Things you need to know for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Snowalker

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All right then, as the OP says, just the basic things you need to know for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

I was also hoping someone could catch me up on the story, cause I will be getting Call of Pripyat. I'm getting it for free.

I've always been interested, never bothered to actually get it, so, I'm kinda excited to finally get to try, but I wanna know some basics, and what I've missed in the story thus far.


For more discussion value, which is the best S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game thus far.
 

Hazy

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Play SoC before Pripyat. Avoid Clear Sky like the plague. Modding is preferable, but not essential.

And SoC is my favorite of the series.
 

Engarde

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I bought Call of Pripyat and the original one on steam, and it doesn't have a tutorial, so I feel a bit lost. It would be nice to have some tips, too. So far, all I've got it bullets hurt and clicky sounds = radiation = bad.
 

Omikron009

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I've only played Call of Pripyat, and I loved it. Now for some random tips:

1. Antirad drugs are useless because vodka exists. Sell them for a tidy profit.

2. The only food you need to keep is bread, especially later on when you can use medkits for healing whenever you want.

3. Don't sell artifacts that reduce radiation unless you find better ones. You can't use other artifacts unless you have one that reduces radiation, because every other type of artifact increases it. My preferred end game artifact loadout was 2 of the high level antirad artifacts (bubble), 1 high level weight reducing artifact (goldfish), and one that increased health regeneration (firefly).

4. If you find a g36 assault rifle (or one that looks like it, it has a fake name), keep it. There's only one in the game, and if you upgrade it it's the best assault rifle. More accurate than a sniper rifle.
 

Zaik

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Prepare to be bored.

The only reason I don't regret buying it is because it was just $5 or $10 for the two ones people don't say to avoid like the plague.
 

theklng

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stay away from anything called "lab" or "underground" unless you are mentally prepared.
 

HT_Black

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When it gets dark, stay inside. They will find you, they will kill you.

Of course, they won't be able to see you, either...so stay on your toes.
 

Tomany2

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Well, there are a few choices you need to make, first off is...

Also, ive only played Chernobyl although i own Pripyat

Also note, everything i type is from my knowledge of Chernobyl.

1. TO MOD OR NOT TO MOD!
I own Pripyat and Chernobyl and personally, i enjoy them alot more without any mods at all.
But some people will tell you that modding it makes it better. this is totally your choice, try it both ways see what you like.

2. GUNS GUNS GUNS!
Gunplay in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series is much different than any other games. Without mods (see 1.) the mechanics make guns inaccurate. I actually enjoy the inaccuracies, due to it being a post apocalyptic game series, which seems to make it more realistic because everything is pretty close to ruined. So either play the way it is made, or mod the guns.

3. Hoarding.
In this game, survival is key, and although being overburdened doesn't completely stop movement, it severely decreases sprint time and movement time, causing for more pauses to gain stamina. Due to this, you must figure out what is important to you. Medkits? Bandages? Guns? Ammo? Artifacts? They all plat key roles.

4. Food
Find some... Period.

5. Immersion.
Don't try too hard to beat the game, it is more enjoyable to become immersed in the world. you will become scared more easily, and also find more valuable items.

6. Difficulty
Always Remember... THIS GAME IS UNFORGIVING! it is seriously hard on normal difficulty.

Extra Notes containing spoilers

Healing
Bandages will stop bleeds better than medkits

Weapons
scopes = major accuracy boost. But also degrade the visibility and quick aiming.

Shooting
Fully automatic and burst really make no difference in spread, but the gun does like to lift.

Always remember, it will take patience to learn all the secrets.
 

Snowalker

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theklng said:
stay away from anything called "lab" or "underground" unless you are mentally prepared.
HT_Black said:
When it gets dark, stay inside. They will find you, they will kill you.

Of course, they won't be able to see you, either...so stay on your toes.
You two... are scaring me... This game is starting to sound gooood.
 

Tomany2

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theklng said:
stay away from anything called "lab" or "underground" unless you are mentally prepared.
haha yes... agreed!

Although... Nah... Enjoy hehehehehee -evil grin-
 

Lawlhat

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Remember your quicksave key.

It will be your only friend on this adventure.
 

HT_Black

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Snowalker said:
theklng said:
stay away from anything called "lab" or "underground" unless you are mentally prepared.
HT_Black said:
When it gets dark, stay inside. They will find you, they will kill you.

Of course, they won't be able to see you, either...so stay on your toes.
You two... are scaring me... This game is starting to sound gooood.
It's like Amnesia, only you can't hide and the world actively hates you.
 

Dyp100

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Remeber always to have a shotgun on you.

Seriously, when something invisible is behind you ready to suck your blood out of your neck, you seriously need a spread to own those Bloodsuckers tentacle vampires.

And no, you can't see them, only their eyes stand out until they pounce.

All I can say...CoP is best gameplay, SoC is best atmosphere.

Not played a lot of either but when you get into it, it's AWESOME.
 

BourneGamer

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Pay extremely close attention to any notes that are in your PDA, especially when they mention hiding spots for both loot and yourself. Finding and looting caches are often your best option to stay supplied, other than raiding other s.t.a.l.k.e.r.s or the army. Also the VSS can be a very useful weapon as it's a fully automatic sniper rifle with an integrated silencer.
 

