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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl ⚠️|☢︎T|⚠️ Don't Be a Menace to Bloodsucker While Trying to Catch an Olive in The Zone
- Thread starter Agent_4Seven
- Start date
- |OT|
FoxMcChief
Gold Member
There are three games before this one. I’m still surprised they went with a “2” on this one. Not a bad thing. Just that every other game just had a subtitle.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
RPS37
Member
Maybe like half life episodes?
Mister Wolf
Member
Fess
Member
Another Unreal Engine 5 game and awful performance as usual. Can go from way over 100fps down to like 40 on a 4090, that’s with everything on Epic, probably need to lower something. But UE5 is either incredibly difficult to work with or simply the worst game engine ever. Besides Hellblade 2 I’ve not seen the upside why it’s worth hyping, and there it’s likely the detailed textures and linear game world rather than the engine that makes it look good.
Oh well, UE5 rant aside, this is my first Stalker game and I’m a bit after the prologue. There is some jank but this is cool. I like the atmosphere, the challenge, the inventory, how it’s almost like a RPG with the inventory and quests and dialogue. What’s even the genre here? Horror Survival Shooter Adventure?
Very very cool so far
Oh well, UE5 rant aside, this is my first Stalker game and I’m a bit after the prologue. There is some jank but this is cool. I like the atmosphere, the challenge, the inventory, how it’s almost like a RPG with the inventory and quests and dialogue. What’s even the genre here? Horror Survival Shooter Adventure?
Very very cool so far
LaughingStock
Member
Performance could be better. But this is stalker through and through.
tylrdiablos
Member
I'm trying it out with my remaining Game Pass days... had to switch the audio language to Ukrainian (?) because the English voices were fucking awful.
please?
Heaven Angel
Member
This is my first Stalker game.
My first impressions
- The game's tough, it's like first person souls shooter game. Anything can kill you, even a random enemy.
- You have to do a lot of inventory management, don't do it and you'll be out of supplies fast.
- Performance is good on Xbox SX, I'm playing on fidelity mode and it's holding 30fps with good visuals.
- Graphics are fascinating, the lighting, reflections, animations, cutscenes and lipsync are good. Feels like devs have done as much as they possibly could.
- No bugs till now.
- You really feel like you're post apocalyptic radiation world, like fallout las vegas but more realistic.
- Enemy AI is decent, I saw dogs and humans do flank you from behind if you aren't paying attention to them or buzy. (and they don't make any noise)
- Dogs are annoying as f**kkkk..
- When you're in range of a blast you get this small concussion which disorients you for few seconds. It's quite realistic, the devs must know how it feels, literally.
My first impressions
- The game's tough, it's like first person souls shooter game. Anything can kill you, even a random enemy.
- You have to do a lot of inventory management, don't do it and you'll be out of supplies fast.
- Performance is good on Xbox SX, I'm playing on fidelity mode and it's holding 30fps with good visuals.
- Graphics are fascinating, the lighting, reflections, animations, cutscenes and lipsync are good. Feels like devs have done as much as they possibly could.
- No bugs till now.
- You really feel like you're post apocalyptic radiation world, like fallout las vegas but more realistic.
- Enemy AI is decent, I saw dogs and humans do flank you from behind if you aren't paying attention to them or buzy. (and they don't make any noise)
- Dogs are annoying as f**kkkk..
- When you're in range of a blast you get this small concussion which disorients you for few seconds. It's quite realistic, the devs must know how it feels, literally.
Revolutionary
Member
Behold, bread armor:
Senua
Gold Member
Robochobo
Member
7 hours in and it's an absolute blast. Died like 14 times already. Bloodsuckers can eat my whole left ass cheek and fleshes can eat my right one those cunts. I'm still exploring the starting lower zone and the map is massive; wondering what final playtimes with fully exploring everything will end up being. Takes the best of both Metro and Stalker and mixes them together. Still hoping to find an artifact that heals rads so I can finally use one of the other 6 I've acquired. Really solid game so far.
