STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl Mod Thread

[Invictus]

The Elite mod 8.1 for Shadow of Chernobyl look interesting too, seems it has a lot of bug fixes but keeps things mostly vanilla

 

[Baron Dupek]

From what I saw Elite mod is about low and middle tier up to 11. No fancy stuff like Gauss and else.
Might check it some day but not soon.

From other news - new STALKERSOUP BETA 1.0.9.9.9.5 (last update was in February 2014) that nobody give a shit about because there's Joint Pack 1 (better translation and fixes) and Joint Pack 2 (even more content to already enormous amount of stuff).

 

[Puukko]

Hey guys, I just downloaded SoC and I wonder if there is any mod that overhauls the graphics/sound department and fixes some bugs, without changing the vanilla gameplay too much?

From what I've read Complete is too easy, Misery is too hard... I just want better graphics and sounds, the best possible immersion I can get and bug fixing.

Thank you.

Autumn Aurora

http://www.moddb.com/mods/autumn-aurora-compilation-mod

I had been wanting to get into one of the STALKER games for a long time but always ran into the same "vanilla or Complete" limbo, got frustrated and decided to drop it. I'll give it another go now with AA, thanks.

Edit: so I installed SoC + AA, set everything to max and it's surprisingly demanding. My SLI 780s are seeing some heavy usage, but what's actually bottlenecking me and keeping my FPS from being a solid 60 is one core on my i7-3770K hitting 100%. What in-game settings can I change to reduce CPU usage?

 

[Invictus]

Try lowering the draw distance, grass and lighting effects a notch or two but for better results try tweaking the AI by checking this thread for some tips or using my tweaked settings linked here
X engine is a bit of a mess in the optimization

 

[Echo Mirage]

From what I saw Elite mod is about low and middle tier up to 11. No fancy stuff like Gauss and else.
Might check it some day but not soon.

From other news - new STALKERSOUP BETA 1.0.9.9.9.5 (last update was in February 2014) that nobody give a shit about because there's Joint Pack 1 (better translation and fixes) and Joint Pack 2 (even more content to already enormous amount of stuff).

The Joint 2 pack looks good. Are there any links to an up to date version and English translation?

 

[Baron Dupek]

The Joint 2 pack looks good. Are there any links to an up to date version and English translation?

I found this one on Reddit, this one on GSC forum (but need reading the whole thread) and one from MEGA /sg/ repository.
I recommend it over basic StalkerSoup, even more content to already enormous content of PeopleSoup, more stable and else.

I really thing about trying it again but found AMK 1.4.1 + AMK Arsenal + Autumn Aurora 2 and it's really, really good.
Oh and Oblivion Lost 3 was released recently.
http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-oblivion-lost-30/downloads/stalker-oblivion-lost-30

 

[Invictus]

Could you share the link for the AKM +AA2 MotherMachine? It sound really awesome

 

[Baron Dupek]

Could you share the link for the AKM +AA2 MotherMachine? It sound really awesome

http://www.moddb.com/mods/amk-autumn-edition/downloads

Differences between them? Listed here.

Spoiler

==========
AMK Autumn Edition - AMK with AA2 textures/hud/weather

This is a merge of AMK and supporting mods with Autumn Aurora 2.
- AMK 1.4 or 1.4.1 depending on the version downloaded
- AMK-EN _Patch_2.0.94_for_FINAL (AMK 1.4 version only)
- AMK Re-translated 0.3 (AMK 1.4 version only)
- AMK 1.4.1 English Translation Anon Edition (AMK 1.4.1 version only)
- AMK Arsenal with all patches to V1.31 (AMK 1.4 version only)
- LURK Animations for AMK
- Fix for LURK Animations
- Standalone AA2 HUD 1.1 (by TKGP)
- AA2 eye candy (AA2 textures from the /sg/ repo)
- AA2.1's Weather
- AA2.1's Thanatos textures
- (optional) AA2.1's ENB

AMK options used
These options were selected in the AMK installer:
- Food items do not heal you
- Posteffect when getting hit disabled
- Weaker bloodsuckers and chimeras (AMK 1.4 version only)
- Anomalies are visible
- Respawn interval 24-32hrs
- 30hr blowout frequency

