S.t.a.l.k.e.r.: Shadow of Chernobyl (impressions video inside)

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

I thought STALKER was in the FPS genre? How is the engine, do you get good graphics from a midrange system, and still run smoothly?

 

FPS meets RPG a bizzare hybrid of a game really.

 

It's pretty much a total system hog on a high end PC, mid range well... It'll be a system hog

[Tale]

It runs flawlessly on my mid range.

[Sand]

I thought STALKER was in the FPS genre? How is the engine, do you get good graphics from a midrange system, and still run smoothly?

 

FPS meets RPG a bizzare hybrid of a game really.

 

It's pretty much a total system hog on a high end PC, mid range well... It'll be a system hog

 

I read the description of the game. It has no RPG elements.

[WITHTEETH]

It runs flawlessly on my mid range.

Thats what i wanted to hear! FEAR has to be one of the worst gaming experiences I've had... probably ever. Im anal about how an engine should run, and couldn't get FEAR to run flawlessly on any settings. Ill check this game out now!

[Maria Caliban]

I've never had any game run flawlessly.

 

 

That's not a tree, that's an anomaly by a tree.

 

I see you've bought into the trees' propaganda against the anomalies.

Edited March 27, 2007 by Maria Caliban

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

I thought STALKER was in the FPS genre? How is the engine, do you get good graphics from a midrange system, and still run smoothly?

 

FPS meets RPG a bizzare hybrid of a game really.

 

It's pretty much a total system hog on a high end PC, mid range well... It'll be a system hog

 

I read the description of the game. It has no RPG elements.

 

Depends what RPG means to you.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

It runs flawlessly on my mid range.

Thats what i wanted to hear! FEAR has to be one of the worst gaming experiences I've had... probably ever. Im anal about how an engine should run, and couldn't get FEAR to run flawlessly on any settings. Ill check this game out now!

 

I'm serious it's a system hog, you need a page file the size of a planet!

[Diamond]

With all that ambient life, it is bound to eat up all your RAM.

[Pop]

Runs fine on my machine, but it'll hiccup every once in awhile. Nothing drastic. I guess I just might have an abundance of extra space to let the game play around in.

[Spider]

I'm serious it's a system hog, you need a page file the size of a planet!

 

I have a fairly low end system (or, I suppose the lower part of the middle end) and while I certainly am not running all settings on high (or any for that matter), the game doesn't use that much memory. I have 1 GB RAM and 1.5 GB page file (which is the recommended ratio, locked in size) and that certainly is enough. When I have alt + tabbed out of the game, it typically uses 3-400k of RAM.

 

I'd wish for a better graphics card (and possibly processor) so I could turn up the settings a bit, but I really wouldn't call Stalker a system hog. It doesn't even come close to Gothic 3 for instance. Now THAT game is a system hog.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

With all that ambient life, it is bound to eat up all your RAM.

 

And the guys next doors RAM.

 

Even tho' it's a hungry evil system hog, it in no way impacts the game poorly.

 

Stalker is a rare gem.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

I'm serious it's a system hog, you need a page file the size of a planet!

 

I have a fairly low end system (or, I suppose the lower part of the middle end) and while I certainly am not running all settings on high (or any for that matter), the game doesn't use that much memory. I have 1 GB RAM and 1.5 GB page file (which is the recommended ratio, locked in size) and that certainly is enough. When I have alt + tabbed out of the game, it typically uses 3-400k of RAM.

 

I'd wish for a better graphics card (and possibly processor) so I could turn up the settings a bit, but I really wouldn't call Stalker a system hog. It doesn't even come close to Gothic 3 for instance. Now THAT game is a system hog.

 

To me, using ALL that space in both page file & RAM would commonly be seen as excessive. In the case of stalker it makes sense, but I personally would still consider it to be hogging resources, but then again that's with due need.

 

The reason that it's at 3-400k is because any minimized program has redundant information shoved on to the page file, so it'd inaccurate to look at it and say blah X big.

 

Don't get me wrong the game doesn't run bad, a resource hog doesn't mean it should either, just means it hogs alot of your system.

[Spider]

Fair enough. Although for me it's unnoticeable. But I am in the habit of turning off all other programs when gaming anyway (with a few small exceptions) so Stalker is welcome to use as much memory as it sees fit.

[mkreku]

Apparently a patch has been released for STALKER:

 

http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=41711

 

Not sure if I want it though. It fixes a lot of minor bugs, but it also makes old savegames incompatible. Not good.

[Slowtrain]

I don't know if I am going to install that patch. A lot of those are MP fixes which don't concern me. The SP fixes appear to be more inconvinces than game critical. I just don't feel like starting another game at the moment. Also the "balance issues" concerns me. I hope it is not making the combat easier.

[Wistrik]

Hmm, lots of reading. This is a game my brother would probably enjoy, but I can see some red flags for myself:

 

- Difficulty; I hate games that rely on the save-and-reload mechanism. I also lack twitch reflexes, or just good coordination in general, so I'll probably need to stick to HL2 and its episodes (on easy difficulty).

