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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl |OT|

D

Defcon

Banned
http://www.stalker-videogame.com/

Release Date: 3.20.07

System Requirements:

Required
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP (Service Pack 2)/Microsoft® Windows® 2000 SP4
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2 Ghz/AMD XP 2200+
Video Card: 128 MB DirectX® 9c compatible card/ nVIDIA® GeForce™ 5700/ATI Radeon® 9600
Disk Space: 10 GB available hard drive space
Sound Card: DirectX® 9 compatible sound card
RAM: 512 MB RAM
DirectX: DirectX 9.0

Recommended
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400/AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
RAM: 1 GB RAM or better
Video Card: 256 MB DirectX® 9c compatible card/ nVIDIA® GeForce™ 7900/ ATI Radeon® X1850

Reviews:

PC Zone UK - 85%
PC Format UK - 93%
Eurogamer - 8/10
Computer and Videogames - 8/10
IGN - 8.2/10
Gamespot - 8.5/10
Boomtown - 9/10
Gamepro - 4.25/5
1UP - 8/10


Overview:

* Living-and-breathing world: virtual monsters and stalkers migrate around the Zone, similarly to the player they are preoccupied with day-to-day things – feeding, fighting, looking for prey, trading, sleeping, taking rest
* Freedom of movement around the storyline, limited only by the player’s will and abilities
* The world of post-Soviet environment
* Authentic objectives of the Chernobyl exclusion zone – the power engineers city of Pripyat, Chernobyl NPP, Chernobyl-2 complex of over-the-horizon detection and more
* Atmosphere of eerie mystery and constant danger
* Multiple game endings
* System of weather effects and dynamic day & night shift
* Photo-realistic graphics, adding to the game atmosphere immersion
* Realistic ballistics, extensive arsenal of real weapon prototypes
* Unique multiplayer modes implemented within the game entourage – artefacts collection, anomalies, radiation, weather effects, day & night change etc
* Extensive map editor possibilities for multiplayer gaming

Screenshots:

xr_screen_04_1024.jpg

xr_screen_01_1024.jpg

540331_20070316_screen009.jpg

540331_20070316_screen016.jpg

540331_20070301_screen003.jpg



A complete map of The Zone (playing area in the game:)

uiglobalmapqf5nl7.jpg



Been waiting for this forever and we're just 3 days away from release. Who's excited?
 
S

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
I've heard nothing but praise for this from folks who got the review code, sounds like a really amazing game.
 
L

Linkup

Member
* Extensive map editor possibilities for multiplayer gaming
Click to expand...

Does this mean it's coming with a level editor? Wonder if I can learn a new editor and pull off some singleplayer maps.
 
D

Defcon

Banned
Btw, for those looking to score it on the cheap, Target will have it in stock on Thursday for $34.88.

I hate to have to wait an extra day to get my hands on it, but with my discount I'll be able to get it for $32 after taxes.
 
F

Fallout-NL

Member
Didnt 1up say this game ran like really shitty?


I cant wait to try it, yet I fear greatly for this game. Ive been waiting for it for so goddamn long, it would be a shame if a crappy engine spoiled things.
 
D

Defcon

Banned
Zenith said:
anyone know if they still have vehicles?
Click to expand...

What happened with vehicles?

Yavorsky: We implemented a whole bunch of vehicles in the game, ranging from old Soviet small cars (Zaporozhets, Lada Niva etc) to trucks (Kamaz), APC and even a tractor. After a series of play-testing, however, we came to the conclusion that vehicles just don't fit, neither the gameplay we wanted to achieve, nor the concept of the Zone.

To explain in more detail, the game balance was constructed with cautious play-through and area exploration in mind. The player is meant to use detectors to check for anomalies and keep safe by meticulously avoiding them. The concept, however, doesn't work with vehicles. Indeed, there is not much fun driving 80 km/h in a Lada only to get constantly trapped and killed in anomalies. Vehicles have proven simply incompatible with the Zone.
 
Stitch

Stitch

Gold Member
too bad they don't want to release a demo because i would like to know if my pc can handle that game.

Recommended
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400/AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
Click to expand...

but i'm sure it can't...
 
