Is STALKER worth a shot?

[Ch1ef]

Shitty tips for shitty game to enjoy shitty gameplay.














CODEX GOLDEN AGE

 

[DraQ]

Play on hardest mode.

first time

Yes.

Also:
Proper headshots tend to kill in one hit regardless of weapon, except for maybe heavily armored dudes with helmets, pseudogiants and possibly bloodsuckers.
Grazing headshots don't.
Torso shots don't and even lowly bandits wear kevlar-reinforced jackets in the zone.

 

[Shoelip]

Got the game for five bucks on steam last week(or whenever that sale was). With Oblivion Lost mod it's definitely worth it. I don't know about unmodded, I heard about the bullet sponge AI so I decided not to bother with it.

 

[Gragt]

Learn to headshot and the sponge isn't laughing anymore.

 

[MetalCraze]

Have you played any of the mods Kraze? They pretty much fix everything you're upset about.

Yes, but no.
The only mod right now I'm moderately interested in is AMK 2.0 because mods don't fix the design of levels - and those levels from build 1935 are so much better (better detailed and 2 times bigger) which AMK 2.0 will use. So so far you are stuck with original maps which are small and boring - original AMK may have replaced spamming people with monsters and opened NPP fully but Stalker still feels like a tight corridor. I doubt AMK 2.0 will hold me for long though because the gameplay will still remain the same - there is nothing to do in a game if you do not follow a very bad plot other than running around shooting respawns which is pointless.

Play on hardest mode.

first time

Right - didn't the hardest mode in Stalker nerf the already poor damage of your guns and make you die faster? Because it surely didn't make moron AIs stay away from visible anomalies.

 

[Emotional Vampire]

The "headshot" advice is particularily priceless because even the sniper rifles in STALKER don't fire in anything remotely resembling a straight line.

@Skyway: AMK 2.0 is not being developed for SoC anymore, they switched to CoP, because they're bunch of worthless fucking russian faggots. Expect the mod to come out around 2012(Unless another STALKER game comes out and they switch again, r00fles!)

 

[baronjohn]

STALKER is one of the better games.

You misspelled 'worst' there, kind sir.

Or actually is is one of the better games if you never played any other shooter that doesn't require half of a clip to put a mere bandit in a leather jacket down, doesn't have a stupid respawn where enemies are spamming so hard that they get stuck in each other at spawn points (so you can blow them up with a single grenade and collect ammo) and has no awfully designed levels that look more like a linear road through a desolated theme park.

There's a bug where NPCs are invulnerable when they're recoiling after being shot, which might account for your impression that it takes half a clip. Otherwise even the weakest pistol shot to the head is enough to kill anyone without an armored helmet.

Respawns were crazy on release, but were fixed in a patch, and they're quite reasonable in CS and CoP.

Levels open up a lot in CS (many more transition points) and they're completely open in CoP (there are just three big square maps).

The "headshot" advice is particularily priceless because even the sniper rifles in STALKER don't fire in anything remotely resembling a straight line.

The Gauss rifle does.

 

[MetalCraze]

Crazy recoil is also what I hate about certain arcade shooters like Stalker (though not as ridiculous as in Counter Strike which holds the top spot when it comes to the most retarded depiction of recoil). If guns were acting like that (e.g. bullets fly at some random crazy trajectories, especially after 2-3 shots) in real life nobody would've used them. It isn't like I have a problem aiming but when a small pistol has more recoil than a semi-automatic rifle up to a point where it feels like you shoot with a .50 gun holding it in one hand - it's silly.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Darth Roxor, play STALKER anyway.

They haven't pulled off that sort of atmosphere in any other place, and you'll only get to experience something like this in gaming once.

The fact that we still talk about STALKER, for some reason, is perhaps only because STALKER is the only STALKER out there - flaws and pros aside.

Normally, one could just look at a FPS and feel that it just happens to have features that happen to be there in several other games, and that one wouldn't be any better or worse off having played that specific game or the others.

STALKER - a game about one decaying desolate industrial wasteland with derelict buildings with plasters falling off, where you could go into an empty barn in the countryside, and then suddenly see a pair of eyes floating around in the dark - and many other situations which occur dynamically and without any scripting - why miss it, if you just happen to be half interested?

