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[Ulysses 31]

Exactly, it makes you very mindful of what you really need and is rewarding when things turn out well. I just need time to dial in on what matters or what i prefer. First i hoarded like a mad man.

Makes me facepalm when people want infinite inventories with no weight limits for games like this or Fallout 3.

 

[Kupfer]

Exactly, it makes you very mindful of what you really need and is rewarding when things turn out well. I just need time to dial in on what matters or what i prefer. First i hoarded like a mad man.

I'm aware of the static staches but i haven't considered them much since they aren't connected. I guess it's about building up individual ones while you move along the zones and always have something in reach.

That's the great thing, everyone has to make their own experiences and at some point everyone has "their own" stashes and favorite places that you keep coming back to.

There is no quicksave/load function on consoles. 24 individual save states are available and the game also keeps the last 6 autosaves available. It's around 4 button presses to save and loading is very quick so it's not to bad.

There sadly is no gyro aim available on PS5. They implemented aim assist but i didn't really like it all that much and turned it off. Otherwise sensitivity settings for normal aim and ads. I'm still fiddling around with this and haven't found the right settings just yet.

I see. That missing gyro aim is a shame. Good aiming and therefore aim for the head is so rewarding in this game since the implementation of "realistic" ballistics (I know, not realisitc like the RL, but 100 times better than hitscan)
I mean even a dog takes a lot of bullets to begin with, so headshots from even the crappiest pistol are worth their weight in gold.

From standing to crouch with a press on circle and the lower crouch with holding circle for a longer time.

That sounds like a good way to go

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Makes me facepalm when people want infinite inventories with no weight limits for games like this or Fallout 3.

I've gotta admit though, it kills me having to drop that one gun you want to keep but know you're screwed if you don't.

Saying that though, do you really need 33 breads. You never know!

 

[Alebrije]

So decided to get the trilogy , should I play on year release order ?

 

[Methos#1975]

Any word on rather one of the console versions has any significant edge over the other?

 

[xrnzaaas]

Maybe I'm weird, but I never tried creating my own stashes in this game (fyi I always played it on normal difficulty). Playing without collecting everything is difficult if you're used to other games with bigger or infinite inventories, but doable. And heck, it can even be fun to have to choose between having more medical supplies or more ammo and weapons.

What I really don't like is how most side quests are timed. I don't have a problem with having to rescue someone or find some stash before the time runs out, but why do I have to rush going back to the quest giver? I already gave up several times and didn't go back all the way to Cordon to finish up some small quests.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

What I really don't like is how most side quests are timed. I don't have a problem with having to rescue someone or find some stash before the time runs out, but why do I have to rush going back to the quest giver? I already gave up several times and didn't go back all the way to Cordon to finish up some small quests.

In addition, stumbling into a "random" event in the zone can lead to accepting a sidequest whereas you purposely avoided taking it beforehand because of the timed nature.

 

[Panajev2001a]

3 great never been on console PC games getting a console release? Nice! Hopefully we get official patches on Steam as you can force gyro aiming on it (not as good as when the game allows it though)… PS5 version hoping for future Dual Sense support here we go .

 

[Denton]

Sidequests in first two games are kinda weak, those games are all about atmosphere.

Call of Pripyat is where GSC figured out the design fully, it has the best sidequests, most unique anomalies, and is generally the best game of the three.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

Made it through Agroprom Underground over Dark Valley into X18 and then back to the Rookie Village. Atmosphere for the underground section and the lab where pretty intense. The best parts so far. Sparkler and Fireball artifacts help quite a bit. I still struggle a lot with the bigger shootouts. There are just so many enemies at once in those that it is hard to keep track of everything. To be able to pass time would be useful. Just roaming around the zones is awesome. Onwards.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Made it through Agroprom Underground over Dark Valley into X18 and then back to the Rookie Village. Atmosphere for the underground section and the lab where pretty intense. The best parts so far. Sparkler and Fireball artifacts help quite a bit. I still struggle a lot with the bigger shootouts. There are just so many enemies at once in those that it is hard to keep track of everything. To be able to pass time would be useful. Just roaming around the zones is awesome. Onwards.

