STALKER - Reviews

[Neil]

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=74255
http://pc.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.php?id=13641
http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/stalker/review.html?sid=6167650

General good to very good...

Not getting it myself (at the moment) as my new little one (5 mnth old) is basically in my study at the moment until we get some building work done. So after 7:00pm that room is off limits... So no PC gaming at all!

That'll be the case for probably another two months!

[LoSTBoY]

I've noticed the game is showing on some torrent sites.

Just an observation....:shifty:

[MinionZombie]

...about...to...jizz...all...over...self...

After a long wait, and having had the game on pre-order for over TWO FREAKING YEARS ...

*deep breath*

STALKER IS PROCESSING AND ABOUT TO BE POSTED TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*passes out from all the excitement*

So I should have it Friday or Saturday!!! ... and it still looks as if I'm getting the Limited Edition Tin for a mere £18, long story, but it appears as if that's the version I'm getting ... *gasps for air, grabs paper bag to huff into* ... I think I'm gonna have a heart attack when this baby falls onto my doorstep...

...

...

...

I think I'd better go clean up now...;)

[Neil]

...about...to...jizz...all...over...self...

After a long wait, and having had the game on pre-order for over TWO FREAKING YEARS ...

*deep breath*

STALKER IS PROCESSING AND ABOUT TO BE POSTED TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*passes out from all the excitement*

So I should have it Friday or Saturday!!! ... and it still looks as if I'm getting the Limited Edition Tin for a mere £18, long story, but it appears as if that's the version I'm getting ... *gasps for air, grabs paper bag to huff into* ... I think I'm gonna have a heart attack when this baby falls onto my doorstep...

...

...

...

I think I'd better go clean up now...;)


I didn't think you liked this game? :rolleyes:

[MinionZombie]

I didn't think you liked this game? :rolleyes:
I know, I was quite shocked myself! :p

*runs off and checks status of order*

Still in the process of processing ... ack ... this is like being desperate for a whizz on a school trip and you're almost back to the hotel until the teacher decides to make a detour to another location! :eek::D

[LouCipherr]

*LC grins feverishly knowing a copy of Stalker is sitting on his desk at home, waiting to be played this evening*

I'll give you a review in a few days. I have to immerse myself in it first, then I can pick apart all the flaws. :lol: :lol: :D

[capncnut]

It only got an 8. Even the dry-arsed Dead Rising got a 9. :sneaky:

[MinionZombie]

8/10 is a rocking score, Dead Rising sounds like it's all upfront with no arse end, looks good coming, but leaves a lass sighing on the way out the door! :lol:

Mind you, for a score or even a nigel I'm there, bitches!

*rubs hands for STALKER*

I can almost taste the packaging ... taste?! I hear you gawk ... yes, I'm gonna lick it all over when it arrives, then hide away in my room for a few days with it after which it'll need a wash before even approaching my PC. :elol::sneaky:

[Neil]

8/10 is a rocking score, Dead Rising sounds like it's all upfront with no arse end, looks good coming, but leaves a lass sighing on the way out the door! :lol:

Mind you, for a score or even a nigel I'm there, bitches!

*rubs hands for STALKER*

I can almost taste the packaging ... taste?! I hear you gawk ... yes, I'm gonna lick it all over when it arrives, then hide away in my room for a few days with it after which it'll need a wash before even approaching my PC. :elol::sneaky:

Some games magazine a guy I know had, gave it 93%...

[capncnut]

I can almost taste the packaging ... taste?! I hear you gawk ... yes, I'm gonna lick it all over when it arrives...
Now that's almost scary. :confused:

[MinionZombie]

See, STALKER is the true videogaming underdog, and people like underdog stories, it's like a dog you rescue from a dog shelter, perhaps a little bit mangey around the edges, but it's a loveable scamp that just wants your love and nothing else...awwww...

Oh, and ... *ahem* ... some momentus news, after more than two years of pre-order status...dun-dun-dun-duuuuuuuuhn!!!!

STALKER HAS BEEN DISPATCHED TO ME AS OF A BIT LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO!!!

Come Friday/Saturday (I presume! :eek:) I'm going to be drained dry, ha!

I've got some work on my plate at the moment though, so I'm gonna see about getting that cranked out as quickly as possible in preparation for the arrival of the one and only STALKER, clear the decks for the weekend like.

Oh man ... spoodge city is coming to Herefordshire!

[Danny]

after all this i'td be funny as fook if it was ****, or he got like a uwe boll movie sent to him by mistake:p

[MinionZombie]

after all this i'td be funny as fook if it was ****, or he got like a uwe boll movie sent to him by mistake:p
You stay the f*ck away from my postman-woman-person, ya hear?!

I've already played the MP Beta Demo and loved it, and that didn't have anything to kill or move around in it, so if I loved that, I'll love the actual game no diggity no doubt. It's winging it's way to me reet now ... *rubs self in atheism juice to get all lubed up and ready to go* ...

See ya! :p

[LouCipherr]

Well, I played it a bit last night, and although I only got a chance to play for about 45 minutes. I can't really give an opinion on the game overall, but there are a few points to be made:

1) The graphics to this game are INCREIBLE. Eye candy like a mofo!

2) If you don't have a machine that has a kick-ass video card (I would say a 7900 at LEAST) then you might be in for a world of trouble. Lets put it this way: I have a nVidia 7900GS and certain places (even with the graphics set on medium) brought my video card down to some extremely low FPS. :mad: I had to back off some texture detail to get it to run smooth consistently.



The system requirements, according to amazon.com, are:

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2)/Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4
Intel Pentium 4 2 Ghz/AMD XP 2200+
512 MB RAM
10 GB available hard drive space
128 MB DirectX 9c compatible card/ nVIDIA GeForce 5700/ATI Radeon 9600
DirectX 9 compatible sound card
LAN/ Internet connection with Cable/DSL speeds for multiplayer
Keyboard
Mouse.

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400/AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
1 GB RAM or better
256 MB DirectX 9c compatible card/ nVIDIA GeForce 7900/ ATI Radeon X1850.
10 GB available hard drive space
DirectX 9 compatible sound card
LAN/ Internet connection with Cable/DSL speeds for multiplayer
Keyboard
Mouse.


According to the specs, this can run on a nvidia 5700 card, but after seeing what I saw last night in the game, there is no way in f*ck a card like that could run this game on anything but the graphics all backed down to zero. Seriously. It's that intense graphic-wise.

I'm running the game on the following:

CPU: AMD64 socket 939 FX-60 dual core (overclocked to 2.6ghz by pushing the FSB)
RAM: 1GB Patriot high-speed RAM (overclocked also.. :D)
Motherboard: Asus A8N-32 SLI Deluxe
Video Card: nVidia 7900GS PCIe (overclocked to 'ludacris speed' :lol:)
240gb of HD storage (7200rpm drives)

and with those specs (which aren't bad, but not top of the line either) there were parts of the game that slowed my machine to a crawl. I think an extra gig of RAM would help, but still not solve all the problems.

So as it stands right now, the eye candy is fantastic, but only 45 minutes in, I can't really comment on the gameplay. I spent more time looking around and messing with some of the AI I didn't really get into the 'meat' of the game. Soon, Daniel-san, soon...


I'll keep ya posted as I play more. ;)

LC

[EvilNed]

The store sent my copy today. But guess what?

My computer is still in the shop! I BETTER get that machine before Friday or there is going to be hell to pay...

[Neil]

I'm running the game on the following:

CPU: AMD64 socket 939 FX-60 dual core (overclocked to 2.6ghz by pushing the FSB)
RAM: 1GB Patriot high-speed RAM (overclocked also.. :D)
Motherboard: Asus A8N-32 SLI Deluxe
Video Card: nVidia 7900GS PCIe (overclocked to 'ludacris speed' :lol:)
240gb of HD storage (7200rpm drives)

and with those specs (which aren't bad, but not top of the line either) there were parts of the game that slowed my machine to a crawl. I think an extra gig of RAM would help, but still not solve all the problems.

Wonder what it would be like on my:-
P4 3Ghz@3.2
ATI XT800 overclocked
2Gb ram

That's a lower spec' than yours ain't it?

[Tricky]

Ive been holding off on a new rig for a while now seen as the dust was kicked up with windows vista & DX10,but i think the time has now come to bend the plastic & make the leap for stalker and a host of other new games!
Im looking at this one http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/pcrange.html?EXE

or this one


http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/uk_ultra900.asp?v=d

If i could i'd spend a bit more,but seen as il be putting it on credit i best stay within sensible price as i dont really like using credit,but hopefully without losing out on much power!

[MinionZombie]

Hmmm ... I played the MP Beta Demo on my rig, which is definitely "minimum specs" :lol: for this game, and it ran quite well, some lag on some parts, but certainly no crawl ... it wasn't standard lag either, almost like a slower refresh rate to the image ... if that makes any sense.

Obviously I had to dial the graphics down a bit for it in some respects, but they weren't crash-bottom either ... besides, STALKER apparently has the ability to be jigged about a lot in the settings, and can go all the way down to DirectX 8, perhaps even 7, can't remember. But I'm rocking 9.0c ... so I think I'll be fine for STALKER (I F*CKING WELL HOPE SO OR I'M GOING POSTAL ON YOU ALL!!! ... unless you all buy me a monster gaming rig...then I'll just flick you or pinch you on the arm... :p) ... and I'll be fine for the coming final episodes of HL2, the only thing that slowed me down there was the HDR lighting, and even then I still played through Ep1 twice with it enabled, so it wasn't all bad - I've played at worse levels of speed (e.g. Max Payne 2 on my laptop back in the day, lol ... oh that wasn't good :lol:).

See, a new gaming rig - too expensive for me, I'd have to overhaul my existing PC, but I'd rather spend less and get a console and not have to worry about upgrading ... in a few years, at most when Xbox360 etc are being replaced, then I'll get jiggy with the PC again ... and take a step back in time with all the games I'll probably end up skipping on, and be able to rock all their cocks at full speed, haha!

[Neil]

Ive been holding off on a new rig for a while now seen as the dust was kicked up with windows vista & DX10,but i think the time has now come to bend the plastic & make the leap for stalker and a host of other new games!
Im looking at this one http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/pcrange.html?EXE

or this one


http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/uk_ultra900.asp?v=d

If i could i'd spend a bit more,but seen as il be putting it on credit i best stay within sensible price as i dont really like using credit,but hopefully without losing out on much power!

£1000 gets you a damn good system these days! Intel is the processor to get at the moment though if you can by the looks of it!

[Tricky]

In the past ive always built my own system from scratch,bought a few components a month and put it all together once i had everything,loaded dodgy copy of windows on to save a few quid,but this time i just cant be arsed so i'd rather just buy a full package like those ive linked there :D
It will work out about the same as a console really,as i'd have to get the PS3 & the HDTV to play it on which in total would come to over a grand,and il get more use out of the PC anyway :)

[Neil]

In the past ive always built my own system from scratch,bought a few components a month and put it all together once i had everything,loaded dodgy copy of windows on to save a few quid,but this time i just cant be arsed so i'd rather just buy a full package like those ive linked there :D
It will work out about the same as a console really,as i'd have to get the PS3 & the HDTV to play it on which in total would come to over a grand,and il get more use out of the PC anyway :)

That Novatech one looks pretty interesting!

[LouCipherr]

Wonder what it would be like on my:-
P4 3Ghz@3.2
ATI XT800 overclocked
2Gb ram

That's a lower spec' than yours ain't it?