Sn1P3r M98

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theklng said:
stay away from anything called "lab" or "underground" unless you are mentally prepared.
This, a million times this. Not just mentally prepared either, make sure you're physically prepared. Before entering any kind of lab you'll want at least 10 medkits, 15 bandages, 150 rounds of ammo for your primary, plus 36 for your secondary, if you can hold that much with all your other junk. Also, make sure your weapons are at at least 80% and your armor is at at least 50%.
 

Ekfud

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May 11, 2008
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SoC is awesome - graphically it was dated the day it came out, but have very very rarely found something so atmospheric. From the opening sequence near the bridge in cordon, you know the entire environment is trying to kill you. Soldiers, mutants, dogs, radiation, anomalies, hunger. You will find periods of Doom like blackness, constant struggle to find enough ammunition and gear. Guns will jam or become useless.. usually at bad times.

There are brown-undies parts. Couple of sections I went back to camp to wait for daylight rather than try and take on at night.

The whole thing works together though - whole time feeling compelled to go deeper into the world and find out what is at the heart of the zone. The way the mission flows together reminded me a little of the river in Apocalypse Now - it gets stranger as you get closer to an answer.

For the tips... unless you really, really need the $5, ditch any spare pistols or duplicates of weapons you find. The weight isn't worth the hassle for most. Ammo & meds, plus your armour & favourite weapon or 2 should be it when running around.

Also, take a look at the main weapon type enemies carry in each area, then stash your other stuff somewhere safe near the checkpoints. No point carrying 1,000 AK rounds if you will be fighting guys who can be looted for 5.56mm.

Stockpile the rarer, heavy stuff for the endgame, then ferry it in a few batches up near Pripyat; once you hit the power plant and can't turn back you will want all the grenade launcher and heavy ammo you can carry, plus probably a spare suit of armour.
 

CosmicZombie

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Snowalker said:
I was also hoping someone could catch me up on the story, cause I will be getting Call of Pripyat. I'm getting it for free.
Clicking this will spoil the first first two games for you.
Story

In 1986 the Chernobyl disaster occurs and devastates the Ukrainian countryside.
During the beginning of the 21st century (2006 onwards) "Anomalies" start to occur inside the Zone of Alienation, a 30-kilometre area currently irradiated around the Chernobyl NPP. These Anomalies defy all known laws of physics and biology and can in rare circumstances produce "Artifacts". Anomalies are also able to can kill men in a second. Artifacts are remarkable items that can buff or de-buff you accordingly. There is also talk of a magical object inside the centre of the Zone that can grant wishes to anyone who reaches it, it is aptly named "The Wish Granter". The Zone was then cordoned off to all private citizens to avoid having foolish treasure hunters die at the hands of newly sighted mutated creatures.

With the Zone now a place with valuables inside of it many organizations rushed into the Zone.
These people included:

Scientists: Government payed scientists sent to collect artifacts and research the zone.
Duty: A para-military organization with an unknown benifactor, they are hell-bent on
destroying the zone.
Freedom: Essentially heavily armed hippies who want the zone to stay alive.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.S: Citizens who want to find artifacts for their own personal gain.
Military: Military Police sent into the zone to arrest/exterminate illegal trespassers.
Bandits: Common thieves who wanted a change in scenery.
Clear Sky: A group of scientists who can't shoot a gun straight.
Monolith: A group of weird zombie-like soilders that will shoot on site, they have been
spotted occasionally inside the zone.

In SoC the main character you play as is called "The Marked One" because of the markings on his arm and because he has got a bad case of plot amnesia.

The story in a nut shell is this:
-You find a PDA on you that says "Kill Strelok"
-You find out Strelok is you
-You destroy a large psy-emitter called the "Brain Scorcher" (The Brain Scorcher made anyone
who went close to the Chernobyl NPP go insane)
-After you turn it off you rush to the centre of the zone
-After you enter, you find a weird machine called the C-Consciousness that talks to you.

NOTE: Essentially; the C-consciousness was created by soviet scientists in the late 20th century to try and stop war and sadness by affecting the Noosphere. They choose to build it inside the blasted out Chernobyl NPP because no-one would go searching for secret government experiments in an irradiated zone. The experiment failed and created the Zone. The scientists did not die in the initial blast and choose to turn on the Brain Scorcher which did not actually make people crazy but brain washed them into becoming members of Monolith which the C-Conscience controlled and used as pawns in protecting the NPP for outsiders. The rest of the scientists either abandoned the project (and formed clear sky) or "merged" with the C-Consciousness.

-You can either choose to join the C-consciousness (ends game) or you can kill the machine and escape the Plant (true ending)

There is also a fake ending where you find the Wish Granter and it makes your wish come true but it is only in your mind.

OK, that is a run-down of SoC. As for Clear Sky; The Zone is getting mad that people are now entering the Chernobyl NPP and starts sending out Emissions. The emissions are large waves of psy-energy that instantly kills anyone unless you are sheltered in a building. You lead Clear Sky (the faction) into the centre and try and re-kill the zone.

This brief rundown is missing a few points so go to a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Wiki if you want to waste a few hours researching this stuff.
 

theklng

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HT_Black said:
Snowalker said:
theklng said:
stay away from anything called "lab" or "underground" unless you are mentally prepared.
HT_Black said:
When it gets dark, stay inside. They will find you, they will kill you.

Of course, they won't be able to see you, either...so stay on your toes.
You two... are scaring me... This game is starting to sound gooood.
It's like Amnesia, only you can't hide and the world actively hates you.
hahaha, an actively hating world. best thing i've heard all day