If you're feeling confident and armed enough by now, you can try and take on the military outpost at the start of the game(turn right when you leave the Rookie village). They have some of the more powerful AK weapons. But you'd better be a headshot master since they wear body armor and you won't last long in a firefight against these guys.

I usually start my playthroughs with ambushing that base to get good weapons at the start of the game.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

If you're feeling confident and armed enough by now, you can try and take on the military outpost at the start of the game(turn right when you leave the Rookie village). They have some of the more powerful AK weapons. But you'd better be a headshot master since they wear body armor and won't last long in a firefight against these guys.

I usually start my playthroughs with ambushing that base to get good weapons at the start of the game.

I tried jumping them from behind at the beginning but got slaughtered. Sidorovich actually offered a quest just now to go in there.

Headshots are in fact a problem. Much more than in other shooters. Don't know why.

Is there anything meaningful to sidequests other than some money or items? I don't see any value in them.

 

[Ulysses 31]

I tried jumping them from behind at the beginning but got slaughtered. Sidorovich actually offered a quest just now to go in there.

Headshots are in fact a problem. Much more than in other shooters. Don't know why.

Is there anything meaningful to sidequests other than some money or items? I don't see any value in them.

Bullets are affected by gravity, you'll see once you get a weapon with scope.

Been a while but I think that's one way to get a scope earlier in the game. Combined with a silencer, you can often finish fights before they even start.

 

[Connxtion]

If you're feeling confident and armed enough by now, you can try and take on the military outpost at the start of the game(turn right when you leave the Rookie village). They have some of the more powerful AK weapons. But you'd better be a headshot master since they wear body armor and you won't last long in a firefight against these guys.

I usually start my playthroughs with ambushing that base to get good weapons at the start of the game.

Done that, after they attacked the main base (where you start) and they killed everyone bar 2 guys , I finished the rest off in the base. (Shotgun is handy)

A love how you do something, they send more guys up to attach you. You can pull them away from places doing that which is quite cool.

 

[bender]

 

[Kupfer]

If you're feeling confident and armed enough by now, you can try and take on the military outpost at the start of the game(turn right when you leave the Rookie village). They have some of the more powerful AK weapons. But you'd better be a headshot master since they wear body armor and you won't last long in a firefight against these guys.

I usually start my playthroughs with ambushing that base to get good weapons at the start of the game.

Yeah thats my new-game "routine".
Climb the ladder behind Wolf, jump from roof to roof, get the mercenary armour from the hole in the corrugated iron roof, quicksave and get into fight with the outpost.
It can take some tries to snipe them with the makarov but it is possible. Once you wiped them out, you're pretty much good to go with your newly accquired AKM.

I tried jumping them from behind at the beginning but got slaughtered. Sidorovich actually offered a quest just now to go in there.

Headshots are in fact a problem. Much more than in other shooters. Don't know why.

Is there anything meaningful to sidequests other than some money or items? I don't see any value in them.

I don't know if it's true or if it's just my perception, but you can safely ignore sidequests if you feel like you can get through without them.
You get some gear here and there and of course money, but nothing what feels like it was lacking even without doing all the sidequests.
But they can also be fun because they can lead you to points of interest.
For me, it's very important not to get stressed by things like that, do what you want to do in the game and just live with the consequences, that's the game. This will become kind of more important later on.
This also applies to the timed events, I hate being stressed, so I ignore them from the start.

And yeah, in this game headshots matter a lot. I can imagine how tricky it is with the controller without gyroaim.

 

[Nemesisuuu]

It's great to be back in the Zone, here is one banger for all fellow stalkers.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

Bullets are affected by gravity, you'll see once you get a weapon with scope.

So i should aim higher the longer the distance?

I don't know if it's true or if it's just my perception, but you can safely ignore sidequests if you feel like you can get through without them. You get some gear here and there and of course money, but nothing what feels like it was lacking even without doing all the sidequests. But they can also be fun because they can lead you to points of interest. For me, it's very important not to get stressed by things like that, do what you want to do in the game and just live with the consequences, that's the game. This will become kind of more important later on. This also applies to the timed events, I hate being stressed, so I ignore them from the start.

