Zig...I am Captain Planet!Join Date: 2002-10-23Member: 1576Members
edited August 2004
there will be new arrivals <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
and who says you'll even be able to kill them that easily <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif' /><!--endemo--> the player in the demos is invincible for the E3 demo.
Ah. Well that's an easy [but unsatisfying <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->] solution. I say unsatisfying because unless there's a system of time-delay and unpredictability, etc [to random up the arrival of new stalkers, as well as the experience, blah blah you get me]... then it will just be like GTA "you kill a cop, it doesnt matter, because we have INFINITY more! mwuahahah!"
edit: invincible, you say? but still, it'd be easier to kill them, because the player is invincible for a few reasons... not just for E3 reasons, but because he sucks so much that he wouldnt be able to kill anybody without invincibility <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> I still say it'd be easy, not because of your health etc.
Uhm. There's about 150 other STALKERs in the game. That includes the ones in groups. If you kill too many military guys, they'll start hunting you. There was a real long article about the AI and engine a while back.
<!--QuoteBegin-eediot+Aug 8 2004, 07:14 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (eediot @ Aug 8 2004, 07:14 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Ah. Well that's an easy [but unsatisfying] solution. I say unsatisfying because unless there's a system of time-delay and unpredictability, etc [to random up the arrival of new stalkers, as well as the experience, blah blah you get me]... then it will just be like GTA "you kill a cop, it doesnt matter, because we have INFINITY more! mwuahahah!"
edit: invincible, you say? but still, it'd be easier to kill them, because the player is invincible for a few reasons... not just for E3 reasons, but because he sucks so much that he wouldnt be able to kill anybody without invincibility I still say it'd be easy, not because of your health etc.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> I'm not sure what the starting number was, 100, 120 or 150. But their numbers will slowly be lowered by deaths (Player kills, animals attacks, anomalies, fatigue). They'll be replaced sporadically with new arrivals.
One of the cooler parts of the game, I think, is the feel of survival. How apparent it will be in the final game is up for debate, but I like the:
Need Food and Water (and safe Radiation levels) [reminds me of Dungeon Master, <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->] Need to sleep Weight limit Bartering with other Stalkers in the open field Wide choice of weapons and armaments that present a more RPG-ic feel. Need to avoid deadly anomalies (although, that could get real annoying if you've got to throw screws all over the place to look for gravity anomalies).
The game also seems to have taken more of a focus on realism, with the: Degradable, and vulnerable cover which can be shot through. Decent AI tactics with NPC humans. Wide variety of moddable weapons in-game. The small list from above <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> . Physics (although they seem a bit wonky) Vehicles that require fuel and maintainence Iron sights [I think going prone might be in now, not sure] A reality based rendering of an area around Chernobyl and Pripyat' (modded, because the real area isn't overly excited, so some of it's shrunken and added to). Realistic simulation of weather and sky Realistic animal simulation
Things I hope are (still) included/fixed/there: Weak sounding and appearing weapons (I mean listen and watch them...jeez. Non-aggressive fauna...besides the crows. Russian voice acting opposed to crappy English dubs...subs work fine. At least a choice to pick one. The ability to run on my poor, poor Radeon 9200 Animal AI - It seems simulated well, but it only looks like basic HL AI in action around the player. Anomalies that aren't overly annoying by being far too numerous. Stealth based gameplay if the player chooses - with AI that doesn't cheat and isn't stupid. ...I'm sure there was other stuff...but pfft, that should work.
It looks cool if you ask me but really trying to tell from just videos which game is going to be better is a bit stupid... Its better to just wait and see. Don't forget that this is probably a bit behind HL2 which is probably going to be released later year and this is going to be released next year i think so its a bit early to make judgements now. I dont really see what exactly you are talking about the graphic better worse then HL 2 they look almost the same if you ask me with focuses elsewhere like possibly the faces not so detailed but it makes up for that with the dynamic lighting.
Q: What is the background story of the game? A: The background story for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is built as a hypothesis of real events to have taken place in the 1980's. Back in Chernobyl there functioned an immense antenna, which, as acknowledged by many specialists, radiated psychoactive waves. On some of our photos, taken during the trips to Chernobyl the body of the antenna can be vividly seen on the horizon. According to the unverified rumours, the emission was directed onto Western Europe - as a part of a long-term military experiment on psychotropic influence on humans. Those are semi-documentary facts and rumours. The storyline of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is built around similar experiments, propped by conspiracy theory and opposition of special services. With our game we as if think up what could happen in reality. This is a story of post-nuclear world with its own laws and characters.
to the top
Q: How many endings are planned? A: We plan over eight drastically different endings for the game. The way it will end depends on what is the player's way to complete the game.
to the top
Q: If it is an action/RPG, why will you be unable to improve your character's skills then? A: This is a role-playing game without growing experience of your character, without changing characteristics and levels. We'd like the player to work out his personal mastery, moreover S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is an action/RPG, where much is dependent on skills of the player himself. To our mind, the changing characteristics, levels and character experience destroy realism we try to create in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. With the rest, it is virtually a normal RPG - players travel the Zone, collect artefacts, weapons, reveal anomalous zones, communicate and trade with each other. The player develops economically, just as in "Elite". He earns money, buys new equipment, weapons. Owing to that, new parts of the Zone are revealed to him. I.e. those, which you won't initially reach with a pistol and simple detector. What refers to characteristics, an experienced player will already act quicker and smarter than a newbie. We come out of presumption that the player plays as stalker - a mature, thoroughly prepared person, living in the Zone. He can be compared with a soldier who is trained to accomplish a mission. The soldier is trained for the task, but when on a mission, everything depends on himself. In the course of accomplishing the objective he cannot improve his skills drastically. That is why, unlike other games, the player, for instance, does not start playing as a character whose submachine-gun-holding hands tremble or who cannot hit a rat with his sword 9 out of 10 times, and within the next 10 years of the game time he becomes a demigod hitting a bird in the sky with his eyes closed and evading machinegun volleys. Classic system of skills is justified in third-person-view games, when nothing depends on the player's actions, like in Diablo, for instance. The player can only click on opponent - then dice are cast and, basing on skills, mathematical calculations are done. In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. this is the player's mastery which grows, and not abstract skills of a model on the screen. If the player has mastered weapon peculiarities, knows weak spots of the enemies, knows equipment and Zone anomalies, has an excellent reaction and accuracy etc - he gets an appropriate result. The hero of the game is the very player - everything depends on him solely. These are the reasons why there will be no upgradable characteristics. The only possibility is their decrease under certain conditions. And additionally, to our opinion, a true role-playing game is not determined by presence of growing characteristics, experience and levels, which are nothing more but the elegant gameplay elements, whose goal is to keep up the interest in the gameplay. Experience, skills and characteristics can be added to any game, but it will not become a role-playing title due to that. It will only be a role-playing game when there are interrelations between the characters, when the player has a possibility to choose a role for himself in the new world, that role dependent on his actions and decisions.
to the top
Q: And who's the enemy? How many types of enemies can players encounter? A: Multitude of opponents are planned for the game, to start with army soldiers guarding the Zone border and up to uncanny mutated creatures frequently abnormally abled with such skills as telepathy or telekinesis. Underground dwarfs, telepathic controllers, senseless zombies, packs of blind dogs, hordes of rats and many other beasts can be expected in the gameJ. Controllers will take control over soldiers and stalkers, as well as coordinate the actions of zombies. Dwarfs and rats set up underground communications, while blind dogs will prowl about wastelands and dumps of radioactive trash.
to the top
Q: How about weapons? How many weapons are planned for the game? A: We plan over 40 types of firearms, cold steel and artefact weaponry. Weapons will correspond the time stretch from the 1970s to the early 21 century. I.e. you will see both time-proven Kalashnikov submachine guns, and models of weapons just planned to be added to arsenals, such as FN 2000 assault rifle. Weapon types (excluding artefact ones) are going to be quite traditional for games: knives, pistols, shotguns, machinegun pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machineguns, grenades, grenade launchers. As the game is set on the territory of CIS, in Ukraine, the weapon models will, accordingly, be those produced in USSR/Russia. Though the best western "pieces" will not be omitted too. All the weapons are close in looks to their real prototypes. We will try to maximally accurately render the parameters of weapon shooting and the comparative efficacy of various models. Though we do not target to become a virtual special forces simulator. I.e. certain simplifications will also take place. Talking about interesting peculiarities, we will have quite a worked out physical model of weapons, owing to which piercing of various surfaces, shock waves, splinter and pin-point explosions as well as other goodies will be implemented. Weapons will wear out through time. What's going to be the artefact weaponry is something for the players to experience as they play the game through.
to the top
Q: Will the weapons be modifiable? A: The majority of weapons will be modifiable. For instance, by adding a muffler, barrel-attached grenade launcher or sniper sight.
to the top
Q: Will players be able to drive numerous types of vehicles (saw a car in the video), how about these in multiplayer? If flying vehicles (hellicopter) are included in the game, will joystick be supported? A: The player will find a variety of vehicles in the Zone - cars, trucks, jeeps, armoured personnel carriers and helicopters. The player will be able to control virtually any vehicle, but for APCs and helicopters. Mere buying a car will not be enough, as you are also to take care of fuel and protective equipment for your vehicle to go through dangerous zones.
to the top
Q: Will stalker need to sleep and have rest? Will food be a necessity for stalker? A: Stalker will indeed require sleep and food. Without rest stalker can faint, and without food he can starve to death.
to the top
Q: What does S.T.A.L.K.E.R. mean? A: This is left to be disclosed only in the game;)
to the top
Q: How big will the outdoor arenas be? A: Certain levels will attain up to five square kilometres in size.
to the top
Q: How big is the game world? A: The Zone territory is approximately 30 sq. km.
to the top
Q: Can I finish the game without taking an even single shot? Will players be able to pick their style of play through? A: You can complete the game without shooting human characters, but you will hardly be able to play through without a single clash with mutants. The probability to encounter aggressive mutants is too high. It is up to the player who to become. Whether he turns into the enemy number one in the Zone or a noble rescuer, or maybe an invisible stalker, agitatedly rumoured by Zone explorers. Immense equipment variations, countless alternatives of behaviour in tough situations, where the decision will determine game characters' life, as well as the changing world. All these possibilities will enable players to select their own personal style of play through, choose their own life in the world of the Zone, independently of storyline or scripts.
