23 March 2008
Laptops, Changing Face
of MP, Classic Gaming... and shortfalls.
After some time away from The Zone,
and having attempted to get a dedicated server going last weekend,
this Easter Sunday, and my day off I have allowed, we got a
bit of session going. So much fun, that atmosphere, feeling
of rain yet not getting wet. Like getting shot at and not dying.
As I've said before, and yet to have seen it on a system worthy
of this game's praises. I found myself playing it on a P4 laptop
and without any complaints whatsoever. And even a crappy mouse.
No deterioration over any desktop PC I'd played on. Sure, my
frag count was way down, but there is time to get my hand back
in, and its not whether you win or loose, but how much fun you
have playing the game.
And that was after we had tried in vain to run FarCry
successfully on MP. Something has to be said about the professionalism
of the coding of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Its critics like to slam it
on many levels but honestly, in my experience, and on hack systems
my mate is expert at setting up, you have to wonder why. I'd
suggest that most of them are not real gamers of our generation
anyway.
Multiplayer doesn't mean an obligatory
Internet connection, but rather two, three, six or countless
PCs piled throughout a flat, cables going everywhere and a real
social occasion, including copious litres of Coke, piles of
pizza, and nothing but good times.
Interesting that Salient,
Victoria University's student magazine ran an article recently
about classic games which covered Half Life. The original
that is - and they made the claim that, if you'd not played
this one, you couldn't call yourself a gamer. Perhaps we would
go so far as to say this of the original Doom. Essentially,
the face of gaming has changed dramatically in a few short years.
Still, my opinion is whole-heartedly that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has
made the same sorts of leaps and bounds for the 21st century
as HL did for the 90s. In saying that, every game has bases
from which improvements can be made. I'm unsure how far Clear
Sky will remedy the experience in this regard.
In MP gaming, though many games
have different professions or classes, very few players even
bother to work as a team, much less use their given character
specialties to the true benefit of their fellow gamers, coordinating
their weapons as they should be. Perhaps for many its about
turning the brain off rather than turning the brain on. Fair
enough.
Even at the most basic level though
you can see the opposition to the likes of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., or
Ghost Recon, or Operation Flashpoint for example,
this is the deal and these players would rather be playing the
umpteenth dozen rendition of Quake. But don't get me wrong there
is always a time and place for such games - and I'd sent hundreds
of hours involved in this sort of arena.
Reflecting on it, as I say, there
are always rooms for improvement in the games themselves. Essentially,
no game has everything, but collectively they do cover all the
plausible options.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. misses out on having
machine guns and barrel heat, volumes of fire therefore balanced
up for gameplay. There is no capacity for going prone, or using
bipods. The balance here, having to get up and move in a hurry.
Regards body zones, there is the
head and the rest of the body. More advanced (though surely
not too complex a thing) mapping of limbs has been around since
Soldier of Fortune. Thereafter effects such as limping if you
are hit in the leg, difficulty in aiming if hit in the arm,
and faster bleed out if hit in the abdomen would be nice to
see. Of course an "arcade mode" would permit these
effects to be turned off.
It is worth exploring just how
much of this sort of thing could be remedied by way of modding.
How deeply you'd have to dig into the coding side of things
I do not know. Far beyond my abilities, which are focused on
the creative side. Still, I am sure a MG36 could be rendered
soon enough given time and a few books and webpages on the subject.
Sadly now I must return to study,
but it is my favourite academic subject, that of Film, which
has a great deal in common with the realm of video gaming.
In the end, a proper day off is
best spent away from the office, with good friends, with quality
tucker and entertainment. If said entertainment includes a few
rounds of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. then all the better. Even ended up
talking about buying a wee plot of land. This, we deem a way
of dealing with the changing face of another much loved past
time, paintball. Proper paintball, in the bush, none of this
speedball carry on. Anyway, we shall see. I'm yet to be back
in the workforce and my wages are already spent. But, as I said
to a mate (yet another one) heading to Aussie this coming week,
you've got to have goals. Committed to them, your well earned
cash is more inclined to go into things worthwhile. And there
lies the things dreams are made of.
Top ^
24 September 2007
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Essay -
Narratology in the Zone
I've mentioned my B+ pass on this
essay written regarding the game and a concept in academia known
as narratology. This in mind, I decided to upload it to the
site, in .pdf format for those who may be interested in the
game, or the study of video games in general. Since S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
offers up a genuine convergence of role-playing and FPS it is
really on the forefront of an evolution in game design, thus
my heading in that direction for the essay. It is certainly
an interesting time in the industry. Good games go far beyond
eye candy. The technology is ever-present for that now so, really,
it is time for the more intelligent immersive worlds which games
like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. offer up. If you read the essay, let me
know what you think, and be sure to cite it if you are doing
academic work in the field.
Narratology_in_the_ZoneLTH.pdf
Top ^
25 August 2007
Patch v1.0004
This one has fixed a lot of bugs,
big and small including several missions and networking issues.
Its a must have and will improve performance. Only 19.1 Mb in
size.
Unfortunately there hasn't been
any play for sometime, but I am looking at writing a essay on
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for a university assignment on digital culture,
looking at ludology and narratology in relation to video games.
Yeah, flash words eh... I'd rather be playin' but if it gets
me this elusive degree then hey.
http://www.oblivion-lost.de/download/patches/stk-ww-10004.exe
Top ^
02-04 June 2007
Journey's End
WARNING :
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
The good thing about taking screenies
is that they serve as a reminder of the encounters you have
had. That'll make the business of writing it all up somewhat
easier. But, before I wade into that, there is a few hours on
an essay to be done. Time for a coffee and a bite to eat. Nope,
no Vodka, but then no radiation to contend with either.
