S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (Stalker) Thread

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Content Update Sealed Truth — a new questline for you to explore.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has received a new update, it includes a brand new questline and some bugfixes;
  • Fixed an issue causing overpopulation of strong mutant types in long campaigns.
  • Fixed an issue where the mission 'Dark as a Dungeon' would immediately cancel if the player had already reached the point of no return.
  • Added new loading screens.
Please note: The update is available after completing the story quest "Hot on the Trail" and before starting the quest "A Minor Incident".

The announcement also mentions that, if you use mods, this update might cause issues.
 
Is Stalker 2 even worth playing? I've played through the original trilogy many times over, but steered away from Stalker 2 just due to the reception and the whole unreal engine aspect. Is it actually worth it now or still not?
 
dehumanizebodyandsoul said:
Is Stalker 2 even worth playing? I've played through the original trilogy many times over, but steered away from Stalker 2 just due to the reception and the whole unreal engine aspect. Is it actually worth it now or still not?
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In its current state? No. As @Bogan said though, wait a year or so and the game will probably be in a much better state.
 
Will it be in a worthwhile to play state after another year though? The game has problems that can't be fixed by a handful of minor content updates and another DLC. The map is still very barren when it comes to content and traversing it is a pain in the ass. It's got a shallowness that the trilogy didn't have.
 
Blackstar said:
Will it be in a worthwhile to play state after another year though? The game has problems that can't be fixed by a handful of minor content updates and another DLC. The map is still very barren when it comes to content and traversing it is a pain in the ass. It's got a shallowness that the trilogy didn't have.
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I think even with all these fixes, one thinh that will never be fixed is the story. Which is just plain shit
 
Blackstar said:
Will it be in a worthwhile to play state after another year though? The game has problems that can't be fixed by a handful of minor content updates and another DLC. The map is still very barren when it comes to content and traversing it is a pain in the ass. It's got a shallowness that the trilogy didn't have.
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One way it could be improved is by a system that simulates troop and mutant movement inside the zone
Like an artificial life system!
You could call it Half-life or something.
Its a shame the other games never had this.
 
The tired cat said:
I think even with all these fixes, one thinh that will never be fixed is the story. Which is just plain shit
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I enjoy some of the missions, especially the endgame, but it's ruined by the size of the map making you spend more time walking than actually playing those missions, e.g. travelling all the way to the western parts of the map with nothing but meaningless locations filled with generic loot on the way.
 
Blackstar said:
I enjoy some of the missions, especially the endgame, but it's ruined by the size of the map making you spend more time walking than actually playing those missions, e.g. travelling all the way to the western parts of the map with nothing but meaningless locations filled with generic loot on the way.
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Didnt they recently actually add guides that can fast travel you across the map? Also, I dunno to me the story feels like a mess, because its clear they were using parts of the old script they had.
 
dehumanizebodyandsoul said:
Is Stalker 2 even worth playing? I've played through the original trilogy many times over, but steered away from Stalker 2 just due to the reception and the whole unreal engine aspect. Is it actually worth it now or still not?
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It always was honestly. I might not be the best judge because I was always a big fan of the series, from day one; but it got enough things right that if you like the basics of Stalker as a concept, it's a game you will enjoy. It was a janky piece of shit on launch but I expected and, secretly, even desired that- By now it is at least fairly stable.

Obviously it's far from perfect, but neither was the original. Like, when was the last time anybody played vanilla Satalker and not some AMK derivative. For me the best part about Stalker 2 is that it took the AMK/OL/etc flavour of Stalker, and makes that effectively the base, vanilla experience. It's not as mechanically bloated as Misery/Anomaly/Gamma, but that is frankly a good thing, and I think a decent chunk of the people who don't like it are people who were mindbroken by those types of mods to think that's the "real" Stalker which it's not and should not be.

The only part that truly sucks is the disappointing A-Life. But that's not a deal breaker to me. It doesn't stand out unless you are consciously thinking about it.
 
