First few days into spring. 1929, 1987...
Spring, not a good month for the share market. But no, onto fun
stuff before skool proceeds to take it from me.
Ah, but first, this is a test scheme,
just colours really, bit of a change - let me know if you think
it sucks. Might be a bit dim perhaps.
Last Friday after kebabs and District
9 I did an all-nighter on Clear
Sky, first one at the controls for a while. Didn't
really get too far though. Bit of a tangle - not much to say only
that alliances are tricky things. You can end up finding it near
impossible to hold an area until support arrives... or go back into
friendly territory and try your best to drum up some business. It
was into Agroprom for less lead poisoning, less radiation sickness
and eventually right through the swamps back to the Clear Sky
base. Still, next session there will be more fun to be had.
So yes, back to good ol' business rather
than pleasure. While I wanted to get my hands on a Groza, I could...
only I'd have had to ditch my completely tricked out AK74 with optics
and a modified MP5 for my troubles. Oddly, though I'd modified the
rifle to take a BG-15 it just wasn't playing ball. Might be a patch
fix needed. Have to concentrate on generating some more cash via
the searching out of artifacts. Trickier than the original.
What I'm actually looking forward to
is a MP session. Not had one for a while. Really need to recruit
a few punters. Just one more player changes the whole dynamics of
the game. Am wondering if anyone has got a mod to introduce bots...
More talk of modding and the suggestion
made that introducing a bow might be an idea. Well, I'll be happy
just to render one up. Rigging is the problem but that's a long
way off. Just getting it into the game would be great. Having it
operable regards limb movements might be a trick, might even be
impossible, but one can only see by trying. Speaking of which, the
thoroughfare software wise in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
land is somewhat disjointed at best, but 3D
Studio Max is industry standard and I'll be very keen to get
some decent hours under my belt with it. Back to the text books,
with a somewhat different flavour to what I am used to.
Going to be taking a wee look at Call
of Duty 4 - no, not the ongoing saga of this particular franchise
but the contemporary version of the WWII FPS. Very realistic I'm
told but for those investigating military simulation they can't
seem to get trigger groups sorted. Maybe every weapon capable of
automatic fire can only fire in automatic. Well, maybe they were
trying to replicate the movies... Sad. Some do like the idea of
replication of real-world tactics and not just chewing through the
ammo for no result.
Got another calendar up now, for next
month from my first major session in Clear Sky (see below) which
comes from the Scientist lab territory of Yantar. I'm using a VSS
silent sniper rifle. It is not particularly accurate, but tracer
applied to the rounds helps follow-up shots. A bug means, for the
meantime until I go back through with the patch, I can't get into
the laboratory. Just click on the thumbnail below and the 1024x768
image will pop up.
February 2009 Calendar
Yantar
15 January 2009
Clear Sky Patches - 1.5.08
There have been a few patches out lately for Clear
Sky. They're up to 1.5.08 and you can pick which ever ones
you need up at:
A brilliant couple of games, they are nevertheless
renowned for their bugginess. You really need these things to deal
with some critical gameplay and performance issues, and also some
simply annoying occurrences such as quests being set and then more
or less instantly being cancelled.
Since it is a prequel I am guessing the title is
a bit nonsensical. Its really my first time, the other time was
just a past life. Must be the radiation effecting my brainwaves.
And so, as much as the grey matter is a computer not always firing
all electrical impulses I shall continue by detailing my initial
adventures in The Zone.
For those who don't know it is situated in the
vicinity of the Chernobyl
fallout zone, in, and several kilometres around the area of the
nuclear power plant (NPP). A second explosion occurred and as a
result, asides from the expected radioactive impact, strange anomalies
and mysterious artifacts inhabit the landscape, along with vicious
mutant creatures of many and varied types who generally just want
to eat you. The military moved in to cordon off the place, now commonly
referred to as The Zone, but with limited success. And that is where
you come in, a quasi mercenary, doing jobs for money for the various
factions which now populate the place, and fortune hunter as you
hunt out these valuable artifacts in order to make a living. Sadly,
if you don't end up dead, any money you do make will no doubt cover
ongoing medical bills for radiation sickness and psychological advice
to deal with the harsh experiences you have piled up in The Zone.
