S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 'Call of Pripyat'

[Greg Wak]

DX10 vs DX11 comparisons.  maybe it's too early in the morning, but the only difference I can see is the DX11 ones look a bit brighter.

I could barely see any difference in 9 vs 10 except for some of the large explosions, and I can't see a difference here at all. Certainly no need to get a new card.

[CeeKay]

a trio of new gameplay videos to torture us until next year.

[CeeKay]

a hands on[url] from IGN.

[CeeKay]

DX10 vs DX11 comparison.  apparently DX11 makes people plumper.

[CeeKay]

looks like February 2010 is the release month, but they aren't giving a date.  looks like Q1 is turning into the new Q4 for releases 

[tok]

Thanks for continuing the updates on this. I'm nearly through STALKER Complete 2009 and I'm going to replay Clear Sky.
Should be done right before Pripyat hits.

I love this series of games. Even though they always seem to have tons of issues when released, nothing else even comes close for immersion in what feels like a living world. In Complete 2009, I heard very faint gunshots. Using the binoculars, I could see it was a group of bandits being attacked by wild dogs. That fact that was going on probably a half mile from where I was in the game is just so cool.

It really feels like the world is living whether you're there or not.

[Caine]

looks like February 2010 is the release month, but they aren't giving a date.  looks like Q1 is turning into the new Q4 for releases 

no kidding ck. feb/march '10 is going to be big. this, avp, bioshock, sc conviction, yakuza 3, mafia 2. 

it's going to be another rough month for the 'ol wallet

[CeeKay]

Thanks for continuing the updates on this.

you're welcome! 

Worthplaying has a new preview of the game.  Looks like they're tweaking the weapons a bit this time around, and making money harder to come buy.  also, this made me smile:

While life in the Zone is problematic, the game is not. Even in its preview form, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat is probably the most polished game in the series yet. The presentation is still largely the same one of gloom and despair that is practically the series trademark, but there are fewer instances of the AI not working correctly and no instances of shoddy performance. Call of Pripyat is simply the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series at its finest to date, and when it is released next year, fans are going to have an excellent reason to strap on their gear and take a brand-new journey into the heart of the Zone.

[Greg Wak]

But is the ending.IE the last 15% of the game good or do we get another crappy ending? I loved the first two games, the creepy underground area of the first one more so, but both endings were disappointing, as has been well noted. Clear Sky after the hospital was pretty useless. I wish they would stop doing that. They do so much a great deal better than any body else.

[CeeKay]

gah!  February 2nd!  I was hoping for a late February release due to Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2 and possibly Star Trek Online....

[Caine]

gah!  February 2nd!  I was hoping for a late February release due to Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2 and possibly Star Trek Online....

yeah, that means this will likely see a small delay until i get it, failing any deals early on.

i've loaded up the first two with mods to get a romp around the zone until then. 

[tok]

Did someone do a sleeping bag mod for Clear Sky? I actually didn't really care for all the night time bumbling around.

[CeeKay]

Did someone do a sleeping bag mod for Clear Sky? I actually didn't really care for all the night time bumbling around.

I found this one but never got around to using it.

[Caine]

So, is anyone going to getting this now?  With the big releases of the 1st quarter not even half way out yet, c.o.p. will likely be overlooked. Bad timing for a game like this, but I expect the hardcore stalker fans will be all over it. I haven't decided wether to get this now or wait for the summer lull. I burned out early with cs and played the first one all the way through. Had there not been such a Xmas sale with steam, d2d, etc. I would have been playing cs. 

[tok]

Definitely... A PC-only release of a game consoles can't handle is like a gift from God.
With Crysis and Rage being multi-platform, this might be the only one this year. 

[Creepy_Smell]

I will at some point. Cant now as I have too many other things to finish playing including CS. Got a new rig few months back so stocked up on bargain bin games I missed out on.

[Freyland]

I plan on buying it, but cannot seem to find anyone who is carrying it, even on the download distributor sites like GG.  Anyone know where to buy it?

Jonathan

[Freyland]

Answer:  Newegg.com and Target stores.

[Big Jake]

If you order it from Amazon, the version you get is the "Collectors' edition" which has a map & tech tree.  Received mine today.

[Kagath]

Can you post a pic of contents?