D

Defcon

Banned
Stitch said:
too bad they don't want to release a demo because i would like to know if my pc can handle that game.



but i'm sure it can't...
Click to expand...

There's a Russian MP demo on GSC's site. The game runs quite well for me maxed out at 1400x900 on an E6600, 2 gig ram, 7900GS.
 
V

VibratingDonkey

Member
I shall be getting the Corroded Edition.
lg1463913.jpg

1463913-1.jpg


I shall be playing it on medium settings probably. I shall have fun hopefully.

PC Gamer UK scored it 87% btw.
And here be 3D screens.
 
A

Avalon

Member
datruth29 said:
Those inventory and map screens make me want to play Fallout. :lol :lol
Click to expand...

Definitely gives me that vibe as well. I was skeptical about this game at first... I'm really excited about it now though. I just hope my system can run it a medium settings (x800xl, 1GB ram, P4@3.2).
 
B

bigmit3737

Member
Waiting for Gamespot review....I have a feeling it's buggy...but then again, by the time I upgrade my PC..bugs should be all taken care of.
 
L

Linkup

Member
Avalon said:
Definitely gives me that vibe as well. I was skeptical about this game at first... I'm really excited about it now though. I just hope my system can run it a medium settings (x800xl, 1GB ram, P4@3.2).
Click to expand...

I've got a similar system except a 6800 geforce, I'm not worried though I'm willing to play it at 1024 and 30fps. I just hope the rpg/trading elements aren't force on you to much.
 
F

Fallout-NL

Member
Avalon said:
Definitely gives me that vibe as well. I was skeptical about this game at first... I'm really excited about it now though. I just hope my system can run it a medium settings (x800xl, 1GB ram, P4@3.2).
Click to expand...


You people :lol


Im almost convinced you guys are just playing with the 'will this run on my comp' and then proceed to post 6 month to a year old hardware. Maybe not in this case, but still that's not bad or anything.
 
V

VibratingDonkey

Member
bigmit3737 said:
Waiting for Gamespot review....I have a feeling it's buggy...but then again, by the time I upgrade my PC..bugs should be all taken care of.
Click to expand...
Oblivion-Lost.de said:
PC Gamer UK has reviewed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and given it the score of 87%. Here is a couple of excerpts:

It's best described as a first-person shooter/roleplaying game/ survival horror hybrid, in that order....the horror is the thing that underlines the whole game. It's what makes it work. It's what makes it different.

It's: Enormous, buggy, atmospheric.
It's not: The hype, nearly as buggy as you'd expect, monster-stuffed.
http://www.oblivion-lost.de/index.php?zone=design2&lang=en
Click to expand...
It's buggy, but not as buggy as you'd expect. Who knows what that means.
 
R

rollingstart

Banned
I cant wait for it, but I didnt even know there was a collectors, im gonna pick that version up then.

its been so long since I first saw videos of a guy shooting a car door with an AK47 and thought "OMG! MORROWIND WITH GUNS! SCREW SOURCE ENGINE!"
 
D

Draft

Member
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh my God it's finally coming out and it looks REALLY good.

You really have no idea what it's been like to be a STALKER fan. When they first announced this game I damn near bust a nut. I am a FPS junkie- it's far and away my favorite genre. Beyond that, it's my favorite interface. Deus Ex is my favorite game, all time, and it's no coincidence that it also happens to be the best FPS/RPG hybrid of all time. When I heard someone was making a FPS/Morrowind hybrid, man watch out you might get some in your hair.

The art looked amazing. Post apoc is easily my favorite game setting. It seemed like a true blue PC game- robust interface, persistent world, player influence. In all honesty there was a time when I thought STALKER was going to be it, the one, the best game ever.

And then... the delays. The waiting. Every bit of STALKER news or info that leaked out was tainted with a footnote. Delayed till the summer. Delayed till next year. Delayed till summer next year. The art stayed good, but the graphics, which were once amazing, started to look pretty dated compared to stuff like HL2 and Battlefield 2.

The delays got so bad that people started to make Duke Nukem Forever jokes, and who can blame them? Popular opinion turned against STALKER. It said that the dev team had bitten off more than it could chew. The game was never going to come out, and if it did, it was going to be a mere shadow of its preview promise.