As I write there are several places I have yet to
venture, including Limansk or the Red Forest. Something I noticed
absent too was the firing over cover which was shown in early pre-release
videos. Maybe, like vehicles in SSoC, this is still present, it
has just been locked out, yet could be activated, as done in the
Oblivion Lost mod. Though, without a actual HUD linked bore scope
link, akin to 21st Century
Land Warrior, I wouldn't be interested to do it in-game.
Not sure why, perhaps because of my prior experience,
but I chose Veteran level first up. If you've played through SSoC
a few times and like a challenge I recommend it, otherwise, avoid
it like the plague. You'll just get annoyed and miss out on enjoying
the game. Decent AI and wounding mechanics which actually hurt in-game
mean that, if you're used to mainstream FPS games, where taking
numerous rounds to the chest and head is everyday, a lower skill
level setting is advisable.
For more information the world and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Shadow of Chernobyl (hereafter SSoC) you can go to HERE.
You do not need to have played SSoC to play Clear Sky,
and you do not need it installed - Clear Sky is a stand-alone
product.
Broadly speaking, for the areas covered in this
first installment (and their dominant occupants) of my first run
through Clear Sky are as follows:
Marshes (Clear Sky)
Cordon (Military)
Garbage (Bandits)
Dark Valley (Freedom)
Agroprom (Duty)
Yantar (Scientists)
Considering a linear walk-thru of the game, I am
about half way through. With respect to actual game play and events
going on, probably one third the way. In order to finish the game
other territories need to be negotiated. Most of them have featured
in SSoC but there are a few new ones. More on them later...
The date is 13 September 2011 and...
I find myself in Clear Sky terroritory. I'm some
sort of mercenary, named Scar. A stalker, something of a fortune
hunter, adventurer, who has come to a place called The Zone - an
irradiated area spanning many miles in and around the site of the
Chernobyl nuclear accident which occurred in April of 1986.
A dramatic energy surge, known locally as an "emission"
takes place, much bigger than the numerous ones that go on in the
place. You somehow survive and end up on a rusty old bed inside
Clear Sky territory. They are a faction, of which there are several
with various motives, who focus on scientific research into the
behaviour of The Zone.
I meet Clear Sky man Lebedev, and vaguely remember
a mission into the Swamps which surround their camp.
In an aid to my recovery it is off to see the local
barman, Cold. Bars are good places to get a pick-me-up, a drink,
some grub, and wind of rumours which can lead to the odd job. Some
are not worth the effort though. Be mindful on what you decide to
undertake. Clear Sky didn't exist in 2012, a year from now, in SSoC,
so I'd like to know what happened to them. For another time perhaps...
Cold lets me know that Lebedev is Clear Sky's leader.
In addition Beanpolev is the chief scientist, Gray is their top
technician, while Suslov is the resident trader in these parts.
Anyway, I soon get a message from Lebedev who wants me for something...
and on the way I bump into Nimble, someone's skin I saved in SSoC.
Lebedev verbally drills home the virtues of Clear
Sky when a call comes in from one of their outposts. It's pretty
obvious I'll be busy again very shortly. After getting equipped
you head to meet up with a Guide - they take you quickly from one
major location to another, after a mandatory blindfolding. Your
first journey is to the outpost...
After reinforcing the outpost at the tower you have
to take cover from an incoming emission. Then its back to the Clear
Sky base, your first little job a done deal. While you survived,
your system is not handling the ongoing rough treatment and you're
called on to help the scientific community of Clear Sky solve the
mystery of The Zone.
There are numerous tasks you can choose from over
the next wee while, and intel to be gathered on various stashes
and loots about the place. Locations for action include the Fishing
Hamlet, Pump Station and the Church. Essentially here you're culling
out Renegades on behalf of the Clear Sky faction, making the Swamps
a safer place for one and all bar the scumbags.
Pump Station blues...
Battling renegade fighters with only a rubbish
Cold War handgun does not make for good fun. Scraping in the Marshes
at the Pump House is hard fought even when you get your hands on
a decent shotgun. While the TOZ has the range, either this sporter
gun or the rough and ready sawn off are slow to reload. The moral
of the story is always reload behind cover, and preferably while
receiving covering fire.