Umm, just a tad, yes, but not by much I don't think. You have more RAM than me, which is going to help a LOT in this game, but I've never looked at the specs of the ATI XT800 card, so I can't comment on that one just yet. Need to do some research. If the card is pretty up there in ATI's line of cards (like one of the top 2 or 3 generations of cards) you will probably be in the same boat as me - but again, i don't know the exact specs of your vid card, so I can't say 100%. ;)



Hmmm ... I played the MP Beta Demo on my rig, which is definitely "minimum specs" :lol: for this game, and it ran quite well, some lag on some parts, but certainly no crawl ... it wasn't standard lag either, almost like a slower refresh rate to the image ... if that makes any sense.

MZ - remember, I had graphics on medium, but textures, shadows, and special fx cranked or damn close to it (that's the default for "medium" settings). Even though I backed those 3 settings off a bit and it ran smoother, it definitely brought my system to it's knees in certain intense parts before I lowered them. So much so I had to back off the graphics a bit to get smoother gameplay. I will say this: all I did was back off the texture quality a notch, turned off 'high quality shadows' (is that really a necessary option!?) and backed off the FX a bit. That's all. Once I did that it ran smoothly, but I full well expected my 7900GS to not even BLINK during this game.

Consider this: I play Quake 4, BF2, FarCry, and UT2k4 with the graphics cranked on MAX, and I still get incredible framerates. ;)


Obviously I had to dial the graphics down a bit for it in some respects, but they weren't crash-bottom either ... besides, STALKER apparently has the ability to be jigged about a lot in the settings, and can go all the way down to DirectX 8, perhaps even 7, can't remember. But I'm rocking 9.0c ... so I think I'll be fine for STALKER (I F*CKING WELL HOPE SO OR I'M GOING POSTAL ON YOU ALL!!! ... unless you all buy me a monster gaming rig...then I'll just flick you or pinch you on the arm... :p) ... and I'll be fine for the coming final episodes of HL2, the only thing that slowed me down there was the HDR lighting, and even then I still played through Ep1 twice with it enabled, so it wasn't all bad - I've played at worse levels of speed (e.g. Max Payne 2 on my laptop back in the day, lol ... oh that wasn't good :lol:).


This may very well be true. I don't know - like I said, I only messed with it for 45 minutes and that was it, and from what I saw, this is probably the most graphic-intense game i've ever seen, and I play a boatload of games as you know. There are LOTS of ways to tweak the graphics in Stalker, but as I said, the default "medium" killed my machine in a few spots. That, to me, is friggin' INSANE. I could understand if it was set on "HIGH" or "REALLY HIGH" settings - I would expected it to be bumpy in certain spots, but on MEDIUM? My video card should've tore through it faster than Michael Jackson going through kids at a daycare center. :lol: (sorry, I couldn't think of a better anaolgy)



See, a new gaming rig - too expensive for me, I'd have to overhaul my existing PC, but I'd rather spend less and get a console and not have to worry about upgrading ... in a few years, at most when Xbox360 etc are being replaced, then I'll get jiggy with the PC again ... and take a step back in time with all the games I'll probably end up skipping on, and be able to rock all their cocks at full speed, haha!

MZ - the line of price difference between the new console gaming systems and computers is being blurred every day. That rig I listed on the previous page? The case, motherboard, CPU chip, heatsink & fan (a Zalmon, not the standard stock AMD heatsinks) and power supply was only $700 USD for me. That, if you ask me, ain't bad when you take into consideration what the price of a PS3 or Xbox360 w/external HD-DVD drive. ;) All you'd need then is a good card (my 7900GS only cost me $169 after a $20 rebate from newegg.com). I used the RAM from my previous machine, as well as the hard drives and optical drives - so basically, I got that rig for $869. That is actually a killer deal, considering the CPU chip alone (the FX-60) was selling for $500 on newegg when I bought this barebones system. :D

I'm not saying people with lesser systems won't be able to play it - I just wanted ya'll to know that you're going to have to back off the graphics settings BIG TIME to get it to run smoothly. This game is so friggin' processor and graphic card processor intensive, it's insane. :lol:

Just expect to have to bump them settings back a bit to get it to run smoothly. ;)

LC

***edited to add:


Intel is the processor to get at the moment though if you can by the looks of it!

*grabs a newspaper and smacks neil with it*

BAD Neil, BAD! Don't tell him that! :lol:

I couldn't resist, sorry.. :lol: I'm a proponent of AMD and have been for many many years, and with good reason. They've always been more efficient chips than Intel (it takes less instructions on an AMD chip to process info than an Intel - which equates out to more efficieny and more speed) however, the AMD/Intel debate is almost as inane as the Chevy/Ford debate - know what I mean? Having said that, Intel is indeed closing the gap on AMD again. They were ahead, then AMD surpassed them, now they're trying for the lead again. :D

Seriously, even though I personally dig AMD the best, I don't think it's the best for everyone. My advice to someone buying a new computer is: research, read, know everything about everything on the market today, and buy the system that best suits your needs and the best system you can afford. If you do that, you'll be happy with your purchase. ;)

Just had to mess with ya about the Intel/AMD thing. :p :D

[Tricky]

That Novatech one looks pretty interesting!

Yeah they are a good company as well,ive bought all my components from them in the past :)
The reason one of those PC's is more expensive is the memory on the graphics card,but apparently the 320mb one is ample for anything that il be throwing at it in the next couple of years,plus its DX10 compatible which is all important now!i reckon il probably go for the novatech one in the end

[Neil]

apparently the 320mb one is ample for anything that il be throwing at it in the next couple of years,plus its DX10 compatible which is all important now!

You sure about that?

Also, the MB isn't listed? If it's SLI compataible (which I suspect it wouldn't be) then you always have the option in 2yrs time on just adding on another similar graphics card to double performance!

[Tricky]

You sure about that?

Also, the MB isn't listed? If it's SLI compataible (which I suspect it wouldn't be) then you always have the option in 2yrs time on just adding on another similar graphics card to double performance!

Aye i did my research ;) both of those cards on the novatech PCs are the 8800GTS which is DX10 compatible,but if you look the cheaper of those it has a 320mb card while the other has 640mb.The more expensive one also has a bigger hard drive & the processor is slightly faster.But in going with the cheaper i still reckon il be getting a top kick arse gaming rig that should see me for a couple of years,and i see what your saying about adding another card in SLI at a later date :D

Ive always gone for AMD in the past and still would,but there doesnt appear to be many AMD ready built systems about at the moment,and as i said i cant be arsed to build bit by bit this time around

[MinionZombie]

If I flew that way, I'd suck AMD's dong in a heartbeat, but I don't fly into that wind, so I'll just give a thumbs up - not up an ass or anything, just in the air...

Anyway, surely there's an option on STALKER that will automatically configure the game to the settings it feels are best suited to your rig? I use that a lot, then tweak things I know I've had trouble with...then of course some games on some systems just run like ass ... for instance, I installed True Crime: NYC and it ran LIKE A TOTAL LOAD OF OLD PENIS IN TREACLE WITH CONCRETE ON TOP!

It was seriously that bad, everything took 5 times as long to do as anything else, and it wasn't even a game with good graphics for the PC at that stage, and my computer was totally capable of splitting it's ass wide open. For instance, Doom 3, FarCry, Half Life 2, Call of Duty 2 - all fine and dandy on my system, especially HL2 which I run at 1280x1024 resolution.

There'll be a combo of settings in STALKER that will suit me, I believe in it, I have all this time, so I ain't about to quit now ... it's kinda like my own personal God ... I don't pray to it ... or hang it around my neck ... or cover my body with it ... or change anything about myself for it...what was I on about? Oh yeah - there's settings in there for me, I'm used to cranking down for games anyway, and even with the game pulled down a bit I still thought it looked good, really gritty and realistic and scary, fine with me.

Xbox 360 (especially a core system) is cheaper for me right now to continue my gaming, plus I could do without all the hassle of upgrading and drivers and all that piss covered bullshiite...been too long since my last console (Mega Drive 2 circa 1993)...besides, I can't continue without PGR3 in my life! I SIMPLY MUST DRIVE A DB9 AROUND THE NURBURGRING!!!

[LouCipherr]

If I flew that way, I'd suck AMD's dong in a heartbeat, but I don't fly into that wind, so I'll just give a thumbs up - not up an ass or anything, just in the air...

:lol:


Anyway, surely there's an option on STALKER that will automatically configure the game to the settings it feels are best suited to your rig? I use that a lot, then tweak things I know I've had trouble with...then of course some games on some systems just run like ass ... for instance, I installed True Crime: NYC and it ran LIKE A TOTAL LOAD OF OLD PENIS IN TREACLE WITH CONCRETE ON TOP!

That's exactly what it did for me, MZ. It auto-detected me to a "Medium" setting, but it was still way too much for my system to handle in a few spots.. I hate saying that, 'cause I know damn well my system isn't a slug, but geez, I thought even the medium setting would be too little and I could bump up the graphics a tad - not so on this game!


There'll be a combo of settings in STALKER that will suit me, I believe in it, I have all this time, so I ain't about to quit now ...

Oh, no, don't let my inital warning stop you from playing it or even checking it out. Again, I just wanted to state my pure shock at how hard on my computer this game really is. I don't want anyone to think "hey, this isn't gonna run on my system" - but, you should be forewarned, you're gonna need to knock back the graphics detail a LOT if your system is over even a year old. :(


Xbox 360 (especially a core system) is cheaper for me right now to continue my gaming, plus I could do without all the hassle of upgrading and drivers and all that piss covered bullshiite...been too long since my last console (Mega Drive 2 circa 1993)...besides, I can't continue without PGR3 in my life! I SIMPLY MUST DRIVE A DB9 AROUND THE NURBURGRING!!!

Whoa, the last console you had was the MegaDrive 2? HOLY SH*T, MZ, GET WITH THE PROGRAM! :lol: :lol:

LC

[Neil]

Aye i did my research ;) both of those cards on the novatech PCs are the 8800GTS which is DX10 compatible,but if you look the cheaper of those it has a 320mb card while the other has 640mb.The more expensive one also has a bigger hard drive & the processor is slightly faster.But in going with the cheaper i still reckon il be getting a top kick arse gaming rig that should see me for a couple of years,and i see what your saying about adding another card in SLI at a later date :D

Ive always gone for AMD in the past and still would,but there doesnt appear to be many AMD ready built systems about at the moment,and as i said i cant be arsed to build bit by bit this time around

No, I'm specifically asking about not needing more than 320meg? I know with some of the games last year 512meg cards seemed to start showing advantages over 256meg cards... And I can only image DX10 will need even more memory ideally!?

[LouCipherr]

I think, when those DX10 games start flooding the market, we better all have 8800GT cards (or equivilants) in SLI mode or we're all screwed. :lol:

I just heard about the nvidia 9700 cards that will be hitting the market the next go-around. OMFG, they're INCREDIBLE. Lets just say this: almost double (if not more) of the pixel pipelines currently available on any video card - with, get this, 1gb of onboard video memory! :eek:

Talk about pitching a tent! :D "Dude, I think I just filled the cup!" :lol:

[MinionZombie]

Whoa, the last console you had was the MegaDrive 2? HOLY SH*T, MZ, GET WITH THE PROGRAM!