Right, so I managed to sort out
those dogs and carry on along this box around business. A few
more nasty boys to greet me once I knew I was on the right track.
The long way around seems to be the key to this section. Its
rather cooling to feel the radiation ease up too. All the while
I knew those emitter pylons were at the centre of the next turn
of events in The Zone. And the answer to those dogs was more
than tactical knowhow, but the fact I had turned up the resolution
for some screen dump shots towards the end of my last session
and forgot to change it back. So now, we carry on...
Heading down below ground again
I had another encounter with bloodsuckers. Not so lethal though
as I was able to dispatch them at range. Plenty of different
machinery about but not sure what any of it was about at this
stage. Some of the darker areas certainly needed the torch going
and, even at low settings graphically, it was eerie and nerve-racking.
Plenty of stairwells and numerous corners to keep you on your
toes. Automatic was definitely the name of the game for the
sear at this stage. Scopes of limited value, better not to have
your field of view impaired during those close contacts. In
the darkness I even got to truly test out the night sights on
the SIG pistol. Very cool. Or was it the USP Compact? One has
white and the other green. Both are particularly good in low
light conditions. This is shown in the third screen shot.
There was a bit of a mission getting
to the control centre for the emitter system. Plenty of ladders
to climb and jokers doing their best to send you to an early
grave. You have to be systematic about taking these fellas out.
The only real tactic is - don't get shot. Consistent accurate
shooting gets things squared away as quickly as possible before
you start bleeding far too much. Spraying and praying just sees
you to needing more of the latter. Aiming is good on these gantries
and platforms. Once you get to where you're going you get a
bit of a cut scene goin' on and then its time to get out of
the place. Of course, going back the another hard fought battle
with some skillful opponents, both cunning and well-armed. There
were a few AI glitches I noticed here but all in all it was,
as I mention, very challenging. Plenty of corpses result to
clutter your exit. For example, one guy sits at the top of a
set of ascending stairs and doesn't seem to see you at all.
You can bag him really easily. Another was facing the wall.
This is a classic fault in AI and hopefully can be remedied
in the future - hopefully S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 :) This is as opposed
to earlier situations I've mentioned where guys would simply
be deemed to busy, occupied with a firefight - eg: how people
are inadvertently ambushed in real life.
It was so good to get topside again
I could almost feel the fresh air (okay, as fresh as it gets
in The Zone), G36 in hand and those pylons in sight. This time
I came up inside the base area I couldn't manage to enter on
the way there. Too much radiation, too much sniper fire. And
that murky yellow was no longer in the air. Man it felt good.
But again it was, as I expected, a target-rich environment.
Army guys fighting it out with, I believe, Monolith. Unable
to stay out of the combat for long it was a case of shooting
when I had to and generally making way out of the place. The
G36, as in the real world, is nice and accurate, though the
scope isn't the real deal :( Additionally there is no three-round
burst which will soon be remedied also. Kevlar helmets pose
some problems but a three round burst to the face usually does
the trick. So, for the moment, it is well-managed bursts on
the automatic setting. So, it was over the bridge, quite exposed,
and past the sandbagged defensive position which caused me problems
on my earlier abortive attempt on entry into this place earlier.
Off along the road and past another
irritating checkpoint, Pripyat was the next port of call, and
a bit of street-clearing. Snipers up apartment blocks and in
windows, I teamed up with some lads to take out the garbage.
A difficult wee piece in its own right, you can see I was bagged
at the underground carpark at least once. I dispatched a couple
of guys armed with gauss rifles atop the highrises. These jokers
caused a few headaches, but the scope of the G36 came in handy.
Just wishing I could put one on the Groza. Quite annoying really.
The VAL silent assault rifle came in handy on a few occasions
and I was able to pull off a few quite good flanking maneuvers
to keep from getting filled full of holes. And it wasn't all
plane sailing either, the AI continuing to challenge all the
way. Except, while I'm not sure if this was deliberate or not,
but up in this old wrecked theatre it was like a group of stalkers,
Monolith again I believe, who were kneeled down in a bobbing
meditative state, seemingly oblivious to my presence. Unrealistically
easy to, one by one, take them down.
The next stage of the proceedings
was somewhat tricky, with RPG fellows parading about the place
wanting to see to your demise, and even a few BTRs on the move,
their KPV heavy machine guns rattling away to let you know the
crew is well and truly awake and on the ball. This level was
saved as Stancia, whatever that means. You roll in and Hind
choppers are overhead doing the business serious like. One or
two are even taken down by the RPG crews off in the distance.
You get the feeling something really big is going down and it
sure is... Boys start rolling in behind you and its hard to
avoid cracking it with 'em, but you simply can't afford to.
Tried to grab an SVD off a fella I took down but with limited
ammo it was of equally limited value. And then you hear radio
calls and things are about to go critical, in the sense only
The Zone can provide. The key is a hole that gets blown into
a perimeter wall on your left. Forget going out into the middle
of nowhere. A hard to port is the answer. Get through the mouse
hole provided and carry on. You have a few minutes to find proper
cover as everything goes haywire and gets blurry and disorientating.
The wide open spaces are no place to be.
Getting inside the hanger after
avoiding, as much as possible, cannon fire from the surviving
military gunships, the RPG gunners, and the dueling factions
you're let know you've got to the right place. Unfortunately
if you don't get off to the left and onto the next level the
radiation from the meltdown deals to you in double quick time,
no "get out of The Zone free" card.