to the top
Q: Will there be a possibility to use walkie-talkie or it is the sole privilege of the military? A: You will be able to overhear the communication of soldiers, military stalkers, sound and receive distress signals, listen to various anomalous noises with the help of walkie-talkie.
to the top
Q: Will there be change of seasons or the game is limited with 90 virtual days and nights? If there's no change of seasons, which season will the game take place in? A: There won't be any change of seasons. The game will take place in autumn.
to the top
Q: Will there be a possibility to control flying vehicles? A: No. We had it in the initial concept, but rejected subsequently. (see above).
to the top
Q: If the player kills some stalker (1 out of 100), will there be a new stalker respawned to keep up the total number of NPCs in the Zone? A: No, the number of stalkers in the Zone will vary depending on mortality and newbie arrival. At a certain point there can be 70 stalkers, and at some point there can be 120.
to the top
Q: Will there be cigarettes and beer? If so, then which effect will they produce onto stalker? A: Cigarettes will probably be introduced. There definitely will be vodka. Beer is under questionJ
to the top
Q: Will there be a possibility to keep a diary? A: All the information gets automatically added into the diary.
to the top
Q: What are the rules of participation in literary contest? A: To participate in the contest you are to write a story on stalker adventures in Chernobyl exclusion Zone. A story about happenings in the world filled with psychic and physical dangers, radiation, anomalous phenomena, mutant creatures. The contest winners, authors of 10 best stories, will receive a copy of the game signed by the developers. Best creations will be placed onto the game disk. Authors will be included into the list of game credits. Fragments of your stories will become a part of the Zone, its stories and legends, enter the original game!!! All the stories sent will be placed on the official web-site of the game (www.stalker-game.com), where winners will be selected through voting. Feel free to send your stories at the following e-mail address: stalker@gsc-game.kiev.ua
to the top
Q: How long will the literary contest go? A: Virtually up to the end of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. development. We will inform you of the contest final several months prior to it.
to the top
Q: Can I send several stories for the contest? A: Yes, but there's one remark here: if two of your stories enter the top ten, you will get only one prize, and the second one will go to position eleven.
to the top
Q: Will the contest stories enter the game? A: Fragments of the stories will enter the game as background of the main storyline, and virtually all the colourful heroes will enter the game as unique characters with their own stories and character peculiarities. When the player begins the game, part of unique characters will randomly get into the Zone and the player is to find out how the life in the Zone will develop.
to the top
Q: Will there be multiplayer? What multiplayer modes will be available in the game? A: We will have multiplayer part in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. What's planned are standard modes, such as Deathmatch, Team Match and Cooperative, as well as new types of network battles (MutantsVSHumans). The main focus of attention for the players, as we believe, will be the Cooperative play - a mode to play the game through in a team - a virtually on-line game, where up to several dozens of players can join in, and the Team Match - team play a-la Counter-Strike (on dedicated levels).
to the top
Q: Which is the priority for S.T.A.L.K.E.R, single- or multiplayer? A: The basic direction is singleplayer, but we do not forget about multiplayer too.
to the top
Q: How many players will be able to play in multiplayer at once? A: 32.
to the top
Q: A question on hype around S.T.A.L.K.E.R. demo shown at GeForce FX launch: there was a forum message saying that during the presentation there was up to 1 million polygons per frame, while the web-site mentions "just" 300.000. Does it mean that 300.000 is a guaranteed minimum and depending on the configuration, we'll be able to break the 300.000 barrier on home computer? A: In a nutshell, this is how the land lies here. You need to distinguish between polygons which account for non-simplified geometry and the geometry which can be simplified. For example, the non-simplified geometry includes level landscape or walls of inner rooms, weapons the player holds etc. Virtually all the other objects and items on level have levels of detailing (LOD). It means that with distance to the object a different, simplified model substitutes the previous one, but as it became further from you, you don't notice the change. An object of several thousand polygons on the last level of detailing can be of no more than a couple dozens of polygons, but you won't feel it, as the object is already far on the skyline and slightly bigger than a dot. There also exists a group of objects called details objects. This is grass, branches, newspapers and other small objects the level surface is covered with. All the simplified geometry is adjusted depending on your computer performance. For Stalker the minimal video board to attain an acceptable number of FPS would be GeForce 2. For this very board the sum of polygons of simplified and non-simplified geometry (detailing) constitutes 300.000 polygons per frame as an average. The more powerful video board you have, the more detailed your graphics will be owing to growth in visibility range, more detailed LOD, a greater number of details objects and so on. In the version Nvidia demonstrated all the settings were put to maximum. For instance, grass was drawn within a radius of 200 meters with maximal density, maximal visibility range was set etc. 1.000.000 polygons per frame was attained. Now we complete the transition to DirectX 9.0. When completed, the latest accelerator generation boards, such as GeForce FX will allow up to 3.000.000 polygons per frame under good fps in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The game world will be very detailed thenJ. The minimum guaranteed is 200.000 polygons. The maximum is 3.000.000.
to the top
Q: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is shown on GeForce FX presentations. The game looks incredibly detailed. Does it mean that the game is designed exclusively for the most up-to-date hardware? If I have a more low-end kind of computer, shall I quit waiting for the game? A: At GeForce FX launch the version with maximal settings and features activated was shown. As mentioned above, in options you'll be able to adjust an optimal correlation of detailing and effects to performance, in accordance with the possibilities of your computer. So, everybody with a configuration higher than defined minimal requirements can wait for the game.
to the top
Q: What are the platforms the game will be released on? A: Currently the game is developed for PC. However, we also consider X-box.
to the top
Q: When will S.T.A.L.K.E.R. be released? Who's the publisher? A: The game is slated for release in 2nd half 2004. On the territory of CIS S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will be published by Russobit-M. The worldwide publisher will be announced a bit later.
to the top
Q: Are there going to be day-/night-/weather effects? A: The Zone will have a natural flow of time, change of day and night. There also will be weather effects, change of fog, earthquakes, wind, rain (all of this has already been implemented).
to the top
Q: I can't digest gore. Can I turn it off or manually adjust the level of gore? A: Yes, in the options.
to the top
Q: In what languages will S.T.A.L.K.E.R.be released? A: It's all standard with the localisation. The game will be translated into all the main languages - English, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, German and Korean. Further on the localisation list may be expanded. Possibly in order to get an extra colouring of the Zone, the character voiceover will remain in Russian with translation going as sub-titles.
to the top
Q: On some of the screenshots stalker can be seen from behind. Does it mean the game will have the 3rd-person view? A: No, only the first-person view to go into the game.
to the top
Q: What kind of music will S.T.A.L.K.E.R. have? A: The soundtracks in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are going to be dark ambient, slow and creepy kind of music. You can listen to an extract of one S.T.A.L.K.E.R. soundtrack on the official web-site of the project: www.stalker-game.com.
to the top
Q: Will anomalies affect the projectile trajectory? A: No, this is too difficult. In addition, the player will hardly notice it.
to the top
Q: Would also be great to know what, how and where we will be eating? A: The food can be bought from the dealers. It will be various tinned goods, loafs of bread, dried meat, etc.
to the top
Q: Can I broil and eat the meat of, say, hunted birds? A: The player will have a possibility to eat the flesh of hunted animals. However, most likely you won't be able to broil it.
to the top
Q: On the site it says the controller takes over the control of the troops. Can he take over the control of the player? How will the troops behave being controlled by the monster? A: a.Controller can take over the control of any unprotected human being regardless whether it is a soldier, stalker, NPC or the player. b.Controlled troops attack the enemies of controller. Their movements are somewhat slow, and they handle weapons worse.
to the top
Q: Will wounded monsters hide and flee? A: Yes, they will. All characters have morale parameter. It changes depending the character's condition, number of friends and enemies, and even what weapon the enemy has.
to the top
Q: Will the monsters fight each other? A: Yes. Some types of mutants can't tolerate with each other and attack the opponents when occasion permits. For example, blind dogs hate dwarfs. The mutants may also be afraid of or consume other creatures as food.
to the top
Q: If I kill all mutants on the level what is going to happen when I return to that level in a while? A: In a certain random period of time migrating mutants will settle on the level having picked favorable territories.
to the top
Q: How will saving work and will there be different difficulty levels? A: We plan several difficulty levels. The difference between difficulties will not be just about complexity of accomplishment and monsteraggressiveness. On the easiest level, some endings will be unavailable, the player can save any time and any place, NPCs won't try to solve the ultimate task instead of the player. On the most difficult level, we plan to leave only auto saving. It will work when exiting the game, when at the dealer's, when moving from one level to another and in certain periods of time. There also be a "custom game" mode when you can customize the game the game you feel fit.
to the top
Q: Now here is the question. How will the gaming space be confined? Will you confine it within a rampart, concrete wall, dreadful anomaly, invisible barrier or any other thing? A: We try to use most "natural" barriers as ponds, walls, metal heaps, steep slopes, military posts.
to the top
Q: Would be nice to know how damage will be visualized? A: When heavily wounded the player slows down, the hands are shaky, he experiences overall weakness. There will be various graphical effects for damage as sudden jitter of the screen, red post-processing, doubling of the screen, etc.
to the top
Q: Will there be such a system for damage and shoot off of the limbs as in SoF? A: a.Limbs shoot-off is not planned (it may change though). b.Amount and type of damage will depend on where the bullet hits, i.e. in the head, limb or torso.
to the top
Q: How can the player restore his health? A: The player will be able to stop the bleeding (bandage injured parts of the body) and restore the health taking medications. We are not going to complicate this process for everything has to be smooth and simple.
to the top
Q: Will you implement the damage of protective suits through cutting and bullet hits and, therefore, decrease of their protective abilities (chemical protection, radiation protection, etc.)? A: Almost every item wears out gradually. Protective suits can be damaged, chemical clothing can be torn, weapons and equipment may go phut.
to the top
Q: Can I run over anybody when driving a vehicle? A: Of course.
to the top
Q: How will level changing work? A: Locations, i.e. levels, are connected with the passages. When moving through such a passage another level loads automatically.
to the top
Q: Will there be radiation? A: Yes. There also will be the radiation sickness some stages of which will be incurable.
to the top
Q: Can I kill the dealer? A: No, there shouldn't be any dead-ends in the game.
to the top
Q: Will there be some sort of statistics or any ratings as, for example, psychopathic killer or hardened veteran, etc.? A: There will be a stalker rating. It will affect the attitude of others towards you. Possibly, the newbies will be given nicknames.
to the top
Q: How many firearms will have silencers? Will they be separate weapon accessories, or will they be already attached? A: Yes. Some parts will be obligatory elements of the design (for example, a VSS/VAL firearm complex), and some will be hinged accessories, as with AK or "Groza".