I know! That's another reason why I want a 360, get up-to-date and stay there for about 5 years for a change. :p

Hopefully STALKER will work like it did in the demo I played, if not a bit better. Maybe they'll put out a patch to improve the game's efficiency, sometimes that's the case, like Hitman Blood Money - ran like complete ass out of the box, but with the patch it smoothed that shiite right out.

hehe, that sumbitch is on it's way to me as I type, in the postal system getting felt up by a hundred different randy hands all equally as ready to bust a nut as me.

They must release a patch, surely, to improve efficiency and square away some issues they couldn't solve before the final code had to go out, all games do that, and they boasted about it being workable at decent enough graphics on a wide range of systems, even those dating back to when it was supposed to come out ... anyway...erm...I've ran out of things to say ... BYE! :p


I think, when those DX10 games start flooding the market, we better all have 8800GT cards (or equivilants) in SLI mode or we're all screwed. :lol:

I just heard about the nvidia 9700 cards that will be hitting the market the next go-around. OMFG, they're INCREDIBLE. Lets just say this: almost double (if not more) of the pixel pipelines currently available on any video card - with, get this, 1gb of onboard video memory! :eek:

Talk about pitching a tent! :D "Dude, I think I just filled the cup!" :lol:
*gulp*

Gimme a bucket to fill, please...

I used to say "one of these days I'll get a 360" ... well, that's coming soon I hope ...*notices there's a swig of Robinson's left un-swigged ... swigs it ... lovely*... so after that I can start saying "one of these days I'm gonna sex up an epic gaming rig that'll kick everything's ass"...and I will, oh...I will. :p

[LoSTBoY]

Ahem, enough about rigs, back on topic...

Anyone played this yet?

*Raises hand* :p

My system is pretty weak now (1.45Ghz CPU, 512MB RAM, 9600 Radeon) but it's doing pretty well with high textures. I don't have everything turned on/up but it still looks good and runs fairly smooth.

I'm not going to review it right now, I still need to play it a bit more. But for now I would like to say it's pretty good; reminds me of Fallout but in FPS.

[MinionZombie]

My system is pretty weak now (1.45Ghz CPU, 512MB RAM, 9600 Radeon) but it's doing pretty well with high textures. I don't have everything turned on/up but it still looks good and runs fairly smooth.

That's good to know, I've got a 2.2ghz CPU, 1gig RAM and I can "SNAP!!!" you on the card. :p

OH F*CK ME!!! WAITING FOR THIS GAME TO ARRIVE IS LIKE F*CKING A REALLY HOT CHICK WHO INSISTS YOU WAIT FOR THE END OF THE REALLY LONG SONG ON THE STEREO BEFORE YOU BUST A NUT, YET YOU WERE READY ABOUT EIGHT MINUTES AGO .... waaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!

If you could see me now, I'd look a bit like the kid you always see at a mall clutching his trousers and stamping his feet while busting for a whizz. :lol:

[Tricky]

But if it looks good on your old rigs,imagine how eye bleedingly jizz worthy it will look on a new one :p

[MinionZombie]

But if it looks good on your old rigs,imagine how eye bleedingly jizz worthy it will look on a new one :p
Aye Sir, you've hit the chap on the bell-end right there.

So, like I was saying before, when I eventually get a ball-achingly good gaming rig ...(when I actually rake in some proper, steady money - not that I'm dissing the bit I'm managing to make now, beats earning piss all! And, you know, experience and contacts)... then I'll buy up (by then, cheap) a whole back catalogue of PC games, and install my existing ones (like STALKER) to see how b-e-a-utiful they look, the screenshots certainly make it look LUSH. Aside from the odd rough edge here and there, it does look nut-sack-squeezing-at-the-final-moment great. :sneaky:

[Tricky]

Im looking forward to one of the epic battles on medieval 2 in all its glory on a new rig,i bet it looks amazing!looks decent on mine,but its only on medium settings & if beseiging a large city or having a battle in a forest with 10,000 men on screen,it gets a bit slow.Theres a back catalogue i want to play as well,not least FEAR at a good frame rate and company of heroes!

[MinionZombie]

Oh yeah I'd really like to play FEAR, but it never ran properly (if at all) on my rig, the engine of the game itself just wasn't good enough. It was improved with Condemned, but still not the quickest moving game sadly.

In this day and age, scaleability is a really good thing, and there should be more of it, really give people a screed of options to tweak to get the best possible quality image, rather than relatively few options that you find in some games ... I was shocked at the lack of options True Crime: NYC provided, so I couldn't tweak it to make it run properly (even though it should have easily blasted with ease on my rig) ... hmmm ... perhaps it's something to do with download? :p

I downloaded TC:NYC, it ran like ass. Lou downloaded STALKER and he's had some trouble...:sneaky:

MinionHolmes solves another one! Watson ... get me my internet porn collection!

[LouCipherr]

Good news. Well, for me anyway. :D

I found out what was causing some of my issues. Since I got this new rig & video card, I forgot to turn off the antialiasing when I set it up (I do that 'cause I don't care about rounded edges on objects, I want speed and efficiency). After doing that, kicking on the game back to it's default 'medium' settings, i'm seeing more of an improvement. It's not perfect yet - there's probably another stupid setting i'm forgetting to set correctly - but i'm getting closer.

This isn't the first time i've had to do this with a game either. Sometimes, it takes some tweaking to get the best performance out of your rig. Not to mention this motherboard and cpu chip are still pretty new to me, so i'm sure even my bios isn't set to it's most efficient settings... yet. Still, this has some incredible eye candy, so it's definitely giving your video card a hell of a workout. :D

[DVW5150]

Alienware is , in my opinion , the best computer for gaming ... Check 'em out . They are arent half bad for recording either .

[capncnut]

MZ - remember, I had graphics on medium, but textures, shadows, and special fx cranked or damn close to it (that's the default for "medium" settings). Even though I backed those 3 settings off a bit and it ran smoother, it definitely brought my system to it's knees in certain intense parts before I lowered them. So much so I had to back off the graphics a bit to get smoother gameplay. I will say this: all I did was back off the texture quality a notch, turned off 'high quality shadows' (is that really a necessary option!?) and backed off the FX a bit. That's all. Once I did that it ran smoothly, but I full well expected my 7900GS to not even BLINK during this game.
LOL, I think I'll wait for the console version thank you - just pop the game in and let rip. Jeez, people have the nerve to tell me that PC gaming is easier than a console. :rolleyes::lol:

[Neil]

Jeez, people have the nerve to tell me that PC gaming is easier than a console. :rolleyes::lol:

PC gaming is easier than a console! Let's see you press N for "Night Vision" :)

[Tricky]

Alienware is , in my opinion , the best computer for gaming ... Check 'em out . They are arent half bad for recording either .


Agree 100% there!however they start at about £1500 over here and thats pushing it a bit :( if all i did was game then i'd pay it,but i drive a car & have a very active social life which costs me a bomb,so alienware isnt on the cards :(

[Neil]

Agree 100% there!however they start at about £1500 over here and thats pushing it a bit :( if all i did was game then i'd pay it,but i drive a car & have a very active social life which costs me a bomb,so alienware isnt on the cards :(

If you were to buy the components yourself and put togethor an identical machine, how much of a mark-up do they charge?

[capncnut]

PC gaming is easier than a console! Let's see you press N for "Night Vision" :)
Why do I need to look down and find the N button when I can click my right anologue stick or press a shoulder button?

[Neil]

Why do I need to look down and find the N button when I can click my right anologue stick or press a shoulder button?

And how many sticks and shoulder buttons have you got? 14?

[capncnut]

Nope, 4 shoulder buttons and 2 sticks. Better than a wimpy keyboard. :D

[MinionZombie]

*rolling around in a pool of antici ... ... ... pation*

ARGH!!!! Hopefully it'll be here tomorrow (which is the earliest it can get here anyway), ahhhh mate, time's moving so friggin' slowly ... ... it's like I'm mooooovin' in stereeeeeeeeooooo ... and not a topless Pheobe Cates in sight!

[LouCipherr]

Jeez, people have the nerve to tell me that PC gaming is easier than a console. :rolleyes::lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

No one ever said it was "easier" - it's "better"

How many games on your console stutter? Don't say "none" because I own almost every console on the market up to the Xbox360 (no PS3 yet, and probably never will) and EVERY console has games with issues - stuttering and things slowing down, etc.

That may happen on my PC, but on my PC I have hundreds of options to optimize my game so it runs smoothly with my hardware.

Each has it's advantages - consoles are "simple" for those who can't be bothered to venture into optimization of their systems, and computers are 1000 times more flexible than a console.

Take your pick, but I would rather be able to customize my system for a smooth gameplaying experience than being stuck, for the most part, with the same default settings as everyone else and their consoles - having to deal with low framerates and stuttering issues.

Enjoy your console. :p :D


Back on topic - I played again for about another 30-45 minutes last night. I'm really digging this game! It's a shame I didn't hear about it until just recently (thanks MZ & Neil - without your posts about the game, I would've never realized it was out there).

The gameplay has improved a LOT with the backing off of the antialiasing and the antiscopic filtering (or however it's spelled). Almost at the 'smooth as glass' gameplay status.

*smacks himself in the forehead for not looking at these settings earlier*

[MinionZombie]

:lol: @ Lou ... doi... :)

Anisotropic Filtering and Anti Aliasing are always bitches, they slow shiite way down, I always have them turned the f*ck off, there's no need really. Too much flair.

I'll still get a console, just so I don't have to spend quite as much to continue my gaming experience, and I just want some gaming ease for a while, as in not fretting about compatibility and system specs and stuff. As I'm busier now (and hopefully will continue to get busier as I start gaining some work), I won't have time to be fussing about all the tech stuff that I've been doing for the last many years (since getting our first Windows 95 PC).

Capn - if you can touch-type you don't need to be looking at the keyboard, only those who don't know where the keys are need to worry about that. And having a keyboard with all the controls laid out is rather nice, it fits your hands better than a joypad I've found. Holding a joypad doesn't feel as natural, you're gripping something, and that takes away some comfort and flexibility I've found.

Also, you're just as likely to forget which button does what on a joypad, at least with a keyboard every key has letter or symbol on it, so you can more easily associate a key binding to the key - e.g. "N" for Night Vision, "Shift" for run aka haul ass, "Tab" for scoreboard aka keep a tab on where I'm at, "P" for pause, the numbers for your weapon bindings, "L" for light, "B" for binoculars - and again - touch typing, like most PC gamers will be able to do, is par for the course.

And then there's shooting accuracy. :p

[LouCipherr]

:lol: @ Lou ... doi... :)

Anisotropic Filtering and Anti Aliasing are always bitches, they slow shiite way down, I always have them turned the f*ck off, there's no need really. Too much flair.

I know, I know, MZ. I can admit when I've been a dumbass, and this is a prime example. :D :lol:

With this being a new computer, I hadn't got to all of the video card settings. I was so excited about getting it, I overlcocked the video card and took off and started playing games... but I completely forgot about the AA and AF settings. As homer simpson would say, "D'oh!!!" :D


Yes, that is the benefit of consoles - ease. It's basically personal preference. I, however, prefer to be able to customize to suit my tastes instead of being stuck with what everyone else is (as in the case with consoles) but it's all good, you should use what you're comfortable with and enjoy more. I'm just sayin'.. :)

"shooting accuracy" - that's one of the reasons I enjoy my mouse and kb. I'd love to play a game against a bunch of people on consoles and hadnheld controllers with me on my keyboard and mouse.