[CeeKay]

well, can't find this locally but word has it that this will be coming to Steam, but their having some difficulties.  I may just order it from gamestop'ss website.

[CeeKay]

it's on Steam.  and get this:

Buy S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat Loyalty Promo

Loyalty Promo grants 33% off Call of Pripyat if you already own the Steam Version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky or S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl. Please note that you need to have Clear Sky or Shadow of Chernobyl registered to your Steam account before purchasing Call of Pripyat to receive the discounted price.

I picked up both of those for dirt cheap during the holiday sale, so I'll be getting CoP for 20 bucks.

[Giles Habibula]

Bought mine at Target last week. As far as I know, the NA release is all Collector's Edition. Has a big map and some stickers, and the map is very underwhelming.
Have played thus far around 6 hours. The first 2 hours I didn't even do any missions. I just wandered around exploring, in awe of the atmosphere once again. There's a lot to explore, which I absolutely love. I'm still on the first of 3 very huge maps. Areas within each map load on the fly, so I've had zero loading screens. Some minor hitching at first while assets load--this disappears for me over a couple of minutes. Seems easier than the first two games. I've now completed maybe 10 missions and side-missions, and am still having a blast. Very immersive. It's difficult to quit a game once I'm in it, as it really feels like I'm in it. Really loving it here.
Vista 64 Q6600 w/ 9800GT and 6 gigs ram. Uses about 3 gigs continuously according to my performance monitor on my G15. 1920 x 1200 with most things set medium to high. Runs very smooth. No crashes. Can't give a framerate though, as it would not run if I had FRAPS running.

[shon]

I like that they are giving a discount for have previous versions seems like a good way to increase sales and loyalty.

[CeeKay]

I got it running with FRAPS no problem, and with the following settings I'm getting 15FPS, figure I'll tweak it a bit:






some screenshots from the very beginning:

[tok]

I've probably played about 5 or 6 hours and I'm still messing around in the first area, stockpiling weapons, exploring and doing side missions. I accidentally made enemies with the Mercs, so they attack me on sight. The good thing is that they're a good source of higher end weapons.

I just ran the DX9 mode with details pegged in the interest of frame rate. No way I could stand a shooter at 15fps.
Still occasional hiccups as stuff loads, but very fast after that. Not the best optimized engine, but the quirks are part of its charm.

3ghz dual core/3 gig RAM/NVidia 285GTX.

[Turtle]

It may be time for me to return to the world of STALKER.  I loved the first one, quirks and all.

[CeeKay]

I just ran the DX9 mode with details pegged in the interest of frame rate. No way I could stand a shooter at 15fps.
Still occasional hiccups as stuff loads, but very fast after that. Not the best optimized engine, but the quirks are part of its charm.

I haven't seen a firefight yet (only played about 20 minutes, going to finish BS2 first) but I figure that'll give me a good idea of how bad I need to tweak the settings.  so far the world feels kinda empty, this bigger level deal is going to take some getting used to.

[Giles Habibula]

I just ran the DX9 mode with details pegged in the interest of frame rate. No way I could stand a shooter at 15fps.
Still occasional hiccups as stuff loads, but very fast after that. Not the best optimized engine, but the quirks are part of its charm.

I haven't seen a firefight yet (only played about 20 minutes, going to finish BS2 first) but I figure that'll give me a good idea of how bad I need to tweak the settings.  so far the world feels kinda empty, this bigger level deal is going to take some getting used to.

Trust me, it ain't empty! I got the bejeezus scared out of me already when I too thought "it seems really empty around here".
I prefer not having the constant action. It further heightens the tension. For instance, try exploring a strange new building in a thunderstorm. I literally had shivers.
I haven't been so involved in a gameworld in a long time.

[Caine]

it's on Steam.  and get this:

Buy S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat Loyalty Promo

Loyalty Promo grants 33% off Call of Pripyat if you already own the Steam Version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky or S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl. Please note that you need to have Clear Sky or Shadow of Chernobyl registered to your Steam account before purchasing Call of Pripyat to receive the discounted price.

I picked up both of those for dirt cheap during the holiday sale, so I'll be getting CoP for 20 bucks.

ok, that is ridicously awesome and i will be buying this when i get home.  thank you $2 steam sale of stalker:soc 

glad i picked it up to replace a dvd copy i gave away after finishing it.  it also helps as the dvd version of cp i saw at target was $40.  glad i waited.