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to sneak behind an enemy and kill (or stun) him silently? A: Your enemies possess realistic sight and hearing. If you silently approach from the back, you will not be seen, except if the monster has eyes on the back of the head, or a sixth sense.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to hide corpses? A: Of course! If soldiers find their friend's corpse, they will raise the alarm.
to the top
Q: How was ground surface created? I'm interested in geodesic part of question. What information and materials were used? Or was just video filming used? A: We used photo and video footage, which were taken during a Chernobyl trip, and a lot of other materials, including maps and buildings' plans.
to the top
Q: Will the sniper sight shake? A: Yes. Impaired health (or surplus of alcohol in blood;) will aggravate the situation.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to play without killing anyone (except for the monsters)? Will it be possible to kill, but without revealing your identity (I mean, if you are a Dark Stalker, who kills everybody, but nobody sees you?) A: Yes. The player himself is free to choose any share of stealth and action in the game.
to the top
Q: How interactive will the game world be? A: All game objects are subjects to a realistic physics model, but you can't destroy buildings uncontrollably, if that is what you mean. Probably you would in further games, when gaming computers will allow it.
to the top
Q: Will the partnership with nVIDIA influence the performance of ATI video cards? A: Our developers tried to make the game run with the best performance on both video card families. The difference in performance will not be more then 5%, which is almost insignificant. Besides, the game engine supports specific functions of nVIDIA chipsets and doesn't support ATI specifications (such as Truform technology). Still, the game will run well on both types of video cards, so buy what you like more.
to the top
Q: Will the stalker **** (and more)? :-) A: No, these moments will be left behind the screen.
to the top
Q: Will there be casual non-military closing in the game? (Except jeans and leather jacket. For instance training suit?) A: Yes. It remains on you when you remove the armor.
to the top
Q: Will there be a bicycle in the game? A: No, there is neither a bicycle, a motorcycle, nor a Segway. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
to the top
Q: What currency will be used in Stalker world? A: The Soviet ruble.
to the top
Q: How real will prices be? (How much will AK-47 be?) A: The scale of prices is about real (in recalculation to our money, of course), but the specific prices will be balanced.
to the top
Q: Will I be able to kill through glass or a car door? A: Yes, in general it is difficult to hide behind a car. In real life a bullet from Kalashnikov's automatic rifle of calibre 7.62 punches through even a block of cylinders.
to the top
Q: When is data about buildings' interiors loaded? When I enter them or before (together with data about building exteriors)? A: Interiors are loaded together with the whole level.
to the top
Q: Are development and implementation still going within the plan? A: Due to several reasons there is some additional time, which will be used for finishing balance and game process up to an ideal state.
to the top
Q: In what language will old inscriptions be in the Zone (e.g. signs, tablets)? A: In Russian and in Ukrainian. We even use the real photos from Chernobyl.
to the top
Q: What will be the armament of MI-24 helicopter? A: The real one - machine gun and rockets. (more info)
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to play via modem? A: It will not be built into the game directly, but establishment of Windows TCP/IP connection will be covered in the manual supplied with the game.
to the top
Q: Will the APC (BTR) be able to swim? A: This will be defined at the stage of balance debugging.
to the top
Q: Are the faces in the game made from real people? A: Some are made from real people, and some are compiled from several persons with additional processing.
to the top
Q: Will I be able to impose my photo as a texture on a model's face? A: It is not implemented at the present.
to the top
Q: What type of gameplay will STALKER feature? A: The main motive - maximum freedom. The player is given a whole world, a gigantic territory inhabited by various creatures, controlled by unfamiliar laws, hiding in itself death, as well as glory and riches. The player is given a minimal set of equipment and an introduction to the story. Then - independent exploration, struggle. The gameplay will be such as the player chooses to make it. Some will prefer silent stealth operations with lengthy ambushes; some - lightning fast attack. Some prefer to trade and explore, while some become warriors. Freedom of action is the basis of the game, which cannot be played the same twice.
to the top
Q: What inspired the creation of the game? A: Quite a few things, deliberately or not, have an influence on developers. Speaking about computer games, we can say that the "three whales" which have inspired the developers of "S.T.A.L.K.E.R" are "Elite", "Daggerfall" and, of course, "Fallout". The Zone's atmosphere is based on Strugatsky brothers' book "Roadside Picnic", and the movie "Stalker", directed by Tarkovsky, based on the Strugatsky brothers' script.
to the top
Q: How similar will the Zone in the game be to the real Chernobyl Zone? A: On one hand, it has been noted that people who have worked in Chernobyl experience strong feelings of deja vu from seeing the screenshots and the trailers. On the other, anomalous content has dramatically altered the appearance of the whole territory. The game's Zone replicates about 60% of the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl NPP in location and appearance of structures, as well as in atmosphere.
to the top
Q: How do you know what Chernobyl really looks like? A: The developers took three trips to Chernobyl, from which have remained hours of video recordings, thousand of photos, as well as invaluable personal experience, the sense of abandonment and hidden danger spreading to whole Chernobyl exclusion zone. Materials of this trip and a set of photos can be found on site GSC Game World.
to the top
Q: Will S.T.A.L.K.E.R. offer a non-linear game design? A: We rejected the linear play from level to level in favour of such freedom of actions and movement as was seen in "Elite", "Daggerfall" and "Fallout". The players will travel the vast territory of the Zone, occupying 30 sq. km. Exploring the Zone, earning money through tasks, and gaining experience in combat, stalkers will move along the unconstrained "non-stiff" story line towards the game end. An entire world of the Zone will open up before the player. He will be able to plan his development and travel deep inside. The story will develop independently of the player's actions. Every time the game starts, the player will get a new Zone. Only the important points (dealers' locations, army posts, scientific camps and so on) which will remain unchanged. Anomalies, artefacts, monsters will be randomly generated at start.
to the top
Q: If "S.T.A.L.K.E.R" is a FPS/RPG game, why is it impossible to pump up your character's skills? A: Developers have decided to not use numeric character attributes. This function is completely shifted onto the player and his personal skills, and partly on weapon upgrades and equipment that raises the effectiveness of your actions in the game.
to the top
Q: And who is the enemy? How many types of enemies can the player encounter? A: Any creature in the game can be a friend or an enemy - weather a monster, a soldier, or another stalker. There will be an abundance of different kinds of monsters, mutants, and some completely strange creatures, stalker clans set on accomplishing their own secret goals, single stalkers, and military divisions guarding the perimeter of the Zone, or entering in search of artifacts. The exact information about the creatures and their number will most likely have to be uncovered already in the game. By the way, the winner of the "Monster Ball Contest" will be among the creatures.
to the top
Q: Will weapons be modifiable? A: The majority of weapons will be modifiable. For instance, by adding a silencer, barrel-attached grenade launcher or sniper sight. Also, weapons will require care and repair.
to the top
Q: Will players be able to drive numerous types of vehicles (saw a car in the video), and what about these in multiplayer? If flying vehicles (helicopter) are included in the game, will joystick be supported? A: There will be no helicopters for the player in the game for certain. Only NPCs will be able to control them. It has not yet been decided weather the APC will be drivable, but it will certainly be possible to drive cars and tracks, with "Niva" and "Kamaz" included. Transport will likely need fuel and also a set of constructional improvements and add-ons.
to the top
Q: Will stalker need to sleep and have rest? Will food be a necessity for stalker? A: Yes, without rest stalker can faint, and without food he can starve to death.
to the top
Q: What is the meaning of "S.T.A.L.K.E.R"? A: The meaning of this abbreviation is carefully hidden by the developers. Most likely, the decoding is left to be revealed in the game.
to the top
Q: How big will the open levels and the whole game world be? A: Some of the 18 game levels will be really huge, more than two kilometers in a diameter, and the other just a tad smaller. The whole game territory covers more than 30 square kilometers in the form of an elongated rectangle split into 18 parts, with the passage from one to another unconstrained.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to pass the game without making a single shot? Will the player be free to choose own way of playing the game? A: Most likely, it will not be possible to pass the game without making a single shot. After all, the Zone is full of dangerous animals and mutants. But it will most likely be possible to pass the game without making a single shot at a human.
to the top
Q: Will there be a change of seasons, or will the game be limited by 90 virtual days and nights? If there will be no change of seasons, which season will the game be in? A: There will eternal autumn in the game. Only weather will change.
to the top
Q: If the player kills another stalker (1 out of the 100), will a new stalker spawn in order to keep up the number? A: He will, but not immediately. It is possible to kill off most competing stalkers for a while, but their number will gradually be replenished by the newbie stalkers.
to the top
Q: Will there be beer and cigarettes? If so, what effect will they have on a stalker? A: Yes, and also fire water (a.k.a. the "right kind of beer"). The effect will be realistic - swaying walk and a gaze of iron cast:)
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to keep a journal? A: The journal will be kept automatically.
to the top
Q: Which multiplayer modes will there be in the game? A: There will be a multitude of modes, standard (team deathmatch, CTF), as well as some more exotic ones. The developers understand the importance of a good implementation of net play modes and will definitely not neglect it.
to the top
Q: What is the main focus of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., single or multiplayer play? A: The main focus is, of course, on single player play, but multiplayer will also be thoroughly polished.
to the top
Q: How many players will be able to join an online game? A: Up to 32 players per one game server.
to the top
Q: What are the system requirements of the game? A: A touchy issue. System requirements have been changed several times. In the end, the support of video cards of the generation of GeForce2 was cancelled. Now, the minimum requirements are GeForce3/Radeon8500 and P3-1GHz. It will be possible to comfortably play on a P4 with half a gig of RAM, and a video card from the middle of the range of GeForceFX or Radeon 9xxx. The maximum appetite of the engine tends towards infinity.
to the top
Q: Question related to the stir caused by the demonstration of "Stalker" on the GeForceFX presentation. The game looks incredibly detailed. Does this mean that the game is created for only the most modern hardware? A: Honestly speaking, yes. The game will run on weak machines and even show a decent picture (on the level of modern games), but this does not even compare to the graphics of the ninth generation chips.
to the top
Q: How many hours will it take an average player to complete the game? A: 30-40 hours, if you never stop to think. Or 70-100 if you indulge in world exploration, get down into development, look for secrets, take part in the story line.