And to the last stage, the sarcophagus,
the very bowels of the game. The scary thing is, this thing
exists. Down in the depths of it all you go head on with vicious
fighters who are either after the same thing you are or there
as duty calls, last stand type stuff. They have the best weapons,
good tactics and close quarter devastation on hand. By now it
has been all about getting to the Wish Granter. And damn it
if there isn't even more radiation to content with as you get
within arm's reach of your final goal. With limited protection
already, I was relieved to find a ladder giving me access to
a odd concealed passageway where I found some exo-skeleton armour.
In addition, in these closing battles
I was able to get my hands on a gauss rifle and a F2000. The
former I found really effective if you hit right first time,
otherwise, a limited battery capacity and close quarters soon
finished me off. It would have been far better to get it earlier
where I could have used it extensively at range. The FN rifle
was good but had no real advantage over the G36, except its
higher rate of automatic fire put down more lead for quicker
kills at point blank range. But, conversely this meant more
frequent reloads. Not good down on the farm I can tell you,
when the boys in urban cam know how to shoot and move.
So its not an actual choice you
make for the end the of the game, to get a certain ending but
one that is predetermined by your prior actions. In this case,
I wished that The Zone had never existed. Sadly the cut scene
was quite short and had elements I'd seen before such as the
guy firing the AKR from the hip. Cool, but yeah, didn't take
long for the splash screen to come up rolling the credits for
the game. Still, it is the journey, not the destination. Boy
oh boy has it been a heck of a journey.
If you haven't played S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
and you're into FPS games, into RPGs or not even, buy it, be
exposed to it. It truly is a revolution in PC gaming. What comes
next is anyone's guess. The whole non-linear experience is only
the beginning, enabling you go through the game a dozen different
times and have a dozen different adventures. I got a whole lot
more for my $89 than a couple of plays on different difficulty
settings.
The following screenies are pretty
much in chronological order, and thankfully so, as they remind
me of what I did over a couple of days in The Zone.
Screen Dumps
some more of my adventures...
Multiplayer
Can also say I had some good MP
time as well this Queen's Birthday Weekend. We played three
different maps and had a blast. Some tinny shots, you know,
flukes, but also plenty of skill going on as well. Quality tactics
and constantly being challenged. Since these maps are based
on real-world environments it lends itself to real-world tactics,
whereas many games just simply don't have this. With the exception
of Ghost Recon players (in general) many players won't like
the settings, these challenges and what pertains to using the
head rather than the finger. For me, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. offers what
I'd always been waiting for. GR and the earlier Rogue Spear
did act as some kind of stopgap.
Thankfully I'd been playing through
to the end of my first single player so was quite well warmed
up from the last evening. The duel was somewhat more even in
the frag count throughout, but it always seems to balance up
in any case. All depends whose been playing prior to the match.
Serious fun!
2 rounds at the wall in front...fire! |
Crawling inside a cable drum |
Top ^
29 May 2007
June Calendar
I have just remembered, I was working
on a June calendar based off one of my recent screen dumps.
Feel free to download it by clicking on the thumbnail below
- and grabbing the 1024x768 image which will come up in a new
window.
June 2007 Calendar
X-18 Labs
Top ^
25-26 May 2007
Gathering of the Clan,
Sniper Bait, Army Warehouse... and awesome MP action.
WARNING :
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Went out the way for a bit of a
gathering of clans... well, in so much as I am a member of another
clan :) not of blood but of kind. Shared many words of real
world importance and many bullets of the virtual type. I again
didn't progress too far in S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and my mate backed
up a suspicion I had that there was a need to backtrack somewhat.Radiation
is a major feature and, though I'm not 100% on this, once you
get wounded the effects of radiation tend to provide a more
rapid demise to you, the Marked One. This stage is saved as
Radar.
There is a base further up the
road and several snipers armed with SVDs and SVUs at various
points along the road. At one or two sandbagged positions intended
to blockade the roadway, they set to and roll fuel barrels down
on you. In classic Hollywood style they explode after a few
shots. Handy to have them lay where you want and set them off
at the most opportune moment. Inside the base (though I didn't
get that far, but could see them) there are more of those emitter
pylons. Interestingly there is also what appear to be the spirits
of various mutants in The Zone who make unwelcome appearances.
Sure enough shooting at them only wastes ammo - which I think
was the point of these things, even though you're probably close
to post-ammo letdown anyway.
Screen Dumps
Rollin' Barrels and
Spirits
Be aware - murky yellowness is
not good.
I was just getting nailed as I
went through and tried to penetrate the complex and heading
back and boxing round south may well give me the key I need,
despite the radiation and the rabid dogs who claw you at every
corner. Well, no but they kill you pretty quick in close. Bursts
from the 74 seemed to be ineffective. Almost 30 rounds - yes
a full magazine to down one of the blighters, and by the time
you do that two of his mates are in doing the business. A SVD
does it sweet at a distance, problem is, with only seven rounds,
the effect is eventually the same - like a preverbal screw-driver
in the back of the head.
Got a couple of short but extremely
fun rounds in on MP mode. Superb I tell you. Still buzzing from
the fun several hours later. First round was in the Army Warehouse
map. Took me a while to get into the grove and thus getting
pinged a lot in the first 10 or so frags (to use the old term)
but once I settled down it was pretty much even. Great to play
against someone who has more experience in the world and get
some real challenge. Great to have so many options weapons wise,
and also be in such a realistically depicted environment - the
most realistic I feel ever. That includes the atmospherics.
I've mentioned the rain :) Our esteemed provider of drinks remarked
it would be quite eerie to take off the headphones only to realise
it was indeed raining outside, pattering away on the rooftop.
Indeed.
The next night, despite it getting
late and work and school due next morning I was encouraged to
another round. Can't remember the map we settled on, but man...