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alife
Member
Few gameplay impressions from someone who's played the original trilogy and Anomaly (EFP > GAMMA):
- If you sprint in the middle of a reload, the animation will stop instead of your character just slowing down and continuing to reload. No sprint reloads is fine but yeah... that's stupid. Works fine now.
Edit: Bandits are still dipshits. Kill 'em all. Thanks.
- Coupon system to upgrade weapons is bizarre. It doesn't make sense and only serves to incentivize you to participate in more side missions instead of just killing and looting. I like side missions, however, a material collecting and salvaging system would've been nice. Cherry on top would be a crafting system for meds and supplies (No, I'm not expecting a vanilla Fallout 4 experience). Thought coupons were a separate thing and the main currency was rubles.
- Repairing weapons is expensive as shit. It's not worth repairing anything with under 50% durability (At least for rifles) unless you find a really good weapon. Shotguns are much cheaper than rifles though.
- Gunplay doesn't feel tactical or as "punchy" as Tarkov, but it's not bad.
- Bullet spongy enemies are real. I watched an enemy NPC step on my grenade and after being lifted off his feet, the fool just brushed himself off and proceeded to try and kill me.
- A-Life 2.0 system doesn't seem to exist. Most of my encounters with enemies, humanoids or otherwise, are scripted. Enemies and friendly NPCs will pop out of thin air often (E.g., I cleared a point of interest and was attacked by a Blood Sucker. I turned around and a group of friendly stalkers appeared to assist. Twenty seconds pass and another Blood Sucker spawns. After I kill it, another small group of friendly stalkers appear from nowhere and the previous group had already vanished. I couldn't even find them down the road. Poof, gone). Mutant AI is also heavily scripted with the way they behave. For example, after completing a side mission and climbing a water tower, two Flesh mutants spawned on the ground below me immediately as I reached the top of the tower. When I zoomed in to aim at one of them, they both ran behind obstacles to retreat from my line of sight. This happens with every mutant other than Blood Suckers. Even if your character stepped up a log and is only a foot off the ground, mutants (Rabid dogs, Flesh pigs and Tushkano rodents thus far) will move to any place that is out of your line of sight. Poltergeists will also behave the same way and are now extra annoying to deal with than in previous games or Anomaly. I'm curious how cancerous Snorks will be in this game. Bloodsuckers are actually annoying and they spawn too often.
- Vaulting mechanic for rooftops or nearly out-of-reach ledges would've been nice.
- Melee is useless outside of breaking locks or barriers and containers. Skif is the most out-of-shape Vodka sipping mofo I've ever seen. A few knife swings and he's panting his ass off like he just ran a marathon. Melee range for the knife is also questionable and makes me wonder if the hitbox is janky.
- Throw animation and resting state reset time need to be sped up. Throwing a bolt through a field with multiple anomalies means that I need to toss them bolts faster than any man can jerk it.
- The sound of crows will still make you alert and that's good. I've yet to experience an emission though (~8.5 hours in). Crows don't seem to make additional sounds when an emission is imminent.
- PDA pull-up animation is slow. Exiting the PDA is also slow.
- Stash locations are still cool. Looking forward to seeing more.
- Having to skip a conversation just to walk away from an NPC is annoying.
- No prone position.
Overall, good enough game other than "A-Life 2.0" being a big disappointment considering how good the original AI system is in the previous games and Anomaly. Performance could be better but nothing game breaking so far (PC). Looking forward to what the modding community will do in the future.Edit: Bandits are still dipshits. Kill 'em all. Thanks.
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Gonzito
Gold Member
I am glad the many users are complaining about the controller issues because it's so blatantly obvious from the first second you move the character that it's ridiculous they thought it was okay to ship the game like this
PicoLordens
Member
Runs like a charm on my rig. (4090, Ryzen 7950x3d, 32 gigs Ram.
120-150 fps. 1440p(native res of my monitor) with DLAA and frame-gen, everything maxxed out, as I consider full 4k even with dlss quality a waste of resources. That way u always have enough headroom and u don't really see the difference at 27 inch imo.