 

- Infinite Spawns: I'm with Maria on this. In very few games I've seen a decent implementation, and the spawns were not infinite. I've seen my brother play sniper games; he'll clear a lookout post and move on to the next building, only to get shot in the back by a freshly spawned soldier in the once-cleared lookout post. Unrealistic. No thanks.

 

Maybe I'll check this game out, maybe not. It certainly looks nice, but looks aren't going to matter if I'm pulling my hair out in frustration.

[karka]

Re-spawning enemies is a really big issue for me as well. I might decide no to get this game because of that.

[Spider]

Note that it's not a NWN2 style respawn. As in no enemies popping up right behind you. It's rather that if you kill all people in a certain area, they will eventually return. I really don't think it feels like respawning, more like other people moving in on what is now a great place to camp. I think it makes the game world feel more alive than unrealistic.

 

Besides, exactly what areas are repopulated is somewhat random. I've had areas stay cleared where others had respawns. It's not that big of a deal and certainly not a reason not to get the game (imo).

[Slowtrain]

I agree with Spider on the respawn issue. Its really not annoying. Respawns have bothered me in other games, but no this one.

 

 

ANyway, I decided to install the patch and start a new game. I'm going to try a higher difficulty level since I've been playing enough so that stalker level difficulty just isn't very difficult. I discovered that yesterday when I realized I was under attack by bandits but completely ignoring them while I was trying to puzzle my way through a couple close together anomalies to get at a stash.

 

When you start ignoring attacks becaue they are so meanignless, its time to raise the difficulty level.

 

I'm just hoping the patch doesn't create new bugs.

 

Here's another link to the US patch. I couldn't get on the worthplaying link that mkreku posted.

 

http://stalker.filefront.com/file/STALKER_...h_US_ONLY;77220

 

Good speed. 4 megs in 8 seconds.

[Pidesco]

The patch doesn't seem particularly interesting for single-player, so I'll hold on until I decide to start a new game.

[Slowtrain]

The patch doesn't seem particularly interesting for single-player, so I'll hold on until I decide to start a new game.

 

 

I agree and I would do the same otherwise.

 

 

 

small spoiler question for Garbage as I start my new game:

 

 

 

Is it possible to pass the Order checkpoint on the north side of Garbage without having retrieved the documents from the institute first?

 

Edited March 27, 2007 by CrashGirl

[Tale]

The patch doesn't seem particularly interesting for single-player, so I'll hold on until I decide to start a new game.

 

 

I agree and I would do the same otherwise.

 

 

 

small spoiler question for Garbage as I start my new game:

 

 

 

Is it possible to pass the Order checkpoint on the north side of Garbage without having retrieved the documents from the institute first?

 

To answer your question: No. Unless you're willing to fight them, but that's just memory based suspicion.

[Slowtrain]

Wow. Some interesting changes. I'm not sure which of these is due to the patch and which is due to a higher difficulty (veteran) leve:

 

1) Everything is 2x more expensive

2) Armor now takes damage. And pretty fast too. After my battle with the bandits at the factory, I noticed that my blue armor bar was down noticeably which was something I had never seen before.

3) The trader in the first level now sells more and better stuff.

4) Especially he now sells 4 types of armor: Leather Jacket, Bandit JAcket, Merc suit amd stalker suit. The freaking stalker suit costs 65,000 RU

 

 

Those are definite differences I noticed after just a few minutes of playing.

 

Differences that APPEAR to be the case:

 

1) Healing items now heal less, Can't confirm this for sure yet, have to play some more

2) Accuracy has been improved. I got four single shot head hits on the factory bandits with my silenced pistol. That seems a bit more accurate than previous, But maybe I'm just getting really good at the combat.

 

That being said, I took the factory bandits down solo with almost no trouble, so I don't know much raising the difficulty to veteran increased the challenge of the combat.

[Tale]

Fascinating. I know the armor bar went down in multiplayer, but not that it ever would in single player. I should hope that's a bug because I never found a way to repair that armor in multiplayer without dying. Even putting on a new suit wouldn't do it.

[Pidesco]

Wow. Some interesting changes. I'm not sure which of these is due to the patch and which is due to a higher difficulty (veteran) leve:

 

1) Everything is 2x more expensive

2) Armor now takes damage. And pretty fast too. After my battle with the bandits at the factory, I noticed that my blue armor bar was down noticeably which was something I had never seen before.

3) The trader in the first level now sells more and better stuff.

4) Especially he now sells 4 types of armor: Leather Jacket, Bandit JAcket, Merc suit amd stalker suit. The freaking stalker suit costs 65,000 RU

 

 

Those are definite differences I noticed after just a few minutes of playing.

 

Differences that APPEAR to be the case:

 

1) Healing items now heal less, Can't confirm this for sure yet, have to play some more

2) Accuracy has been improved. I got four single shot head hits on the factory bandits with my silenced pistol. That seems a bit more accurate than previous, But maybe I'm just getting really good at the combat.

 

That being said, I took the factory bandits down solo with almost no trouble, so I don't know much raising the difficulty to veteran increased the challenge of the combat.

 

Shut up. You're making me want to restart the game... >_