 

[baronjohn]

Crazy recoil

You've been spoiled by OFP/ARMA where everyone is a fucking terminator who feels almost no recoil and recenters his rifle perfectly in miliseconds.

That's far more arcade than STALKER.

 

[Multidirectional]

require half of a clip to put a mere bandit in a leather jacket down

This shit again? If it takes for you so much to kill simple bandits - you suck at the game. I have no problem one shot killing these bandits with a simple pistol from long distance on the highest difficulty, seriously now, get a grip on yourself.

 

[DraQ]

There's a bug where NPCs are invulnerable when they're recoiling after being shot, which might account for your impression that it takes half a clip.

I never noticed. In fact I often pumped a round or two into target's general silhouette to stop them moving around, then popped their noggin with a single bullet when they were recovering from hits. Also, people can drop a good while after you riddle them with holes, from blood loss.

Of course, STALKER isn't kind to people who fire in full auto. You're best off firing single or very short bursts. It conserves ammo too, as well as your, possibly unique, weapon. Also, shotguns rape mutants and animals, but aren't that useful against well armoured people, though threaded SPAS loaded with slugs or dart packs quite a punch. Still, even double barrel sawed-off is pretty priceless till you find something better. It can even drop bloodsuckers with one reload, rapes dogs and pseudodogs and can be an awfully nasty surprise to learn about for a bandit entering the room you hide in.

Otherwise even the weakest pistol shot to the head is enough to kill anyone without an armored helmet.

Including you, but it isn't frequent occurrence. On the other hand, if you are chased by a swarm of dogs and start firing your AK blindly into the swarm, you will plough a lot of innocent ground, then die. If you keep cool and have a good aim, you will drop up to twenty something without reloading, and that assumes they won't simply run away after you kill several, which they do.

require half of a clip to put a mere bandit in a leather jacket down

This shit again? If it takes for you so much to kill simple bandits - you suck at the game. I have no problem one shot killing these bandits with a simple pistol from long distance on the highest difficulty, seriously now, get a grip on yourself.

Same with me. Maybe not so much with the starting Makarov, as it simply spreads the bullets too much to be useful beyond medium range, but you can find this silenced Russian pistol before even fighting anything, which is marginally better and silenced, which makes it fairly decent rookie gun, and you can find Walther P99 before exiting the cordon and it's one of the better sidearms out there - negligible recoil, decent accuracy and 16 round magazine.

Respawns were crazy on release, but were fixed in a patch, and they're quite reasonable in CS and CoP.

Levels open up a lot in CS (many more transition points) and they're completely open in CoP (there are just three big square maps).

Yes, but CS lacks the insanely atmospheric "dungeons", has broken aiming with quite a few weapons and, despite it's open level structure, is designed for strictly linear progression, so you will break your game if you explore too much.

 

[MetalCraze]

Crazy recoil

You've been spoiled by OFP/ARMA where everyone is a fucking terminator who feels almost no recoil and recenters his rifle perfectly in miliseconds.

Because that's how it is in real life?

That's far more arcade than STALKER.

Try shooting from a gun irl?
I had a chance to fire from AKM a few times myself - recoil that kicks your shoulder bone out is a hollywoodish fairy-tale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2S7IqrVLHY
Holy fuck this is so unrealistic - it's arcade! This gun should've teared guy's hand off!

Terminator himself
And he is firing from a standing position.

 

[DraQ]

The "headshot" advice is particularily priceless because even the sniper rifles in STALKER don't fire in anything remotely resembling a straight line.

They aren't hitscan either! Oy, vey!

 

[MetalCraze]

This shit again? If it takes for you so much to kill simple bandits - you suck at the game. I have no problem one shot killing these bandits with a simple pistol from long distance on the highest difficulty, seriously now, get a grip on yourself.

Why do you bullshit?

 

[Multidirectional]

Why do you bullshit?

So, you cannot believe someone can actually be good at this game, as opposed to you? I have absolutely no reason to bullshit. Oh wait, you like Operation Flashpoint, so you just cannot suck at other shooters, right?