120-150 fps. 1440p(native res of my monitor) with DLAA and frame-gen, everything maxxed out, as I consider full 4k even with dlss quality a waste of resources. That way u always have enough headroom and u don't really see the difference at 27 inch imo.
GymWolf
Member
Looks like an anomaly, throw some bolts at it.Turning off motion blur completely while testing settings gave me this beauty
DavidGzz
Member
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GymWolf
Member
GymWolf
Member
How many of those deaths were against the fucking scripted encounter against the invisible cunt at the beginning?
I died like 12 times trying to beat him without using medkits just to discover later that medkit are pretty common to find
The game is way less resource scarce than i thought, tlou2 on grounded make you dance the samba when you find 2 bullets
Wolves hunt in packs
Member
How many of those deaths were against the fucking scripted encounter against the invisible cunt at the beginning?
I died like 12 times trying to beat him without using medkits just to discover later that medkit are pretty common to find
The game is way less resource scarce than i thought, tlou2 on grounded make you dance the samba when you find 2 bullets
Yeah ammo, at least on the prologue doesn't seems scarce.
Died to the Bloodsucker like 3-4 times on normal difficulty, not so bad
Connxtion
Member
Thank god, av got an elite 2 and it seems to have a right drift on the r-stick if you breath on it
why they set the dead zone to 0 a don’t know but a fix is needed.Been running about and I brush the stick or after turning, it just starts looking the the right randomly
This is the only game that’s done this.
Loving this game. Cacked ma panties here
Time stamp 35 secs
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Little Chicken
Gold Member
30fps or 60fps VRR for Series X?
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Connxtion
Member
Quality mode all the way, it’s smooth and doesn’t feel like 30FPS.
Performance mode to much of the effects and lighting are turned down. (If you play it and don’t change it to quality you won’t really know what you’re missing)
Connxtion
Member
A can’t say for sure, but av died a few times and reloaded and everyone been where they were before I died.
Only thing I can say might have been what you describe or pathing for NPCs are random. Is I was on a tower and there was a shoot out between stalkers and bandit folks. After I went down and was mooching about and another group appears and took me out
, reloaded back in my tower and was waiting for them to appear. They didn’t, so went down but this time they were further west from where I was. Killed them this time. (Not far but it’s like they didn’t walk down my way this time)Monsters I have died from, reloaded and they are there again in the same place. But this might be scripted (well it all is technically) next time a play will reload and check.
One thing I will say is mutants and bandits won’t enter specific areas. Not sure if this is by design or just where I was.
I had one of the mutants that vanish kill a load of guys & it came after me when done. But I was at the poppy field, and if I walked a foot in one direct it wouldn’t know what to do and run about until I stepped a foot forward.
Also had this with other mutants (pig thing) where if am off the ground where they can’t get to me they just walk away like am no there. Until a come down. (Someone else said you can stand on a log and they don’t find you, av not experienced that, a was on the top of a car and on a small cart with barrels in it)
So far av lured people into gun fights and mutants. So it’s pretty dynamic in my eyes.
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GudOlRub
Member
Well, seems like A-life is either a lie they pushed to get those pre-order sales or completely and utterly broken... feelsbadman.
The system has been literally reverse engineered and re-implemented in mods for more than a decade, its code is out there in the wild so it's very hard to understand how the AI in this game can be so dumbed down...
Either the devs are lazy and incompetent fools which I don't want to believe, or once again UE5 is causing issues somehow.
I curse that goddamn engine and its plague upon modern gaming...
Despite the bugs and broken performance, this was the one thing they had to get right in this game's launch, the ONE thing... for fucks sake...
The system has been literally reverse engineered and re-implemented in mods for more than a decade, its code is out there in the wild so it's very hard to understand how the AI in this game can be so dumbed down...
Either the devs are lazy and incompetent fools which I don't want to believe, or once again UE5 is causing issues somehow.
I curse that goddamn engine and its plague upon modern gaming...
