I wanna try S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for the fist time. I've seen this is now on sale. Should I buy it? Or should I go and take Shadow of Chernobyl?
>>318400403
SoC first
In my opinion Shadow of Chernobyl is the best out of the three games. Has the best mods too. If you want to play it modded you should use AutumnAurora 2, it makes the world beautiful and adds a lot of needed balance to the game.
>>318400403
Sure.
Consult this Starting Guide,
then see the /vg/'s huge Stalker General for more tips and links: >>>/vg/stalker
Play in the release order. Start with no mods - only latest patch, OR get the full "Starter Pack" first; these contain bug-fixers and light visual mods that can help performance as well.
Leave big overhauls for later playthrougs. Avoid the "Complete" -mods. Always play on MASTER difficulty for best realism and atmosphere, and disable crosshair.
Don't give up in the beginning! The starting gear sucks ass and first area is quite boring.
It's one of THOSE games you always hear people getting tricked into buying and then regretting it.
It's awful, gameplay, story, graphics, everything is sub-par, don't waste your time and money.
/v/ wants to feel special so they will recommend it to you and pretend to like it, my post will get tons of replies with these people, your choice.
>>318401110
What kind of poorfag regrets spending a few $?
>>318401202
>everyone bought it during sale and it wasn't full-priced at any point
The shit posting is real.
Don't buy it though, devs won't be getting any of the money
>>318401110
Nice b8
Have a (You)
>>318400403
Is this a rhetorical question? STALKER is easily THE most /v/-core games out there!
Definitely worth giving a shot, but I'd argue that it's not worth BUYING them anymore; the old devs are long gone and won't get a single cent out of it, plus by pirating the games, you get the pure 1.0 versions, which you can then manually patch to which ever version you want. Which is handy in case of some big mods, that may require a specific version number to even work (like AMK1.4).
>>318400747
>and adds a lot of needed balance to the game.
nah, it just RUINS all the balance there is.
First timers really should go patched vanilla first. The ZRP is good to have for extra fixes and control over the game too. It's included in those /vg's starter-pack things.
>>318401110
>implying
A big majority of people I've only seen to totally fall in love with the games towards the end. The beginning seems to surprise and discourage many rookies these days, since the game is kinda oldschool-ish, very PC exclusive, and not forgiving the slightest.
>>318401108
I actually enjoyed the complete mod for SoC despite what the guys on /vg/ said. Now CS and CoP is another story
Start with SoC.
CS is considered the worst of three.
For SoC get yourself ZRP mod and for Clear Sky get SRP. Both are just fanmade bugfixes.
>>318401983
I know you're not alone, but that thing is just awfully obsolete now, and casual as fuck. Hell, majority of the people fan-boying the Complete-mods don't even seem to know what and how much things it actually changes. It definitely is not "vanilla 2.0" or "just a graphical mod".
If anything, the current Starter Pack would be the true "vanilla v2" and replacement for Complete as well. The best thing about the SP is that it's completely modular, adjustable and optional, and everything stays true to the vanilla's style and mood.
Also unlike Complete, you can use SP's mods to improve your FRAMERATES as well.
I just picked this up on the steam sale and I've been playing it for the first time, it's really awesome. Just got to the Garbage last night, been popping bandits and finding stashes left and right.
There are a few things I dislike about the game though. For one, the quests that can expire - it's not necessartily a bad system but I got sidetracked exploring and failed two smaller quests because they expired, then had to haul ass back to the starting area to turn in a few that were going to expire.
The other thing I dislike is the weight limit of 50lbs. Is there a way to increase it? It's very realistic and I like having to strategically pack only the things I'll need, leaving weapons behind, etc etc, but it does fill up fast.
Now that GSC is back, do they get money from STALKER sales?
>>318403853
There are some artifacts that increase max weight, but I'm not sure if they were in SoC.
There's also Exoskeleton which increases max weight by 20 kg, but you cannot run.
You should try scavenging more valuable stuff, like artifacts, ammo, medicals. Weapons are often not worth it. You should try leaving your staff in stash in Bar.
With ZRP you can configure it to increase quest's expiration day.
>>318403853
>For one, the quests that can expire
Don't do missions for Sidorovich or Wolf, after you leave Cordon. You won't be going back there anymore much at all.
>The other thing I dislike is the weight limit of 50lbs.
It's 50 KILOGRAMS, as in pretty fucking much. The absolute limit is 60kg, at which you cannot move anymore.
No, you cannot increase it in SoC, besides getting an Exoskeleton that boosts it up to 80kg, but removes your ability to sprint.
My recommendation is to stop hoarding items, and only grab what you really need, or what you can quickly sell for big money. Stash up everything else to crates, stashes, or just leave them be.
One rifle, one sidearm, plenty of ammo for main rifle, some medical items, 1 piece of food, and artifacts of your choice. That's all you need.
>>318404068
GSC technically never went anywhere. It's just been only their jew-CEO, Sergei, up until now. He's been gathering up a new team after kicking everyone else out, and is also the sole owner of STALKER's IP.
>>318404435
Kilograms, yeah. My bad. And yes, I learned very early on (before leaving the Cordon) that hoarding items is a bad idea, so I've since stopped taking weapons from enemies (the weight to value ratio is not worth it compared to artifacts), and I initially carried a fair amount of food because I thought you'd be getting hungry more often but honestly it hasn't been an issue.
Otherwise, thanks for the advice man.
>>318403853
the main missions don't expire, and you shouldn't take oddjobs from the Cordon area anymore anyway.
the weight limit is 60 kilograms, and only the exosuit can increase it in SoC. You shouldn't venture out to new quests with more than 30kg of stuff in your pockets at any point. Leaves you plenty of space for looting and hauling stuff back.
>>318403853
the weight limit adds to the immersion, but if you really can't stand it you can edit it in the cfg, afaik it is in actor.ltx
>>318404957
Nah, I like it well enough, it was just initially hard to get used to, especially since I'm an item hoarder. I don't need to edit it or anything, I'll make due. But thanks.
>>318405051
right choice. good hunting, stalker.
>>318400403
Get Shadow of Chernobyl.
If you really like it and want more, consider picking up the others.
But SoC is the best of the series.
Play on highest difficulty. It actually makes the game easier. All damage increases. Yes, you die quicker, but so do enemies. Enemies in easy settings are bullet sponges, which is especially frustrating in the beginning areas where you have limited bullets.
You can play with or without mods. There's one that adjusts the headbobbing in the game which I found useful. Otherwise I kind of feel seasick when walking. Plus general bugfix mods are good.
My first time playing, I hated the game. Despised it. But I went back a week later and played again and had a great time. I know multiple people who went through that as well.
>>318407069
>My first time playing, I hated the game. Despised it. But I went back a week later and played again and had a great time. I know multiple people who went through that as well.
I've done this with lots of games, some of them went on to become personal favorites of mine.