Can you say "owned in the worst possible way"? :lol:

[Neil]

Nope, 4 shoulder buttons and 2 sticks. Better than a wimpy keyboard. :D

PC Manual -
To enable Night Vision - Press "N"

XBox Manual -
To enable Night Vision - While pressing button 1, double click button 2, while also leaning backwards on your chair

[LouCipherr]

XBox Manual -
To enable Night Vision - While pressing button 1, double click button 2, while also leaning backwards on your chair

:lol:

Simply classic. :D

[Neil]

"shooting accuracy" - that's one of the reasons I enjoy my mouse and kb. I'd love to play a game against a bunch of people on consoles and hadnheld controllers with me on my keyboard and mouse.

Can you say "owned in the worst possible way"? :lol:

But don't consoles basically have aim help? ie: When you get close to a target, they sort of help you by zoning on?

Can't see how those little analog sticks would work otherwise. ie: 1-2inches of movement, in comparison to say about 6-10inches on a mouse.

[Tricky]

I dread to think what the console version of operation flashpoint was like,considering on the PC version EVERY button on the keyboard did something!

[MinionZombie]

Lou - damn straight, I prefer the PC, I'm a PC gamer. But alas, I'm at that stage where I've hit a progress wall with my PC, and if I wanna continue gaming the only viable option is a console ... 'sides, it's been a long time since I last had a console. After many years of the effort (which mostly pays off, yeah) with PC gaming, I just wanna chill out a bit and not have to really bother for a while.

Then I'll come back to PC Gaming and catch up on old titles (currently new titles) as well as all the hot sh*t that's coming out when I head back to the keyboard to blast away on a game...of course, I've still got HL2 Ep 2 & 3 as well as STALKER to look forward to. :p

*additional*

Found a pretty comprehensive round-up of the game, was looking at the textures bit just now, and I can fairly comfortably say I most likely won't be using the low settings, because when I was razzing around the MP Beta Demo, it certainly didn't look this cack:

http://www.bit-tech.net/content_images/stalker_review/textures_low_large.jpg

That's the game on low textures, and I certainly had much more detail than that. The game looks rocking, and from the previews of the options screens, there's a BOAT LOAD of settings to tinker with. And oh yeah - what the fudge is Vertical Sync? Wazzat do?

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2007/03/19/stalker_review/4.html

[LouCipherr]

But don't consoles basically have aim help? ie: When you get close to a target, they sort of help you by zoning on?


Some games do indeed have that option, yes, but not all of them. ;)

Even with that auto-aim, most console players wouldn't stand a chance against good pc gamers with good equipment, but we'll probably never know. I don't know of any games you can play on a console online against a pc player.

Besides, they're two totally different ways of playing a game, and probably not much fairness on the side of the console person if they were to try it.

I think even the people who prefer consoles to computers can agree that a mouse is a much better aiming system than an analog stick. We may not be able to agree on much else, but I think this is a fact we can pretty much all agree on.

How about it, my pro-console-gaming friends? Agree? Disagree? Do you think your analog-stick reaction time can be quicker than mouse-pointer reaction times? Just curious...



MZ - (prepared to be scanner-brained!) Vertical Synch is found in many games and allows the frame rate of the game to be matched to the refresh rate of the monitor. If your monitor is set for 80hz, then the game will try to synch at 80 frames per second (fps). If your monitor is set at 60hz, it will slow the game down to 60fps. Make sense?

Usually, allowing VSync provides the greatest stability - and turning it off can allow for much higher frame rates. The downside of the greater speed is the potential for artifacts to develop - it all depends on how your video card is set up. ;)

This is another one of those options that, if you want max framerates our of your video card, turn this sh*t off. I turn off vsynch in everything, even though my monitor is set at a 85hz refresh rate. I've never noticed any artifacts.

It's odd, I never though refresh rates really made a difference until I switched mine from the default 60hz to 85. The difference was INCREDIBLE. Now I can't look at a monitor set at 60hz without seeing a constant 'flicker' on the screen. :(

LC

[MinionZombie]

Tell me about it, one of my housemates got a TFT monitor, but had it set at about 60hz, first of all it just was too harsh on the eyes, but also, the visual quality of everything was cack - like blocky and low resolution.

I've got a TFT, and tried it at 60hz just to see, and it did the same thing, so I stick with 70hz, and I find that suits me quite nicely.

VSync sounds like a load of wank to me, ha! Let all the other settings determine frame rate I say! I wish they'd explain some of these settings so people didn't have to ask or Google it.

And Mouse always wins out against Analogue sticks, it's so inaccurate. I eventually found a kinda 'vibe' with the sticks on Halo 2 multiplayer at uni amongst us chaps all playing it together, and in fact I was the top player in the house, which was good for me, annoying for the rest of them - but when I got beat, it was all the sweater for them, haha!

Anyway, I actually have a video of me playing Halo 2 multiplayer on the Xbox, I should upload it for folk to see if I can be arsed. :lol:

I also must post a screenie of me playing the MP Beta Demo to show what my graphics looked like in game.

*rubs hands*

Hopefully it'll be here tomorrow, in which case, we're talking less than 12 hours ... but I probably won't be awake in 12 hours time, haha!

[LouCipherr]

Just make sure you kill AA, AF, and the Vsynch, and you should be fine... :D

[capncnut]

But don't consoles basically have aim help? ie: When you get close to a target, they sort of help you by zoning on?
Nope, only what's built into the game engine. It is a billion times easier to aim with a keyboard and mouse which is the reason why I prefer console gaming. The anaolgue sticks can sometimes be pressed in ways that are designed to feel more realistic. For example a game like Fahrenheit required 'pulling' movements and the way you 'swish' the sticks sometimes provided a better cutscene. That would be impossible to recreate on a PC.

I dread to think what the console version of operation flashpoint was like,considering on the PC version EVERY button on the keyboard did something!
Operation Flashpoint was not good enough for the Xbox as this (http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox/action/operationflashpointcwc/review.html?sid=6140901) review says:

It's tough to recommend Operation Flashpoint: Elite to anyone in this day and age. If you're curious as to the history of vehicle-based first-person shooters and want to check the game out to see how far the genre has come, then it might be worth a look. There's certainly a ton of content with dozens of campaign missions and stand-alone single-player missions. Given how dated the game looks and plays, though, it would take quite a wargaming fanatic to want to get through all of it.

[MinionZombie]

*ahem*

How can aiming on PC be easier? It's ALL YOU, you're the only one aiming, therefore it's tougher, but creates more skill at aiming.

With a console game, you press a button and you lock on (like True Crime: NY - you pressed a button and you lock on, it was PISS EASY), that's flat out lame by comparison. With a PC, it's all you, the aiming comes down to you and you alone.

As for feel and movement, that doesn't really come down to whichever platform you're on, it's game specific. Like STALKER - you can't sprint & strafe, ergo, realism, there's also a bit of a side-to-side wobble as you run, simulating the feel of running.

Weapons have kick back, sometimes lots, also, you have to fight weapon wobble, like in Brothers in Arms - so you're constantly correcting the mouse to improve your aim. Elsewhere, like Call of Duty 2, you hold down Shift to hold your breath, and your aim becomes accurate - and that's realistic, simulating real life - and I can vouch for that, because it's the same deal when holding a camera with no tripod, especially if you're in certain positions. There's more shake until you hold your breath, then you achieve a sort of steadiness that you didn't have before.

So ... nyah-nah-nah! :p

Oh yes - STALKER arrived this morning just before 9am, I flew downstairs, grabbed it from the door mat and immediately installed it. I've started it up, got it on medium settings, some things on, some things off, the graphics look pretty decent (took some screenies, will post later). I'll cobble a little photo montage of this morning's joyousness and post it soon. :p

STALKER F*CKING ROCKS!!!

The only little "meh" type bits are that some of the translation from Russian to English is a tad iffy at times (e.g. a word comes first when it should be second), and the synchronicity when talking can be a tad iffy - like the audio and their mouth movements don't always synch up, but that's a common thing in videogames, but there are times when - for example - Sidrovich will be sat on his arse staring at his computer talking, but his gob ain't moving.

Apart from that, it's LUSH TO THE EXTREME!!!

The atmosphere, even from my short stint this morning trying it out, is great. I saw a pack of wild dogs nearby, but I didn't go anywhere near them for fear of them being hungry. I rummaged through the possessions of bodies, and I assaulted a building and nabbed me 5 kills.

It's certainly a tough game, but it's just so LUSH!!!

Oh, and I did get the limited edition tin - £18, bitches!! :p Cheaper than anywhere else reet now, haha! It's got a bonus DVD with behind the scenes stuff on it apparently, so I'll check that out during lunch. Otherwise it's got a map you can fold out and a booklet giving you an overview of the game world and all the things in it...and the tin is LUSH too, it's even bumpy where the "rust" is, lovely jubbly!

[LouCipherr]

woohoo! MZ has joined the STALKER ranks. :elol:

I told ya the game was lush as all hell. I can only imagine what kind of hardware you'd need to run this bitch with the graphics on "HIGH" and everything turned on. I dunno if dual 8800 cards in SLI would even handle what this is putting out. :shifty:

[MinionZombie]

I'm chuffing all over the game so I am, but haven't played it since this morning, I'm getting twitchy ... might have to cram in a short sesh before I head off to see my short film "VHS" get a screening this afternoon in Hereford as part of the Viewfinder Film Festival. :cool::)

[capncnut]

With a console game, you press a button and you lock on (like True Crime: NY - you pressed a button and you lock on, it was PISS EASY), that's flat out lame by comparison. With a PC, it's all you, the aiming comes down to you and you alone.

As for feel and movement, that doesn't really come down to whichever platform you're on, it's game specific. Like STALKER - you can't sprint & strafe, ergo, realism, there's also a bit of a side-to-side wobble as you run, simulating the feel of running.

Weapons have kick back, sometimes lots, also, you have to fight weapon wobble, like in Brothers in Arms - so you're constantly correcting the mouse to improve your aim. Elsewhere, like Call of Duty 2, you hold down Shift to hold your breath, and your aim becomes accurate - and that's realistic, simulating real life - and I can vouch for that, because it's the same deal when holding a camera with no tripod, especially if you're in certain positions. There's more shake until you hold your breath, then you achieve a sort of steadiness that you didn't have before.

So ... nyah-nah-nah! :p
What absolute twaddle. You are comparing the entire control system to that of True Crime which was one of the worst games ever made. Lock on is game specific, i.e. if it's a part of the game, it's a part of the game! Most aiming is done simply by moving your control stick left and right, nothing more. No mouse option so you can click and shoot on each head - how f**king lame is that? :confused:

Besides, a console game and a PC game would be about the same difficulty for you. Seeing as though you cheat your way through 99.9% of 'em. :lol:

[EvilNed]

I just got STALKER. I just got my comp back from the shop. I'm just about to get radioactive.

[LouCipherr]

I just got STALKER. I just got my comp back from the shop. I'm just about to get radioactive.

Go EvilNed go!

When you are glowing green from the radiation, please come back and report your results. :D

LC

[EvilNed]

lol you guessed it, I'm radioactive... :p

Minor spoiler below:


I got to pass through that tunnel with the wierd radioactivity entitys but I cant figure out how. The dead guys diary says that I should learn their pattern, but they dont really move in a pattern that benefits me in anyway. It's like one long tunnel riddled with deadly radioactivity. Not sure how to break through, last time I died in like 5 seconds.


