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In Soviet Russia, games play YOU!

Speaking of atmospheric effects, once I got my Mac upgraded enough to crank up the video, I've been blown away by STALKER's weather. The rain and lightning is very realistic (no mud puddles, though).

ukimalefu wrote:

In Soviet Russia, games play YOU!

::wishes he had a backup of his response that was supposed to be used every time that phrase came up::

Try the original Ghost Recon then. It takes place in Georgia (the country) involving the Russians. Lots of Russian in it.

ABigSmall wrote:

I've been eying S.T.A.L.K.E.R. ever since theBattleCat mentioned it in these forums before its release. Good to hear you like it. Weren't there many bugs in that game? I don't remember that well.

There are a few side missions that won't finish, but those can be safely ignored. Sometimes I have trouble selecting the grenade from the keyboard. I've had some crashes, but mostly before I upgraded my RAM. I'd say it's worth the $20. You can also download it from Steam.

One amazing thing about the game is that it runs on its own clock. You can start a level at night, with stars in the sky and eventually it will get lighter and the sun will rise, which looks fantastic with the dynamic lighting. This is independent of the level you are on, which is quite different from other games.

Another neat feature are multiple endings, depending on the characteristics of how you've played the game (how much money you've accumulated, how helpful you are to other stalkers, etc.). There is also an extended ending with a couple of extra levels if you take a couple of side missions that are automatically assigned to you - I missed those the first time I played.

Last edited by user (2008-02-28 8:04 am)

user wrote:

It's probably old news to you guys...

Yes & no. It was so long in dev it started to look like vaporware... we used to discuss it a fair amount, but that waned as the years went on. By the time it released, most folks seemed bored by it, and there was little or no discussion of the shipping game. I got the impression no one hereabouts bought it.

I'm still interested, but it'll have to wait.

ABigSmall wrote:

I've been eying S.T.A.L.K.E.R. ever since theBattleCat mentioned it in these forums before its release. Good to hear you like it. Weren't there many bugs in that game? I don't remember that well.

We were talking about it long before BC even joined. Here's a bit from 5 years ago.

Right now, the only FPS games I'm excited about are STALKER and Doom 3, in that order.

If you haven't heard about STALKER, check out www.stalkerthegame.com .  It looks to be the most promising game in a few years.

I've seen the screens- I think Gary P. started a thread with them recently- but the site is down just now.

..Day and night transitions happen more naturally with the sun rising in the East and setting in the West and all the character models have lots of new animations. Volumetric lighting is another new feature and goes a long way to making the game look more modern. Beams of light will shine through tall grass and windows and shadows are much more realistic and detailed. Better depth-of-field effects are also in place and new weather effects make rainstorms look more realistic. These improvements help the game look better, albeit not a huge step up.

Sound good to me. Subtle improvements add up, and 'god rays' (sunbeams thru atmosphere effects) are not only all the rage these days, but as any Halo 3 player can tell you, are a very nice touch, especially in humid areas.

user wrote:

New game feature:

Use of grenades by NPCs

Oh. smurf.

We've been dodging them for years. Be grateful there are no Kamikaze Grunts running at you with a grenade in each paw ("I'll bet I can stick you... witness my devotion!"). I've seen three at the same time. Nice lighting.

ukimalefu wrote:

Thank God it's You!......BOOM!

No, no... Bungie never recycles anything.

::hides the Halo 3 Terminal with the Marathon Terminal symbol::

So...

Warin wrote:

...
Which ticks me off... after killing the target you take down a gunship helicopter with a shot from the Barrett, but in multiplayer, you can empty 4 clips from the same gun into a damn helicopter and not knock it out of the sky. grr.

I'm not even sure hitting the pilot is realistic. Perhaps with special ammo, but those often have different recoil impulses that might jam a semi-auto. A bolt gun would be choice, tho the Barret does have more than one model. Most modern gunships are armored against strikes up to at least the 20mm class. You'd have to hit a really critical, small area.

No.

I've played almost all of the FPSs that have made it to the Mac and that's what I compare against. I suppose it's possible that there are more fantastic graphics on the PC side, but I find it hard to believe that STALKER graphics are lame.

edit: I just looked at some screenshots for Oblivion.....I'm starting to question what world YOU live on.

Last edited by user (2008-03-06 12:17 pm)

user wrote:

STALKER: Clear Sky, the sequel, is supposed to come out this month...

Not even close, sadly, but it has gotten a formal release date.

The official GSC GameWorld web site has posted up word on the release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, the upcoming prequel to their 2007 release post apocalyptic first person shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl. The game is now scheduled for release on August 29.

http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsart … chid=20179

Games running on their own internal clocks aren't really new, but have been quite rare. A feature one wishes was used more often.

Zetetic Apparatchik wrote:

user wrote:

NightCougar_37 wrote:

Try the original Ghost Recon then. It takes place in Georgia (the country) involving the Russians. Lots of Russian in it.

I've played that, also obsessively. What I'm liking here is not the spoken Russian and the location but the Russian game designers themselves.

Hm..
STALKER was made by Ukrainians (although they may have been ethnic Russians I guess) and Cold War was made by Czechs...

forgive user, he hasn't seen a world map since 1988.

user wrote:

Eh.

I lack precision.

That could be a drawback in shooters.

And you still like the Gauss Rifle? I'd think you'd favor SMGs, FTs, grenades and horseshoes.