Despite the bugs and broken performance, this was the one thing they had to get right in this game's launch, the ONE thing... for fucks sake...
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Branded
Member
I can see your meaning but we all know that the actual 'First Person Souls Shooter" is Witchfire.
Ok carry on.
GymWolf
Member
Pick the thing, and just run back in the laboratory behind you so he can only come from the entrance and you can shoot him with ease.
GymWolf
Member
If what i'm hearing about a-life 2 is true, i'm just gonna stop playing until they fix it, it was the biggest (only?) reason why i even bought the game.
SJRB
Gold Member
Seems that way, yeah. I've had several instances where dogs/enemies/friendly stalkers just casually spawn 10 feet away out of the field of view.
You're just minding your business and suddenly you get attacked from the side by 6 dogs which are immediately all over you before you even realize what the hell is happening.
The world doesn't really feels "lived in" at all.
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ZehDon
Member
Played to the first town. Figured I'd impression dump for anyone who cares to read. Played on PC Game Pass, Intel i9 10900k, RTX3090, 64GB DDR5, nVME install. All settings Epic, DLSS on quality. I've played the OG STALKER: SoC and STALKER: CoP, but never played Clear Sky. Loved them, both in spite of and because of their slav-jank charm.
Overall, initial impressions are strong. This is the STALKER sequel I've been dreaming of, and it continues the legacy of STALKER in every way - warts and all. They actually did it.
I've enjoyed a lot of Eastern European paper backs and AA video games, and STALKER 2 definitely lands in that sub-genre of pulpy writing. If you've played the first Metro game, or the prior STALKER games, then STALKER feels like going home. It lacks the polish and finesse of AAA western games, but honestly, that's part of what this stuff so memorable. If you're looking for TLOU2's over-produced cut scenes, or Metal Gear Solid's wanna-be-Spielberg presentation, you'll be disappointed. This stuff is different. The narrative is paper thin, with the player's motivations basically to earn enough money to buy a house because theirs was burned down by a rogue anomaly. That;s the setup. This "narrative" is conveyed more through the text notes and quest objective text than elaborate cut scenes and over-polished dialogue, which feels right on point for it's sub-genre. Despite what the trailers have shown - lots of cut scenes and scripted moments - this is a STALKER game through and through. One of my favourite novels ever is Roadside Picnic, and STALKER 2 captures that particular air effortlessly. The dialog is one-step-removed translated Eastern European. If you know what I mean, then you'll know if you're going to like the way this game tells its stories. This isn't Hollywood, and it's all the more endearing because of it in my opinion. In an industry desperately wanting to be anything but a video game, STALKER 2 isn't interested in being anything other than itself.
One of the most captivating elements from the prior STALKER games has been their atmosphere. The graphics, textures, music, sound, and bleak nihilistic terrain that stretches on and on. Here, STALKER 2 delivers in spades. The grit is all here. The rust, the rotten wood, the plants, the dry leaves. It doesn't feel like those UE5 fan made videos on YouTube that all look the same generic "realistic graphics". There's solid art direction here to present the terrain, foliage, and architecture of the Zone in a unique way that feels "STALKER". STALKER 2 uses UE5 to capture the open naturalistic lighting extremely well, so much so that I'm finding I prefer walking around with the flashlight off as often as I can so that I enjoy the detail. If you ever played STALKER, and wondered what it might look, sound, and feel like in 2024, look no further because, almost like a good remaster, STALKER 2 presents the zone the way you remember it feeling. It's unique, and I'm looking forward to digging in and exploring all the strange and wonderful things hidden in the game. If you play along, buy into its world, and let yourself be immersed, STALKER 2 is a fantasy few games ever come close to matching.