AMK 1.4 vs 1.4.1
The 2 versions differ in a number of places, enough to alter the experience
quite a bit. Neither is flat out better, so here're some highly subjective
comparisons.
- AMK 1.4 has a much higher spawn rate, especially for mutants. 1.4.1 toned
this down explicitly. Expect to have to evade or run from large mutant
swarms a lot more in 1.4. NPC spawns are similarly higher in 1.4.
- The 1.4 merge comes with AMK Arsenal which adds 14 more guns to the game.
It also adds these guns to NPC inventory so expect to find and buy better
guns earlier in the game. Wolf sells a very nice MP5 for a 10th of Sid's
price after you free Nimble, for e.g. The 1.4.1 merge doesn't sprinkle as
wide a variety of guns through the game, so combat stays challenging for a
longer period of the game.
- Traders do not buy as many things nor do they pay as much in 1.4.1 as in
1.4, so the economy is much tougher in 1.4.1. I had around 150,000 rubles on
arriving at the Bar in 1.4 compared to about 14,000 in 1.4.1.
- The 1.4 Dynamic News System is more active than the one in 1.4.1. Coupled
with the increased spawns this gives the 1.4 Zone a more war-zone feel with
activity happening and being reported in news all the time. 1.4.1 has a
quieter and more exploratory feel, you also have to work harder to get gear.

Broadly, expect to have a lot more to shoot at and run from in 1.4, but with
more and better guns to shoot with. This does not mean 1.4 is necessarily
harder as AMK Arsenal gives you better guns earlier than in the 1.4.1 merge.
I had an AN-94 from ambushing a military veteran in the Cordon in 1.4, but had
to wait till Agroprom to get the roughly equivalent AK-74 in 1.4.1.

Both versions are superb, pick whichever suits your taste.

I took 1.4 because it got AMK Arsenal. More guns is better. I bought pimped AK74 from Bes on Garbage for 4900rubles.
They don't only take graphic from AA2 but also AI. Just play Agroprom Underground with silenced weapon, bandits are taken one by one and don't magicaly get your location via telepathy.

Pseudogiant can be killed with bullets. Only thing that I pissed me are cutscenes in Agroprom (long and mutants killed me when it played) and Mole nonchalantly walking out of the building to get shot by military.

 

[Echo Mirage]

Looks like I will have to try AMK. I just can't get Joint Pak 2 to work at all. The only version I got to load was "NS Joint Pak PLO K MA" But that crashes the second I talk to the guy at the start. All other versions just give me an engine error.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Same thing happened to me with AMK+AA2 combo. I have retail ShoC (patch up as you want) and GOG versions (ENG and RUS) and couldn't run it. Then it worked but I have no idea how...
Yes, I did installation with manual and no results until now.
I do various stuff to make mods work beside placing "gamedata" in game folders. Like copying gamedata/text/eng and renaming it to "rus" or "pol", deleting "user.ltx" (or even better - whole folder like stalker-shoc, stalker-ctsc or stalker-cop).

 

[Echo Mirage]

I got the "NS Joint Pak PLO K MA" to work at last. Using a fresh install with the 10004 patch. But I'm seriously questioning if it was worth it. As soon as you go to see Sidorovich you are forced to take medication that spawns you in what has to be the worst designed cave in any game ever. I'm sure even the walls move and close behind you. It made so little damn sense after an hour of trying to understand what the hell was going on that I used a save game I found on the old stalker forums just to skip it.

 

[Baron Dupek]

That cave.... I still didn't found excuse for this crap (outside of gitgud, starting from russian level) and no clue why nobody removed it from other NS versions.
The only reason to play NS Joint Pak PLO K MA is good translation. It's not googletranfarted.

 

[Echo Mirage]

That cave.... I still didn't found excuse for this crap (outside of gitgud, starting from russian level) and no clue why nobody removed it from other NS versions.
The only reason to play NS Joint Pak PLO K MA is good translation. It's not googletranfarted.

Yer. Damn that place sucks. Not long after I used the save I found I finally figured out what I was meant to do. At the start you need to pick up the gear from the backpack. Equip all the anti rad artifacts and then I think you need to pick up the artifact near you. At that point you need to blunder with your shotgun and useless map until you find a section in the cave with freedom guys sitting around for no real reason. And then you need to avoid around 7 anomalies. Some of which will kill you instantly. And if you managed to do all that without wanting to snap your desk in half over your knee then you need to hand the "Miner" the artifact and drink the cup of sperm he gives you to send you back to the real world.

Or just use the save file on the old forums and never have to play it again for as long as you live. I lost out on two PKM's and 200 rounds of ammo thanks to that damn cave

 

[Puukko]

X18, oh man. I actually handled it really well. I can't handle actual horror games, but this kind of stuff I do like.