And then it happened. The announcement was made. Some sort of corporate cleaner had been put on a plane to the Ukraine with one job: Examine STALKER, gut everything that wasn't working, and put out some sort of finished code on the off chance that a fraction of the dev cost could be recouped. That's where I broke it off. The early word was bad. Supposedly my FPS/Morrowind hybrid had done away with free roaming. No more competing STALKERS. The game had levels now. It was just going to be another FPS.

But slowly, things started to turn around. The initial reports were debunked, or clarified. Most of the promised features were still there, just dialed back a bit. There were still competing STALKERS, they just couldn't beat the game before you did. The world was still free roaming, there were just "dungeons" that sort of moved the story along. Some things remain on the cutting room floor, like the aforementioned vehicles and a bit of the higher level STALKER interaction, but apparently the game was still a very deep FPS RPG.

And now the turn around is complete. The reviews are coming in, and they're good. STALKER might not be the best game ever made, but by all accounts it's still a very good game. And now it's here. I am going to upgrade items. I am going to move those items around a grid for maximum storage capacity. I am going to complete quests and loot atomic relics. I am going to stalk.
 
S

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
Avalon said:
Definitely gives me that vibe as well. I was skeptical about this game at first... I'm really excited about it now though. I just hope my system can run it a medium settings (x800xl, 1GB ram, P4@3.2).
Click to expand...

I've got a similar system, p4 3.2, 2GB RAM, X850XT and I can run it with everything maxed except for the high end environmental lighting (which brings 6800/X800 series cards to their knees) at like 90 FPS with 4x AA on. Thats the multiplayer beta which had more optimization to go as well.

VibratingDonkey said:
It's buggy, but not as buggy as you'd expect. Who knows what that means.
Click to expand...

Play some games from Eastern Europe and you'll know exactly what that means.
 
A

Avalon

Member
Schafer said:
I've got a similar system, p4 3.2, 2GB RAM, X850XT and I can run it with everything maxed except for the high end environmental lighting (which brings 6800/X800 series cards to their knees) at like 90 FPS with 4x AA on. Thats the multiplayer beta which had more optimization to go as well.
Click to expand...

Thank you. That makes me a feel a lot better. I'll probably buy a extra 1GB of ram though. I'm actually only looking to run the game at 1280x768 with medium settings. Does this game support widescreen?
 
Stitch

Stitch

Gold Member
Defcon said:
There's a Russian MP demo on GSC's site. The game runs quite well for me maxed out at 1400x900 on an E6600, 2 gig ram, 7900GS.
Click to expand...

do i need a key for the demo? i've downloaded some russian thing that want's a key from me. :-/
 
Stitch

Stitch

Gold Member
uuhh, whats that?

edit: and i'm not asking for a key and i didn't download the game, just to make it clear. it's a 445mb multiplayer demo. well... or maybe it's the beta!? i dunno.. but i can't join the servers :mad:
can't even start my own one, just to have a quick look at teh graphics.
 
B

bigmit3737

Member
Draft said:
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh my God it's finally coming out and it looks REALLY good.

You really have no idea what it's been like to be a STALKER fan. When they first announced this game I damn near bust a nut. I am a FPS junkie- it's far and away my favorite genre. Beyond that, it's my favorite interface. Deus Ex is my favorite game, all time, and it's no coincidence that it also happens to be the best FPS/RPG hybrid of all time. When I heard someone was making a FPS/Morrowind hybrid, man watch out you might get some in your hair.

The art looked amazing. Post apoc is easily my favorite game setting. It seemed like a true blue PC game- robust interface, persistent world, player influence. In all honesty there was a time when I thought STALKER was going to be it, the one, the best game ever.

And then... the delays. The waiting. Every bit of STALKER news or info that leaked out was tainted with a footnote. Delayed till the summer. Delayed till next year. Delayed till summer next year. The art stayed good, but the graphics, which were once amazing, started to look pretty dated compared to stuff like HL2 and Battlefield 2.