I won our 20 frag limit, but it was like... so even all the
way. Almost one for one and some of the encounters were hair-raising
to say the least. Coming round the corner and... BOOOOM shanker!
Well, that's the end of me, thanks to be point blank shot from
a shotty, loaded with darts. Flechettes can be quite painful.
Another one was a grenade launcher duel on a stairwell. Yes...
I know, that's what hand grenades are for... but in games you're
having fun and don't do things you'd do in real life. I only
managed to win that one by the skin of my teeth and didn't even
know I'd survived until I saw the body of my humbled enemy before
me. Then there was the shot in the back from a Winny 1300. Not
very nice at all and extremely convincing :)
Now - if in close contact with
the enemy, do ensure to throw or launch grenades behind them,
so their bodies absorb more of the blast and shield you from
it. Shake, rattle and roll... was that the conclusion wave or
a phrase to remind us of the humble hand grenade's short life?
Oh what a lovely virtual war.
Top ^
25 May 2007
SDK
Oblivion Lost has the SDK for
Mod developers available now.
http://www.oblivion-lost.de/download/xray-sdk-setup-v0.4.exe
Have not had a chance to dig into
this yet but there promises to be plenty of tools here to modify
maps and create your own. Bear in mind, according to the official
site this is a beta. Therefore it is likely to be quite buggy,
but certainly be enough to provide an idea of both final releases
and the potential locked inside the game. Looking forward to
getting into this. And during the break from a little work and
much study... there should be time.
Top ^
13 May 2007
Hard Times in Radsville
WARNING
: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Well, after my first twelve hours
of adventure and chaos in The Zone, my next insertion into this
fabulous virtual world was somewhat less progressive and very
intense. Low ammo and hardened opponents (many quite mindless
in their zombified states) made it a "save-every-two-minutes"
kind of season. Sure makes you think things out both in lethal
encounters and in regards what jobs you decide to take on. Getting
back up topside and to the barkeep at 100 Rads was a lifesaver.
Got that mission to take out the
sniper for Freedom which you see in the Mega Gaming video (very
cool, though it be in German and I canny understand it). Was
very cool to be going up the hill and partaking in what I'd
seen as I eagerly awaited my first go at the game. Sadly though,
when we all stood together, saluting the big cheese to go and
do the follow up mission, jogging up the hill, to blow out the
wall and enter the camp, it was a no go and I bugged out. Decided
right there I needed a scoped rifle to do things properly so
it was time to leave town. Even though I did this it didn't
have an detrimental effects dealing with these jokers later
on. Oddly enough I informed on Freedom's movements to Duty,
and was working for both parties, be it more or less passively.
Very limited bloodshed so was able to get away with it.
Testing emissions with the scientist
I had previously rescued wasn't so hard, though taking down
zombie stalkers isn't the easiest thing in the world even if
they move stereotypically slow. They ain't much for dyin' these
undead types.
Not long after, outside the laboratory
I whacked a sole Freedom Faction guy... simply because he had
a Groza and I really wanted it. Was like he was out door-knocking
for the cause. Being that he was alone no one was there to tell
his mates and thus there was no negative repercussions. The
guy in the bunker had a Groza up for sale which I couldn't afford
so I took the less financially impinging option, be it a little
messier.
This bullpup 9x39mm rifle is great,
hits hard, and has the BG-15 under-mount grenade launcher. But
for some reason, as much as I tried, couldn't get the PSO-1
scope mounted on it. Suck. Yet you can do this in MP mode. Interestingly
there is a Zone modified version which fires 5.45mm (why?) yet
there is a 7.62mm version in real life (using AKM magazines
appropriately enough) but it doesn't feature :( So, this might
have to be remedied in modding efforts later. Finally managed
to find Ghost's body and grab his documents for the barkeep.
Was it for him? I can't remember.
Having to deactivate a huge emitter
system was a major mission coming back up to the surface, having
three systems to turn off each in order then a final unplugging
of the machine, if you will. Nasty boys wanting to ventilate
your skull at every level, attacking from above and below you
doesn't help. Along the way there are anomalies that want to
turn you into deep-fried corpse, appearing in the most inconvenient
spots as you climb ladders and take the incoming gunfire.
Darkness is countered by a head-mounted
torch but I prefer the black as opposed a big beacon that says
"here I am, take a shot". The enemy contacts wearing
such headlamps is one thing but its difficult to try and bag
them above you while taking on multiple hostiles with minimal
cover. After you turn off the emitter there is a cut scene which
features this guy Strelok who is your main target in the game
- though you yet know for what reason. After that, fresh air
is great, be it the geiger counter beep-generating kind. Well,
not exactly fresh then is it...
By the time I got topside again
I was staving and seriously out of ammo. Half way through the
tunnels realised I had about 200 rounds for the Makarov. Rubbish
as, but its better than a good gat without any ammo, except
that the latter makes a better club. I might suggest that one
should be able to go melee on a zombie's arse with a rifle (or
pistol whip), in hand to hand, for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. The lab
bunker was surrounded by zombie bandits and stalkers. Running
low on bang doesn't help. Neither do radiation hotspots.
Helped protect territory borders
with a group, though can't remember who they were. Balaclavas
and wearing camouflage uniforms, though not military, and were
armed with G36 rifles. Nice to have that option. Further on
more sniper problems and well equipped scumbags of The Zone,
and plenty of electrical (primarily it seemed) anomalies. It
was become a bit of a hotbed for radiation here as well as I
moved through the level. Unfortunately the G36 doesn't have
a 3 round burst so a small modification should fix that. Also,
have to figure out how to change the reticle so we can pop in
the real one. Keep it authentic like the PSO-1 and that of the
RPG.