I'm thinking that once I get around to CoP, I'll go with Misery right away, seems like a logical step up from SoC + AA. Y/N?

 

[Invictus]

That is a yeah.... But go for the Misery 1.2 version; it is what Call of Pripyat should have been with a few harder quirks and better deadlier gameplay. If you enjoy that and are feeling masoquistic then try the newer versions after you get to know the maps and are familiar with the quests and requirments.
A few months ago GOG had a sale of CoP and I got a few copies to give away to friends and family and I was just watching my 15 year old cousin doing the Oasis quest and solving the riddle all by himself... This series is simply so damn beautiful, still dont understand why GSC or even the Misery guys dont use the Unreal Engine get a proper playable model and kickstart the shit out of it

 

[TripJack]

I'm thinking that once I get around to CoP, I'll go with Misery right away, seems like a logical step up from SoC + AA. Y/N?

Y, i just started call of pripyat for the first time with misery 1.2 and it has been quite enjoyable so far

 

[Baron Dupek]

Misery 1.2 best version of the mod. Let's see how the new Misery 2.2 will work. It might be released in month (the guy from The Armed Zone do no updates). Oh and Arsenal Overhaul 3 for CoP will be released in 20 Aug.

 

[Echo Mirage]

I have given up on NS Joint Pak PLO K MA. Even attempting to complete simple side quests was quickly proving impossible. Not to mention all the random stuff that just happens for no real reason. As well as the crashes on loading or saving that made some of the harder fights a true test of persistence and patients.

Starting AMK+AA2 now and liking it so far. I managed to get a custom cobra sighted AKS74U from the guy in the garbage that calls everyone to push back the bandits for a low low price of 3400 RU. Even came with a nade launcher and silencer. One thing I don't like so far is how once again its a Stalker mod that has an AK47 but no love has gone into the model. The model used here just sucks. COP had a few mods that had great AKM model. Wish they had just used one of them.

 

[Puukko]

Great, I'm in load crash limbo. I took care of the bloodsucker village, then went to the Freedom base for more quests. After turning in the quest for taking out the Duty camp, I have 5 tasks in my PDA total, two of which I have to go to the bar to turn in... except when I try to change zones, it crashes. And for some weird reason, I can load a save from before I turn in that Duty camp quest, from when I have 6 tasks in my PDA, but none of the ones maade before or after, the earliest stable save being from before I killed the bloodsuckers. Is there really no way to abandon tasks in this game?

Guess I'll have to take care of the bloodsuckers again and turn in that task asap before bothering with any Freedom stuff. That's an hour+ wasted right there.

 

[Invictus]

Just to be safe stick to only 4 quests at a time in AA2 it is a well known crash issue and they say they fixed it but I am not so sure about that...

 

[Baron Dupek]

I though AA2 creators said "we have no idea what make the mod crash and corrupt with more tasks than 3".

Did few more mod tests.
Defying Death 2 is standalone mod, some p.cool ideas (trophies with knives, changed method of bartering, getting skills like repairing and else, dozen of perks) but have same issue like Joint Pack 2 - no quest markers, clues combined with google translation.

Now I'm playing Lost World: Troops of Doom. Enormous maps, feels nonlinear, lot of freedom. I really like it.
Oh, and you can pick guitar into the slot and play it while you walk through these maps :D Massive ThumbsUp.

 

[Jagged Appliance]

I'm in the same situation, played AA and really enjoyed it. I'll go for Misery 1.2 next, not really interested in clear sky.

 

[Puukko]

Christ. I'm all out of medkits and ammo for my AK and I'm not even inside X16 yet.

 

[Invictus]

Clear sky... Its not so bad if you consider it an offshot, with the Armory mod it is decent and better than 95% of the shooters out there. I still prefer Pripyat over Shadow of Chernobyl And while Clear Sky is a distant third it is still worthwhile. Even though Pripyat had fewer maps they felt a whole lot more interesting and "open world" than in Shadow of Chernobyl; you could really do a whole lot of things in an area rather than just beign a go between to Red Forest or whatever

 

[Invictus]

Uh guys I accidentaly sold 2 of the Strelok notes to Owl, I was just dumping stuff cleaning out my inventory and I did it before last night's 4 hour gaming binge. Any of you know how to get them with the console ir something? I really wanted this to be a perfect run ( I even sided with Duty to get Strider) but Strelok might not make it without the notes