to the top
Q: Will there be weather effects and the day-night cycle? A: Yes. It can even be seen in the trailers. Days go by, and after a period of good weather may come thunder and storm. Weather effects and the day-night cycle are realized on the highest level possible with today's equipment.
to the top
Q: I cannot stand the sight of gore. Is it possible to turn it off manually, or set an appropriate level in the game settings? A: Of course.
to the top
Q: Some screenshots show the stalker from the back. Does this mean that there will be a third person view? A: No. The game will only feature a view "from the eyes" - a first person view.
to the top
Q: What kind of music will S.T.A.L.K.E.R. have? A: The soundtracks in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are going to be dark ambient, slow and creepy kind of music. You can listen to an extract of one S.T.A.L.K.E.R. soundtrack on the official web-site of the project: www.stalker-game.com.
to the top
Q: Will the game engine support custom mods and maps like the quake and unreal engines do? A: It will certainly, since mods are a token of the game's longevity. The full version of the game will come with a wide range of tools for the creation of custom levels and objects for the game.
to the top
Q: Would also be great to know what, how and where we will be eating? A: The food can be bought from the dealers. It will be various tinned goods, loafs of bread, dried meat, etc. Food can also be acquired by hunting birds and small animals.
to the top
Q: On the site it says that the controller takes over the control of the troops. Can he take over the control of the player? A: All game characters, including the player, are susceptible to psi-control. Zombies attack the Controller's enemy, but are somewhat slowed down and worse at using weapons.
to the top
Q: What about enemy AI? Will they have a notion of moral, and fleeing from the battle field? What about teamwork? Will they be prone to error, like live people? A: Yes, the AI is sufficiently developed for this. All characters have a "moral" attribute, which changes depending on the character's condition, the number of friends and enemies, and also the enemies' weapons.
to the top
Q: Will monsters fight each other? A: Yes, like in real life, some animals live by hunting and eating others. Stalkers fight with monsters and soldiers, and some kinds of mutants fight among each other, like competing stalker factions.
to the top
Q: If I kill all mutants on the level what is going to happen when I return to that level in a while? A: Mutants multiply and migrate from other locations. They will gradually repopulate the levels, finding territories appropriate for them.
to the top
Q: How will saving work and will there be different difficulty levels? A: We plan several difficulty levels. The difference between difficulties will not be just about complexity of accomplishment and monsteraggressiveness. On the easiest level, some endings will be unavailable, the player can save any time and any place, NPCs won't try to solve the ultimate task instead of the player. On the most difficult level, we plan to leave only auto saving. It will work when exiting the game, when at the dealer's, when moving from one level to another and in certain periods of time. There also be a "custom game" mode when you can customize the game the game you feel fit.
to the top
Q: How will the gaming space be confined? Will you confine it within a rampart, concrete wall, dreadful anomaly, invisible barrier or any other thing? A: We try to use most "natural" barriers as ponds, walls, metal heaps, steep slopes, military posts.
to the top
Q: Would be nice to know, how will damage be visualized? A: The game engine calculates hits at any of the bones of the skeletal character model, and the marks from the shots appear in the appropriate places.
to the top
Q: Will there be such a system for damage and shoot off of the limbs as in SoF? A: Nothing will fall off the living, but it will be possible to damage an arm or a leg.
to the top
Q: How can the player restore his health? A: Food. Sleep. Medicaments. No "magic" medipacs, restoring all health.
to the top
Q: Will you implement the damage of protective suits through cutting and bullet hits and, therefore, decrease of their protective abilities (chemical protection, radiation protection, etc.)? A: Yes. Most equipment can be broken.
to the top
Q: Can I run over anybody when driving a vehicle? A: It will be a gruesome entertainment.
to the top
Q: How will level changing work? A: By a quick load upon passing the level boundary.
to the top
Q: Will there be radiation? A: Yes. There also will be the radiation sickness some stages of which will be incurable.
to the top
Q: Can I kill the dealer? A: No. He is too well protected. Besides, this would create too many problems, so we have refused from this.
to the top
Q: Well there be ratings, such "mad killer", or "old wolf"? A: There will be ratings. Other stalker may even give you a nickname.
to the top
Q: Will trees burn? A: No. Trees will be indestructible.
to the top
Q: Will we be able to get away from a chase? (it is not realized in other games) A: Yes. It will be possible to hide, or to lead the chaser into a trap, by making an ambush. Anything you can imagine.
to the top
Q: Do the different clans fight each other? A: Yes, since there are things they must share.
to the top
Q: How long can we live without food or drink? A: About as long as a normal trained person, but in game time.
to the top
Q: Will we see dreams? A: Yes.
to the top
Q: Will the stalker have a house, outside of the Zone, where he can rest and store possessions? Will there be any inhabited villages? A: There will be something of this kind, but inside the Zone. There will be no city or population outside of the perimeter.
to the top
Q: Is it possible to shoot down a helicopter with an RPG? With a machine gun? Can it get into an anomaly? A: It will be possible with an RPG, but probably only by accident, with a machine gun. The helicopters will.
to the top
Q: How can I get a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. poster? A: No such souvenirs were distributed at the time of writing of this FAQ.
to the top
Q: What technology was used to made water surfaces? A: Pixel shaders.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to "pay off" a monster by throwing it something interesting, or will it chase the stalker until the end (of the stalker or the monster)? A: A monster will only chase someone while it sees sense in it. If it encounters something more interesting, it will leave you be.
to the top
Q: Is it possible to play for the military, or for clan "Duty", or will the player be a singleton? A: Yes, it will be possible to join clans, but it will probably be impossible to reason with the military.
to the top
Q: Do you use Motion Capture? A: Game animation is based on the motion capture technology, but the final result is manually tuned by animators for better effect.
to the top
Q: Is it possible to hide in grass by crouching? A: Yes, and your enemies will use this ability against you.
to the top
Q: Will it possible to go prone and move in that position? A: No. It was decided to refuse from this, since the highly complex landscape geometry does not allow us to implement it efficiently and at the same time, without glitches.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to shoot through doors/boxes/thin walls? A: Yes.
to the top
Q: Is hand combat implemented? Maybe it is possible to at least kick, or hit with the butt-stock? A: It will be possible to kick.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to get NPC as teammates and give them orders? A: Everyone is on his own.
to the top
Q: Is it possible to counteract psychological attacks, or even take other beings under control? A: There will be methods of defense, but currently we do not plan to implement control over others.
to the top
Q: I'd like to have binoculars? Or a camera would be better. A: There will certainly be binoculars.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to climb up a tree or climb over the fence? Or to use ivy as a cord ladder, (something like HeavyMetal 2)? A: It is the level designer's job. There will be such possibilities.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to blow up (explode) any at least wooden door in the game or to shoot a lock with a gun? A: Yes, it will be possible, but not for all doors.
to the top
Q: How diverse will be the choice of ammunition for guns? Do bullet characteristics resemble (at least in proportion) the real ones. A: There will be several types of cartridges.
to the top
Q: Will bullets cut off leaves, so that they spray in all directions when you shoot at bushes or trees? A: Yes, they will.
Zig...I am Captain Planet!Join Date: 2002-10-23Member: 1576Members
edited August 2004
i wish i knew when their FAQ was updated.. some of those are obsolete, and some not, i believe..
edit: the latest word was that they would check out how the prone position would work in the game, and whether they could do it.. i wonder if the above is a statement AFTER they checked it out or before..?
<!--QuoteBegin-Zig+Aug 8 2004, 05:02 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Zig @ Aug 8 2004, 05:02 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> i wish i knew when their FAQ was updated.. some of those are obsolete, and some not, i believe..
edit: the latest word was that they would check out how the prone position would work in the game, and whether they could do it.. i wonder if the above is a statement AFTER they checked it out or before..? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Yea, I remember reading that a long time ago (~6 months + ), so I'm going to vote it's pretty old and infrequently updated.
On the voice acting: That's the developers version of the game - being as they're Ukraine based, they're going to be in Russian, but American/European versions of the game might alter the voice acting into dubs...which seems out of place to me <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> . Which is why I hope, in the final product, there will be an option to pick Russian with subtitles or player's native language.
Zig...I am Captain Planet!Join Date: 2002-10-23Member: 1576Members
that's been discussed and expressed to the devs many times at the forums, and i'd be surprised if there wasn't an option to have native languages+subtitles.
i WOULDN'T be surprised if that was the only language mode, anyway.
Just admit you want BOTH. Its okay, humans are visual people. We're hard wired to want our video games to look good. And in cases like STALKER and DOOM3, the visuals **DO** affect the gameplay. Its okay, you can admit you like both. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I like both. Can't wait on this one. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Sure, but only if you admit that a game is only as good as it's worst component, wheter it be gameplay, sound, gameplay, graphics, gameplay or map/world layout and design. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->. If one aspect of the game sucks it's going to draw MUCH more attention than the parts that work really well.
<!--QuoteBegin-Blobby+Aug 7 2004, 03:55 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Blobby @ Aug 7 2004, 03:55 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I've seen it at 2 E3s and expect to see it at a third. It's not a game yet. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> First of all I love that everyone has forgotten that this game existed. Second, I love that I was right. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Blobby+May 18 2005, 02:15 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Blobby @ May 18 2005, 02:15 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-Blobby+Aug 7 2004, 03:55 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Blobby @ Aug 7 2004, 03:55 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I've seen it at 2 E3s and expect to see it at a third. It's not a game yet. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> First of all I love that everyone has forgotten that this game existed. Second, I love that I was right. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
That is all... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Who forgot it existed? We're all waiting patiently.
STALKER shows great promise. Those E3 '04 demos were awesome, and I saw them when they first came out, but since then the trailers have progressively reduced my hopes for this game. In some of the later videos released the combat looks terrible, like CS only slower, clumsier, and less realistic. But hey, that may be because I'm talking about DX9 demos. If it's like the AI in the '04 ones then it's still good. But if it's like those shown in the recent videos, it may be almost as bad as the combat in Bloodlines.
Funny, cause I read through this whole thread, wondering why people are acting like HL2 wasn't released yet... then I looked at the dates and beat my head against the desk.
