone wants to host the images then cool also.

Bold · Post by **Bold** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:14 pm

And its shipping

www.bluesnews.com wrote:Ships Ahoy - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl [March 20, 2007, 4:53 pm ET] - 73 Comments
THQ Ships S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl announces the U.S. release of GSC Game World's long-in-development first-person shooter (thanks Gamer's Hell):

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI - News) today announced that critically-acclaimed S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl has shipped exclusively for Windows PC. Offering a unique combination of First-Person Shooter (FPS) and Survival-Horror action, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl gives gamers unprecedented freedom to explore the devastated exclusion zone that surrounds the Chernobyl power plant following a second apocalyptic explosion. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is now available at retail outlets nationwide for the suggested price of $39.99.

About S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

In 1986, the world's most horrific nuclear disaster took place in Chernobyl. After subsequent unexplained explosions in 2006, a military exclusion zone is set up preventing access to the area. Stories of huge anomalous energy disturbances and sightings of strange creatures within the Zone are widespread. Players assume the role of a S.T.A.L.K.E.R., a mercenary paid by scientists and other undisclosed groups, who is trying to regain his memory. Players will experience a unique "Survival-Shooter" game that combines action, stealth, survival and Role-Playing Game (RPG) elements to create an incomparable experience in the Zone. Developed by GSC Game World, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl delivers an immersive storyline that seamlessly blends with a living, breathing, non-linear open-world environment featuring accurately modelled real-word buildings and locations from around the devastated Chernobyl power plant.

Liquid · Post by **Liquid** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:48 am

After the long wait i have got in my hands Stalker. Installing now will post back soon.

Bold · Post by **Bold** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:22 pm

Heh, sounds a bit like some of my work mates, all ways need to eat!

That doesn't sound very good for the game though.. any other major bugs? Hopefully the first patch wont be far off.

Liquid · Post by **Liquid** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:05 pm

Sorry i removed that bit about the bug.After doing some searching on the problem i found a few others had the same problem but i found a post about if you use the * key it speeds up time and i had it mapped to one of the keys i was using, so its not a bug and iam back enjoying stalker.

Sasquatch · Post by **Sasquatch** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:03 pm

Liquid wrote:After the long wait i have got in my hands Stalker. Installing now will post back soon.

We demand SCREENIES!

Ugmo · Post by **Ugmo** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:51 pm

Stalker is out next wednesday here, just had the games arrive in store at Noel Leeming and it looks mean as, I may have to invest in a FPS which is not like me at all!!

Growler · Post by **Growler** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:04 pm

Any feedback on this game?

Growler.

Liquid · Post by **Liquid** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:14 pm

Some screenies

I havent had as much time as i was hoping to play stalker, but the short time i have had i have enjoyed it. I like the fact that the day goes past in real time (as in daylight, night time , rain etc) Its not a full on FPS as such but more of a adventure FPS with action. Its alot slower paced , mission based game. Similar to the very good game Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodline.
The combat is good and feels good *unlike vampire which the combat just didnt feel right)The graphics are pretty good, yes i bit dated but still pretty good and even suits the game (dark , not much color and grainy) which ends up making the game feel right.

Cons:
Shame about the dialoge as when you have to talk to people you pretty much just get text anf have to read it all, would of been better is more audio was used.
I was hoping for a more open feel go were you want "ala Farcry" but its still has its borders to keep you in the field of play (so to speak)

How does it run:
I have a AMD 4000, 2 gig ram, X1800XT, my settings are pretty much maxed at 1280x1024 and using HDR and its runs at a nice smooth 30 FPS. there are pauses throughout the game , (not too sure whats happening there)
Story line: Well not too much at the moment, things are a bit "why iam doing this" but its still early in the game.

So the game is out in NZ pretty soon and if your into FPS theres no reason to miss this one. Iam glad someone tried something new with the FPS style of game. its not perfect but its a good 8 /10 so far.

Sasquatch · Post by **Sasquatch** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:28 pm

thanks liquid...... that pic of the dude with the double barrel shot gun is a screem.... i think this will be on my list of must haves

Hope my fellow countrymen up there are being toooooooo wankyish towards you, and if they are tell them Sasquatch will deal with them pronto with a handshake and round of brewskis

Agent X20 · Post by **Agent X20** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:48 pm

What seems to be capturing people's attention with Stalker is that it's NOT an on-rails shooter. It's more akin to Deus Ex or System Shock in the openness and you choosing what to do next, and with the live world that Oblivion failed to achieve despite all the hype.