Much like the OG STALKER, this is all functional stuff. This isn't your typical "design my committee", "round-all-the-edges", "focus test the soul out of it" AAA western design. This is designed straight from the gut, and it feels like it. Everything feels fine, serviceable even, but never smooth, or easy. Things take time and effort. It can definitely feel a bit antiquated, especially compared to buttery smooth games like Black Ops 6, but for me, this all adds to the experience. Sorting inventory after a firefight takes time, adding to the immersion of rifling through everyone's pockets once the gun fire stops. Dust ups feel chaotic, messy, as much from the bullets as the stilted movement and imprecise aim iron sights, which grounds you in the encounters. You there, fighting for every inch, working to survive. It gives everything weight; you're out there, exposed, against the world. And it makes you feel that way, as much from the incredible atmosphere as the 2007-feeling controls.
Most modern games try and make everything effortless. Context sensitive buttons, ultra-light controls, mirror-smooth everything. By contrast, STALKER 2 is rough by design. That's going to rub some people raw, especially if they're used to the ultra-polish of AAA western games. But as I said, it's designed from the gut, and frankly, I kinda love it.
Most modern games try and make everything effortless. Context sensitive buttons, ultra-light controls, mirror-smooth everything. By contrast, STALKER 2 is rough by design. That's going to rub some people raw, especially if they're used to the ultra-polish of AAA western games. But as I said, it's designed from the gut, and frankly, I kinda love it.
In short: she's coming in hot. Performance is all over the place, but never "great". Visuals are largely solid, but the player's flashlight isn't a dynamic light source - it doesn't cast any shadows. Turn it on, and the everything has the depth sucked right out of it leaving the game feeling like a literal Xbox 360 game. In town, I'm dropping as low as 30FPS. Out in the world, there's stutters (these ini file changes will help smooth that out), FPS drops, hitches. It's never smooth - not even close. This is clearly a AA team swinging for the fences, throwing everything they've got into the AAA space using the biggest, meanest engine in the world. Slav-jank has a history of being oddly technically incredible - often being ahead of its time, or just down right over-ambitious. STALKER 2 continues that legacy. Will it ever get fixed? Some of it, but not expect miracles here. STALKER was fixed by the passage of time, when eventually we just had PCs that were strong enough that it's technical issues just didn't matter. We'll get there one day with STALKER 2, but it's not today.
Bugs? Haven't had any yet, but I'm only at the first town. They'll be there once I head out into the world proper. No crashes or issues others have reported, either.
Tweaking the settings might buy you some FPS, but just go in knowing: this isn't optimised and it likely never will be. If that's a deal breaker, save your cash and headaches until we've got PCs good enough to smooth it out.
Bugs? Haven't had any yet, but I'm only at the first town. They'll be there once I head out into the world proper. No crashes or issues others have reported, either.
Tweaking the settings might buy you some FPS, but just go in knowing: this isn't optimised and it likely never will be. If that's a deal breaker, save your cash and headaches until we've got PCs good enough to smooth it out.
Overall, initial impressions are strong. This is the STALKER sequel I've been dreaming of, and it continues the legacy of STALKER in every way - warts and all. They actually did it.
mèx
Member
Between the mouse controls being kind of messed up and the A-Life system not working as intended/expected, I might wait a few patches before playing this one. Those are the two things I don't want to compromise on while playing STALKER, the rest is fair game.
I'm in no rush anyway, plenty of other games to play in the meantime.
I'm in no rush anyway, plenty of other games to play in the meantime.
DanielG165
Member
DanielG165
Member
Hogwarts Legacy does the same thing. I’d rather my games do it so I don’t have issues while actually playing, than not. It honestly feels like you’re simply not having a good time here, man.
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Bavarian_Sloth
Member
The game itself is fantastic and exactly what I wished for.
Only problem is that my VRAM (16 Gb) gets full after some time and framerate tanks to one digit fps which ends in crashing the game
Hope this issue will be adressed soon.
Only problem is that my VRAM (16 Gb) gets full after some time and framerate tanks to one digit fps which ends in crashing the game
Hope this issue will be adressed soon.
Heaven Angel
Member
Hey, I didn't say dark fantasy RPG shooter. But I feel you, that game deserves more attention.
I'll get when it's out of the early access. Hopefully it's on consoles too.