[Kagath]

Damnit, I wish there was someplace local to pick it up. Are they still sending out the CE for all orders?

[CeeKay]

glad i picked it up to replace a dvd copy i gave away after finishing it.  it also helps as the dvd version of cp i saw at target was $40.  glad i waited.

it's weird, the retail copies are 10 bucks more than the non promotional steam copy.

[Freezer-TPF-]

Nice deal from Steam!    I'll probably wait, since I haven't even installed my copy of the first STALKER yet...

[CeeKay]

Nice deal from Steam!    I'll probably wait, since I haven't even installed my copy of the first STALKER yet...

I'm not sure if the promo is permanent or temporary, so waiting too long may lose you the deal.

[Caine]

yeah, i decided not to wait.  better to have it now before the promo has a chance to end.

once again, freaking awesome and it's pretty damn cool seeing all three stalker games in my steam list. 

[Caine]

ok, i am having a blast with it so far.  the ai is much improved, i like the open world aspect that soc lacked and it's not as bloody difficult as cs was.  sure, the opening was jarring, and the overall mission seems like an expansion pack so far, but i really enjoy the environment and the attention to detail that gsc puts in. 

one major snafu though needs mentioning.  my card is a 1900xt, a great dx9 card.  with this game supporting dx10/11, they changed the initial renderer and cop doesn't load at all.  i found the solution online, which would absolutely kill the normal buyer.  edit the D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\stalker call of pripyat\user.ltx (or wherever that file resides in a retail install) and change:

renderer renderer_r2.5
to
renderer renderer_r1

only after doing that would anything, even the splash screen load.  i'd get a black screen for a minute and then an error message saying i had to turn down the gfx to run it.  problem is, there isn't a gui for settings outside of the game itself.  just this ltx file.

otherwise, it ran pretty well at decent res/settings and no crashes.

[CeeKay]

I'd forgotten how much I hated emissions.  I fired CoP up for a bit and did some exploring, only to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere, and the only nearby building had all it's doors locked.  luckily I was only messing around so I didn't lose any progress but it made me realize I'm not going to be able to do the old 'quicksave only' route with this one and have at least one regular save before I leave any place for cross country travel.

[CeeKay]

well, finally got around to a a serious start in the game.  did a mission, but not before having to restart to the beginning autosave after I got mauled by a couple of dogs.  those bastards seem to be a lot more nimble and hardy than they were before.

just to give an example of how fluid the gameplay is, I went on a mission to ambush another group of STALKERS at midnight.  the first time through I got killed by the last guy, so I reloaded to the autosave right before the fight started.  this time everything was going fine UNTIL a pack of dogs joined in on the mayhem.  luckily I was able to kill the last dog before it  got the last survivor and got a nice amount of loot (most of which I couldn't sell because it was too damaged) with little effort on my part.

oh, and they finally got the nighttime feel right.  just light enough to make out vague shapes, and my journey back to the settlement where I got the mission was quite hair raising with howls of the dogs all around me.

[tok]

I'd forgotten how much I hated emissions.  I fired CoP up for a bit and did some exploring, only to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere, and the only nearby building had all it's doors locked.  luckily I was only messing around so I didn't lose any progress but it made me realize I'm not going to be able to do the old 'quicksave only' route with this one and have at least one regular save before I leave any place for cross country travel.

I was under the impression that they were kind of scripted to occur in places where you can get to cover.

Due to being an old hand at STALKER from its flakey days, I always have two saves going, one is a quicksave and the other is just titled MAINGAME. I also do occasional saves in really cool places if it looks like something I'd like to go back to after completing the game.

[CeeKay]

I'd forgotten how much I hated emissions.  I fired CoP up for a bit and did some exploring, only to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere, and the only nearby building had all it's doors locked.  luckily I was only messing around so I didn't lose any progress but it made me realize I'm not going to be able to do the old 'quicksave only' route with this one and have at least one regular save before I leave any place for cross country travel.

I was under the impression that they were kind of scripted to occur in places where you can get to cover.

there was a building that popped up on the map, but I couldn't get any of the doors to open.  of course at that point I was thinking 'holy shit holy shit I'm going to die' so I may have missed something