On the way back through from whence
I had come went down into the village where the bandits where
in my first major encounter - the map which you find (or at
least part of it) in MP. Got attacked by a bloodsucker in broad
daylight. Quite vicious alright. Had to bug out before I got
slaughtered. Low and behold, later on when I was talking to
some Duty guys got the option of a mission to take two of them
out back there. It was like, nope, not this time round pal.
Also in the Duty camp I saw this guy who had a rifle in a vice
in his room. Well, apparently someone does weapon modifications
or something about there so this was probably him.
All in all more adventure than
your average stalker can handle this time round. But with a
little rest, replenishment of supplies and a few sips of Vodka
the next round should be a bit more progressive and a little
less painful.
#
Kryton and I have produced our first Mod. Just the first version
it gives you the real world names for weapons and deals with
some errors in info on ammo and such like. Didn't take long
to work out what files we needed to edit. Essentially that's
all it is - but just a beginning in exploring the power and
potential of this fine game we have become so immersed in. The
vision is to get onto an RPK-74, simply a long-barreled LMG
version of the standard Russian rifle, then try a MP7 PDW -
including the required new ammo type, and move on from there.
Much to do and learn. Creative powers of modding pouring forth.
Top ^
12 May 2007
Patch v1.0003
The much expected next patch is
out. Most of it just cleans up minor glitches. It's not so big
either at 9Mb.
Various bugs are dealt with, as
are potential crashes, story-line mission errors and some networking
issues. You can grab it from the following URL:
http://www.oblivion-lost.ge/download/patches/stk-ww-1-3.exe
Top ^
07 May 2007
GPMGs and LMGs in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
What follows is in parallel to
the Diary entry for the specific gaming page.
Later on in the day I get a text
from my mate about his wishing there was a GPMG (that's a General
Purpose Machine Gun for you folks out there who aren't familiar
with the jargon) in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. He text me last night regard
ing having gone right to top of the rankings. He's been playing
a great deal recently. He also said today about the desire to
go prone and have a bipod option. Yip... most definitely. Much
like Day of Defeat. I think these are the only things
missing tactically wise. Which is pretty incredible considering
the enormity of the game. He also wished for a LMG (yes, you
guessed it a Light Machine Gun). I would suggest (as I have
elsewhere) for The Zone, to keep things in vogue, a PK, the
obvious choice, and a RPK-74 respectively.
The PK is shown in the Direct X
9.1 Firefight video from a while back, fixed positional at some
sandbags. The RPK is simply the associated rifle of the family
with a extended barrel and bipod, no change out though, which
makes it a bit limited as a LMG. It uses extended magazines.
Overheating barrels (as in DoD) would not go amiss, helping
with game balance. You can see a pic of a PK below.
Truth is, if I had a choice of LMG it would be the classic Bren
in traditional .303. There are still thousands of these things
floating about, and the Brits used them rechambered to 7.62mm
NATO for years. My old man was a Bren gunner so it might have
something to do with it. No, doubtful, but it was considered
by many to be the perfect weapon of type. Perhaps its only fault
was in that it was too accurate. Yes, too accurate, for
its role, which is to lay down suppressive fire.
I forgot to mention, down in the
tunnels during my 12 Hours in The Zone I encountered the Controller.
Some people have remarked its impossible to deal with this guy
- well, its not impossible at all. You have a way out, you just
have to take it and not get wound up in what's going on.
Top ^
30 April 2007
12 Hours in The Zone
WARNING :
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
So its not my next novel or some
short story but I will enjoy writing this none the less. But,
it is about some adventure, in a virtual world, which I am thoroughly
enjoying. Its all about an ever-developing narrative, the player
(reader) creating it as they play.
Got a mission to kill some soldier
for a guy at the 100 Rads. It can be dangerous if you don't
watch where you're going to get to him as there is quite hard
radiation levels about. Have to watch your step. Honestly thought
I'd got it wrong after hearing this guy's sob story. Whacked
him anyway and was called back to collect my reward. This told
me I was on the right track. He was some kid who deserted from
a recce unit. Seems like he'd made his home in the middle of
this radiation hotspot to keep away from everyone, in this old
train carriage.
I ended up picking up a rifle for
someone, a family heirloom or something, when a guy in the 100
Rads asked me to go and get it back for him. Odd that it was
a AK-74 with a BG-15 unmount. Sad that I had no ammo for the
40 milly. Still, got it back to this fella and made a few quid.
Dealt to a few bandits on the way there. What they lack in skill,
they make up for enthusiasm in the fight.
One mission was to collect documents
at a laboratory. Going underground into this place was genuinely
creepy and involved my first encounter with a bloodsucker. Tough
as, these mutants tend to turn invisible, all you can see is
a rough shimmer, then they get close in trying their best to
rip you apart. A couple of good quality bursts from your rifle
does the trick but man... Also down there was some fireball
moving around - then I realised this humanoid type shape in
amongst the flames. I fired. I fired again... and again. Eventually
this pyromania problem left me. Very cool effects, and a tricky
problem to solve without the benefits of asbestos underwear!
On minimal settings still the lighting
effects, the shadows, are a sight to behold. Hanging out to
play on an even med-range spec machine. The visual experience
already goes beyond my expectations. Don't hold back, even if
you've only got an older machine.
Fighting bandits and soldiers with
a humble double barreled sawn off back towards the start is
not the way to go, ideally. Up close, its the bee's knees though.