<!--QuoteBegin-TommyVercetti+May 18 2005, 02:49 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (TommyVercetti @ May 18 2005, 02:49 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> In some of the later videos released the combat looks terrible, like CS only slower, clumsier, and less realistic. But hey, that may be because I'm talking about DX9 demos. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Slow? 3 Stalkers were attacked by 3 other Stalkers (presumably Rus. Military) in a dark and interior area at night. It's bound to be slow because they can't see in the dark easilly, and thus miss their shots like crazy. Not to mention it was probably purposely set at a lower difficulty setting so they'd have crappier aim and thus last longer.
Besides, it wasn't the 16 on 16 man frag-fest with super high-powered weapons that kill instantly, like Counter Strike is, so it's bound to be slower. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> (Each Stalker had a kevlar vest on, which probably extended combat times, too)
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> If it's like the AI in the '04 ones then it's still good. But if it's like those shown in the recent videos, it may be almost as bad as the combat in Bloodlines.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not possible. No combat can be as bad as bloodlines. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> And on that note, it should be said that <i>the other Stalkers in the zone can actually complete the end-game objective before the player does</i>... even if it happens only at the higher difficulty levels. And to me, that's as good as saying "The AI is good enough to beat you to the punchline" <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Counter-Strike has fast combat? No no no, I meant fast like Raven Shield. One-hit kills with almost every gun, and it actually matters if you get hit in the chest once with a 5.56 round.
Comments
and who says you'll even be able to kill them that easily <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif' /><!--endemo--> the player in the demos is invincible for the E3 demo.
edit: invincible, you say? but still, it'd be easier to kill them, because the player is invincible for a few reasons... not just for E3 reasons, but because he sucks so much that he wouldnt be able to kill anybody without invincibility <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> I still say it'd be easy, not because of your health etc.
edit: invincible, you say? but still, it'd be easier to kill them, because the player is invincible for a few reasons... not just for E3 reasons, but because he sucks so much that he wouldnt be able to kill anybody without invincibility I still say it'd be easy, not because of your health etc.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm not sure what the starting number was, 100, 120 or 150. But their numbers will slowly be lowered by deaths (Player kills, animals attacks, anomalies, fatigue). They'll be replaced sporadically with new arrivals.
One of the cooler parts of the game, I think, is the feel of survival. How apparent it will be in the final game is up for debate, but I like the:
Need Food and Water (and safe Radiation levels) [reminds me of Dungeon Master, <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->]
Need to sleep
Weight limit
Bartering with other Stalkers in the open field
Wide choice of weapons and armaments that present a more RPG-ic feel.
Need to avoid deadly anomalies (although, that could get real annoying if you've got to throw screws all over the place to look for gravity anomalies).
The game also seems to have taken more of a focus on realism, with the:
Degradable, and vulnerable cover which can be shot through.
Decent AI tactics with NPC humans.
Wide variety of moddable weapons in-game.
The small list from above <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> .
Physics (although they seem a bit wonky)
Vehicles that require fuel and maintainence
Iron sights
[I think going prone might be in now, not sure]
A reality based rendering of an area around Chernobyl and Pripyat' (modded, because the real area isn't overly excited, so some of it's shrunken and added to).
Realistic simulation of weather and sky
Realistic animal simulation
Things I hope are (still) included/fixed/there:
Weak sounding and appearing weapons (I mean listen and watch them...jeez.
Non-aggressive fauna...besides the crows.
Russian voice acting opposed to crappy English dubs...subs work fine. At least a choice to pick one.
The ability to run on my poor, poor Radeon 9200
Animal AI - It seems simulated well, but it only looks like basic HL AI in action around the player.
Anomalies that aren't overly annoying by being far too numerous.
Stealth based gameplay if the player chooses - with AI that doesn't cheat and isn't stupid.
...I'm sure there was other stuff...but pfft, that should work.
I sure hope there'll be some kind of time compression. Spending 2 hours humping from one side of an area to another doesn't sound like much fun to me.
--Scythe--
Don't forget that this is probably a bit behind HL2 which is probably going to be released later year and this is going to be released next year i think so its a bit early to make judgements now.
I dont really see what exactly you are talking about the graphic better worse then HL 2 they look almost the same if you ask me with focuses elsewhere like possibly the faces not so detailed but it makes up for that with the dynamic lighting.
<b>prone position</b>: it's in.
I'm sigging that. Just so you know.
I'm sigging that. Just so you know. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Glad to be of service.
A: The background story for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is built as a hypothesis of real events to have taken place in the 1980's. Back in Chernobyl there functioned an immense antenna, which, as acknowledged by many specialists, radiated psychoactive waves. On some of our photos, taken during the trips to Chernobyl the body of the antenna can be vividly seen on the horizon. According to the unverified rumours, the emission was directed onto Western Europe - as a part of a long-term military experiment on psychotropic influence on humans. Those are semi-documentary facts and rumours. The storyline of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is built around similar experiments, propped by conspiracy theory and opposition of special services. With our game we as if think up what could happen in reality. This is a story of post-nuclear world with its own laws and characters.
to the top
Q: How many endings are planned?
A: We plan over eight drastically different endings for the game. The way it will end depends on what is the player's way to complete the game.
to the top
Q: If it is an action/RPG, why will you be unable to improve your character's skills then?
A: This is a role-playing game without growing experience of your character, without changing characteristics and levels. We'd like the player to work out his personal mastery, moreover S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is an action/RPG, where much is dependent on skills of the player himself. To our mind, the changing characteristics, levels and character experience destroy realism we try to create in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. With the rest, it is virtually a normal RPG - players travel the Zone, collect artefacts, weapons, reveal anomalous zones, communicate and trade with each other. The player develops economically, just as in "Elite". He earns money, buys new equipment, weapons. Owing to that, new parts of the Zone are revealed to him. I.e. those, which you won't initially reach with a pistol and simple detector.
What refers to characteristics, an experienced player will already act quicker and smarter than a newbie.
We come out of presumption that the player plays as stalker - a mature, thoroughly prepared person, living in the Zone. He can be compared with a soldier who is trained to accomplish a mission. The soldier is trained for the task, but when on a mission, everything depends on himself. In the course of accomplishing the objective he cannot improve his skills drastically. That is why, unlike other games, the player, for instance, does not start playing as a character whose submachine-gun-holding hands tremble or who cannot hit a rat with his sword 9 out of 10 times, and within the next 10 years of the game time he becomes a demigod hitting a bird in the sky with his eyes closed and evading machinegun volleys. Classic system of skills is justified in third-person-view games, when nothing depends on the player's actions, like in Diablo, for instance. The player can only click on opponent - then dice are cast and, basing on skills, mathematical calculations are done. In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. this is the player's mastery which grows, and not abstract skills of a model on the screen. If the player has mastered weapon peculiarities, knows weak spots of the enemies, knows equipment and Zone anomalies, has an excellent reaction and accuracy etc - he gets an appropriate result. The hero of the game is the very player - everything depends on him solely.
These are the reasons why there will be no upgradable characteristics. The only possibility is their decrease under certain conditions.
And additionally, to our opinion, a true role-playing game is not determined by presence of growing characteristics, experience and levels, which are nothing more but the elegant gameplay elements, whose goal is to keep up the interest in the gameplay. Experience, skills and characteristics can be added to any game, but it will not become a role-playing title due to that. It will only be a role-playing game when there are interrelations between the characters, when the player has a possibility to choose a role for himself in the new world, that role dependent on his actions and decisions.
to the top
Q: And who's the enemy? How many types of enemies can players encounter?
A: Multitude of opponents are planned for the game, to start with army soldiers guarding the Zone border and up to uncanny mutated creatures frequently abnormally abled with such skills as telepathy or telekinesis. Underground dwarfs, telepathic controllers, senseless zombies, packs of blind dogs, hordes of rats and many other beasts can be expected in the gameJ. Controllers will take control over soldiers and stalkers, as well as coordinate the actions of zombies. Dwarfs and rats set up underground communications, while blind dogs will prowl about wastelands and dumps of radioactive trash.
to the top
Q: How about weapons? How many weapons are planned for the game?
A: We plan over 40 types of firearms, cold steel and artefact weaponry. Weapons will correspond the time stretch from the 1970s to the early 21 century. I.e. you will see both time-proven Kalashnikov submachine guns, and models of weapons just planned to be added to arsenals, such as FN 2000 assault rifle. Weapon types (excluding artefact ones) are going to be quite traditional for games: knives, pistols, shotguns, machinegun pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machineguns, grenades, grenade launchers. As the game is set on the territory of CIS, in Ukraine, the weapon models will, accordingly, be those produced in USSR/Russia. Though the best western "pieces" will not be omitted too.
All the weapons are close in looks to their real prototypes. We will try to maximally accurately render the parameters of weapon shooting and the comparative efficacy of various models. Though we do not target to become a virtual special forces simulator. I.e. certain simplifications will also take place. Talking about interesting peculiarities, we will have quite a worked out physical model of weapons, owing to which piercing of various surfaces, shock waves, splinter and pin-point explosions as well as other goodies will be implemented. Weapons will wear out through time.
What's going to be the artefact weaponry is something for the players to experience as they play the game through.
to the top
Q: Will the weapons be modifiable?
A: The majority of weapons will be modifiable. For instance, by adding a muffler, barrel-attached grenade launcher or sniper sight.
to the top
Q: Will players be able to drive numerous types of vehicles (saw a car in the video), how about these in multiplayer? If flying vehicles (hellicopter) are included in the game, will joystick be supported?
A: The player will find a variety of vehicles in the Zone - cars, trucks, jeeps, armoured personnel carriers and helicopters. The player will be able to control virtually any vehicle, but for APCs and helicopters. Mere buying a car will not be enough, as you are also to take care of fuel and protective equipment for your vehicle to go through dangerous zones.
to the top
Q: Will stalker need to sleep and have rest? Will food be a necessity for stalker?
A: Stalker will indeed require sleep and food. Without rest stalker can faint, and without food he can starve to death.
to the top
Q: What does S.T.A.L.K.E.R. mean?
A: This is left to be disclosed only in the game;)
to the top
Q: How big will the outdoor arenas be?
A: Certain levels will attain up to five square kilometres in size.
to the top
Q: How big is the game world?
A: The Zone territory is approximately 30 sq. km.
to the top
Q: Can I finish the game without taking an even single shot? Will players be able to pick their style of play through?
A: You can complete the game without shooting human characters, but you will hardly be able to play through without a single clash with mutants. The probability to encounter aggressive mutants is too high.
