faetal on 30/4/2012 at 09:47
I had just accepted the military warehouses mission for the Duty leader (where you have to get the Bulldog grenade launcher). I also accepted the mission to kill the Duty stalker who'd gone over to freedom and was in the freedom base I had to (ostensibly) get the grenade launcher from. On the way in, I bumped into some duty guys preparing to assault the freedom base and wanted me to kill a sniper for them, but I declined as I had business to conduct there first.
So, I went in, got my reward for killing some bloodsuckers in the village (which I did en route to the base) then trade with the freedom leader, who has an awesome GP37 gun which I want NOW. Only I can't afford it. Being used to having ca. 100,000 RU, this came as a shock. But I swallowed my pride and left him to it.
Went and spoke to the chef and got the info on the grenade launcher - thanks chef!
Then I find the stalker I've agreed to 'take out' for Duty, only he's a gate guard and killing him there would have been suicide.
I had a plan.
I went back to the duty guys preparing to assault, accepted the mission to kill the sniper, then went back in to the base (gave the sniper's tower a wide berth as he shoots on sight when you're in the base if he's spotted you beforehand), walked up the sniper's tower and knifed him in the back with no consequence in the base at ALL. After all, I'm just a regular, non-affiliated stalker guy right?
I went back to the Duty guys having done this, they asked if I'd take the rest of the snipers out for them, but that was a little hot for my blood, so I let them storm the base (which involved a nice sequence where they blew the wall up!) and I followed from behind watching. The Duty guys swiftly took a dick, but not before taking out most of the freedom guys in the base, INCLUDING the guy I was supposed to kill (result!) and a couple of guys with GP37 ARs, so I grabbed me one (for FREE this time), hot-footed it back to the Duty base in Rostok and the Duty guy gave me a great suit and an automatic silenced sniper rifle.
In no other game I've ever played is this kind of micro-political tactic something which can be plotted so on the fly and pay off so well.
BEAR on 1/5/2012 at 02:00
Quote Posted by heywood
Nice story BEAR.
I seriously have to make time to play STALKER again. I played SoC sporadically when it first came out and while it was fun, it was also frustrating and it ran sluggish performance on my PC. It didn't help that 2007 was a tough year and I didn't have a lot of time or attention to spend on games. So after Bioshock came out, I dropped SoC and never came back to finish it. I skipped right over Clear Sky, and then purchased CoP but never played it.
What would you all recommend, going back to SoC or giving CoP a go instead?
If you found SoC hard to get into or frustrating, CoP might be good. Its got bigger zones and less loading, it looks great and plays great.
CoP didn't have the spontaneity that SoC had. I honestly couldn't really tell you any stories of crazy shit that happened. Even though it was bigger, it was more structured and scripted. It was stilll a lot of fun to explore, but it just lacked something that SoC had. It definitely didn't have the scary factor of the various labs of SoC.
I want to replay stalker this summer, and I'm definitely going with SoC:OL.
Ostriig on 1/5/2012 at 09:56
Ah, memory lane... I think I might've told this one before around here...
It was the first time I'd ventured deeper into wild territory, north of Rostok. I pushed forward past some warehouses and got to the rail station, following a distress call from a group of scientists with some helicopter trouble. A gruelling firefight later I managed to secure that last remaining member of the science team, I forget his name, and he asked me to help him get back to the Lake Yantar outpost. You know the drill.
I took him as far as the point where he turned around to thank me but then, rather than accompany him any further, I decided to turn around and haul ass back to the Bar. You see, there were two factors here. First, I'd never been as far as Lake Yantar before and I had no idea what lay ahead and how much longer to the outpost. Second, faithful to a magpie instinct, I was lugging around a huge load of weapons and ammo that I'd looted from the corpses around the crashed helicopter. They wouldn't need it anymore.
But now it's late. I'm carrying over 60KG of crap and it's taken a long time to escort the good doctor. Now it's getting dark. And I have to trek back to the Duty base all by my lonesome. And did I mention it's dark? "So what, haven't you managed to score a Stalker suit by now?" Well, yes, I have, but being a phenomenal dumbass I've so far failed to register that it has a nightvision module.
So here I am creeping alongside buildings, staying in the shadows, not daring to turn the flashlight on for fear of attracting unwanted attention. Which in this context means any attention. It's difficult to see and my nerves are getting stretched by these awkward snorts and whines I keep hearing far off in the distance. I cross the rails and move on close to the wall of a warehouse, trying to peer ahead. I can only hear stuff, but it's all far away. Satisfied that the way seems clear, I step into an open space dimly lit by moonlight and inch forward, trying to ignore those far-off sounds and focus on my more immediate context.
Except... I just heard something. It's like what I've been hearing before, but... just a little louder. And wait, it's not coming from far away... It's coming from the left! I swing around just in time to catch a glimpse of a lanky, hunkered-down figure disappearing into the shade of the warehouse. I shout out loud "FUCK!" and press the trigger as the thing lunges at me, my view flashes red and one more hit would kill me, and... my weapon jams!...
The exact same instant that the sucker falls over dead. No poetic license here, the last bullet that left the AK before jamming dropped the thing dead.
I checked that it was dead for good, had a quick look around, then I put the game on pause and went downstairs to have a smoke. And no, I wasn't doing an "in-character" sort of telling, I really did shout out from my seat.
heywood on 9/5/2012 at 04:14
Quote Posted by BEAR
If you found SoC hard to get into or frustrating, CoP might be good. Its got bigger zones and less loading, it looks great and plays great.
CoP didn't have the spontaneity that SoC had. I honestly couldn't really tell you any stories of crazy shit that happened. Even though it was bigger, it was more structured and scripted. It was stilll a lot of fun to explore, but it just lacked something that SoC had. It definitely didn't have the scary factor of the various labs of SoC.
I want to replay stalker this summer, and I'm definitely going with SoC:OL.
Thanks. I decided to play SoC again, this time with Complete and the respawn fix mod Koki suggested. What difficulty do you suggest?
Koki on 11/5/2012 at 19:05
Wow people must hate you if no one replied yet.
If you played it before, don't even hesitate and go for Master. And turn off the crosshair you wuss
Dia on 12/5/2012 at 11:39
I don't hate him; I just never graduated beyond the beginner's level. :o One of the hardest, yet most satisfying & addictive games I've ever played.
heywood on 13/5/2012 at 02:38
OK, I'll give Master a go and see how it goes. I can't remember which I tried before, Stalker or Veteran. It wasn't overly hard, but I do recall being infuriated by hit probabilities when shooting point blank, and by enemies that could hit me at a distance while on the move with the same weak gun I couldn't hit the side of a barn with while crouched and aiming. But I hear hit probabilities are less frustrating at higher difficulty.
Koki on 13/5/2012 at 09:33
Difficulty doesn't affect aiming in the slightest. Only damage.
You could always try the Complete Realistic Weapons mod, or my amazing* Complete Alternate Realistic Weapons mod.
* - results may vary
242 on 13/5/2012 at 21:59
All I'm going to say, the first Stalker was one of the very best games I've ever played. RIP.