The MP5 on the other hand is a bit more the story. For some
reason it has a 2 round burst. Mixed it up with the new UMP
models. Doesn't hit too hard being 9mm, but aiming is good and
one burst to the head will sometimes do the business. Was having
a good run and this is definitely one of my favourites. Just
don't bother using it against properly armoured soldiers. Against
bandits who have rough makeshift armour its adequate for its
intended purpose. More range than their sawn-offs, but they
use Hecklers as well.
Down a manhole cover into an underground
network for my first tunnel experience. Grenades are great (as
many of you will know) in confined spaces. The close quarters
encounters are very brief and very deadly though, so thinking
before stepping out is good. Yes, you have a head lamp, but
better to leave it off, and take advantage of your opponents'
use of them. Even better than muzzle flash to aim at. But again,
they don't like being shot so they dart around. Expect fleeting
targets. Grenades hurt you as well, funnily enough, and even
when they don't, the shaking effects of the concussion wave
is an experience to behold. Like getting drunk on the Vodka,
only... more of a vibration than the gentle art of a swaying
intoxication. I watched the guy's mate at the entrance for a
moment before going below. Cool as, he does the old cowboy pistol
twirl while he stands around looking menacing in his balaclava.
I had a feeling it would have been nice to take a couple of
these boys with me down the hole. Wasn't mistaken and it ended
up being quite a few pitched battles going on.
The 100 Rads Bar is a hangout where
you pick up missions from the barkeep there. And quite possibly
a few other boys who are drowning their sorrows in various ways
with, well, mostly GSC Game World Vodka. On the way in, don't
be surprised if you get mauled by rabid dogs.
Always have a fresh mag in the
gat and hope you can get to the sentry post. Drawn weapons are
shunned but won't get you killed unless you open up... in which
case you deserve what you get. The Swedish feathers are good
idea, placed in the ditch there because sometimes these does
decide they're gonna try it on en masse. The AI really shows
itself off here with the determination of the pack, yet, if
the numbers are low and you fire off a few shots, they bug out
quick smart. Sometimes it doesn't happen like that though and
they have a death wish. If your health is low its the last thing
you need, especially so close to a safe haven.
Arnie is your friendly Arena guy
who takes care of your kit if you decide to head there for a
few extra Rubles. Good way to get some cash if business has
been a bit rough. You can get to the trading stations and realise
you have stuff all worth to trade and precious few pennies so
its the place to go before you do some shopping. The first couple
of rounds are easy enough but it gets progressively harder here
where you go up against other blokes, to the death, for the
sole aforementioned purpose. Life is tough in The Zone.
Ended up hunting out both military
documents and a stash, the latter provided information about
Strelok, who is a dude you wanna kill from the outset. This
is all part of a major subplot. So you want to slot this joker,
find out who you are and what you're doing in The Zone, and
discover the mysteries of the place. You have a convenient dose
of amnesia after being found alive, amongst a heap of corpses
which came off a wrecked truck, one of many responsible for
collecting up the dead of The Zone. You take things like these
documents back to the barkeep or the dealer and get aptly rewarded
for your efforts while gaining little bits and pieces of the
puzzle along the way.
Also had to kill some military
jokers and rescue this guy by the name of Mole. Gets you on
the good side of one of the factions, if I remember correctly.
Same goes for freeing a guy by the name of Dutyer, after you
and his mate Bullet set a hasty ambush. Silly buggers shouldn't
have been wandering down a road like that. And succeeding in
that leads to another job on from this. This is one example
of how you can win allegiance with one of the factions. In this
case, Duty. Because S.T.A.L.K.E.R. allows you to choose how
you manage such things, you could just as easily make enemies
out of these guys at any stage by attacking them. Word soon
gets around. Making enemies doesn't really do you any favours,
but making friends of course will often make you enemies of
your allies' enemies. Life is hard, stay out of The Zone...
or buy a helmet.
All your missions or objectives
don't necessarily come from jobs allocated to you by NPCs in
the game. Sometimes, like for example in the lab X18, you need
to discover the code for a couple of electronically locked bulkhead
type doors. So you have an internal task which allows you to
move on within a particular subplot. All in all, I only discovered
one tricky bit where it took several times to load me into the
next part of a mission path, and only one error with regards
the dialogue of a joker I was yakking to. It ended up just looping
- that is, it allowed me to ask the same question time and time
again. No problem, you just bug out and move on.
Am up to rescuing this scientist
dude, an ecologist named Professor Kruglov, from these mercenary
jokers. Firefights galore. Tough fellows, armed with, by standard,
the LR300. It seems they can shoot straighter than the average
bandit, perhaps even better than the soldiers encountered thus
far.
Am hoping they haven't made the
LR300 the "super" rifle of the game. In some games,
for marketing purposes, the M16 is made out to be far better
than it really is. Personally I'm hanging out for the G36. But
an AK-74 with BG-15 and a PSO-1 scope will do me well until
then.
The LR300 is an alternative version
with improved features but in the end, it is still, more or
less, an M16. Have got to use it and it seems pretty good in-game.
But not overly so, so thinking its that, as I've moved through
the game, these guys are just more capable. They can shoot better
and also they're pretty tough. Body armour is good. It stops
you bleeding a lot even if it does slow you down. The scientists
were wearing bright orange noddy suits and carrying SA80s of
all things. Must have been Poms.
The things I mention aren't sequential
but should be be enough to present a good impression of the
scope and gameplay capacity for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. In any case,
the gameplay methodology means that a player can do missions
in different orders, ignore them, or have them time out on them
(if they have to be done in a limited time). Another beauty
of the game. I've done things in twelve odd hours which others
who have played for double or treble that time haven't done.
Others have played half the time and had encounters, done missions
I've yet to do.