I stopped doing them and since i like to explore thoroughly i think this is fine. It's not all bad but the quality lies in the main quest and in exploration beyond a quest for me.

And yeah, in this game headshots matter a lot. I can imagine how tricky it is with the controller without gyroaim.

It's no a problem for small fights or single enemies as i can take my time to aim carefully or flank them to get closer. Big shootouts such as the military attack on Mole while reaching Agroprom are what i have problems with. You need to peek out and immediately kill someone because otherwise it's you that will be killed. Enemy awareness is also kinda weird with them seeing you like a mile away or what feels like through walls although you haven't been detected.

Just a huge difficulty spike occasionally.

 

[Kupfer]

So i should aim higher the longer the distance?

For distance shots - yes. But it depends on weapon and ammo.

I stopped doing them and since i like to explore thoroughly i think this is fine. It's not all bad but the quality lies in the main quest and in exploration beyond a quest for me.

Yep, true.

It's no a problem for small fights or single enemies as i can take my time to aim carefully or flank them to get closer. Big shootouts such as the military attack on Mole while reaching Agroprom are what i have problems with. You need to peek out and immediately kill someone because otherwise it's you that will be killed. Enemy awareness is also kinda weird with them seeing you like a mile away or what feels like through walls although you haven't been detected.

Just a huge difficulty spike occasionally.

AFAIK they can see you and they can hear you. At least you have two indicators for each in the buttom left. The AI is pretty good compared to waht we are used to but at the same time NPCs can be dumb as fuck.
A logical lore-wise conclusion can be drawn from the fact that the zone may have made some people muddy in the head.
Or it's simply down to the engine. You can love or hate S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for its nooks and crannies.

Another tip for a new stalker, if you haven't figured it out already; the orange number in the buttom right to your minimap shows how many persons are in the area.
Especially when fighting against human opponents in buildings or at close range, this is an important indicator for the further course of action.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

AFAIK they can see you and they can hear you. At least you have two indicators for each in the buttom left. The AI is pretty good compared to waht we are used to but at the same time NPCs can be dumb as fuck.
A logical lore-wise conclusion can be drawn from the fact that the zone may have made some people muddy in the head.
Or it's simply down to the engine. You can love or hate S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for its nooks and crannies.

Another tip for a new stalker, if you haven't figured it out already; the orange number in the buttom right to your minimap shows how many persons are in the area.
Especially when fighting against human opponents in buildings or at close range, this is an important indicator for the further course of action.

Combat flows best for me while constantly moving around so that the A.I. gets new and regular information from my behavior. It develops a certain dynamic which makes it feel very natural and impressive for such an old game. On the way through Agroprom Underground it was so easy to just stand on a corner and wait for the enemies to just walk into my shotgun. The game sure features both ends of the spectrum but there is more to love here than to hate for me.

What i'm getting at with all this is that the difficulty for some of the encounters took me by surprise. Some confrontations such as the "scrapyard" at the beginning of Garbage or the Bandit HQ in Dark Valley where awesome to fight through because they provided some room to flank or improvise. I guess it ties in with the survival aspect of the game since everyone can die very quickly not just me.

Yeah i immediately checked what every HUD element meant when starting the game to not miss out.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

Sidequests in first two games are kinda weak, those games are all about atmosphere.

Call of Pripyat is where GSC figured out the design fully, it has the best sidequests, most unique anomalies, and is generally the best game of the three.

I was watching someone playing it on YouTube and they were wandering around for at least 15 min without coming across any enemies ...is that par for the third game? Is it just a sparse game or did this guy just not know what he wad doing? The youtuber I'm referring to shows off a lot of Xbox games and his gaming skill is a bit suspect but what I watched put me off this series I must say.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

 

[Con-Z-epT]

Really dig this game. So much love poured into this on so many small details you can easily miss. Just incredible when a pack of blind dogs attack a group of bandits and all hell breaks loose. Dogs get shot, bandits stumble into anomalies and getting ripped apart. And suddenly everything is quite again and i start to loot the remains. They don't make games like that anymore.