Minor spoiler end:


The game is good. I got some nice graphics, my specs are 3800+ AMD, 1500mb RAM and a Geforce 7800 GTX. The game flows without any problems.

My experience so far is that it's an entertaining game that's very gritty and big on good gameplay. I've had several shoot outs with bandits that almost killed me, but with save and load I came up on top hehe.

So far the game is NOT as free as I had imagined. Here and there barriers, fences and stuff like that are set up to prevent you from exploring the entire game. Infact, it wouldn't surprise me if alot of the stuff featured on the full scale map is just sealed off. So while it's very open, you can't go anywhere you want too. Maybe you can later in the game, but in the beginning you can't and I figure that's just how the game works.

[Tricky]

*ahem*
console max payne,red faction,half life,call of duty,the GTA series,wolfenstein,all auto aiming!some not quite as much as others,but all guided your aim in when you were pointing within the hit box of the enemy.
Its annoying when playing online PC games and some people are using aimbots though,they get you before you even pull the trigger,battlefield 2 & counter strike are notorious for it :(

[MinionZombie]

What absolute twaddle. You are comparing the entire control system to that of True Crime which was one of the worst games ever made. Lock on is game specific, i.e. if it's a part of the game, it's a part of the game! Most aiming is done simply by moving your control stick left and right, nothing more. No mouse option so you can click and shoot on each head - how f**king lame is that?

Besides, a console game and a PC game would be about the same difficulty for you. Seeing as though you cheat your way through 99.9% of 'em.

1) TC:NYC was one example, the quality of the game has nothing to do with the fact it has lame-dick aim lock on so you don't have to aim for squat.

2) The analogue versus mouse statement makes no sense at all.

3) I only cheat in Single Player. In multiplayer (either online or with friends) I never cheat...and irrespective of the use of cheats, you still have to do all the aiming on your own with no assistance on the PC. On consoles you get help - and interestingly, people bitched about "Black" not having aim lock on! :eek: Clearly, "Black" was a PC shooter pimped on the console.

4) Tricky - nice list. :p:sneaky:

5) STALKER is cock-rockingly good.

EvilNed - press 6 and you'll select a bolt, which is what you should select when approaching friendlies/neutrals, especially when you want to talk to them.

Anyway, you can throw the bolt into the anomaly, you have to do it two or three times for each anomaly, but if I'm thinking of the same tunnel as you near the start of the game (filled with electrical anomalies when I went there) you can travel through it, you just have to bolt-kill those anomalies as quick as possible so they don't re-appear behind you and get you trapped/killed.

I'm loving this game, I attacked more STALKERS, talked to a group who were camping out, and then went off in search of a suitcase to bring to someone who gave me a 'timed' (1 "day" to complete) mission. The only nuisance with those is you have to keep checking your map to find your way, only your main mission (to do with the story, it appears) guides you with an arrow & distance on your HUD...but it's not a major cock block, not even a flick to the beanbag.

Oh man ... STALKER!!!!!

[EvilNed]

I'm on that very same Suitcase mission. I infiltrated the military base after learning the hard way that barging in through the main gates wasn't such a smart idea. So I shot my way through a hole in the back and mowed down any soldiers that came at me piecemeal and quickly dashed for the building where the documents were. I searched floor after floor, occasionally stopping to put a few bullets through soldier brains, and then found the documents. When I was about to leave I was greeted at the doors by three soldeirs who put me down... Bleh!

My far best experience so far however was earlier when I had to liberate a fellow STALKER and his gang from a group of soldiers. I accidently put on the final duel theme from For a Few Dollars More, and thought it fit so much that I kept it on. I ran through the small compound, wasting soldiers left and right with grenades, pistol, shotgun and machine gun to a kick ass spaghetti western tune. I felt kinda invincible.

[MinionZombie]

So I shot my way through a hole in the back

What do you mean by that? Like shooting through the wire fences you find in the landscape? I came across one of those, so I had to treck back through a field loaded with anomalies and came across a military road block ... dropped them bitches and raided their bodies. :elol:

Also got attacked by a gang of wild dogs when I was chatting to a bloke in a broken down house getting some information from him. :eek:

[EvilNed]

No, the military outpost was just ill-kept and they had an almost unguarded entrance at the back. I wish I could shoot through fences. But the game simply isn't as big as we were promised...

[MinionZombie]

hehe, shooting through fences wasn't promised before though, so that's okay ... you come across any havoc engine style physics yet, though? :confused: Maybe there just isn't anything to boot about at the start of the game...?

I wish vehicles were still there, but I can understand why they took them out after it was explained - you don't explore as much, you'll miss many sights to see, and what happens if you drive into an anomaly? All tricky things to get around ... still though, sometimes it could come in handy.

[EvilNed]

I once climbed up on a ledge and shot a bandit in the back so he flew down three or four stories. But that's about as close as "cool havocy" I've come across. Still, I'm having a good time with the game.

[capncnut]

1) TC:NYC was one example, the quality of the game has nothing to do with the fact it has lame-dick aim lock on so you don't have to aim for squat.
Again, what made it one of the worst games ever.


2) The analogue versus mouse statement makes no sense at all.
To you only.


3) I only cheat in Single Player. In multiplayer (either online or with friends) I never cheat... and (blah, blah, blah).
Who brought up multiplayer?


you still have to do all the aiming on your own with no assistance on the PC. On consoles you get help - and interestingly, people bitched about "Black" not having aim lock on!
Again, utter twaddle.


5) STALKER is cock-rockingly good.
Change the subject, why doncha. Might as well delete the post while you're at it. :D

It is common knowledge that the PC is waaay easier to control than the console. I have played these games as well you know. I completed Deus Ex Invisible War on the PC in a matter of hours, on the console it was a totally different ball park. Okay, the graphics were better on the PC but that's it. Same goes for Half Life 2 as well.

[EvilNed]

FPS are totally unengaging on a console. Sitting three yards away with an analog stick is nothing compared to being hunched right infront of the computer with direct control over the screen.

A FPS game on a console isn't more challenging. It's just harder to control. There's a difference, and it's not a good one. I never once heard anyone praise a game because it was "hard to control".

[MinionZombie]

I bumped into a wood palette and it moved! So there's some havoc in there somewhere, lol...I guess it just doesn't really come into play this early in the game. Went and got some fancy ass jacket from a blocked off underground tunnel and then brought it back, then helped out a bunch of guys in a train yard type industrial building, gave a guy a medipack, I've got a good rating, I'm a trustworthy, helpful kinda STALKER.

Mind you, there was one point with a guy in a white hoody being held up at gunpoint by bandits who were demanding his credentials, but he didn't have them. I was gonna try and save him, tried for a headshot on one of the three baddies, but they killed the white hoodied guy anyway...I wonder how you can save that guy?

[Neil]

*ahem*
console max payne,red faction,half life,call of duty,the GTA series,wolfenstein,all auto aiming!some not quite as much as others,but all guided your aim in when you were pointing within the hit box of the enemy.
Its annoying when playing online PC games and some people are using aimbots though,they get you before you even pull the trigger,battlefield 2 & counter strike are notorious for it :(

I thought those aimbots had all pretty much been shut down now?

[Tricky]

Mind you, there was one point with a guy in a white hoody being held up at gunpoint by bandits who were demanding his credentials, but he didn't have them. I was gonna try and save him, tried for a headshot on one of the three baddies, but they killed the white hoodied guy anyway...I wonder how you can save that guy?

he was probably just an eastern chav,so no harm done eh?:p

@ neil,theres plenty of people using aimbots on battlefield 2,you run round a corner,someone does a roll then shoots,instant headshot and your down!now im pretty good at that game,i can seriously rack up some kills,but theres no way anyone can shoot that good!Ive seen a few other cheats being used there as well,such as the artillery hack where the enemy commander has control of your artillery as well as his own,and when he drops your arty on your team,you get punished for the teamkills :mad:

[EvilNed]

Mind you, there was one point with a guy in a white hoody being held up at gunpoint by bandits who were demanding his credentials, but he didn't have them. I was gonna try and save him, tried for a headshot on one of the three baddies, but they killed the white hoodied guy anyway...I wonder how you can save that guy?

I think the guy is just scripted to always get killed.

I think I'm a bit ahead of you (haha!) but I've been doing alot of just running around and exploring. To get from point A to B takes alot of time in STALKER which is nice cause on the way you can stumble upon all sorts of adventures.

I just met my first REAL mutants (none of those pig or dog freaks) and heck they're kinda scary. Once they chased me through some sewers and since they can turn invisible and I could pretty much not see a thing it was pretty creepy. They don't do much damage tho.

[MinionZombie]

You talking about the bloodsuckers? Those sumbitches look scary.

Speaking of mutants, aye, in the first part of the game you just come across other men or wild animals (who attack if they're hungry, neat addition), but I went down into this little section of basement underneath the Agroprom (sp?) type area, and it was just men ... but when I finally found my way out of there I was jogging over to the ladder (as the others were blocked) and then all of a sudden I hear this awful noise behind me, and it's this psychic monster thing, scared the living sh*t out of me, I had been through that entire underground area, and hadn't come across any monsters, so it freaked me out cos - WHERE THE F*CK WAS THAT THING HIDING?!!? ... was it WATCHING me whilst I trecked about?! :eek: *shivers* ... lurking in the shadows or some ****.

Anyway, as it was doing it's weird mind-f*ck tricks on me I desperately struggled for the ladder and just managed to get the f*ck outta there, I was all panicked and desperately clicked on "YES!!!!" to load the next 'level' (i.e. going back outside again).

I'm trying to find some information about this bloke you've gotta kill (as seen on your PDA from the very beginning), which is apparently in some cache of stuff, but there's like four of them in the area where it apparently is, so I'm running back and forth amongst a shedload of army blokes trying to find what I need, hehe.

Also watched a new troop of soldiers march into an area I'd just attacked and wiped out the soldiers there, so I hid behind ... no, not a rock (Kevin Smith, ;)) ... a tree, fortunately they didn't spot me, but I ran away and straight into another three guarding the gate, haha, just barged it through. :p

[EvilNed]

There's something really strange about this game. The dark, underground tight corridors are actually... rather good? That's very hard to pull off, but STALKER did it. I was just in X16 and I loved it. Now I'm gonna go do some mindless tasks for awhile.

[MinionZombie]

I went down underneath the Agroprom (sp?) place recently, will be heading down there again to see out some documents or some stash - yeah, a stash, that's it...apparently Strelok's gang's stash I need to find.

Anyway, when I first got down there I just went "woah" as I saw the circling light illuminating the area. Lovely, then got nearer and heard it rotating, squeaking away, fantastic atmosphere. The attention to sound detail (except for lip synch) is superb, true atmosphere. It's not obvious, it gets under your skin, it's almost subliminal.

And yes, the underground areas are fantastic. True decay and true terror - see my comment about that psychic monster thingy.

Just watched GamerTV and they had a review of it, clearly they didn't "get" the game (no doubt hardcore haters of the game from the off), they just moaned about how drab it was, as if saying it wasn't "fun, light and fluffy" enough - excuse-f*cking-me, it's based on a REAL tragedy, how on earth could you possibly make it all fluffy rabbits? F*cking numpties...

[LoSTBoY]

Yay, there are actually zombies in this game!!

It's when you go to the lap for the X18(That right?) Documents. You go to the yanvar(?) lake and they are stalkers/army guys who have been psi attacked by this thing in the compound next to the lake. They shuffle like zeds but they still use their guns, quite easy to sneak up on them and put a bullet in their heads.