Like I've said, you feel wet when
its raining. Shadows make you wonder if someone is sneaking
up behind you. Howling dogs need to be put out of their misery,
and the thunder and lightening effects are seriously atmospheric.
Bolts are good for detecting anomolies. Most of them don't kill
you but they can severely mess you up. But seeing animals get
ripped apart by meatgrinders is enough to press caution. I was
being chased by mutant pigs and lured them into one. Handy.
Even if you're not into gaming,
or this kind of gaming in particular, the First Person Shooter
(FPS), or Roleplaying Games (RPG) I'd thoroughly recommend having
a look just on this basis alone. It makes you wonder if the
developers are holding back on technology, which might make
it just too realistic. If anyone wants serious time away from
the real world (and doesn't mind getting freaked out) then this
is one surefire route to take. Its worth buying a PC just to
play.
Freed up two maps from the MP Beta,
the Pool and another one... Dark Valley? by entering a code.
And also four skins; German, US, Brits, and French. Nice to
have different fashion options. Still, Kiwi DPM would be nice.
Have to get into this modding business. Do up an Aussie jellybean
pattern as well perhaps. The original four options are not much
different from each other, and surprisingly no military ones
either. Need some Spetsnaz or Interior Ministry, or even just
CA type uniforms.
Or though I was keen to get into
the modding scene with Ghost Recon and even earlier,
Rogue Spear, nothing eventuated. Takes a lot of time
to learn the processes, but sure is another substantial creative
outlet. But this time around, after looking at some of those
files and remembering some of the tutorials I've read in the
past, definitely want to make a go of it. Hardware (military),
graphics, and a love of gaming all gel together to inspire a
major project for the gaming community. Might even be able to
direct it in line with my studies. Now there's an idea...
Sure S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is an action
game, but its also a thinking game, it deals with economics,
and it can remind you just how terrifying the real world can
be. Stalkers exist and their job is a very horrific one. Many
have died in the monitoring of the Chernobyl reactor. The consequences
of the world's most devastating nuclear accident to date will
be with us for time infinitum. If this PC game was only to remind
us, to make the people aware of such things, it has well and
truly done its job. This is one of the many reasons I believe
it is worth far more than the $89.95 I paid for it.
Screen Dumps
some of my adventures...
Top ^
20 April 2007
Concept Art
"You need money so you
don’t have to think about money."
Redrick Schuhart
Roadside Picnic
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
It has taken a very long time for
the PC game fraternity to produce something surpassing Alien
vs. Predator 2 in the atmospheric stakes.
If you want to realise a dream...
it takes a heck of a lot of this sort of thing...
Concept Art 13
Images from the Bonus DVD
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. SE
15 April 2007
First Impressions
There are other things that are
probably more productive, other things more conducive to my
well-being, that I could be doing right now, but after more
than four years of following this game (as the relevant pages
of this site will attest) a good mate was able to get a system
together of various parts to enable the playing, be it a bit
rough round the edges, of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl.
My comments are in no way bias
towards this period of time spend waiting. I'm a veteran gamer
of both the computer and the conventional codes and regardless
of this rocky initial road after a few hours yesterday on the
2215 Build MP Beta on two machines, after about an hour of pulling
out boards here, freeing up page-file space there... it was
time to see if the game would run. Sure enough, after a few
tense moments and quite a session of throwing files in the trash,
we had the splash of this long awaited title on screen before
us.
I would have to say that most of
the complaints coming out about this quite evolutionary title
(not quite revolutionary but certainly a push in the right direction)
tend to either based around technological issues or ones of
personal expectation based on the style of game and resultant
game-play.
If you think one only needs to
hit someone once or twice in the chest with a pistol to drop
someone then real world reflecting ballistics of your average
9mm pistol is not your thing. You are expecting a different
kind of game. This is the same for even a high velocity rifle,
particularly something in 5.56mm NATO. Ask most who have used
these weapons in real combat, and your multiple hit requirements,
and difficulty to hit targets, particularly without aiming,
its a very tricky business indeed. Also, people, and animals,
tend not to want to be hit so moving a lot is good, making the
job of the shooter even harder. This, I think, on first inspection,
is well shown in the game. No problems. At some stage it would
be nice to have a specific map for testing the ballistics, a
range butts if you will. Moving targets, various types of cover
and dummies to see how well things are modeled, but yeah, all
sweet as so far.
Asides from one area where there
was a indoor firefight, pretty intense, things didn't get too
chunky. It was reasonable enough to play, even on a card which
wasn't a specified card to run S.T.A.L.K.E.R. according to my
mate. Well, the above remarks on ballistics suggest that it
was hard work, and it was. A thinking player's game, and quality
AI. I only saw one actual glitch in regards this when a guy
went round in circles close by for a short moment or two. One
guy kept firing away to his front, through cover (as opposed
over it, a good thing) at an ally of The Marked One, while he
came around the back. He whacked the guy a few times and he
was taken down. Now, some would complain... why didn't he swing
around as he was being flanked? Well, he is focused on his target,
there is a great deal going on, and noisy gunfire and so on.
People get flanked like this all
the time in real life so to me it was quite plausible. In the
course of several initial hours of both playing and watching
I've seen flanking, rushing a position, withdrawal, people and
animals being cornered and only fighting their way out because
they had to. This is all stuff I've not experienced before.
Half Life 2 didn't offer it, even though such AI was championed
before its release. A real ecosystem, mutant dogs grabbing bodies
for food, others scampering away under fear of being shot, others
coming in and trying to rip you to bits. Bandits attacking,
or bandits just getting on with their own business. The promises
have been met.