The tired cat said:
Didnt they recently actually add guides that can fast travel you across the map?
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This was a feature since Day One, people somehow don't see the glaring guide icon on the map, compass or the suspiciously placed NPC with unique lines and interections that are always right next to the bar, nor the tooltip that outright presents this information.
dehumanizebodyandsoul said:
Is it actually worth it now or still not?
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TLDR, as it is now, on sale maybe, the performance still sucks, the visuals are marred by early adoption of half baked technology and the AI is still a joke between SOC and CS, If you liked SOC and CS then there is a good chance you'll like the gameplay here, BUT I'd say wait and see for how the Engine Update works out.
The biggest issue with the game was it's insistance in using Unreal Engine 5.1, it's a tired point but true, technology like Lumen and Nanit have only recently matured to a point where their merits can be seen in actual use, and that is to say, in UE5.5-5.7, UE5.1 was absolute fucking shit, laughable.
Maybe, the DLC comes out with a free update that fixes most of the graphical issues and adds content to the late game or rebalances the damage table's, that may be cope, but it's still worth waiting until then, especially because I bet you they'll put it on a juicy sale.
 
The tired cat said:
Didnt they recently actually add guides that can fast travel you across the map?
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The guides have been there since launch. Idk what has changed with them, but on launch they were both very expensive and only went to other hubs.

I think there do need to be more locations than they’ll take you to and with a much lower cost though. Maybe the expensive option can be to take you to where your map marker is set.
 
The 1.9 quest is very short but it work's as a teaser for what is coming in the DLC, and also to the faction inner conflicts. As for additional stuff I didn't post, 1.9 came with a QR code that leads you to this special page from GSC, in it you will be able to download an archive with 4 files, a JPG, a Audio File and their respective variations in Ukrainian, I'll post them all here, the Ukr one's behind the spoiler tag for posteriety and because I know from all of you only The Tired Cat knows how to read it.
Named, "Note to Karma"
Note to Karma.jpg Note to Karma.jpg
Named, "Roy to Fly"

Записка для Карми.jpg
Those are small potatoes, the BIG news is that GSC has released their collaboration with the supermarket line ATB, basically, most of the lore is in a book you can read complemented with cards to introduce collection gambling to the drunkards.
Each card seems to include a QR Code each with a link to audio, and the book has pages with descriptions on each character, including those in the new DLC, I won't go extensively into this, one because its too long and two because it's in Ukrainian and I don't speak a lick of it, but I do find a lot amusing with the little I saw, most strikingly...
Mykhlua, the acting leader of Freedom, the one who skyrocketed their shekels to the moon, looks like Vince McMahoon.

1776287775027.png
1776287805277.png

I cannot unsee this, and it's really fucking funny.

If you want to know more, this video goes page by page about it, and has everything hand translated to english in the subtitles, 3 hours long too.
 
Frightened Rabbit said:
Mykhlua, the acting leader of Freedom, the one who skyrocketed their shekels to the moon, looks like Vince McMahoon.
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Mykhlua's great. Freedom has gone full "Capitalism, ho!" ever since the Ward ended the faction war, loves the new outbreak of peace and stability and all the money to be made running a giant trade bazaar (that unfortunately has mediocre choices and really needs Nimble setting up shop there to deal in special goods like he did in CoP), and just tries to make a shitton of money, while Duty just seethes and fails to cope.
 
Snekposter said:
Mykhlua's great. Freedom has gone full "Capitalism, ho!" ever since the Ward ended the faction war, loves the new outbreak of peace and stability and all the money to be made running a giant trade bazaar (that unfortunately has mediocre choices and really needs Nimble setting up shop there to deal in special goods like he did in CoP), and just tries to make a shitton of money, while Duty just seethes and fails to cope.
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Which, I love this huge ass plothole how ALL the factions suddenly agreed to thus cupon system. Like, really? Just like that?
 
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