Hardly a moment to loose (or regain one's breath)
I get a call on the radio, a call for assistance to help secure
the Clear Sky encampment. An old truck is the staging point for
this defensive action in the Marshes. Before long I get a message
from the Flea Market who are getting overrun by mutants.
All in all, the Swamps, the Clear Sky territory, is a tutorial
exercise as you get to grips with the game.
The Military Cordon is some old ground from the
original game, just from a different angle, and posing some fresh
challenges...
As I've mentioned this part before in my last session,
it is perhaps the toughest section to complete in the entire game.
You begin this part of The Zone with a rather full-on run ahead.
Though some have said it is impossible on Veteran
(which I decided to go for, considering my experience at SSoC) I
did succeed. No game is made so hard as to be impossible to complete.
PK... is not just chewing gum. The
GPMG will chew you up.
The PK at the bottom of the gully, over in the camp
to your immediate front cuts you to ribbons if you don't completely
focus on getting, first to the big tree, and then down the left
side to the big rocks further down the hill. Following the fence-line
is good, so long as you don't have a weapon drawn. For some reason
the machine gunner doesn't open up as fast if you just bolt down
there unarmed. Shoot out the boxes to the left, while remaining
in relative safety behind the big rocks, sprint across to the fallen
tree there, and make like a kangaroo on steroids up the hill on
the other side of the fence. No problem!
In the Dark Valley a joker named Chekhov, who happens
to be the Commander of Freedom faction there, wants me to track
down a PDA for him so I was soon on the road again. Beforehand though,
don't mess with the lads at the Freedom checkpoint, just do it nicely
nicely.
After an hour or so of rudimentary activities in
The Zone, getting to grips with some administrative tasks and acquiring
some gear it was time to get the show on the road.
Chekhov informs me that mercs are the ones that
have been mounting recent attacks, yet they usually keep out of
trouble and don't like to stir things up for the factions. He reckons
either Duty or the army are behind it all, but that's all just conjecture
at the moment.
Two hours or so later he has the PDA in hand and
informs me of how the Dark Valley has been sealed off completely
yet his guys keep getting nailed. That's when he lets you know there
has been a traitor in the ranks of Freedom - the 2IC, Lingov. As
a result a few squads have been sent out to hunt him down.
Still trying to hunt down Fang I press that line.
This mysterious stalker was the one who has supposedly survived
all the way to the centre of The Zone and will have the answers
to its mysteries - and yours. I am told he was there and brought
an old part for a military cryptographic machine. Once he got his
hands on it, no haggling at all, he bolted. It is yet to be seen
what this fellow is up to.
In the end its all about tradeoffs and Chekhov demands
I help him in defending the Freedom base from bandits before he
gives me the intel I need, so off I go to rid The Zone of some scum.
This is all a wangle to get to talk to the commandant and track
down this stalker named Fang. Chekhov has got one of his techies
to hack into Fang's PDA freq. It appears he has headed off to the
Garbage, which is bandit territory. I'm now able to track the guy
down as I follow the frequency on my own PDA. All very handy.
A little later Chekhov establishes that there has
been a secret tunnel which the mercs have been using to mount their
attacks.
While the trader Ashot passes me some ammunition
to resupply a deployed Freedom patrol a minor subplot takes place
here. I have been informed the patrol members are able to give me
more information on Fang's whereabouts. When I get there they've
all been whacked. Dead end. Chekhov has requested his traitorous
2IC's PDA which I soon get back to him.
Meanwhile, having the signal of Fang's PDA I track
it down... but it seems like a setup, and I promptly get a smack
over the head. Having been mugged... losing 3421 ru lost to bandits
and a whole lot of gear - I get a communiqué from Lebedev
of the Clear Sky faction and I find Fang's PDA is lying next to
me as I recover from my bump on the head. After avoiding a near
premature welcome to the afterlife, the least I can be is thankful
for that, along with the fact Fang's PDA didn't go walk-about, a
pistol is also there. Not confident it will prevent any future muggings!
Still, it doesn't take long and I reacquire my kit from scumbag
central.
Through the door... and thieves abound.