The delays got so bad that people started to make Duke Nukem Forever jokes, and who can blame them? Popular opinion turned against STALKER. It said that the dev team had bitten off more than it could chew. The game was never going to come out, and if it did, it was going to be a mere shadow of its preview promise.

And then it happened. The announcement was made. Some sort of corporate cleaner had been put on a plane to the Ukraine with one job: Examine STALKER, gut everything that wasn't working, and put out some sort of finished code on the off chance that a fraction of the dev cost could be recouped. That's where I broke it off. The early word was bad. Supposedly my FPS/Morrowind hybrid had done away with free roaming. No more competing STALKERS. The game had levels now. It was just going to be another FPS.

But slowly, things started to turn around. The initial reports were debunked, or clarified. Most of the promised features were still there, just dialed back a bit. There were still competing STALKERS, they just couldn't beat the game before you did. The world was still free roaming, there were just "dungeons" that sort of moved the story along. Some things remain on the cutting room floor, like the aforementioned vehicles and a bit of the higher level STALKER interaction, but apparently the game was still a very deep FPS RPG.

And now the turn around is complete. The reviews are coming in, and they're good. STALKER might not be the best game ever made, but by all accounts it's still a very good game. And now it's here. I am going to upgrade items. I am going to move those items around a grid for maximum storage capacity. I am going to complete quests and loot atomic relics. I am going to stalk.
Click to expand...


I didn't read your full message....but I hope the game meets your expectations. :)
 
A

Avalon

Member
Stitch said:
uuhh, whats that?

edit: and i'm not asking for a key and i didn't download the game, just to make it clear. it's a 445mb multiplayer demo. well... or maybe it's the beta!? i dunno.. but i can't join the servers :mad:
can't even start my own one, just to have a quick look at teh graphics.
Click to expand...

Where did you DL it from? I want to check it out too.
 
A

Avalon

Member
Thanks... I found this bit of information on starting up a single player game so you can just check out the map(s)...

Start the game wit this parameter...

xr_3da.exe -start Server(testers_mp_railroad/ArtefactHunt/hname=SPTestServer/maxplayers=2/rpfrz=5/ans=1/vote=1/anslen=5/dmbi=1/etimef=1) client(localhost/name=TestPlayer)

Haven't tested it (still DL'ing).
 
T

turkification

Member
Overview:

* Living-and-breathing world: virtual monsters and stalkers migrate around the Zone, similarly to the player they are preoccupied with day-to-day things – feeding, fighting, looking for prey, trading, sleeping, taking rest
* Freedom of movement around the storyline, limited only by the player’s will and abilities
* The world of post-Soviet environment
* Authentic objectives of the Chernobyl exclusion zone – the power engineers city of Pripyat, Chernobyl NPP, Chernobyl-2 complex of over-the-horizon detection and more
* Atmosphere of eerie mystery and constant danger
* Multiple game endings
* System of weather effects and dynamic day & night shift
* Photo-realistic graphics, adding to the game atmosphere immersion
* Realistic ballistics, extensive arsenal of real weapon prototypes
* Unique multiplayer modes implemented within the game entourage – artefacts collection, anomalies, radiation, weather effects, day & night change etc
* Extensive map editor possibilities for multiplayer gaming

WTF?
 
Chiggs

Chiggs

Gold Member
Time to play: "What kind of performance will I get with my machine?"

Intel E6300 @ stock
2 gigs of DDR2 PC-800
Geforce 7900GS @ stock
Asus P5B-VM DO Micro Atx Mobo (0611 bios)
Audigy 2 ZS
Windows Vista Home Premium

Another question: Is it true this game runs better on Vista than it does XP? A lot of people in the beta seemed to insinuate that it does.

Avalon said:
Does this game support widescreen?
Click to expand...

Yes it does.
 
F

firex

Member
I'll probably get this game soon. Maybe not right away, but soon. It sounds like it's right up my alley as far as games go, and I doubt I'll have any problems running it on acceptable settings.
 
A

Avalon

Member
Ouch. Performance in the beta isn't nearly as good as I had hoped. At 1280x768 (I didn't see an option for Widescreen) with options at around medium I was barely doing 15-30 FPS. :(
 
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