Agent X20 · Post by **Agent X20** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:33 pm

Uh-oh - new patch out today - and it's incompatible with previously saved games! DOH!

Just as well it's not out yet and we're two days into a game. Mind you most of the fixes are seemingly multi related.

Snake Rogers · Post by **Snake Rogers** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:33 pm

Well lads my copy has just turned up from sendit...weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

nice little report liquid

Agent X20 · Post by **Agent X20** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:37 pm

Hmmm never even thought of ordering from there!

Snake Rogers · Post by **Snake Rogers** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:39 pm

Where do i get the patch agent?

Agent X20 · Post by **Agent X20** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:47 pm

Dunno - just seen mention of it on Quartertothree and Octopus Overlords forums. Not on the autoupdater I gather.

Liquid · Post by **Liquid** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:51 pm

No patch on auto updater.

Snake Rogers · Post by **Snake Rogers** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:56 pm

Well now that i have checked.
i have found the update option

...lol

Growler · Post by **Growler** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:35 pm

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Patch details below. LOL

After about six years in the making GSC Game World's radiation-affected FPS/RPG, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was in the need for a patch to fix the problems which found their way onto the released version. Sarcasm aside we find out that the 1.0.0.1 patch fixes the following bugs:

1. Buttons remain "pressed" and value changes on its own in Options
2. Players can kill teammates with the knife when friendly fire is set to 0
3. Game crashed when client player types a server command in console
4. Game crashes when entering a MP game after dying in SP
5. Multiplayer map names will appear in debug text format when voting to change a multiplayer map during gameplay.
6. The game crashes while attempting to purchase an item, after pressing Buy button multiple times from the Buy Menu.
7. The game crashes when the user triggers an anomaly after the anomaly time is set to 0.
8. Purchased affordable weapons fail to be in the inventory when one item purchased exceeds the user's monetary amount.
9. The player will lose the weapon he has stored in his inventory as well as the equipped weapon when the equipped weapon is dropped in MP.
10. The host is able to pause the game during an MP game.
11. Players are able to duplicate other player names by using the "name" command in the console.
12. The user is unable to view a fly-by cutscene if their PDA is open while triggering the cutscene.
13. The user can speed up time with the * key on the numpad in SP
14. Players can damage and kill other teammates while friendly fire is set to 0.0
15. The starting weather in-game does not accurately reflect the starting weather set by the server host in multiplayer match
16. The corpse created by a user switching teams remains in the game when playing multiplayer team deathmatch or artifact hunt.
17. Options "show weapon" and "NPC identification" fail to function
18. The up and down function for the look feature are inverted through out the game.
19. The server will crash when the players vote to change maps, but don't select a map to change to.
20. Players will take no fall damage when friendly fire is set to 0 on the server
21. The player dies when trying to exit out of the skin menu back into gameplay
22. Death by an anomaly is not recorded as a negative frag when playing Team Deathmatch.
23. Game Crash when opening buy menu from certain spot in Artifact Hunt mode
24. The prompt for the buy menu and entry via pressing the spacebar appears when in spectator mode during any network game.
25. Professor Kruglov sometimes can't open the door to the mobile science lab
26. When player stands close to a wall and shoots grenade launcher, the grenade falls out of the map without damaging anyone.
27. Possibility of killing enemies through the roofs and walls
28. When killing Wolf before completing any of additional quests given from him, these quests doesn't change status from "Active Tasks" to "Failed Tasks" in PDA.
29. Problem with quest: "Kill gang leader" when piece of text in PDA is directing user to kill leader in Dark Valley. Quest is completed after kill this bandit on Garbage level.
30. Disappearing piece of scroll belt in Main Menu when the player changes resolution to 800x600
31. Anomalies were not appearing when turned on in server options menu.
32. Game crashed when creating a Team Deathmatch server with spectator on.
33. Problems with ‘Slug’ artifact.
34. Possibility to take the decoder through the Wall
35. Issue with cash in inventory on MP build
36. NPC called Seriy has 3 different names: Seriy, Gray and Grey.
37. Problem with price of weapon in inventory
38. Game crashed when vote for kicking a player ended
39. Rare game crash during multiplayer match, after players choose a team.
40. Exploit with update rate command
41. Wood in barrels is flickering, although there's no fire there.
42. Player can jump between 2 stalkers and table inside the bar and become stuck.
43. Two side quests from Sakharov have wrong description.
44. After playing in multiplayer mode and then starting single player game, Sidorovich has one of multiplayer nicks instead of his name.
45. Game crashed when player fight with pseudodogs on red forest.
46. The game crashes to a non-responsive state (task manager) when attempting to host multiplayer game a second time with an invalid CD-key.
47. On Win 2000 PCs, the Windows Desktop cursor has no functionality when minimizing the game (Alt+Tab).
48. The game will result in a soft crash when a player dies from radioactive poisoning, then immediately falls into the tunnel well that leads out of the Agroprom Underground level.
49. The arrow buttons remain depressed when clicked and dragged off the boxes, thus making the value increase or decrease indefinitely in the options menu of network games.
50. Game crashed during map rotation. This issue occurs several times while playing with maps (Vehicle station, Desolated Village and Deserted Factory)
51. Game crashes when entering an MP game after dying in SP
52. The Host will crash and all Clients will either return to the main menu, crash to the desktop, or the program will shut itself down and return the user to the desktop, when attempting to drop a player while users are In-Game
53. Users are able to pick up an opponent's grenade after it has been thrown and then use it themselves.
54. The players name switches to a random player's name with a _1 after it in multiplayer if no name is entered in the network games menu.
55. Players fail to be kicked, after unanimously voting to remove them, during network gameplay.
56. Player is unable to ban other player, everybody vote for, line "voting succeed" appears and nothing happens. Player that was supposed to be banned still can play and do whatever he wants on the server.
57. The starting weather in-game does not accurately reflect the starting weather set by the server host in multiplayer match
58. Saved game are over written when attempting a second save uses the first saved game's name followed by a "space" and any other word or number during single player campaign.
59. The artifact is unaffected by gravity when dropped during an artifact hunt game.
60. Players take no explosion damage when the friendly fire damage option is set to 0 in the server options of a team deathmatch game.
61. The game will crash, halting progression when transferring from Station to the Sarcophagus.
62. When player wants to reload a weapon, and start fast shooting, he can't do that because weapon continues reloading.
63. The game crashes when a player is killed immediately after they are re-spawned into the game.
64. The weapons fail to scroll when using the mouse wheel after all the grenades have been used during single player gameplay.
65. Minor text bugs.
66. Various balance issues in Singleplayer and Multiplayer.
67. Various known exploits/cheats.
68. Various other issues.