Yantar was best so far for me. Reaching Sakharov and then slowly making my way towards X16 while the oppressive and disturbing sound effects play out and the filter turns more and more yellow was intense. Also fuck Snorks. And how many enemies can you fit into one zone? Yantar: "Yes".

Also going back to Agroprom to meet Doc for the plot twist was weird. Now i'm just about to enter the Red Forest.

Shooting also got much better with guns like IL 86 or the GP 37. A scoped AK was already a step up but i still had trouble wielding that gun. Now headshots are nearly second nature even on a higher distance.

Otherwise i also like the changes in tone emitted through the lighting. The fact that you can't pass time or fast travel makes traveling through the zones very unique just for that individual appearance of each location.

Biggest gripe is still the audio. It doesn't even sound bad, far from it but the repetition of sound effects can get annoying. Like Sakharov getting stuck at the table and mumbling "HELLO, hello..." for hours. I could even hear him when getting close to X16. Or the Freedom attack on the Duty camp where 10 Freedom fighter would simultaneously breathe loudly with the same effect. Nothing major but when so many components of a game shine so bright, thing like this stick out.

Wonderful game nevertheless.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Been getting a few naughty lock up and hard reset bugs in the 1st and 3rd game. One that is consistent is asking a certain npc how to get onto the ridge for one of the helicopters in the third game, seems it is a known bug. Asking him turns the screen purple followed by a hard reset.

Will wait for a patch. Bit of a pisser as I was enjoying it immensely.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

Spoiler: More Screenshots...

 

[Con-Z-epT]

Been getting a few naughty lock up and hard reset bugs in the 1st and 3rd game. One that is consistent is asking a certain npc how to get onto the ridge for one of the helicopters in the third game, seems it is a known bug. Asking him turns the screen purple followed by a hard reset.

Will wait for a patch. Bit of a pisser as I was enjoying it immensely.

SoC also crashes quite regular when changing zones. Like every 4th time. It's easy and quick to get back in but still.

Edit: Anomalies inside the code...

 

[Dr.Morris79]

SoC also crashes quite regular when changing zones. Like every 4th time. It's easy and quick to get back in but still.

Edit: Anomalies inside the code...

Aye had a few of those. I'm really hoping they can actually patch them on consoles, these games on the pc were an absolute pig to get running stable. They were always worth sticking with though. I used to build pc's just for these games alone

 

[Con-Z-epT]

Aye had a few of those. I'm really hoping they can actually patch them on consoles, these games on the pc were an absolute pig to get running stable. They were always worth sticking with though. I used to build pc's just for these games alone

"But can it run Stalker?!" ... for all the wrong reasons i suppose.

I can see now why there is such a passionate modding community behind this game which also makes me curious about the added mod support for consoles later this year. Can't think of much other than maybe 120fps for the native current gen version but the prospect of having a huge variation through mods seems exciting. Will it incorporate existing ones or will it be a fresh start?

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Will it incorporate existing ones or will it be a fresh start?

Oh I hope not, if Misery makes it to consoles as is, it'll make it one of the best console games going. But I am a bit biased when it comes to this series.

If we could only get the original PC painkiller black edition too on consoles, I'd die a happy man.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

​

Guess i've seen it all now.

The game got better and better with each minute. Red Forest was another exceptionnel zone. To choose the bleak infested forest or the occupied road. Radiation everywhere. Carefully building tension while going up the hill to finally arrive at the Brain Scorcher with ghosts hunting me as i push onwards at the onslaught of Monolith soldiers. Pretty awesome!

Then Pripyat with house-to-house fighting in devious concrete alleys. Chornobyl was a bit of a let down at first. I expected to be able to explore the whole complex but was only granted a haste rush towards the entry. Nice to look at for sure as a set piece but definitely felt a bit off.

Same for the Sarcophagus. The game threw endless waves of enemies at me but compared to other Labs or Red Forest it failed to build the proper tension. The mumblings of the Wish Granter where cool however. I went to the right and ultimately choose to not give into the the C-Consciousness. The final part with NPP was pretty cool however. Just the scale and sniping with the Gauss together with traversal and the portals made for a decent payoff. Also had to laugh as i was teleported back to Sidorovich's office for a split second.

Afterwards i loaded up previous saves to check what happens when you choose to be a part of the C-Consciousness and i was also buried by the Wish Granter. Not sure what the real ending is or what's to be considered canon going forward.

I greatly enjoyed my time with this. It's rare that i just push through a game like this nowadays. Will take a break and play something different before jumping into Clear Sky so my brain won't get scorched.

 

[BigLee74]

Bought and started.

I got stalker when it came out on PC in 2007, but didn’t get far into it at all before I stopped playing for some forgotten reason. I’m amazed at how good it looks on the XSX for a 17 year old game.

Looking forward to giving it a good go this time!

 

[MadchesterManc]

Started the original on PS5 the other day, anyone got any pointers for tweaking stick sensitivity on this? When I first fired it up the aim assist had me thinking the controller had stick drift, was more manageable once turned off. Stick sensitivity seems wild tho, a hairs breadth is enough to have you turning. Usually don't mind sensitive sticks but it feels way too twitchy on this as just resting the thumb on the stick can even cause little jerks in crosshair movement.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

Started the original on PS5 the other day, anyone got any pointers for tweaking stick sensitivity on this? When I first fired it up the aim assist had me thinking the controller had stick drift, was more manageable once turned off. Stick sensitivity seems wild tho, a hairs breadth is enough to have you turning. Usually don't mind sensitive sticks but it feels way too twitchy on this as just resting the thumb on the stick can even cause little jerks in crosshair movement.

The best result for me was to turn off aim assist and gradually go for a higher sensitivity setting while playing. Having a slightly lower sensitivity for ADS as for normal look. After that you start to play with recoil control which will accelerate the aim sensitivity if you move your aim while shooting.

Took me half a playthrough to find something that worked and felt naturally so i suggest you fiddle around with the settings alot.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I was waiting to hear how well it got ported to consoles, and then completely forgot about this. How's the port?

 

[Inuteu]

no patch yet?

I had to drop the first game cause it crashes all the time (series X)

 

[intbal]

no patch yet?

I had to drop the first game cause it crashes all the time (series X)

They said "later this year" regarding a native patch for PS5/XSX.
So, probably September.

(Note: Hangar13 said the same thing about Mafia: Definitive Edition and they never delivered)

 

[FoxMcChief]

I’m glad the console world gets to experience these wonderful games, before the newest one comes out. They truly are something special.

 

[adamsapple]

 

[Kupfer]

Can't wait for the physical version !

 

[Inuteu]

finally a patch to fix the crashes in the first game

 

[Con-Z-epT]

 

[Con-Z-epT]

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Just tried the patch on Pripyat, went to the bloke who tels you how to get on the plateu, crash

I'm starting it again. The code must've of broke earlier in the game.

 

[TVexperto]

I think the thread title is a bit misleading, there is a ps5 native version coming...just later this year

 

[adamsapple]

I think the thread title is a bit misleading, there is a ps5 native version coming...just later this year

PS5/Series X native versions were announced long after this thread was made.

 

[intbal]

All they really said, though, was:

A patch is coming later this year for Xbox Series X|S that will introduce "additional graphical enhancements and other features."

(^also applies to PS5)

It could just be the "Gen 9 Aware" patches that were common at the start of the generation.
I'm not saying they won't be fully native versions. Just that it's best to hold off on any high expectations until they reveal more specific details.

 

[FoxMcChief]

There was a patch for the first game. Anyone know what it’s about?

 

[Con-Z-epT]

There was a patch for the first game. Anyone know what it’s about?

Post number 238 on this page.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Post number 238 on this page.

Sorry about that. Thanks.

 

[The Stig]

the combat was so janky in this.

like even more inconsistent that the original deus ex.

I really wanted to like it. it was super atmospheric. then again that was back in 2007.....