It is up to the player who to become. Whether he turns into the enemy number one in the Zone or a noble rescuer, or maybe an invisible stalker, agitatedly rumoured by Zone explorers. Immense equipment variations, countless alternatives of behaviour in tough situations, where the decision will determine game characters' life, as well as the changing world. All these possibilities will enable players to select their own personal style of play through, choose their own life in the world of the Zone, independently of storyline or scripts.
to the top
Q: Will there be a possibility to use walkie-talkie or it is the sole privilege of the military?
A: You will be able to overhear the communication of soldiers, military stalkers, sound and receive distress signals, listen to various anomalous noises with the help of walkie-talkie.
to the top
Q: Will there be change of seasons or the game is limited with 90 virtual days and nights? If there's no change of seasons, which season will the game take place in?
A: There won't be any change of seasons. The game will take place in autumn.
to the top
Q: Will there be a possibility to control flying vehicles?
A: No. We had it in the initial concept, but rejected subsequently. (see above).
to the top
Q: If the player kills some stalker (1 out of 100), will there be a new stalker respawned to keep up the total number of NPCs in the Zone?
A: No, the number of stalkers in the Zone will vary depending on mortality and newbie arrival. At a certain point there can be 70 stalkers, and at some point there can be 120.
to the top
Q: Will there be cigarettes and beer? If so, then which effect will they produce onto stalker?
A: Cigarettes will probably be introduced. There definitely will be vodka. Beer is under questionJ
to the top
Q: Will there be a possibility to keep a diary?
A: All the information gets automatically added into the diary.
to the top
Q: What are the rules of participation in literary contest?
A: To participate in the contest you are to write a story on stalker adventures in Chernobyl exclusion Zone. A story about happenings in the world filled with psychic and physical dangers, radiation, anomalous phenomena, mutant creatures.
The contest winners, authors of 10 best stories, will receive a copy of the game signed by the developers. Best creations will be placed onto the game disk. Authors will be included into the list of game credits. Fragments of your stories will become a part of the Zone, its stories and legends, enter the original game!!!
All the stories sent will be placed on the official web-site of the game (www.stalker-game.com), where winners will be selected through voting.
Feel free to send your stories at the following e-mail address: stalker@gsc-game.kiev.ua
to the top
Q: How long will the literary contest go?
A: Virtually up to the end of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. development. We will inform you of the contest final several months prior to it.
to the top
Q: Can I send several stories for the contest?
A: Yes, but there's one remark here: if two of your stories enter the top ten, you will get only one prize, and the second one will go to position eleven.
to the top
Q: Will the contest stories enter the game?
A: Fragments of the stories will enter the game as background of the main storyline, and virtually all the colourful heroes will enter the game as unique characters with their own stories and character peculiarities. When the player begins the game, part of unique characters will randomly get into the Zone and the player is to find out how the life in the Zone will develop.
to the top
Q: Will there be multiplayer? What multiplayer modes will be available in the game?
A: We will have multiplayer part in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. What's planned are standard modes, such as Deathmatch, Team Match and Cooperative, as well as new types of network battles (MutantsVSHumans). The main focus of attention for the players, as we believe, will be the Cooperative play - a mode to play the game through in a team - a virtually on-line game, where up to several dozens of players can join in, and the Team Match - team play a-la Counter-Strike (on dedicated levels).
to the top
Q: Which is the priority for S.T.A.L.K.E.R, single- or multiplayer?
A: The basic direction is singleplayer, but we do not forget about multiplayer too.
to the top
Q: How many players will be able to play in multiplayer at once?
A: 32.
to the top
Q: A question on hype around S.T.A.L.K.E.R. demo shown at GeForce FX launch: there was a forum message saying that during the presentation there was up to 1 million polygons per frame, while the web-site mentions "just" 300.000. Does it mean that 300.000 is a guaranteed minimum and depending on the configuration, we'll be able to break the 300.000 barrier on home computer?
A: In a nutshell, this is how the land lies here. You need to distinguish between polygons which account for non-simplified geometry and the geometry which can be simplified. For example, the non-simplified geometry includes level landscape or walls of inner rooms, weapons the player holds etc. Virtually all the other objects and items on level have levels of detailing (LOD). It means that with distance to the object a different, simplified model substitutes the previous one, but as it became further from you, you don't notice the change. An object of several thousand polygons on the last level of detailing can be of no more than a couple dozens of polygons, but you won't feel it, as the object is already far on the skyline and slightly bigger than a dot. There also exists a group of objects called details objects. This is grass, branches, newspapers and other small objects the level surface is covered with. All the simplified geometry is adjusted depending on your computer performance. For Stalker the minimal video board to attain an acceptable number of FPS would be GeForce 2. For this very board the sum of polygons of simplified and non-simplified geometry (detailing) constitutes 300.000 polygons per frame as an average. The more powerful video board you have, the more detailed your graphics will be owing to growth in visibility range, more detailed LOD, a greater number of details objects and so on. In the version Nvidia demonstrated all the settings were put to maximum. For instance, grass was drawn within a radius of 200 meters with maximal density, maximal visibility range was set etc. 1.000.000 polygons per frame was attained. Now we complete the transition to DirectX 9.0. When completed, the latest accelerator generation boards, such as GeForce FX will allow up to 3.000.000 polygons per frame under good fps in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The game world will be very detailed thenJ.
The minimum guaranteed is 200.000 polygons. The maximum is 3.000.000.
to the top
Q: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is shown on GeForce FX presentations. The game looks incredibly detailed. Does it mean that the game is designed exclusively for the most up-to-date hardware? If I have a more low-end kind of computer, shall I quit waiting for the game?
A: At GeForce FX launch the version with maximal settings and features activated was shown. As mentioned above, in options you'll be able to adjust an optimal correlation of detailing and effects to performance, in accordance with the possibilities of your computer. So, everybody with a configuration higher than defined minimal requirements can wait for the game.
to the top
Q: What are the platforms the game will be released on?
A: Currently the game is developed for PC. However, we also consider X-box.
to the top
Q: When will S.T.A.L.K.E.R. be released? Who's the publisher?
A: The game is slated for release in 2nd half 2004. On the territory of CIS S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will be published by Russobit-M. The worldwide publisher will be announced a bit later.
to the top
Q: Are there going to be day-/night-/weather effects?
A: The Zone will have a natural flow of time, change of day and night. There also will be weather effects, change of fog, earthquakes, wind, rain (all of this has already been implemented).
to the top
Q: I can't digest gore. Can I turn it off or manually adjust the level of gore?
A: Yes, in the options.
to the top
Q: In what languages will S.T.A.L.K.E.R.be released?
A: It's all standard with the localisation. The game will be translated into all the main languages - English, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, German and Korean. Further on the localisation list may be expanded. Possibly in order to get an extra colouring of the Zone, the character voiceover will remain in Russian with translation going as sub-titles.
to the top
Q: On some of the screenshots stalker can be seen from behind. Does it mean the game will have the 3rd-person view?
A: No, only the first-person view to go into the game.
to the top
Q: What kind of music will S.T.A.L.K.E.R. have?
A: The soundtracks in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are going to be dark ambient, slow and creepy kind of music. You can listen to an extract of one S.T.A.L.K.E.R. soundtrack on the official web-site of the project: www.stalker-game.com.
to the top
Q: Will anomalies affect the projectile trajectory?
A: No, this is too difficult. In addition, the player will hardly notice it.
to the top
Q: Would also be great to know what, how and where we will be eating?
A: The food can be bought from the dealers. It will be various tinned goods, loafs of bread, dried meat, etc.
to the top
Q: Can I broil and eat the meat of, say, hunted birds?
A: The player will have a possibility to eat the flesh of hunted animals. However, most likely you won't be able to broil it.
to the top
Q: On the site it says the controller takes over the control of the troops. Can he take over the control of the player? How will the troops behave being controlled by the monster?
A: a.Controller can take over the control of any unprotected human being regardless whether it is a soldier, stalker, NPC or the player.
b.Controlled troops attack the enemies of controller. Their movements are somewhat slow, and they handle weapons worse.
to the top
Q: Will wounded monsters hide and flee?
A: Yes, they will. All characters have morale parameter. It changes depending the character's condition, number of friends and enemies, and even what weapon the enemy has.
to the top
Q: Will the monsters fight each other?
A: Yes. Some types of mutants can't tolerate with each other and attack the opponents when occasion permits. For example, blind dogs hate dwarfs. The mutants may also be afraid of or consume other creatures as food.
to the top
Q: If I kill all mutants on the level what is going to happen when I return to that level in a while?
A: In a certain random period of time migrating mutants will settle on the level having picked favorable territories.
to the top
Q: How will saving work and will there be different difficulty levels?
A: We plan several difficulty levels. The difference between difficulties will not be just about complexity of accomplishment and monsteraggressiveness. On the easiest level, some endings will be unavailable, the player can save any time and any place, NPCs won't try to solve the ultimate task instead of the player. On the most difficult level, we plan to leave only auto saving. It will work when exiting the game, when at the dealer's, when moving from one level to another and in certain periods of time. There also be a "custom game" mode when you can customize the game the game you feel fit.
to the top
Q: Now here is the question. How will the gaming space be confined? Will you confine it within a rampart, concrete wall, dreadful anomaly, invisible barrier or any other thing?
A: We try to use most "natural" barriers as ponds, walls, metal heaps, steep slopes, military posts.
to the top
Q: Would be nice to know how damage will be visualized?
A: When heavily wounded the player slows down, the hands are shaky, he experiences overall weakness. There will be various graphical effects for damage as sudden jitter of the screen, red post-processing, doubling of the screen, etc.
to the top
Q: Will there be such a system for damage and shoot off of the limbs as in SoF?
A: a.Limbs shoot-off is not planned (it may change though).
b.Amount and type of damage will depend on where the bullet hits, i.e. in the head, limb or torso.
to the top
Q: How can the player restore his health?
A: The player will be able to stop the bleeding (bandage injured parts of the body) and restore the health taking medications. We are not going to complicate this process for everything has to be smooth and simple.
to the top
Q: Will you implement the damage of protective suits through cutting and bullet hits and, therefore, decrease of their protective abilities (chemical protection, radiation protection, etc.)?
A: Almost every item wears out gradually. Protective suits can be damaged, chemical clothing can be torn, weapons and equipment may go phut.
to the top
Q: Can I run over anybody when driving a vehicle?
A: Of course.
to the top
Q: How will level changing work?