To make things even more 'interesting' GSC tells us that the saved games from previous versions will NOT work with the patch.
After installing this patch, please go to "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\STALKER-SHOC\savedgames" and make sure any saves that were created prior to installing the patch are deleted.

The 1.0.0.1 patch is now available for the US, World Wide/International and Russian versions of the game.

Scrunty · Post by **Scrunty** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:50 pm

Liquid - At a guess I think those "pauses" you are getting is the 'on-the-fly' area loading (30 miles squared or something right?) - personally I'd rather have small pauses than entire load sequences.
Looks pretty good, might have to pick up a copy at some stage.

Noon416 · Post by **Noon416** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:36 pm

Looks like they spent all their time troubleshooting the SP game and barely tested the MP side of things.

Shame, this looks like it will be a fun game to play in multi.

Agent X20 · Post by **Agent X20** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:58 pm

Noon416 wrote:Looks like they spent all their time troubleshooting the SP game....

LOL yeah right. Witness all the CTDs, graphical problems and misfiring quests...

It's a buggy way late release. It just has that certain something that makes us keep playing despite all those hassles.

My last gameplay session had to end owing to endless stray triangles corrupting the display. Who's fault? Dunno.

Coffee · Post by **Coffee** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:05 am

Scrunty wrote: (30 miles squared or something right?)

Alas not really; it's divided up into playable areas:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... ne_map.jpg

I feel quite misled about that.

Liquid · Post by **Liquid** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:50 am

New NVIDIA S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Optimized Drivers Coming Soon
Relating to Firingsquad.com, NVIDIA will release a new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. optimized graphics driver for the GeForce 8 series next week. The new optimized driver should increase the performance especially on GeForce 8800GTX cards, because these cards aren't much faster than their "little brother", the 8800GTS, when playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. with current available drivers. Additionally the new driver should provide the missing SLI-functionality in the game.

Thanks to http://www.techpowerup.com for this info