Lots of snorks about too, hate those guys. :p

Wait till you get into the compound for the X18 documents, been the best one so far. :D

The multiplayer is going to be excellent! All those places you can hide. Shame you can't lie down (as far as I know).

[MinionZombie]

I know, there's a strange lack of prone, but you get crouch ... and then a slightly lower crouch (WTF is that about?! :lol:).

Anyway, I went under Agroprom and finally found Strelok's stash, but my mind was getting f*cked with left, right and centre, then on my dashed way out I came across that psychic monster again, but he didn't leap around or try to attack me, he looked really tired, so I blasted him down. However, I came across my first bloodsucker ... I heard it (at the time "something") creeping around, I heard grunting, howling and general monstery noises, scared the turds out of me, then I had a battle with one. hehe.

Anyway, I'm now chilling out at the 100 Rad bar, about to go off and fetch this blokes family gun in 'the wild zone' nearby, that'll be fun. Bought a load of info off this geezer selling it next to the barman/trader ... I certainly look forward to heading off to Yantar, go snooping around...nail me some zeds!

[capncnut]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. got 9 out of 10 in GamesTM magazine. This is good because if it sells well then it's inevitable that a console version will be put together. Toppa notchas. :cool:

[LoSTBoY]

Damn!!!!!

I've just completed it, and I got a crap ending. :(

I'm guessing it's because I rushed through it and didn't do a lot of the side missions. I never did find that guy you are meant to kill, I still had his flash drive when I completed it.

As for my ending:
I found the thing in the Chernobyl power plant which is meant to grant you a wish, I asked to be rich and gold started raining from the sky, but my guy is only hallucinating and some girders fall on him and kill him.

I will have to go back to a previous save and work out what I'm meant to do with this flash drive.

Still, excellent game, the Chernobyl map is going to be excellent for multiplayer.

MZ, It took me ages to find that rifle(turns out to be a shotgun), you have to find a tunnel to get to it. You'll also find a good hand gun which uses rifle bullets.

[MinionZombie]

Do the endings happen as videos? I guess so ... I wonder if someone will put all the endings up on YouTube or something, cos annoyingly there aren't Bink files in the install folder ... also, no idea where my screenshots go, I went to the install folder but there's nout there.

I'm doing as many side missions as possible, found the rifle, after spending ages snooping around above ground in a shed thingy, haha! Then thought - AHHHH, UNDER-F*CKING-GROUND!!! Grabbed it, and the pistol, noiiiice.

Also got a nice Mercenery rifle.

Gonna do as many side missions as possible so I explore the area as much as possible, might then go back to the Cordon and do some Sidrovich missions to extend it all out...gonna put some time into this game, trying to be a good STALKER and such, then when I replay it I'll be a complete and utter c*nt. :lol: ... wouldn't that be great as your reputation - "total c*nt". :elol:

Did a favour for a guy in the bar (whose rifle I found) and killed some bloodsuckers in this crapped out village, that was kinda scary. Also I've come across zombie stalkers (the middle ground ones who can still use their guns anyway), there's another bloke who wants me to go get his f*cking gun in the dark valley, so I'll do that, check that place out, then I might go back to the Cordon and do some sh*t there, try and cover as much as possible in the outer limits before crossing into the North.

How long did it take you to get to your first ending after powering through?

[EvilNed]

MZ, have you been in X18 yet, underneath Dark Valley? It's kinda creepy in there. I'm just about to head into X16, which is riddled with zombies. It's night here now, and I'm gonna play through it now for maximum effect.

It's kind of interesting how we two played through the same events but in entirely different order. You already found the family rifle, I only accepted the mission and have yet to go look for it, but you haven't been in the Dark Valley yet which is a place I don't think I'm ever going back to this time around.

Earlier I helped the Duty guys raid a Freedom base. That was nice. I pretty much do anything for money. But during the Freedom raid I got lots of cool ****, including a new assault rifle, a sniper rifle and a pump action shotgun. That made me bring out my old shells (i had hidden them in a pipe in Duty town) and it's really good against those jumping psycho zombies.

[Tricky]

Christ it cant be very big if you finished it so quick,even with rushing through! :(

[MinionZombie]

SWEET! I wanna pump action, I'll blates sign up to the Duty folk in that case then, those Freedom folk are a bunch of hippies.

Aye, off to Dark Valley for the first time soon, been hearing about this X18 thing, but was kinda confused what/where it was...:p...anyway, it's a great game for exploring and it's so horrific when you think about it, I've had some proper scary moments, and I'm not even past the unexplored barrier yet! :eek:

That is scary in itself, you have this map and there's all these icons on it (came in the "Radiation Pack" collector's edition thingy that I got) as it's explored territories, but there's this huge chunk which is not explored, and that's just scary in itself, "what the f*ck lives in there?!" you start thinking! :eek:

[capncnut]

Christ it cant be very big if you finished it so quick,even with rushing through! :(
Yes, completion time is roughly 5-10 hours maximum.

[LoSTBoY]

MZ, from where you are there are still a couple areas you have to go through to finish, perhaps 5 hours worth?

For a good gun there is a hidden stash in the Army Warehouse area inside an old school bus, max rate of fire but has good accuracy and a scope so headshots galore.

EvilNed, you should have helped the Freedom group, they offered a lot more than the Duty guys.

I don’t think I ever went into that Dark Valley area, I might find that guy there I have to kill.

[MinionZombie]

I went to Dark Valley last night, found the gun for the other loner in the bar, when I came out of that area there was a whole fuss about a bunch of Bandits, so I helped defend one camp, and attacked another, but then when I headed back towards the bar, when I reached the Duty road block, they f*cking opened fire on me and were now my enemies, even though I was matey with them!!! What the f*ck was that about?!

I don't know what happened, was it a glitch? Maybe, because my contact list that was packed with people was now just one person, the leader of Duty, who was now my enemy...so that was gheay.

Do you think it had anything to do with me talking to Freedom in a nearby village where you have to sweep out the bloodsuckers in the boarded up houses? I had already been set the task by a guy in the bar, but Freedom wanted me to do it as well, and I said yes, but they never paid me. :confused:

Gonna have to retrace some steps 'ere methinks...

Oh yeah, is there something underground the Dark Valley buildings? I think I read something about that, but didn't go and look, I think I might need to go to Yantar and get a scientific suit for it though (as I helped Yurig or whatever his name was, get through the Mercenary battlefield after their chopper got ditched)...

So many things to do! :eek:

[Tricky]

Yes, completion time is roughly 5-10 hours maximum.

Hmmm im a bit disappointed with that then!is it possible to just exist in the game world without following the plot,like GTA,or is it fairly linear?

[capncnut]

Is it open ended? I don't think so but then again, I haven't played it. A lot of reviews say that the only bad point about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is that it is a very short experience. But then again, that doesn't take anything away from the overall quality. I know what you're saying though, I love a long old slog of a game myself. :D

[MinionZombie]

5 to 10 hours if you utterly barge it, more like.

I've played at least that and I've only just gotten to the 100 Rad Bar and there's still plenty of side missions and tasks and quests and sh*t to do in the bit I've just been. The length of play entirely depends on whether you choose to just barge it, or take up the offers of the people you meet, as well as whether you go exploring.

After completion you can't go around just wandering about, so in that respect it isn't like GTA, but it is during the game somewhat, because you choose which missions to do when and you pick when to go and do them and such, not like HL2 where it's just 'follow this path and the story unfolds', in STALKER you feel trapped within the world and you're finding out all about it as you go along through the other men in the world or via PDAs and documents and stuff.

So you can hang out in the world as long as you want I think, if you just wanna run around and shoot animals/bandits/other folk/explore if you want, but if you follow the storyline through to it's conclusion then that's where the game concludes with one of (around 7 I think) the endings.

I've been playing a lot of it since Friday and I've still got plenty to do before I even think about crossing the thick red line on the map into the unexplored territory to the North.

*additional*

Here's my little photo montage of my exciting Friday morning when STALKER turned up. :p

http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=5073726

Oh yeah, I went back to an earlier save, had to to Yurig, the gun and the bloodsucker camp all over again, which was kinda gheay, I hate repeating stuff when you've already done it a matter of hours before...anyway, I'm mates with Duty now, they seem to like me as I assaulted a Freedom camp (and massacred a group of three ... who just seemed to stand there and take it, hahaha ... pansies).

Anyway, am now going to progress onto Yantar, get that fancy ass suit ... not sure if I might do one of the other side missions, like one called 'kill the lead stalker' and another called 'kill the traitor' ... not sure how that might impinge on my overall good nature in the game (being a goody two shoes my first time through, next time I'll be a total c*nt :elol:).

Anyway...laterz taterz!

[EvilNed]

I've played for AT LEAST 5 hours and probably more upwards 9-10 hours. I haven't beaten the game yet and I'm haven't set my foot in Red Forest yet. Methinks that 10-15 sounds more like it, maybe 15-20.

This week I am REALLY busted though, I will barely have anytime to play at all. I have to research italian zombie flicks this week. And next week. And the week after that...

[MinionZombie]

Doing a dissertation on Euro-zombi flicks, eh?

Aye, it definitely takes a lot longer, I went back over that stuff I did last night and did a bit of extra, chumming up with Duty, even saved one of their lives, so we're mates now. I keep thinking that my brief friendly encounter with Freedom f*cked me over, like the word got out that I was friendly with them. So I went by a trio of them on my way to that small village where bloodsuckers are hanging out, and I slaughtered them. :elol:

So now "Freedom" are my enemies, and "Duty" are my friends ... makes sense when Duty are essentially the big cheese in the area, especially around the 100 Rad Bar, you'd just end up with lots of trouble on a frequent basis, so it's not worth it, not a smart move.

Anyway, I'm off to Yantar next time I'm on it, maybe do some work around there for a bit, then head back, do some more work with Duty, and/or even go back to the Cordon to do more fussing about around there as I've probably skipped past a bunch of stuff there that could have been done...so it's gonna be a while before I venture into the North.

Isn't it great how this game has captured our imaginations? Like a shared experience, as if we're "in" the games ourselves, trading stories and such. While it might have the odd rough edge here and there and had a trouble gestation, it's capturing imaginations, and that's the important part.

[EvilNed]

Well, I have to say that STALKER is as close I've ever come to being part of a multi-million dollar hollywood dystopian sci-fi horror adventure. I think that's what captures folks imaginations. The game is just so cinematic and you really FEEL cool when you learn how to handle the game. I know I do whenever I meet up with a bunch of mercs and I just blow their brains out with headshots. I don't waste that much ammo anymore.

I'm done with lake Yantar. I went over to the Duty guy at the bar and asked me if he had any more missions for me, and it looks like the dumb asshole lost his gun again. In the bandit base in the Dary Valley. Again! Argh! Heh. I won't do that mission again, though. The Barkeep told me the Duty commander wanted me to do some chores for him. Unfortunetly the chores including infiltrating a Freedom base and posing as their "friend". Which, uhm, seems rather unlikely consider the last time I was there and killed upwards 20 of them.

Nah, I'm not gonna play anymore tonight. Now I gotta go do some reading. Then I'm gonna finish Flags of our Fathers and get some well needed sleep.

I picked up the X-Men trilogy box set today for 10 ****ing dollars. What a bargain!