A: Locations, i.e. levels, are connected with the passages. When moving through such a passage another level loads automatically.
to the top
Q: Will there be radiation?
A: Yes. There also will be the radiation sickness some stages of which will be incurable.
to the top
Q: Can I kill the dealer?
A: No, there shouldn't be any dead-ends in the game.
to the top
Q: Will there be some sort of statistics or any ratings as, for example, psychopathic killer or hardened veteran, etc.?
A: There will be a stalker rating. It will affect the attitude of others towards you. Possibly, the newbies will be given nicknames.
to the top
Q: How many firearms will have silencers? Will they be separate weapon accessories, or will they be already attached?
A: Yes. Some parts will be obligatory elements of the design (for example, a VSS/VAL firearm complex), and some will be hinged accessories, as with AK or "Groza".
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to sneak behind an enemy and kill (or stun) him silently?
A: Your enemies possess realistic sight and hearing. If you silently approach from the back, you will not be seen, except if the monster has eyes on the back of the head, or a sixth sense.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to hide corpses?
A: Of course! If soldiers find their friend's corpse, they will raise the alarm.
to the top
Q: How was ground surface created? I'm interested in geodesic part of question. What information and materials were used? Or was just video filming used?
A: We used photo and video footage, which were taken during a Chernobyl trip, and a lot of other materials, including maps and buildings' plans.
to the top
Q: Will the sniper sight shake?
A: Yes. Impaired health (or surplus of alcohol in blood;) will aggravate the situation.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to play without killing anyone (except for the monsters)? Will it be possible to kill, but without revealing your identity (I mean, if you are a Dark Stalker, who kills everybody, but nobody sees you?)
A: Yes. The player himself is free to choose any share of stealth and action in the game.
to the top
Q: How interactive will the game world be?
A: All game objects are subjects to a realistic physics model, but you can't destroy buildings uncontrollably, if that is what you mean. Probably you would in further games, when gaming computers will allow it.
to the top
Q: Will the partnership with nVIDIA influence the performance of ATI video cards?
A: Our developers tried to make the game run with the best performance on both video card families. The difference in performance will not be more then 5%, which is almost insignificant. Besides, the game engine supports specific functions of nVIDIA chipsets and doesn't support ATI specifications (such as Truform technology). Still, the game will run well on both types of video cards, so buy what you like more.
to the top
Q: Will the stalker **** (and more)? :-)
A: No, these moments will be left behind the screen.
to the top
Q: Will there be casual non-military closing in the game? (Except jeans and leather jacket. For instance training suit?)
A: Yes. It remains on you when you remove the armor.
to the top
Q: Will there be a bicycle in the game?
A: No, there is neither a bicycle, a motorcycle, nor a Segway. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
to the top
Q: What currency will be used in Stalker world?
A: The Soviet ruble.
to the top
Q: How real will prices be? (How much will AK-47 be?)
A: The scale of prices is about real (in recalculation to our money, of course), but the specific prices will be balanced.
to the top
Q: Will I be able to kill through glass or a car door?
A: Yes, in general it is difficult to hide behind a car. In real life a bullet from Kalashnikov's automatic rifle of calibre 7.62 punches through even a block of cylinders.
to the top
Q: When is data about buildings' interiors loaded? When I enter them or before (together with data about building exteriors)?
A: Interiors are loaded together with the whole level.
to the top
Q: Are development and implementation still going within the plan?
A: Due to several reasons there is some additional time, which will be used for finishing balance and game process up to an ideal state.
to the top
Q: In what language will old inscriptions be in the Zone (e.g. signs, tablets)?
A: In Russian and in Ukrainian. We even use the real photos from Chernobyl.
to the top
Q: What will be the armament of MI-24 helicopter?
A: The real one - machine gun and rockets. (more info)
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to play via modem?
A: It will not be built into the game directly, but establishment of Windows TCP/IP connection will be covered in the manual supplied with the game.
to the top
Q: Will the APC (BTR) be able to swim?
A: This will be defined at the stage of balance debugging.
to the top
Q: Are the faces in the game made from real people?
A: Some are made from real people, and some are compiled from several persons with additional processing.
to the top
Q: Will I be able to impose my photo as a texture on a model's face?
A: It is not implemented at the present.
to the top
Q: What type of gameplay will STALKER feature?
A: The main motive - maximum freedom. The player is given a whole world, a gigantic territory inhabited by various creatures, controlled by unfamiliar laws, hiding in itself death, as well as glory and riches. The player is given a minimal set of equipment and an introduction to the story. Then - independent exploration, struggle. The gameplay will be such as the player chooses to make it. Some will prefer silent stealth operations with lengthy ambushes; some - lightning fast attack. Some prefer to trade and explore, while some become warriors. Freedom of action is the basis of the game, which cannot be played the same twice.
to the top
Q: What inspired the creation of the game?
A: Quite a few things, deliberately or not, have an influence on developers. Speaking about computer games, we can say that the "three whales" which have inspired the developers of "S.T.A.L.K.E.R" are "Elite", "Daggerfall" and, of course, "Fallout". The Zone's atmosphere is based on Strugatsky brothers' book "Roadside Picnic", and the movie "Stalker", directed by Tarkovsky, based on the Strugatsky brothers' script.
to the top
Q: How similar will the Zone in the game be to the real Chernobyl Zone?
A: On one hand, it has been noted that people who have worked in Chernobyl experience strong feelings of deja vu from seeing the screenshots and the trailers. On the other, anomalous content has dramatically altered the appearance of the whole territory. The game's Zone replicates about 60% of the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl NPP in location and appearance of structures, as well as in atmosphere.
to the top
Q: How do you know what Chernobyl really looks like?
A: The developers took three trips to Chernobyl, from which have remained hours of video recordings, thousand of photos, as well as invaluable personal experience, the sense of abandonment and hidden danger spreading to whole Chernobyl exclusion zone. Materials of this trip and a set of photos can be found on site GSC Game World.
to the top
Q: Will S.T.A.L.K.E.R. offer a non-linear game design?
A: We rejected the linear play from level to level in favour of such freedom of actions and movement as was seen in "Elite", "Daggerfall" and "Fallout". The players will travel the vast territory of the Zone, occupying 30 sq. km. Exploring the Zone, earning money through tasks, and gaining experience in combat, stalkers will move along the unconstrained "non-stiff" story line towards the game end.
An entire world of the Zone will open up before the player. He will be able to plan his development and travel deep inside. The story will develop independently of the player's actions.
Every time the game starts, the player will get a new Zone. Only the important points (dealers' locations, army posts, scientific camps and so on) which will remain unchanged. Anomalies, artefacts, monsters will be randomly generated at start.
to the top
Q: If "S.T.A.L.K.E.R" is a FPS/RPG game, why is it impossible to pump up your character's skills?
A: Developers have decided to not use numeric character attributes. This function is completely shifted onto the player and his personal skills, and partly on weapon upgrades and equipment that raises the effectiveness of your actions in the game.
to the top
Q: And who is the enemy? How many types of enemies can the player encounter?
A: Any creature in the game can be a friend or an enemy - weather a monster, a soldier, or another stalker. There will be an abundance of different kinds of monsters, mutants, and some completely strange creatures, stalker clans set on accomplishing their own secret goals, single stalkers, and military divisions guarding the perimeter of the Zone, or entering in search of artifacts. The exact information about the creatures and their number will most likely have to be uncovered already in the game. By the way, the winner of the "Monster Ball Contest" will be among the creatures.
to the top
Q: Will weapons be modifiable?
A: The majority of weapons will be modifiable. For instance, by adding a silencer, barrel-attached grenade launcher or sniper sight. Also, weapons will require care and repair.
to the top
Q: Will players be able to drive numerous types of vehicles (saw a car in the video), and what about these in multiplayer? If flying vehicles (helicopter) are included in the game, will joystick be supported?
A: There will be no helicopters for the player in the game for certain. Only NPCs will be able to control them. It has not yet been decided weather the APC will be drivable, but it will certainly be possible to drive cars and tracks, with "Niva" and "Kamaz" included. Transport will likely need fuel and also a set of constructional improvements and add-ons.
to the top
Q: Will stalker need to sleep and have rest? Will food be a necessity for stalker?
A: Yes, without rest stalker can faint, and without food he can starve to death.
to the top
Q: What is the meaning of "S.T.A.L.K.E.R"?
A: The meaning of this abbreviation is carefully hidden by the developers. Most likely, the decoding is left to be revealed in the game.
to the top
Q: How big will the open levels and the whole game world be?
A: Some of the 18 game levels will be really huge, more than two kilometers in a diameter, and the other just a tad smaller.
The whole game territory covers more than 30 square kilometers in the form of an elongated rectangle split into 18 parts, with the passage from one to another unconstrained.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to pass the game without making a single shot? Will the player be free to choose own way of playing the game?
A: Most likely, it will not be possible to pass the game without making a single shot. After all, the Zone is full of dangerous animals and mutants. But it will most likely be possible to pass the game without making a single shot at a human.
to the top
Q: Will there be a change of seasons, or will the game be limited by 90 virtual days and nights? If there will be no change of seasons, which season will the game be in?
A: There will eternal autumn in the game. Only weather will change.
to the top
Q: If the player kills another stalker (1 out of the 100), will a new stalker spawn in order to keep up the number?
A: He will, but not immediately. It is possible to kill off most competing stalkers for a while, but their number will gradually be replenished by the newbie stalkers.
to the top
Q: Will there be beer and cigarettes? If so, what effect will they have on a stalker?
A: Yes, and also fire water (a.k.a. the "right kind of beer"). The effect will be realistic - swaying walk and a gaze of iron cast:)
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to keep a journal?
A: The journal will be kept automatically.
to the top
Q: Which multiplayer modes will there be in the game?
A: There will be a multitude of modes, standard (team deathmatch, CTF), as well as some more exotic ones. The developers understand the importance of a good implementation of net play modes and will definitely not neglect it.
to the top
Q: What is the main focus of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., single or multiplayer play?
A: The main focus is, of course, on single player play, but multiplayer will also be thoroughly polished.
to the top
Q: How many players will be able to join an online game?
A: Up to 32 players per one game server.
to the top
Q: What are the system requirements of the game?
A: A touchy issue. System requirements have been changed several times. In the end, the support of video cards of the generation of GeForce2 was cancelled. Now, the minimum requirements are GeForce3/Radeon8500 and P3-1GHz. It will be possible to comfortably play on a P4 with half a gig of RAM, and a video card from the middle of the range of GeForceFX or Radeon 9xxx. The maximum appetite of the engine tends towards infinity.
to the top
Q: Question related to the stir caused by the demonstration of "Stalker" on the GeForceFX presentation. The game looks incredibly detailed. Does this mean that the game is created for only the most modern hardware?
A: Honestly speaking, yes. The game will run on weak machines and even show a decent picture (on the level of modern games), but this does not even compare to the graphics of the ninth generation chips.
to the top
Q: How many hours will it take an average player to complete the game?
A: 30-40 hours, if you never stop to think. Or 70-100 if you indulge in world exploration, get down into development, look for secrets, take part in the story line.
to the top
Q: Will there be weather effects and the day-night cycle?
A: Yes. It can even be seen in the trailers. Days go by, and after a period of good weather may come thunder and storm. Weather effects and the day-night cycle are realized on the highest level possible with today's equipment.
to the top
Q: I cannot stand the sight of gore. Is it possible to turn it off manually, or set an appropriate level in the game settings?
A: Of course.
to the top
Q: Some screenshots show the stalker from the back. Does this mean that there will be a third person view?
A: No. The game will only feature a view "from the eyes" - a first person view.
to the top
Q: What kind of music will S.T.A.L.K.E.R. have?
A: The soundtracks in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are going to be dark ambient, slow and creepy kind of music. You can listen to an extract of one S.T.A.L.K.E.R. soundtrack on the official web-site of the project: www.stalker-game.com.
to the top
Q: Will the game engine support custom mods and maps like the quake and unreal engines do?
A: It will certainly, since mods are a token of the game's longevity. The full version of the game will come with a wide range of tools for the creation of custom levels and objects for the game.
to the top
Q: Would also be great to know what, how and where we will be eating?
A: The food can be bought from the dealers. It will be various tinned goods, loafs of bread, dried meat, etc. Food can also be acquired by hunting birds and small animals.
to the top
Q: On the site it says that the controller takes over the control of the troops. Can he take over the control of the player?
A: All game characters, including the player, are susceptible to psi-control. Zombies attack the Controller's enemy, but are somewhat slowed down and worse at using weapons.
to the top
Q: What about enemy AI? Will they have a notion of moral, and fleeing from the battle field? What about teamwork? Will they be prone to error, like live people?
A: Yes, the AI is sufficiently developed for this. All characters have a "moral" attribute, which changes depending on the character's condition, the number of friends and enemies, and also the enemies' weapons.
to the top
Q: Will monsters fight each other?
A: Yes, like in real life, some animals live by hunting and eating others. Stalkers fight with monsters and soldiers, and some kinds of mutants fight among each other, like competing stalker factions.
to the top
Q: If I kill all mutants on the level what is going to happen when I return to that level in a while?
A: Mutants multiply and migrate from other locations. They will gradually repopulate the levels, finding territories appropriate for them.
to the top
Q: How will saving work and will there be different difficulty levels?
A: We plan several difficulty levels. The difference between difficulties will not be just about complexity of accomplishment and monsteraggressiveness. On the easiest level, some endings will be unavailable, the player can save any time and any place, NPCs won't try to solve the ultimate task instead of the player. On the most difficult level, we plan to leave only auto saving. It will work when exiting the game, when at the dealer's, when moving from one level to another and in certain periods of time. There also be a "custom game" mode when you can customize the game the game you feel fit.
to the top
Q: How will the gaming space be confined? Will you confine it within a rampart, concrete wall, dreadful anomaly, invisible barrier or any other thing?
A: We try to use most "natural" barriers as ponds, walls, metal heaps, steep slopes, military posts.
to the top
Q: Would be nice to know, how will damage be visualized?
A: The game engine calculates hits at any of the bones of the skeletal character model, and the marks from the shots appear in the appropriate places.
to the top
Q: Will there be such a system for damage and shoot off of the limbs as in SoF?
A: Nothing will fall off the living, but it will be possible to damage an arm or a leg.
to the top
Q: How can the player restore his health?
A: Food. Sleep. Medicaments. No "magic" medipacs, restoring all health.
to the top
Q: Will you implement the damage of protective suits through cutting and bullet hits and, therefore, decrease of their protective abilities (chemical protection, radiation protection, etc.)?
A: Yes. Most equipment can be broken.
to the top
Q: Can I run over anybody when driving a vehicle?
A: It will be a gruesome entertainment.
to the top
Q: How will level changing work?
A: By a quick load upon passing the level boundary.
to the top
Q: Will there be radiation?
A: Yes. There also will be the radiation sickness some stages of which will be incurable.
to the top
Q: Can I kill the dealer?
A: No. He is too well protected. Besides, this would create too many problems, so we have refused from this.
to the top
Q: Well there be ratings, such "mad killer", or "old wolf"?
A: There will be ratings. Other stalker may even give you a nickname.
to the top
Q: Will trees burn?
A: No. Trees will be indestructible.
to the top
Q: Will we be able to get away from a chase? (it is not realized in other games)
A: Yes. It will be possible to hide, or to lead the chaser into a trap, by making an ambush. Anything you can imagine.
to the top
Q: Do the different clans fight each other?
A: Yes, since there are things they must share.
to the top
Q: How long can we live without food or drink?
A: About as long as a normal trained person, but in game time.
to the top
Q: Will we see dreams?
A: Yes.
to the top
Q: Will the stalker have a house, outside of the Zone, where he can rest and store possessions? Will there be any inhabited villages?
A: There will be something of this kind, but inside the Zone. There will be no city or population outside of the perimeter.
to the top
Q: Is it possible to shoot down a helicopter with an RPG? With a machine gun? Can it get into an anomaly?
A: It will be possible with an RPG, but probably only by accident, with a machine gun. The helicopters will.
to the top
Q: How can I get a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. poster?
A: No such souvenirs were distributed at the time of writing of this FAQ.
to the top
Q: What technology was used to made water surfaces?
A: Pixel shaders.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to "pay off" a monster by throwing it something interesting, or will it chase the stalker until the end (of the stalker or the monster)?
A: A monster will only chase someone while it sees sense in it. If it encounters something more interesting, it will leave you be.
to the top
Q: Is it possible to play for the military, or for clan "Duty", or will the player be a singleton?
A: Yes, it will be possible to join clans, but it will probably be impossible to reason with the military.
to the top
Q: Do you use Motion Capture?
A: Game animation is based on the motion capture technology, but the final result is manually tuned by animators for better effect.
to the top
Q: Is it possible to hide in grass by crouching?
A: Yes, and your enemies will use this ability against you.
to the top
Q: Will it possible to go prone and move in that position?
A: No. It was decided to refuse from this, since the highly complex landscape geometry does not allow us to implement it efficiently and at the same time, without glitches.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to shoot through doors/boxes/thin walls?
A: Yes.
to the top
Q: Is hand combat implemented? Maybe it is possible to at least kick, or hit with the butt-stock?
A: It will be possible to kick.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to get NPC as teammates and give them orders?
A: Everyone is on his own.
to the top
Q: Is it possible to counteract psychological attacks, or even take other beings under control?
A: There will be methods of defense, but currently we do not plan to implement control over others.
to the top
Q: I'd like to have binoculars? Or a camera would be better.
A: There will certainly be binoculars.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to climb up a tree or climb over the fence? Or to use ivy as a cord ladder, (something like HeavyMetal 2)?
A: It is the level designer's job. There will be such possibilities.
to the top
Q: Will it be possible to blow up (explode) any at least wooden door in the game or to shoot a lock with a gun?
A: Yes, it will be possible, but not for all doors.
to the top
Q: How diverse will be the choice of ammunition for guns? Do bullet characteristics resemble (at least in proportion) the real ones.
A: There will be several types of cartridges.
to the top
Q: Will bullets cut off leaves, so that they spray in all directions when you shoot at bushes or trees?
A: Yes, they will.
to the top
^STALKER FAQ
enjoy, it would do some good to read it.
edit: the latest word was that they would check out how the prone position would work in the game, and whether they could do it.. i wonder if the above is a statement AFTER they checked it out or before..?
edit: the latest word was that they would check out how the prone position would work in the game, and whether they could do it.. i wonder if the above is a statement AFTER they checked it out or before..? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yea, I remember reading that a long time ago (~6 months + ), so I'm going to vote it's pretty old and infrequently updated.
On the voice acting: That's the developers version of the game - being as they're Ukraine based, they're going to be in Russian, but American/European versions of the game might alter the voice acting into dubs...which seems out of place to me <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> . Which is why I hope, in the final product, there will be an option to pick Russian with subtitles or player's native language.
i WOULDN'T be surprised if that was the only language mode, anyway.
Just admit you want BOTH. Its okay, humans are visual people. We're hard wired to want our video games to look good. And in cases like STALKER and DOOM3, the visuals **DO** affect the gameplay. Its okay, you can admit you like both. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I like both. Can't wait on this one.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Sure, but only if you admit that a game is only as good as it's worst component, wheter it be gameplay, sound, gameplay, graphics, gameplay or map/world layout and design. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->. If one aspect of the game sucks it's going to draw MUCH more attention than the parts that work really well.
First of all I love that everyone has forgotten that this game existed. Second, I love that I was right. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
That is all...
That is all.
Still new trailer looks cool.
First of all I love that everyone has forgotten that this game existed. Second, I love that I was right. <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
That is all... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Who forgot it existed? We're all waiting patiently.
Slow?
3 Stalkers were attacked by 3 other Stalkers (presumably Rus. Military) in a dark and interior area at night. It's bound to be slow because they can't see in the dark easilly, and thus miss their shots like crazy. Not to mention it was probably purposely set at a lower difficulty setting so they'd have crappier aim and thus last longer.
Besides, it wasn't the 16 on 16 man frag-fest with super high-powered weapons that kill instantly, like Counter Strike is, so it's bound to be slower. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> (Each Stalker had a kevlar vest on, which probably extended combat times, too)
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> If it's like the AI in the '04 ones then it's still good. But if it's like those shown in the recent videos, it may be almost as bad as the combat in Bloodlines.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not possible. No combat can be as bad as bloodlines. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
And on that note, it should be said that <i>the other Stalkers in the zone can actually complete the end-game objective before the player does</i>... even if it happens only at the higher difficulty levels. And to me, that's as good as saying "The AI is good enough to beat you to the punchline" <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->