Thereafter there is familiar grounds of the Garbage,
on the trail of Fang - In a little time I have acquired myself an
AK-74 which gives me the reach I feel more comfortable with. But
without a few tweeks the old rifle is rough in the accuracy stakes.
When you're trying to avoid being shot, that's a difficult combo
to contend with.
Fang is onto me and knows someone is on his trail.
He has reached the centre of The Zone. As a result his freq gets
changed so that mission is off - for the meantime. Somehow Fang's
group survived a powerful emission there. Clear Sky want to secure
it again. Lebedev thinks they have to wipe out the stalkers who
have gone there, or otherwise they'd have to count on another emission
to do the job for them. Fang's PDA has coordinates to the group's
stash which should offer up some clues as to their intentions.
Entering Agroprom, Duty let me know they are keeping
an eye on me and they warn me of approaching mutants. Not overly
surprised I find myself fighting off snorks. Tough and fast they
deplete the ammo pretty fast. Single shots are not helpful when
they're jumping at you with radioactive claws as they scream through
their worn out rubber gas masks. It would have been good to be able
to jump aboard the broken down BTR and let loose with the KPV in
the turret. The hull doors are welded shut and the HMG has no ammo!
Duty Camp
Next stop is the Duty base. It is then that I get
a job from the faction's General Krylov to flood the Agroprom Underground
in order to stop the incursions of the Valley. The Duty sergeant
gives me some additional supplies to assist me in a task no one
else is willing to undertake. While a short exercise, it is pretty
hair-raising.
There are several blown pipelines down in the tunnels
and this creates a few problems with flaming gases. A bit of stumbling
gets me through with some second degree burns as a result. I can
still smell it. Little alleyways allowed some progressive safe haven.
There were several snorks down here but I let the flames do the
business on them to save some ammo.
Agroprom Underground... worse is
yet to come.
The end of the tunnels found me at a doorway. It
wasn't looking good and my intuition and experience in The Zone
didn't lie - it not getting any easier. Going through the doorway
the door is promptly shut behind me cutting off all possible escape.
Some serious psionic activity confirmed my fears and I was soon
facing it off with a Brain scorcher. A similar situation to SSoC
but this time I also had to dodge radioactive pools.
Done with all that and heading back up to get out
of the tunnels rats raced away, not bothering to nibble away at
my mortal flesh with their rabid jaws as the place began to shake
wildly as if it was a 9.0 on the richter scale. Finding the stairwells
there was only one way to go - up. I was looking forward to getting
above ground again and feeling the wide open fresh air (what's that
in The Zone?) and making my way back to Duty to collect my reward.
That only after several close quarter firefights with some bandits
down there, who obviously didn't want me to leave. Grenades are
very deadly in confined spaces as you may well know. They found
out the hard way - but were only to happy to reply in kind.
Just beyond the Duty base as I moved on a short
but intense exchange of lead had me picking up more ammo and a few
surplus weapons I was able to trade in for much needed cash. Always
a risky business though, going into strictly unnecessary combat
since the combat is so lethal. Bandages no longer heal you as such,
only stop the bleeding. A few close calls reminded me of the fact.
The smell of cordite is still inflaming my nostrils.
But hey... I'm not complaining. It was here that,
on the quiet I decided to kill a guy totting a VSS. Carefully done,
his buddies didn't notice and I was able to walk off with it - later
to do some serious damage in yet another, thankfully, well executed
firefight. The tracer is particularly handy for the frequently required
follow up shots. The 9x39, while it hits hard, is not the most accurate
round in the world. Particularly when its subsonic.
Yantar sucks... even with a Groza.
Making my way to Yantar, I quickly
remember how much I hate the place. Worse, I have no actually missions
or tasks to get on with. The labs there are closed to visitors and
I need to get on with things. Though I've tried to talk with the
guys guarding the place they're not interested in giving me any
work. Back up the hill its just a bunch of zombie stalkers and more
radiation than a man without a noddy suit can handle. For my next
session I've decided to make my way back to Garbage, and take a
route into the Red Forest and see what I can see...