[MinionZombie]

lol, I guess I won't be infiltrating Freedom anytime soon then! lol ... slaughtering those three without any other reason than to please Duty didn't go down well with Freedom, haha!

Will keep that in mind for next time. I look forward to the horrors of Yantar, and totally, you really get into the game and the atmosphere...it's certainly the most post-apocalyptic game I've ever played, it's very intricate too, so you never feel like you've mastered the zone, you totally feel that it's far bigger than you, which adds to the sense of awe, suspense, fear and trepidation...oh, and horror! :D

[LoSTBoY]

I've gone back to a previous save (Start of Army Warehouse) and went back and to meet Ghost which I didn't do before, I've now gone and met the Doctor (Back to Stavat's(sp) stash, where that psi monster is :confused: ) and save shortly after that.

FYI, when you help the scientist back to the lab you will get an orange suit, however if you continue to help the doc you will get a Green suit that's the bollocks!

[MinionZombie]

I'm currently helping the scientists, fortunately I already had a couple of things he was after, haha. He asks you to get a unique suit from the midst of the nearby industrial area, but it reeks with psych-activity, so your head gets all ****ed. I dashed in, but even though I was over the icon on the map, couldn't find the f*cker for the life of me!

Where on earth do you find Ghost? He's one of my missions, but I haven't gotten around to it, no idea where to find the info about him yet...Ghost is Strelok's mate isn't he? Damn all these Rusky names. :p

Being inside the scientific base gives you that safe feeling, but also you feel you're sh*tted up, because I was in there and I could hear a small gaggle of zombies outside all moaning and muttering nonsense-Russian (a very nice and creepy touch), when I went outside (the added trepidation of the airlock having to lock behind me before I left) there was a gaggle of zombies. Some spotted me, some were completely in a trance until I engaged them...noiiice.

Will go back to the scientist bloke and hand him an eye from a "flesh" monster, already handed over the foot of a snork to him too.

How do I protect myself against psychological attacks, like in that industrial area near the scientific base in Yantar?

[EvilNed]

Ghost is a bit ahead of you. He's gone underground for now. And you protect yourself from the psychological effects of the machine by wearing a silly prototype the scientists give you (infact, you only have to keep it in your inventory) after you help them do some readings on radioactivity. Makes no sense whatsoever, but hey... :p

I'm actually a bit let down by the Red Forest. It wasn't fun AT ALL. Basicly you travel around one longass road and get attack constantly by soldiers and snipers and there's invisible spots of radioactivity everywhere. So it's not uncommon for you to have to shoot up a syringe of anti-radioactivity while a sniper is shooting at you.

While action is cool, the Red Forests offers absolutly nothing else. And believe me, that road is looooong...

[MinionZombie]

I guess the Red Forrest is what Lou is looking for, as he was saying he personally prefers 'fly by the seat of your pants action', whereas STALKER is something you play over an extended period of time in small chunks at a time and take the time to explore and such, there's not too much bashing about like you get in games such as Doom 3 or Half Life 2 even...

Ah right, cool on the machine thing, I'll look forward to getting that then (should really be explained first of all you'd have thought, why give me the option of taking the mission when I can't yet physically go in there because the boffin hasn't given me what I need to go in there! :lol:)

Off to the Bar area again, gonna kill a bunch of dogs to get the tail of the blind breed...

[LoSTBoY]

[QUOTE=EvilNed;77109]Ghost is a bit ahead of you. He's gone underground for now. And you protect yourself from the psychological effects of the machine by wearing a silly prototype the scientists give you (infact, you only have to keep it in your inventory) after you help them do some readings on radioactivity. Makes no sense whatsoever, but hey... :p
QUOTE]

My way was a bit different in finding Ghost. In the area with the zombies (Yanar(sp) Lake) You can see a downed helicopter, there is a guy in a suit next to it, if you search him you find his pda and the location of Ghost.

[MinionZombie]

Thanks for the tip LostBoy, I've been meaning to have a look at that chopper.

There's chit chat of Ghost working in Yantar, or being known to be there, I thought maybe he's the (or one of) the scientist's human subjects - don't tell me either way, no spoilers ya dick'eds, :)

Anyway, I'm stuck right now - I'm in Lab X18 (and it's SCARY AS F*CK, the sound design is SU-F*CKING-PERB).

Anyway, I've got the documents, but there's all this psi activity or something going on, barrels getting lobbed at me, and jets of fire being shot at me. The door I unlocked however, is on fire and it's being 'held shut from outside' - how do I get out? :eek:

[EvilNed]

Try shooting the fire anamolies, should deactivate them for a few seconds.

I'm at Chernobyl now. I was expecting so much more from the end of this game. I haven't beaten it yet, Red Forest, the last lab, Pripyat and Chernobyl is just one big targetting range. I got tired of this while I was still in Red Forest, more of it doesn't help.

[MinionZombie]

Apparently you've gotta chuck grenades at the orbitting ... erm ... orb. Cos when I back up against the door, the fire jets cease and it's just an orb circling the room...hmmmm...found a forum topic about it online, but nobody said whether shooting it did or did not work... :rolleyes:

Lots of action in the later parts eh? Perhaps that's more what Lou was/is after then...the first part of the game is fairly sedate by comparison ... by the sounds of things.

[EvilNed]

The problem is that it isn't any FUN action and you do absolutly zero adventuring. It's just like an hour or two of linear shoot outs that you get bored with very quickly. Every shoot out is identical to the last.

Anyway, I beat the game now. The last part of the game was definetly a let down. I barely explored Pripyat and Red Forest at all, and they actually seem rather dull. Which is a shame cause Pripyat had such promise! But I didn't even see any buildings you could enter.

The Chernobyl level was massive, though. Fairly interesting, but again, all action. I got a good ending - I think? It was rather ambiguous.

[MinionZombie]

Don't tell me the content, but does the ending play out as a pre-rendered video?

I was trying to track down the other STALKER folder on my computer, found it, but there were no Bink videos or anything...but I did find my screenshots that I took when I first got the game.

Didn't play it last night, only because X18 is far too scary for a midnight sesh ... and got a good night's kip as a result. :D

*additional*

Finally discovered where my screenshots were being saved to, so here's 5 screenies I took during my first gawp-around when I got the game a week ago. :cool:

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8707460187.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=5094524)

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8707460068.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=5094523)

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8707460053.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=5094522)

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8707460072.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=5094521)

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/3/8707455916.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=5094520)

Not bad for:

1gig RAM
256mb ATI Radeon 9600
AMD Athlon 2200+

Got it on Medium Settings with a couple of tweaks here and there.

:p:)

Gonna see about getting the hell out of X18 sometime today...but I must resist for a while, I've got some work to do which I totally put off completely yesterday to play this game for about 3 hours. :lol:

[capncnut]

Noice pics MZ!

[LoSTBoY]

Apparently you've gotta chuck grenades at the orbitting ... erm ... orb. Cos when I back up against the door, the fire jets cease and it's just an orb circling the room...hmmmm...found a forum topic about it online, but nobody said whether shooting it did or did not work... :rolleyes:

As I recall I just shot at it until it popped.

And yes, the endings are video.

[MinionZombie]

I wonder if someone will post all the video endings online sometime, like on YouTube, I'd like to see all the endings, but I don't wanna play the game 7 times to see them all (and that's if I do things the right way to get all the endings)...

I'm now back in the Cordon after escaping X18, blasted it with a grenade, then fought off some Mercs with the Rookies in the first camp near the trader's underground hang out. Still a great game...then went and tried out what happens when you turn right, rather than left when you exit that first camp - headed towards a checkpoint, slaughtered everybody, found a locked gate beyond the checkpoint...lol, worth a look ...

Gonna do a few more missions in the Cordon area before I head back towards the Bar to give Barkeep the documents from X18...

[EvilNed]

Yes, the endings are pre-rendered videos.

[LouCipherr]

I guess the Red Forrest is what Lou is looking for, as he was saying he personally prefers 'fly by the seat of your pants action', whereas STALKER is something you play over an extended period of time in small chunks at a time and take the time to explore and such, there's not too much bashing about like you get in games such as Doom 3 or Half Life 2 even...

Yes, this was and is my one issue with this game (other than there being no goddamn vehicles! i'm getting sick of walking and wandering around!!!).

While it has fantastic eye candy and is interesting to look at, as I was telling MZ, my personal favorite kind of games are the move-so-fast-you-can't-think-just-react kinda games like Quake4, Unreal Tournament 2k4, Battlefield 1942 & 2, etc. STALKER, as great as it looks, I can honestly say it hasn't kept my interest long enough to play it much more than a few hours. I haven't touched it since this past weekend now that I think about it - but yet, I keep going back to Q4 and BF2 for some reason. Hmm..

I dunno, just not my kinda thing. I was hoping for more action earlier in the game, and I just didn't get what I was looking for. :( Still sounds like a good game and concept, just doesn't keep my interest.

Now I'm just waiting for Left 4 Dead. :elol:

LC

[MinionZombie]

Yes, the endings are pre-rendered videos.
Which was handy, because I downloaded them all (at least I think so, got all the ones I could find anyway) from YouTube (using KeepVid.com).

So when I finally reach the end of STALKER, I'll then watch the alternate endings.

I'm currently back in Yantar, about to go off and do some readings with Kruglov so I can get than psi-thingymajig so I can then go into the complex nearby to go into X16 to get some more documents. :lol: ... convoluted? Perhaps... still jolly good fun? Oh yeah.

Definitely a game that you have to play in short stints throughout the day/when free over a much longer period of time than your usual FPS, which is much more 'run and gun down a set path' in style.

I'm also taking quite a while as I'm doing a lot of side missions ... however, due to one of the bugs in the original build of the game, these missions have a tendency to 'reset' themselves so you can do them again and again if you're weird enough to, or some missions don't work properly (like getting the scientist a blind dog's tail - I've got like 5 of the f*ckers on my backpack!)

There is a patch to fix these things ... utterly gheay problem is though - your existing save games won't work with the patch! :eek: So I've gotta finish on this run through, then the next time I play through I'll apply the patch...*sheesh!*

Mind you, STALKER isn't the first game to patch and fudge up existing saves ... I wonder why that is? Can't they put some effort in to keep a player's saves?!

[capncnut]

I might look into getting this.

[MinionZombie]

Was playing some more today, I still wish vehicles were in there, running back and forth down a road can get annoying, but as soon as you progress into new areas to explore and continue with the story, then it picks up again.

I've gotta go into the Red Forrest to go into X19 ... so if it's anything like X18 and X16, I'll be bricking it - even in mid afternoon. Then I've gotta yomp off to Pripyat to go into a hotel to find some room to find some stuff stashed in there ... looking forward to seeing new areas, but I'm actually kinda creeped out ... what horrors will I find ... only time will tell.

Interesting how the mutants start spreading outwards into other areas of the zone as the game progresses and the effects of the zone change/increase/whatever...spooky stuff.

Goes by as fast as you choose to play it. Fast if you just barge the main story and help nobody, quite deep if you take the time to help people, do side tasks, and most importantly - EXPLORE and GAWP.

The hopelessly derelict surroundings are just fascinating ... then you remember it's based on real life ... and that's scary stuff.

[capncnut]

Sounds SWEEET! Gonna have to get it... must wait for inevitable 360 conversion... nggghhhh!!! :D

[EvilNed]

Sounds SWEEET! Gonna have to get it... must wait for inevitable 360 conversion... nggghhhh!!! :D

I don't think there is one planned, and as far as I know they have no deals with Microsofts whatsoever... Besides, I don't think this game would do very well on a console because it's NOT arcadey. A mouse is pretty much required.

Anyway, I'm going to replay the game in a week or so. Then I'm going to look for completly alternative ways to play the game. I remember thinking while playing the game that I couldn't voice my opinion on it yet because it felt as if I'd missed so much. Well, I've beaten the game and it STILL feels like it! I barely touched Pripyat (mostly because I didn't like it), and the Red Forest was a "blink and you miss it" moment for me. I mostly hung out in Garbage, Bar, Yantar and Army Warehouses.

[capncnut]

I don't think there is one planned, and as far as I know they have no deals with Microsofts whatsoever... Besides, I don't think this game would do very well on a console because it's NOT arcadey. A mouse is pretty much required.
Er okay then, I shall give up all hope. :rolleyes:

[EvilNed]

Er okay then, I shall give up all hope. :rolleyes:

Good. Now I get the evil ending.

[MinionZombie]

I'll be heading into the Red Forrest today ... then Pripyat either later or tomorrow or something ... I'm expecting oddles of "oooh ... ahhhh" as well as "ARGH!!! YA F*CKER!!! RUN AWAY!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" :lol:

I'm gonna try and explore as much as I can in the later areas, see how it compares to the video footage I've seen on Chernobyl 'fan sites' (so-to-speak, folk that go exploring and documenting). Even when you do plenty of exploring, you suddenly think to yourself that you still haven't been looking closely enough, just taking the time to stand around for a bit and really look at the detail of this desperate and hopeless world you now inhabit - which is the main point of the game, not seeking out jokes and humour and all that like which *sigh* GamerTV was seemingly expecting - it's a game set in and around the area of the 'greatest' nuclear power tragedy in history ... tell me, where is the right place for jokes and humour? :rockbrow:

Nob'ed GamerTV reviews...:rolleyes:

Finished watching the Tarkovsky film by the same name, this afternoon ... interesting stuff. Perhaps it'll give me some help when it comes to the final choice in STALKER (don't give anything away ya bastards! :D) ... you know, in a way of better understanding The Zone and how to respect it etc...

Went to the Red Forrest today, I see what you mean Ned, just a long pathway of death really, just loads of shooting, it'd help if you were a mate with Freedom and Monolith ... I'll remember that for next time. Anyway, was expecting a Forest, but didn't get that at all ... hmmm ... still, that's been the most consisten action in the game thus far, but on the other side, not the best area in the game.

Anyway, on to Pripyat next, hopefully there's something to actually explore there, rather than the pathway of death in the forest...the Monolith is calling me ... perhaps I'll see the ending soon ... then I can watch all those videos I downloaded off YouTube, haha!

Still loving the game though, I'm itching for another sesh right now actually...

[MinionZombie]

*yet more*

Finished STALKER today, just went straight on to the Monolith and made my wish (I was expecting a list of ambiguous options, rather than just pressing the Use Key...anyway...) - *sigh*, I thought I'd been a good STALKER, but I got the "I want to be rich" ending, where 'gold' (nuts and bolts) rains down on me - and then the ceiling caves in and crushes me. :rolleyes:

Watched the other endings that I'd downloaded from YouTube though ... good stuff, although I might be missing one, not sure, might seek out a guide to show me what's what.

Now don't go barking down my throat anyone, I cheat in Single Player (f*ck off, Lou was using a trainer for the game as well) - but I never cheat in multiplayer or online, so I'm only cheating myself, and I don't care about that...

Anyway, even with the trainer on, I still got killed sometimes - what the fudge is that about?! And when I go in search of whatever is 'behind the door' (and, presumably anyway, fulfill that "kill the strelok" task from the beginning) as soon as I'm shot I can't do squat to bandage myself up or heal myself, I just bleed and bleed and bleed until I die - you-f*ckin-wot?!

Zero sound/visibility option didn't work either, they still saw me and killed me - even with Invincibility apparently enabled ... bloody random.

Anyway, the inside of the Sarcophagus was rather impressive, very creepy, the very centre of all the chaos and you're alone, walking around in it...

Didn't get much time to explore Chernobyl, there was chaos everywhere and something about a 'blow out' in 5 minutes, so I had to haul ass and get inside, so I didn't really get to snoop around that much, if it 'blows out' when you're outside, I think you die ... so how can you get to have a good look around the area?

Very strange.

Pripyat was good, even though it was mostly killing merceneries/freedom/monolith folk (can you get monolith on your side? surely you can...), I saw most of it, but cos it was a lot of shooting, you don't get to appreciate it as much.

Strange that the main focus of the advertising/previews for the game is Pripyat/Chernobyl, yet it's where you spend least time...hmmm.

Over all, 8/10 ... this game truly gave me some scary moments, and a lot of shivers up my spine, my hair was almost always on end and rendered going to sleep a much harder task than usual...

[capncnut]

Over all, 8/10 ... this game truly gave me some scary moments, and a lot of shivers up my spine, my hair was almost always on end and rendered going to sleep a much harder task than usual...
Thank f**k, now we got the review it finally looks like we can move on with our lives. :rolleyes::D

[MinionZombie]

Thank f**k, now we got the review it finally looks like we can move on with our lives. :rolleyes::D
Piss off, yeah? :sneaky:

You could've unsubscribed from the thread if you'd wanted, but you're just as much a whore for inside knowledge on STALKER as everyone else in the thread. :lol:

[Tricky]

So was it worth the wait and money then?im kind of disappointed that you've all finished it within a week & that it doesnt sound as open as we expected :(
Is there an online version where you exist in the gameworld in a similar way to warcraft or something?that would be cool :)

[capncnut]

You could've unsubscribed from the thread if you'd wanted, but you're just as much a whore for inside knowledge on STALKER as everyone else in the thread. :lol:
I have never subscribed to a thread in my life at HPotD. And indeed, I am a whore for S.T.A.L.K.E.R., I'm just being a cheeky obnoxious bastard. :elol:

[MinionZombie]

WoW style STALKER? Er ... no.

I started playing it on March 23rd, finished yesterday, and that was after putting in at least 20 hours, most likely more than that.

I did quite a bit of exploration and side tasks, but far from all of them and I didn't explore everywhere either.

The Red Forrest/Pripyat and then Chernobyl is where you rush around like a looney shooting at loads of things, so it's a lot of lead up and then a quick finish ... a smidge disappointing, but only in that kind of way where you're totally aiming for a flat-out-porno-facial-of-Peter-North-proportions, but you get too excited about that prospect and instead lube up the lass' calf ... :lol: ... just off the top of my head, it was the funniest comparison I could dream up right now. :p

So you still get to spoodge, but it could have been a better ending ... although it's still all good anyway. When you're inside the CNPP (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant) and the Monolith is calling you in this deep, Russian voice, it's really spooky...

GSC blatantly bit of WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much in one bite, and a lot of ideas were far too RPG, and wouldn't have worked too well in the FPS environment...the content of STALKER is more suited to FPS gaming anyway, in terms of the locale.

I wish they'd scaled back sooner or had the foresight to realise they had too many good ideas that were too disparate to all link together, from the off ... but alas they didn't, hence the long wait.

I was busting a nut for this game throughout my time playing it, and I'll be going back - BLATES.

Definitely worth playing, and I think you'd probably enjoy it. I'd say it's definitely worthy of earmarking along with other highlights of the FPS genre - Doom, Half Life, COD etc...

Some rough edges here and there (make sure you patch it before playing, which I'll do next time through), it is annoying that vehicles aren't there, but it is understandable why they took them out. If you're driving hell-for-leather, what happens if you hit an anomaly? It totally makes sense why they took vehicles out, just a shame because at times a vehicle would be really useful.

Excellent sound design, right up there with Doom 3, better even.

The setting is superb, really creepy, lots of areas to explore, lots of scares to be had. Some things could be tweaked (like when running, why can't your guy avoid stepping on - for example - a railway track, or a corpse - why can't the guy manage to place their footage in-between/over these obstacles? Because when you're running and you cross a railway track, for instance, your pace gets off-set for a moment, which can be really annoying - but it's just one of those little things you get used to, you'll find yourself doing a bit of a hop-skip-jump over such things, haha.

Some of the expansive elements (or RPG elements really) aren't as polished or well-realised as you might have possibly expected, but there's nothing to really slap your cock back, because the overall experience inspires you to forgive the game of it's minor faults. It really is a worthy entry into the FPS genre and gives the player something they haven't seen before. I hope that STALKER will inspire the FPS genre in the future.

As for the speed of going through it, entirely depends on how you play it. If you only follow the main storyline, and just barge it, you'll cut through fairly swiftly. However, if you do as the game would prefer, walk around, go "ooh and ahh", explore all the areas, even the nooks and crannies, read through your PDA, do side missions, talk to people, do some more visual gawping and so on ... it'll be a much longer playing sesh. Finally, speaking of such things, this probably isn't the sort of game you'll find yourself playing for mammoth sessions, it's 1 or 2 hours at a time, spread out to a few times a day ... so it's a game you commit to for a while and just chip away at, rather than barge through like a retarded monkey on speed...this most definitely isn't like the linear-quick-relief of Doom3.

Over all, 8/10 ... like a Labrador ... a bit stupid from time to time, occasionally cuts a fart near you, but it's just too lovable to do without or find lasting criticism with. :cool:

Check it out on Play.com, you can snap it up for £18, definitely worth it.

[EvilNed]

Playing the game through for the second time. I pretty much immediatley proceeded on towards the Freedom base and now I'm doing missions for them. In my previous game, they were constantly my enemies. Now they're me friends!

[MinionZombie]

I wonder if you can be matey with Monolith as a result of working with Freedom? Or perhaps they're always going to be your enemy.

One of these days I'll bash through it again, but not for a while, let it settle and digest ... and I'm too busy at the moment...so much porn to watch. :p

[EvilNed]

No, I can confirm that Monolith is always your enemy. I just did a mission for the Freedom guys where I had to fight them. And they were tough!

I'm currently doing quests for Freedom without joining them. That way, the Duty guys won't expell me from the central bar area!

I haven't even gone to X18 yet, and I've already got the assault rifle I had when I BEAT the game last time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%26_Koch_G36

That one it is. I love that gun. You can zoom in and it's easy to aim with.

As for being busy, I finished my essay on italian zombie flicks today, so I sat down with STALKER then. :)

[MinionZombie]

Oh yeah that gun is awesome, accurate, easy to handle, got a good scope, ideal really. I used that one the most.

Next time I play through I'll act like a complete dickhead and hang out with Freedom as well...

[EvilNed]

Well, I'm sad to say that in the current version, 1.0001, the Freedom Questline is broken. You can do four of their "main" quests and then you can't do anymore because they won't acknowledge that you completed the last one.

In general, several of the questgivers in the Freedom camp seem broken. Skinflint is the name of their trader. He gave me a mission once, but after that he won't even talk about missions. As well, one of their guys is called Max. He gave me a mission too. After I completed it there was noway to get him to talk to me about it. So the time went out, eventually.

I hope they patch that quickly. I like just roaming around doing random quests.

[MinionZombie]

This is a reason why I'm waiting a while till I play again, so that they patch stupid little glitches like that, I have to say that the side-quest glitches were annoying in the game, I didn't realise it was there initially, then I read about it and went "oh yeah" ... lol, perhaps some radiation leaked out of the game and made me braindead, eh? :lol: