I may have a problem - TTLG Forums

Muzman on 5/12/2007 at 16:58

There's some spoilers if you havent got up to the 100Rads bar yet, so be ware.

Looking for a good old fashioned beating from a proper game after whipping Bioshock on hard to smooth paste, I finally get around to Stalker... and try starting on veteran
You know how they say; be careful what you wish for...? Yeah.
Man is this game mean! I feel thoroughly flogged after even a short session , but I've just got to keep going. I know I can get through.
It's not just the dying etc either, the early stages are something of an emotional beating as well; the world is a cold, lonely scary place, nobody likes you, and when someone finally does they invariably die straight away, often right in front of your face just after you gave them a medkit (or they take a stray one to the face and are lying there whimpering, but get savaged by wild dogs before you can help them. Or any number of horriffic scenarios). You learn fast; don't get too attached to people, life is cheap, you spend your ammo helping other people and you just end up without enough for yourself.
Running away is also good.
Bandits also have the finest recruitment program in the Zone.

So, yeah, somehow I've managed to stagger to the bar now (don't ask me how I got through that damn military outpost, or the damn basement, but I did. It was kinda hilarious; I finally make it to the end of the basement and then Wah! Scary evil mindfuck guy! *frantic climbing of ladder* Wah! Heavily armed army guys everywhere! *back down ladder*) and I'm feeling kind of tough for the first time. But really this game is pretty full on. I was thinking you could just chill and explore for a while after getting to a certain point and not take any seemingly major plot missions. But just wandering off to find some drunk guy's family gun sets off all manner of shit, right at dusk too. There's always somethng new and major to do and I usually feel like I don't have the gear for it.
I don't want to restart, but I don't suppose you can change difficulty somehow along the way?
few other qs:
What's that unlock code thing that appears after the patch (or is it just because I skipped the serial number for online play when I installed)?
Do I actually need that float32 thing or is it included in 1.0005? (I heard it was adopted in 1.0003 or something. But I thought I saw someone said it was pitch dark at night with float32, but mine isn't. Which leads to the next Q)
Is this some sort of HDR process I'm seeing (I've got pretty much everything turned all the way up)?
And is antialiasing supposed to work at all?

cheers

242 on 5/12/2007 at 18:33

Quote Posted by Muzman

I finally make it to the end of the basement and then Wah! Scary evil mindfuck guy! *frantic climbing of ladder* Wah! Heavily armed army guys everywhere! *back down ladder*

:laff: :laff: :laff: :ebil:

Quote:

I don't want to restart, but I don't suppose you can change difficulty somehow along the way?

You can change difficulty at any time, but the difficulty affects only enemies hitpoints and your hitpoints. Proper weapon is important for success, as well as suit and artifacts on your belt. The game really feels too hard from the start especially after majority of modern games but what I love about it is that even though it doesn't have player stats like strength and accuracy it does feel like the parameters improve during game. With good experience, knowledge of maps, and of course proper equipment you won't hesitate about taking sidequests even on Wild Territory after X16 (you'll know what I'm talking about when time will come :ebil: ) and will feel yourself there like right at home. Though probably not during the first run through :)

Quote:

few other qs:
What's that unlock code thing that appears after the patch (or is it just because I skipped the serial number for online play when I installed)?

Haven't tried it, but it's supposed to add some not important content.

Quote:

And is antialiasing supposed to work at all?

I don't think so.

Bjossi on 5/12/2007 at 18:37

AA won't work, but the fake effect they implemented does.

Trappin on 5/12/2007 at 21:06

the early stages are something of an emotional beating as well; the world is a cold, lonely scary place, nobody likes you

Stalker is an awesome game and the moody atmospheric feel becomes more intense as you progress through each zone - even on subsequent replays. If you really want to get sucked into the game read (http://www.russiansifiction.com/translated/strugazckie/picnic/index.php) Roadside Picnic then browse (http://www.kiddofspeed.com/) kid of speed and this (http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~dmcmill/Pages/Villages/Villages%20thumbs.html) Chernobyl Exclusion Zone website.

Stalker blends reality with science fiction like no other game I've ever played... and the result is a world that is indeed cold, lonely and forbidding.

ADD: How creepy is this real photo.. the room has fungal/mold growth which looks nearly the same as the in-game anomaly known as (http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~dmcmill/Pages/Villages/1996%20Village%20Roof.html) Fruit Punch

Scots Taffer on 6/12/2007 at 03:26

Doesn't patching effectively kill your saved games?

Muzman on 6/12/2007 at 04:00

Anything up to 1.0003 does. Patching 1.0003 to anything over doesn't so far, so they tell me (I patched before I started anyway).

cheers folks anyway. I'll look for the difficulty thing.
I read Roadside Picnic years ago and yes the game does evoke the same sort of feeling of grim, desperate humanity (it all makes me want to read up on gold rushes and things actually).

BEAR on 6/12/2007 at 15:55

@ OP. The game does feel easier later on. You start get some kickass weapons and everything just seems to fall in place. Im on 1 setting below the max (maybe that is veteran?), and for the first long time I just felt like I could not do anything, it was hard to shoot people and I just got raped. By the end though, I was kicking ass and taking names, I almost wanted it to be harder so I'd say stick with what you've got.

Just a word to the wise - search really well and you will find alot of extra ammo for the grenade launcher, and once you get to the final mission you wont really need it. If you have to, you can always look up the locations of more if you run out, but there is no use hoarding it all, and it can make alot of parts easier, same with the RPG. I ended the game with 6 shots of it and nothing to use it on, so dont take it all the way to the end like I do, use the stuff and quickload less. Also there are lots and lots of hand grenades.

Muzman on 7/12/2007 at 16:33

Ok, cheers. Its a bit of a worry though. I would be a bit disappointed if it just became about better weapons and armor (not sure why though. I let every other fantasy RPG get away with it. guess I'll have some realism mod to look forward to later on)

Quote Posted by Bjossi

AA won't work, but the fake effect they implemented does.

What effect is that? Their AA slider doesn't seem to have any effect. Some reduced jaggies at close range would look very nice indeed (in a game that already looks very nice. I've shown people the UT3 demo, Enemy Territory, Bioshock and while the others look nice-to-great and are technically superior in some ways Stalker just tends to leave people stunned and they just want to keep watching and suggesting I go look over the hill or something)