I'm playing through SoC right now but since the summer sale started I'm gonna buy CoP. My question is whether or not I should skip CS. I've heard bad things about it and good things about it but I figure the Japanese imageboard knows best.
>>342503079
No, why the hell would you skip Clear Sky? It's good. It's just not as ground breakingly good as SoC or CoP but it's absolutely worth playing.
Just know that the very last area is pretty fucking buggy so get ready for them glitches.
>>342503079
I'd recommend giving CS a shot.
It introduces lots of new features that are still present in CoP, which doesn't try to explain them again too much.
However, do get ALL the fixes for it you can find! I'd really recommend grabbing the CS' Starter Pack, which includes the latest patch + SRP mod, both which are the essential ones, plus few other handy games.
>>342503784
>>342503793
Only reason I was considering skipping it was because of all the negative stuff I've seen. Most reviews I watched said the game was masochistically difficult due to unfair AI, perfectly aimed grenades and the such. But maybe if the fixes help with bugs and such it'll be fun.
The gameplay is much more focused on killing people compared to the other two titles and ends up feeling like a corridor shooter towards the end.
It introduces new features and is overall an okay ride, it just feels more "up beat" then ShoC and CoP. I'd still recommend to play it, if you can deal with a more "light hearted" stalker entry.
>>342503079
Clear Sky isn't bad. It's just that it feels like an expansion pack to Shadow of Chernobyl, while Call of Pripyat could have essentially been Stalker 2.
Clear Sky has a few new areas, but a lot of old areas from SoC as well although they have been changed a bit and new stuff added to them. Also you have a faction system, enhanced lighting and a whole lot of other new stuff.
So Clear Sky gets the least attention out of the 3, doesn't mean it's bad.
if the story is important for you in a Stalker game then you should skip it. Gameplay-wise I think it's probably also the weakest, but if you just want more Stalker gameplay then it's probably worthwhile. if you computer can handle the godrays it has some stunning graphics too
>>342504051
Oh, the game's hard, alright. Probably the hardest STALKER game of them all, and not always for the good reasons.
However, I especially dig the game's tough economy, which turns the now much rarer, harder to find and notably stronger Artifacts also one of the best sources of income. Especially early on, you may be hard-pressed to find good gear / upgrade it to its full potential. Especially the latter element is underlined a lot in CS and CoP, as without going through those upgrade-trees, all the gear you get underperforms, usually quite a bit.
>>342504231
>It's just that it feels like an expansion pack to Shadow of Chernobyl, while Call of Pripyat could have essentially been Stalker 2.
The often used term for both CS and CoP is "standalone expansions". They're pretty much more of the same, with some changes and new stuff.
STALKER 2 was in the works up until early 2012, and was going to pack a brand new engine and largest, most dynamic and least restricted world so far.
>>342504640
>story
to clarify: I was pretty fucking angry with the game when I realized how little story there is. SoC has an amazing story and they went and made a prequel that gives 0 (ZERO) further insight into that story. When I told /sg/ their response was basically "SoC is a happy little miracle from a bunch of sloppy fucking hacks"
>>342504051
It is the hardest Stalker, especially if you are autistic about the faction wars and especially that ending area.
The unfair AI and perfect aim is basically a big problem in the end area but I didn't notice it much before that. The CNPP part of CS is fucking garbage but the rest is good stuff.
>>342504758
Oh I am well aware about Stalker 2 and how CS and CoP are expansions. It's just that CoP is so different from SoC and so much more is added it does feel like it could have been Stalker 2 anyways, whereas CS does just feel like a typical expansion.
>>342504923
while I do dig and appreciate the plot of STALKER, especially SoC, it's a hard fact that ultimately, the game(s) were supposed to have very little actual story, with the setting and gameplay itself being the main attractions.
And truth to be told, I love the games foremost for the previous two reasons. The lore of the Zone itself is super fascinating stuff.
>>342505378
>The lore of the Zone
that's mostly what I mean. the games adds almost nothing to the lore. only thing I can think of isthe relationship between Forrester and the zone
>>342505309
>It's just that CoP is so different from SoC and so much more is added it does feel like it could have been Stalker 2
funny, never felt like that. If anything, CoP felt like a natural expansion to SoC, more like what CS was supposed to be like, had GSC been provided actual peace and time to develop and test their game before release. In fact, many of CoP's areas are unused material from CS, while the gameplay itself is pretty much CS1.5.
That being said, this just underlines the importance of CS in the trilogy; without it, the jump from SoC to CoP can feel way more extreme than it really is.
>>342505647
actually now that I think about it I guess there is a bit more... there isn't anything further intothe noosphereor anything like that, I guess that's what disappointed me so
SC is hard because the bullet spread is fucking ludicrous.
>>342506983
CS*
>>342506235
The thing about the Zone's lore and things related to it, is that if you start explaining too much, it loses its magic. Mystery is one of the strongest addictive elements in games.
>>342506983
it's not exactly the spread itself, but the fact that without accuracy upgrades, the game literally REMOVES your shots mid-flight at certain distance. This means you need to get very close to your enemy, especially early on.