 

[DraQ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2S7IqrVLHY
Holy fuck this is so unrealistic - it's arcade! This gun should've teared guy's hand off!

There is a reason for it having a huge muzzle brake, you know.

Terminator himself
And he is firing from a standing position.

Not only is the muzzle equipped with anti-clmb device, but he still has to compensate for muzzle climb between the shots and fires in semi-auto mode.

STALKER may not be OFP in terms of realism, but the gun in the AVI doesn't behave all that differently from what you can expect from AK74 in unmodded STALKER (I'd even say there is less recoil in STALKER when firing full length AK74 - the shortened variant does kick like crazy, same with sawed-off and DE).

You'd do better bitching about mirrored models, questionable differences in characteristics between guns firing the same round, add-ons not fitting on some guns they should, or DE not using the round it should. At least those complaints have basis in reality.

 

[MetalCraze]

So, you cannot believe someone can actually be good at this game, as opposed to you?

No - because I've played Stalker and in no way you can have no problems headshotting people at long distances with a typical Stalker's pistol no matter the difficulty. Unless by long you mean 50 meters.

There is a reason for it having a huge muzzle brake, you know.

But muzzle brakes are unrealistic and arcade'ish.

Not only is the muzzle equipped with anti-clmb device, but he still has to compensate for muzzle climb between the shots and fires in semi-auto mode.

Not really - after the first shot the barrel of the gun remains very steady during remaining shots. And of course he has to compensate, especially firing from a standing position - I never said there is no recoil in reality - recoil is just overexaggerated in media.

but the gun in the AVI doesn't behave all that differently from what you can expect from AK74 in unmodded STALKER.

It pretty much does. In Stalker bullets are rather flying at random trajectories even with semi-automatic firing just like in the many arcade shooters (which I don't have problem with) however in Stalker the spraying is sometimes too high. But my main complaint was about how pistols spray more than AK see.

 

[blackshoe]

It was a very good shooter.

 

[Multidirectional]

No - because I've played Stalker and in no way you can have no problems headshotting people at long distances with a typical Stalker's pistol no matter the difficulty. Unless by long you mean 50 meters.

Fair enough, I have to acknowledge not having played vanilla STALKER in a long time. I'm still pretty sure you make it sound much worse than it actually is though, from what I remember. I recall having problems with shooting someone initially but then I just started getting better at the game and problems were gone. Shooting in STALKER does require some patience.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Thanks for the input . Guess I'll check what the fuss is about then, because the comments are mostly more or less positive

 

[Collar Grabber]

This shit again? If it takes for you so much to kill simple bandits - you suck at the game. I have no problem one shot killing these bandits with a simple pistol from long distance on the highest difficulty, seriously now, get a grip on yourself.

Multidickrectional: OMG WTF U N00B U CANT PWN S0ME1 WITH A HEDSH0T R00LFZ GO PLAY COUNTER-SUCK WITH HEDSH0T SCRIPT N00B LOL1111111!!!!11!!!!!

Fair enough, I have to acknowledge not having played vanilla STALKER in a long time. I'm still pretty sure you make it sound much worse than it actually is though, from what I remember. I recall having problems with shooting someone initially but then I just started getting better at the game and problems were gone. Shooting in STALKER does require some patience.

Multidickrectional: I maybe wrong and you maybe right, but I'm still right and you're still wrong cause I sed so.

Go fuck yourself now. You obviously haven't played vanilla STALKER AT ALL!

 

[blackshoe]

Then, like, I dunno, get a better PC you Fuck-tard. Fucking hell, you run a game on a suckass PC that needs something decent, and you blame the game for having bugs because it can't keep up with your Amiga-system. Go back to playing your archaic turn-based games since atleast then you can blame it on the "AI taking too long to do anything" when it lags after you've pressed the end-turn button, faggot.

Best troll ever, lol.

 

[Tails]

It's only worth a shot if you're planning on replaying it with AMK afterwards.

English version of AMK is worthless with it stability. Dunno what about Russian version, though.

 

[racofer]

Could we retardo this already? Newfags fappin each other on who's the better troll (which they're not) spamming shit all around are too much to bear.