There were some clipping issues
of weapons in third person, barrels going off at 90 degrees,
that sort of thing. Loss of some weapons' skins in first person,
so you couldn't use their iron sights, making it very hard to
hit a target, having to fire from the hip using the crosshair.
Same as in 2215, but with scoped weapons the reticle was there
for aimed fire. This was all because of a below spec video card.
Soon to be remedied.
The reasonable times it took to
load levels, due to machine specs, was not a downer for a totally
enthralling gaming experience. Grass blows in the wind, thunder
cracks across the sky. Rain patters endlessly on open ceiling
rooftops of countless ruined buildings - you feel like you're
really getting soaked. It gets darker as night approaches and
soldiers don head mounted torches.
Wooden boxes (and on the rare occasion
goodies can be found) are destructible, glass breaks realistically,
peoples' bodies can be searched, by yourself and by other inhabitants,
and they can even be dragged away, to be used as ploys or hidden
to conceal your covert approach to other would-be belligerent
types. Even friendlies get twitchy if you're waving a weapon
around while trying to have a conversation or trade items. Be
nice and people will at least leave you alone. If you help them
out money or later assistance could be the reward. Be nasty,
pick a fight, and just remember one thing... you bleed, and
bleeding is not good.
So the RPG elements are quite restricted
when compared to a purely RPG game but this is an unfair expectation
when it was not intended to be major part, only a vehicle to
help drive a fuller gaming experience which I think it does
nicely. Conversations with NPCs are limited but you can't expect
universal possibilities here. It drives the various narratives
forward and does it well enough. Like pure FPS, shoot 'em up,
if you want pure classic RPG then this isn't where its at. It
also makes a good use of inventory for managing your weapons,
ammo, equipment, medical supplies, artefacts and various other
bits and pieces. Role-playing elements are kept simple and they
work.
The Zone is not a nice place to
be and the developers have worked very hard to make sure you
know it right from the get go, even before you start getting
shot at by anyone.
People have complained about the
dialogue boxes, about the Russian in the background. Its based
in Ukraine. What was expected. The development team come from
another part of the majority audiences' world. If you want to
play Quake 4 Arena or whatever number they're up to, go do it.
If you want 100% health, super mini-guns and what have you,
that's your call. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a different sort of game
and always was meant to be. I've found the RPG elements of narrative
to be most enjoyable, and it quite a challenge to sort of Radiation,
much less bandaging up fast during a firefight. Its a challenge
and reminds you how lethal combat is, especially when you're
on your own and got limited resources. Its really something
that needs to be done with several mates. Double barrel sawn
off shotguns against men with submachine guns, or Heaven forbid,
assault rifles, is not a fun day out. Sure, the action can be
frustrating, but its how it is meant to be. About thinking,
particularly in the action.
At one stage our character just
kept on dying, from radiation poisoning, despite getting the
anti-rad doses and yes... Vodka. It was a artefact we were carrying
on our belt (where they must be carried to have an effect, in
this case a lethal one). So it was good to work that out and
drop it into the pack. Hopefully wrapped in a lead cloth! All
to sell to The Dealer or some fellow stalker later on in the
piece.
There have been several scraps
with bandit groups, both solo and allied to stalker clans. We've
bribed bored soldiers at the cordon, done little jobs for a
few personalities on the border of The Zone and taken out countless
very ill, skinny looking dogs. Getting to grips with the PDA
which hasn't really been a problem at all (another typical complaint
of critics) and learning the ways of trading has all made for
a fun, entertaining and exciting first few hours in the world
of this great new virtual world S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in so many ways
of course, very much like our own.
Congraduations to GSC Game World
after such a very long journey of your own. Watch for patches
as the bugs are ironed out. My first experience was full of
them yet the extremely immersive world that has been created
is just beyond anything I've struck before, far in excess of
what was required to be hooked. The day / night cycle, the AI
of computer opponents, the behaviour of animals, the presence
of alien anomalies and the extensive narrative all come together
for one really breathtaking virtual ride in a world of post-apocalptic
survival. All in all, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has turned out to be everything
I have expected it to be. Soon I'll be able to play it on an
up to spec machine, and be getting far deeper into The Zone
as time permits. Will be sure and let you know how the journey
progresses.
Top ^
06 April 2007
Jacking Systems, 2215
Build, Guidebook... and availability.
Got a call from my mate today to
say he's tailored up two systems now which can run the old 2215
Build of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. MP. There is just a little more work
to do on his main system so we can run the game. Sorting out
power supplies, hard drives that won't crash and pulling video
cards from one machine to install into another all takes time.
A bit of a jumble eh.
Called into EB Games last
night to see about the guidebook for the game, the guy there
said if you can run it you'll love it. Simply put it reflects
the overwhelmingly positive feedback the game has got since
its few days of release. Also, he was wearing a Stalker tie...
nope, very limited edition for the distributors... I almost
cried I couldn't get one... and anyone who knows me knows I
don't wear ties! The Official Game Guide is advertised in the
back of the manual for the game. Put out by Prima Games these
jokers put out the HALO 2 guide I brought a couple of
years back. Apparently, due to changes in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. over
the last year or so before release they may well be working
the changes in, thus the lack of availability.
http://www.primagames.com
Top ^
02 April 2007
Positive Views, Atmosphere,
Replay Potential... and the first patch.
This weekend past I've been unable
to crank up the game despite having got my mitts on it. A mate
and I have our plans set out in what is necessary to get a machine
up to spec, and eventually two, for MP. With a few new videos
and several fresh initial reviews we're more determined than
ever to get into the Zone but you can't have everything instantly.
Been hanging out for five years so I'm supposing another week,
maybe two, isn't such a bother.
Here is just small sample to give
an impression of what people are saying:
