Bakerman on 9/1/2011 at 03:13
I recently got Clear Sky and I just reached Cordon. I'm actually loving it so far - I picked the game up at a time when I was longing for some Stalker-style combat, so the combat focus of the game suits me fine. However. I'm playing it at Master difficulty, so maybe I have no right to complain, but is it just me, or is your entry into Cordon past the military outpost a massive dick move on GSC's part? I tried it about four times, getting mowed down by that insane machine gun post every time. The first time it actually killed me through that thick tree near the entrance to the area.
I basically gave up, and went back to the swamps, to the other Cordon entrance, then managed to jump the fence on top of the railway embankment (because the stalkers guarding the bridge and tunnel were hostile) to get to Sidorovich.
This strikes me as not being what GSC intended... but I found it impossible to deal with the soldiers at the outpost. That said, I was quite pleased that a. I managed to find an alternate solution and b. the alternate solution didn't horribly break the game :p.
Anyone know what the deal is?
Muzman on 9/1/2011 at 06:38
No, even on lower difficulties it is a severe pain in the arse. Even if you manage to last a while they send troops out to get you while you hide. It's horrid.
Basically you have to deal with the line of sight really well. There's a tree or two you can keep between you and the gunner as you approach. Then there's a big outcrop of rocks which you wait behind (I think).
Around there somehwere you'll be able to see there's a gap under the big fallen tree to your left with a crate. DON'T try and crawl under there. You will get stuck and swiss cheesed almost every time. From memory around there somewhere there's another gap and you can cut straight back up the hill and be on the other side of the fence, free to continue to the village. I can't remember exactly how this works off the top of my head. But even knowing the right way you'll still probably die a couple of times in the attempt and won't avoid getting shot entirely.
Edit; yep, I just checked it. You go towards the big fallen tree and run back up the hill. It's hard to see that that's where the fence stops until you run over there.
Koki on 9/1/2011 at 09:28
There's also another way into Cordon, but if you go there you will need to sneak to Sid or Stalkers will shoot you on sight.
Bakerman on 10/1/2011 at 10:27
Quote Posted by Muzman
Edit; yep, I just checked it. You go towards the big fallen tree and run back up the hill. It's hard to see that that's where the fence stops until you run over there.
Yeah, I've just taken to avoiding that route. It's easy enough to dodge the renegades in the Swamps, and come out right near the stalker base. Makes getting to Sid a bit of a pain, since I sell most of my really juicy loot there (other traders don't seem to be giving me good prices).
Quote Posted by Koki
There's also another way into Cordon, but if you go there you will need to sneak to Sid or Stalkers will shoot you on sight.
Yup, got it ;)
So I started off really liking this game, until I got to the Garbage. Then, after 'accidentally' becoming enemies with the bandits, I really started to hate the game. The bandits seem to be the major offenders in the grenade spam thing that goes on, and to boot, though I had both a TRS-301 with scope and the IL-86 (I think; the NATO one), I was always less accurate than the bandits.
Just made the whole thing a terrible pain. Especially with the stupid number of bandits that hang around the Garbage, I was getting nowhere fast (current objective is following Fang to Agroprom).
Does anyone know if you can get to Agroprom via the swamps? I went that way in the middle of the night, but got turned around with the message 'you need a guide to show you through the swamps'. The little level transition arrow has reappeared on the map now though (during daytime), so I might try that again instead of braving the bandits.
Also, protip for myself: repair and upgrades are important. I felt like I couldn't hit anything with my TRS, not when scoped - but after repairing it and applying a 10% accuracy upgrade, I'm getting headshots like a pro. Makes dealing with bandits much easier.
I also had a windfall - came across a bunch of guns on the ground around one of the Stalker outposts in Cordon, including a Vintar. I will be having some fun applying it to bandits in the near future.
One final note: artefact hunting is awesome. I never bothered with it until about 12 hours in, because of the massive radiation that I really didn't want to deal with. But now I'm all stocked up on vodka and antirads I can justify it, and boy is it a rush.
(Selling artefacts to Sidorovich netted me my first SEVA suit... *fist pump*)
Muzman on 10/1/2011 at 11:38
I've heard people complain about it before, but I've never really had a problem with grenade spam that I can recall. My recent playthrough it's definitely not a problem, but that might be because I've got Complete installed and they fixed it. But I don't remember it from my vanilla runs either.
What's fun, if you want to play it like that, is joining the Stalkers and waging war on the bandits, so you've got some support (they seem to do it the best. Duty kick their arse, but don't take over their base from what I've seen). That tends to keep their numbers pretty small in Garbage.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure there is a path to Agroprom from Swamps but it doesn't open up until you do some missions for Duty, maybe the Underground mission.
Bakerman on 11/1/2011 at 07:41
Quote Posted by Muzman
I've heard people complain about it before, but I've never really had a problem with grenade spam that I can recall..
Lucky :p. I've downloaded Complete, but I really want to do a vanilla run through. Goodness knows why, though...
I managed to take out the bandits at the depot, but, sure enough, the Stalkers couldn't seem to care less, and about three minutes after I left to get my reward (a SEVA suit... lol), the bandits repopulated it.
I mean... to be totally honest, I think the STALKER series could be the best shooters out there if GSC just got their act together. The fight for the depot was amazingly fun and tense - and having fought through a few bandit mobs to get there, I was down to using scavenged pistol ammo to finish off the last of them. The thing I love about STALKER is that it offers you no help as a player - but that's one thing, deliberately and maliciously ignoring you is another. When I take out 17 bandits without dying, I don't want to have to do it again next time I feel like crossing the garbage!
Ugh. Rant over :p. I'm looking forward to Call of Pripyat... from what I've heard of it!
Also... I've finally got a radiation-dispersing artefact as a reward for killing the bandits. Time to start making use of artefacts :p. It was all I could do not to sell it - Sidorovich was giving me 10800 for it. But I'm filthy rich by now anyway. Just naturally a miser...
Muzman on 11/1/2011 at 08:06
Well you don't have to kill them all every time you go over there. :p
It can take some coaxing to get the stalkers to properly occupy the base. They have to occupy all the various camps around the Hanger first (most of the priority ones will be mentioned in the faction war page I think). Once they do they'll often launch the assault themselves. Win that fight and they move in.
The bandits still come back sometimes. But the guys can often surpress them by themselves, which is handy.
Bakerman on 11/1/2011 at 10:55
No, that's true. I just feel it necessary. Also, having freedom of movement around the area would be nice :p. I guess not having captured the side-camps is the issue, but I was given the 'we've secured the garbage, now take out their base!' mission as soon as Stalkers captured the two entrance points from Cordon. And managed to complete it, and get my reward. And now bandits have retaken the depot, and the mission's appeared again. I think I'm just gonna ignore it this time...
242 on 11/1/2011 at 11:45
Quote Posted by Bakerman
This strikes me as not being what GSC intended...
I believe it was intended. They clearly wanted to make player search for another way after he/she realizes the one with the machine gun is virtually unpassable.
Bakerman on 11/1/2011 at 12:23
Problem is, there isn't really another way, unless you count a lucky jump over a fence in the middle of nowhere (I walked all the way east to where the gap in the fence was in SoC). Unless it's possible to blitz the Stalkers without getting killed, but that doesn't seem to be any better of an idea than braving the minigun. And when you arrive, Sidorovich seems to assume you've outwitted the military.
Aside: I have now made my TRS into an awesome, unstoppable killing machine of headshottingness. Though it's a moot point against those grenades :p.
EDIT: Quote for SoC: "Get out of here, Stalker!" Quote for CS: "Vam, bam, thank you, Mercenary!"
