Dia on 12/5/2011 at 19:27
Just started playing Shadow of Chernobyl last night & have been taking screenshots left & right (F12), but can't seem to find where the game is filing them. I know the ss' are being taken because the game freezes for just a split second, but I can't find them anywhere after I quit the game.
Any help, please? Thnx.
Briareos H on 12/5/2011 at 19:31
{My Documents}\STALKER-SHOC\screenshots
Dia on 13/5/2011 at 00:41
Thanks Briareos! Actually had to search some more for that, but finally found it: D:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\STALKER-SHOC\screenshots. Thanks again. :thumb:
PigLick on 13/5/2011 at 05:28
Enjoy Stalker, I still remember my first run through of SoC.
Briareos H on 13/5/2011 at 07:02
Ah it was in 'All Users'. My bad. Anyway, seconding what PigLick said: enjoy!
Don't rush through it, don't hesitate to spend some time finding better equipment, doing secondary quests or picking stashes :)
EDIT: Hope you're using the COMPLETE mod.
Dia on 13/5/2011 at 13:31
Thanks Piggy & BH. And yes; I'm finding out that this game needs to be approached slowly and with forethought. That's fine by me! I had problems getting the game to run initially, but after much research discovered that I needed to download & install the 3rd patch for SOC (v10005), and then disable my GetRight program. Now it works just fine.
No, Briareos, I'm not running the 'COMPLETE' mod; just read up on it though & it sounds great, but I don't know if my dinosaur of a PC could handle it. I can't seem to find any specs on this mod. My PC already started lagging a bit during the first firefight when too many characters started moving in on me all at once (kicked their butts I did!), so I'm leery of any mods dated after, say, 2008 or so. (Couldn't get Bioshock 2 to run; my graphics card is too ancient. :( )
I like that I have to think more with this game and actually have a strategy rather than just running into the bandits' camp blasting away (must've died five times before I realized I needed to check my health condition and fix it since the health meter doesn't show unless you hit the inventory key). Still getting the hang of the movement controls; tried to change them to suit my playing style better, but the game wouldn't accept the changes. 'S alright, I'm a quick study and already believe SOC is worth the extra time taken so far.
Dia on 15/5/2011 at 13:53
Sorry in advance for the double post.
Edit: deleted previous whining. Nevermind. I've been trying to follow two different walkthrus simultaneously & it has me all screwed up.
Ostriig on 15/5/2011 at 15:31
Quote Posted by Dia
Could use some encouraging words right about now. :(
Keep at it. :) It's hard to get into at first, but it's an experience that you grow into and you'll definitely see a difference still early enough into the game, and then when you look back from close to the end of the game on how your play dynamic has changed it gives you a very gratifying sense of development. I found that difficulty for me was changing considerably for the better around the time I started dicking around Rostok, for the record.
As for stealth, it does work, but it's a lot more real and limited than in games like Thief or Deus Ex. Maybe others have had different experiences, but I didn't see ghosting as an option at any point, stealth for me in SoC was really about occasionally avoiding scrapes but mostly about creeping around to get the best angle into a combat situation. Which I did all the time.
Do look into installing (
http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-complete-2009) Complete though, as aside from the graphics changes it also packs a variety of gameplay and AI tweaks that are supposed to make a difference. The problem is that I
think you'd need to start a new game if you installed it now. And it's quite certain that you can't keep playing from the same saves that you make with it if you later decide to uninstall it on account of performance. I ran it on a C2D 2.13Ghz, 3GB RAM and a GeForce 9800GT just fine, if it's any help.
As for your question on equipment - I'm guessing you meant 51Kg, not Lbs, right? That's far too much to be effective, I'd suggest you cut down to about 30, 35 tops. Weapon-wise, my common loadout around that part of the game was the silenced pistol with a couple of clips, a sawed-off shotgun with up to 50 rounds, and a scoped Kalashnikov with about 300-400 rounds. One very important thing is to remember to take with you an assault rifle for which you find ammo in the field - in the early part of the game that means Warsaw Pact 5.45mm weapons, and in the later part of the game it's typically NATO 5.56mm. Later in the game my standard loadout when heading out was the SPAS-12 shotgun with 70-90 rounds, and a G36 (GP37) with a detachable silencer and 500-700 rounds. By that point I'd also streamlined my support gear to a few pieces of food, four or five medkits and a bunch of antirads, and some various other crap, but always 30-32Kg tops.
Dia on 16/5/2011 at 13:45
Yes, Ostriig; you caught me! I thought my original post was way too whiny, and within a short time after posting decided to edit. My bad! :o
You're definitely right about 'growing into' the game! I played from about 4 p.m. til 10:30 p.m. yesterday (with bathroom breaks, of course) and had a hard time stopping. I'd finally gotten the hang of the 'stealth' part and yes; it really is all about trying to achieve the best angle/vantage point and finding optimum cover. Though I'm still getting killed a lot, it's a lot less than in the first several hours of the game. I'm concerned, however, that when it comes to grenades, I throw like a girl. (Blew myself up the first several times I tried lobbing them at enemies.) I think initially I was trying to play 'Hudson-style' (Aliens) and found very quickly it didn't work.
You were also right about the 51kg, which I found is equal to about 112 lbs. No wonder I've been having trouble sprinting and find myself out of breath so often! All this time I was thinking in terms of pounds. As for streamlining, I'm afraid I've turned into a hoarder in that I've been really reluctant to drop some of my items. Now that my playing has improved somewhat, I see that there are a lot of food items I've been hoarding that I could drop to lessen my load. (Made myself drunk trying to get rid of the radiation affecting me; almost made me dizzy in RL to watch my character's sight get fuzzy and tipsy! ;) )
Regarding Complete; I'm afraid my graphics card, etc. isn't up to the challenge. :( However I will download it for the future PC I'm planning on getting, since I'll probably decide to go back & play SOC again someday. Good games are like that!
On a side note, though I get frustrated because I can't understand the 'chatter' from characters in the game, I've found that I'll stand in place for several minutes just listening to that beautiful guitar music. The ambience in this game is absolutely fantastic!
Thanks for the encouraging words, Ostriig! Much appreciated. Now I have to force myself to go and get things done in RL before allowing myself to load my game. (I'm getting ready to approach the building that houses the entrance to Lab X18. Wish me luck!)
Koki on 16/5/2011 at 14:09
Quote Posted by "Dia"
Wish me luck!
You're gonna need it... hurhurhurhurhur
Avoid becoming a hoarder. Most of the stuff you pick up is worth jack shit and can't be sold to anyone but two traders in the game which means a lot of backtracking, which means a lot of respawned enemies, which means you will pick more stuff which creates an infinite loop.
And keep tabs on your weapon and suit durability - it has a huge impact on your equipment's performance.