End Notes
As tasks are accomplished over time you are up for
some rewards. Its a major way of making a bit of money and acquiring
equipment. Just, sometimes you have to trek a fair distance to call
your debts in. Ammunition of course is critical. There is plenty
of 5.45mm Bloc ammo about, and likewise, 9x18 Makarov, but 9x39mm
is not so common if you are rolling with the likes of the Groza
or VAL / VSS rifles. I haven't had a SVD to date, but in SSoC, 7.62x54mm
was notoriously difficult to come by, balanced by the effectiveness
of that ancient cartridge.
In regards the employment of hand grenades, it is
worthy remembering the difference between a defensive and an offensive
hand grenade, least you get caught in the blast radius! The best
way to avoid forgetting, despite the feeling that the terms might
be obvious enough, is that defensive means the enemy is coming at
you and you are holed up... big blast radius. Offensive means you're
on the offensive, and amongst friends. Smaller, more controlled
blast radii are the call of the day, to avoid friendlies getting
caught up in hot shrapnel.
Unlike in real life, grenades designed to be fired
from under barrel grenade launchers (such as the 40mm M203) do not
offer up the safety of delayed arming (17m for a 203 HE round, for
example). They will detonate at point blank range. Oh the gracious
nature of saving games... in the real world, you have three things
to avoid such stupidity, good instruction, screaming corporals and
idiot codes.
For me, one of the greatest strengths in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
universe is the dynamic narrative. You, can't go past the storyline,
the power of the RPG (role-playing game) elements using the FPS
(first-person shooter) as the interface.
Odd, but for some reason the developers decided
on little changes like the fact you can't bring up the sights on
pistols anymore. I didn't even think about this until I read it
somewhere and Kryton confirmed it.
Look above for a link to the most recent (1.5.08)
patch. I was unable to get into the Scientist bunker at Yantar,
but hopefully if I go there now it should be okay. Otherwise this
bug makes the entire level somewhat pointless, save for a bit of
practice on the two-way rifle range. A side thought was that you
can't join the Scientist faction. It would make another good sequel,
prequel to further explore other areas of The Zone, from another
perspective.
Already, particularly when you consider the Mod
Priboi Story, which takes a military perspective of SSoC,
it is much like the highly successive Half Life series.
While in the original game you starred as the scientist Gordon Freeman,
the follow-up games had you as a security guard at Black Mesa (Blue
Shift), and a Force Recon Marine (Opposing Force).
The beauty is, that while the majority considers the same areas,
the new games permit the player to explore different areas as well,
not accessible in the original game. For example, Barney, the security
guard has access to different locations. Very cool.
In the Agroprom area I have heard there is a Hermit
living there somewhere, and if you do a mission he gives you, on
return you can get an RPG-7 out of it. Will have to investigate
that one next time around.
All in all, much fun and games and I look forward
to completing my first run through of Clear Sky shortly.
Well, the truth is, this is really tomorrow. After
a couple of eps of The Unit into the small hours, it was
time to dig back into Radsville... The Zone. My happy place, in
amongst the mutants, the scumbags, the glowing air where I belong.
This is going to be long one so buckle in and enjoy the ride...
Right at the beginning, heading out from the base
and into my first firefight I saw evidence of what the developers
call "smartcover", where the AI combatants use their environment
properly to seek cover from incoming fire. The react more intelligently
than in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Not that they were a pushover then. It is a natural progression
of the technology.
So far as artifacts are concerned, they are not
simply scattered about The Zone for all to see as in the original
game. Rather, you now need a detector to provide their location.
Anomalies are everywhere, but usually off the beaten track, across
more remote glasslands. You can see electrical storms cracking away
in the distance, and can be pulled into gravity wells very easily
if you're not careful. It tends to be a case of either surviving
unscathed, a close shave if you will, or getting absolutely ripped
apart. You have been warned. Not much fun against a physical force
you can't destroy with firepower.
In Clear Sky it becomes a real skill and
far more challenging to find artifacts, but just like Chernobyl
you can make plenty of money if you're willing to take the risks.
At this point in my first campaign they don't factor into my activities.
They will next time, for sure, since this time around, one of my
biggest concerns is not having enough rubles.
Being very much the consummate firearms enthusiast
one of the most welcoming features of Clear Sky for me
is the weapons modifications feature. Instead of most firearms,
depending on their nature, as pistols, long guns or what have you,
being instantly able to take on features such as scopes and grenade
launchers, you must search out an armourer, and have them, as in
the real world provide your given weapon with, for example a scope
mounting rail, or thread the barrel for a suppressor.
Scopin' - adding a scope mount for
my AK-74 - 1600 ru
Additionally, internal mechanical modifications
go further than the original game in allowing the player to fork
out for improvements such as recoil deduction, and upgrades to modify
your weapons rate of fire, if it features an automatic sear. Other
options include increasing magazine capacity, customised barrel
for increased accuracy and range, and custom grips for a personalised
layout. Some options can't be added until others are fitted.
It all costs money, but also you can pay to have
weapons repaired as they get worn out, but it seems that no weapon
is able to last forever. As you would expect in The Zone. The beauty
is, you can tailor make your chosen firearm to best fit your approach
to the game in view of tactics - from silent deadly and accurate
of suppressed sniper fire to the spray and pray of large capacity
magazines and modified lightened bolts.
All part of listening to reviews of SSoC and to
the players, Guides were introduced in order to lead you from one
major area to another. It saves a lot of walking when, meeting up
with a guide in one area, they can take you to another via time
lapse. It adds a bit of realism and additional interaction, where
you can image that these sorts of people are part of the world leading
inhabitants about. Oddly though, they don't charge out for their
services.
Sure enough I saw my fair share of bugs, but in
all honesty, the only real negative aspect to the game had nothing
to do with its performance or presentation. Rather, it was simply
availability of hardware and not being able to see the full on effects
in DX 10. That will be remedied in the coming months.
After a few preliminary sessions of Clear Sky
bringing me up as far as the military cordon, had my first full
on session, finally, which unsurprisingly went into the night and
the next day (tomorrow) when in between many good conversations,
jokes, laughs, a couple of episodes of The Unit, and scallywag
kids, it was a couple of hours after dinner time that I finally
finished up.
The cordon was (and according to Kryton is) the
hardest part to date. Saw on several forums that it is impossible
to get through on Veteran level. Wrong - I did it.
The PK is absolutely deadly. Just as well you get
unlimited chances eh, and you can strap on a field bandage with
the click of a button. The way to do it is to holster / sling your
weapon, and run down the left side (no your other left) and head
for the big boulders there. You can move further left along them.
To your 9 (as you face down the hill) you'll see a fallen tree,
beneath it some boxes. While behind the safety of the rocks smash
the boxes with a long range fist, that being a pistol. This allows
you to move unhindered beyond them. Then make a mad dash there and
start heading back up the hill on the other side of the fence. It
will take a few goes but you'll make it.
PS: don't sell anything of value to the bandits.
They'll rip you off big time. And just when you'd like to go on
a big ol' rampage, all your weapons are automatically stowed as
a right of passage...
The new patch for Clear Sky fixes quite a number
of bugs and scripting crashes in the game. According to the documentation,
save games from 1.5.04 will still work. Saves players a lot of work
in The Zone. A must get for all Stalkers out there.
Soon I should be able to give you some sort of a
initial report on my first impressions of the new game from GSC
Game World. The prequel, from second hand sources so far, seems
to be living up to expectations by being the product intended of
original vision - cleaning up the ground-breaking S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
: Shadow of Chernobyl. The best thing of all I have to say is the
marketing coup of the century, the new game doesn't require any
better specs than the original - but if you have a grunter machine,
you can see the new vision fully realised. I'm just hoping that
some of the impressive features of the Oblivion Lost mod have been
included (which was, in part a step to bring SoC up to the original
vision also).
PK General Purpose Machine Gun
Someone has been listening and the PK GPMG has been
included now. It was first seen rendered, though not shown to be
functional, in the Firefight video, pre game release. This provides
a dedicated machine gun. Barrel heat is not a feature so can't function
as a balance in game terms for a suppressive fire weapon. I would
say that weight will therefore be a consideration, perhaps no running?
We won't want to see the firepower become a killer for the game.
Jams could also be more frequent perhaps. I would have preferred
the RPK-74 and have the PK as a fixed positional defence weapon
only. A bit of digital art and a little coding will have the LMG
in the game soon enough :)
Clear Sky Builds, My iTunes
Playlist... and a view of the landscape.
Just like Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear
Sky will be released in two builds - the Special Edition in
a tin with extra bits and pieces on the development on a bonus DVD,
and the standard issue version, for a wee bit cheaper.
If you want to see what I'll be playing audio wise
during future sessions in the Zone... click HERE.
There are 50 tracks but not all are showing. Mostly hard stuff,
as to be expected. Hey, but that's just one side of my personality...
okay :) Gotta pick up me Groza... Screenie is in 800x600.
Here is a screen shot of what to expect in CS. Click
on the thumbnail to get a bigger version.
The movie is 3:58 long, in .wmv
showing many of the DX10 effects, particularly sunrays at the
beginning where the Stalker walks out of a more civilised dealer
cabin rather than in a roughshod bunker. In the prequel things
are not so raw regards the environment, which is to be expected.
Damage in The Zone is not yet so extreme.
The reviewer voice-over is German
so hopefully an English version will come out shortly. Still,
the visuals give you a good impression of what to expect. The
PDA has been modified, as has the general order of things in
organising your kit and weapons. We are presented with a list
of five faction icons so there are at least five, perhaps more,
compared to SSoC's original two (of which you can come a part).
While getting out into the sticks
(and looking at the menus) only presents the TOZ double barrel,
sawn off, and the Makarov. Screen shots also have yet to suggest
any new weapons or options which is a shame. But, the idea that
you can shoot over cover while remaining behind it is an odd
choice (though people do do this sort of thing).
The compass for navigation and
the anomaly detector in hand is a nice touch. At OL there is
also a collection of recent screenshots worth a look.
Got another MP going this last
weekend and it was fun as always. Great feed, great conversations,
then, well, down to a bit of well-deserved virtual violence.
Taking a bit for me to warm up, but made a better account of
myself after a few rounds. Just never enough hours in the day...
Anyways, Clear Sky has a release
date of 29 August 2008, so that's something. Many lessons have
been learned since the original installment was released so
we hope that there won't be delays on this beauty.
Yes, beauty... if you need to see
how real the virtual world can really be, as if S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
wasn't enough (I still yahoo and carry on with expressions of
delight when I see and hear the rain in SSoC) then take a look
at the Clear Sky DX10 Features video...
You have some really impressive
effects going on here;
God Rays - are sunrays of light cast out in the
daylight hours.
Soft Water - this is highly realistic water expectantly
beyond the feats of HL2 or Vietcong.
Volumetric Fire - like the volumetric heat haze
I believe, but another step up (never saw it in the original game
because I've not been able to play it totally cranked up) Nice
for furnaces or leaking gas pipes, or those burning drums Stalkers
like to sit around.
Dynamic Volumetric Smoke - this is some impressive,
err, smoke, which is affected when hit, eg: by gunfire. Imagine
what happens to dust when it is hit by wind or created by some
external impact. Hopefully the same effect is produced by concrete
or bricks.
Dynamic Wet Surface - exactly what it sounds
like, where rain is different visually depending on the surface
it has fallen on. This is further enhanced by a rain effect which
produces the water splash and impacts you see in real life.
Water Streaming - takes the above effects another
step forward where gravity finds water dripping down surfaces.
This is truly amazing.
Okay, so this has been made official, the release
of a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. prequel in Q1 of 2008. No comments on release
dates, but some on the first video I've seen. The idea of DX10 is
both welcomed and expected, but what is shown is not. Our central
character seems bullet proof to the max and is adverse to taking
cover when a) taking fire, and b) changing out magazines. I can
only hope there was an RPG man there somewhere in the firefight,
because there is no way any assault rifle can take down a combat
helicopter of the Hind series magnitude. I sure hope that Clear
Sky does not become a "typical" FPS as far as realism
is concerned.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has been a great balance between
realism and playability, and for the latter and its open environment
it beats Ghost Recon. Please let there not be a step backwards.
Still, this is early days yet.
There were some obvious tweaks that needed to be
resolved, and its an opportunity to turn a excellent game environment
into an exceptional one. Won't say anymore until there is substantial
material to go on (official). Also there is so serious calls to
clean up the original game in earnest, eg: solid patches. In the
meantime, check out these links:
