☢┃stalker-general

[charred nova]

the issue is now that so many people expect stalker 2 to be tacticool slop like gamma for example and then get disappointed when its not having thought that was what stalker was like

it never really even had one imbr

[proven hollow]

wdym i don't have to reload my magazines with individual bullets?!

[charred nova]

the few people i know in real life who played it finished it and forgot about it a week later

[obtuse veldt]

enemies shooting thru walls?

[charred nova]

not that either

[obtuse veldt]

enlighten me

[charred nova]

it will not till the update drops

[main jewel]

they like gamma larp slop

i would replace larp with another word

but i csnt say that gere

[charred nova]

wdym i can't customize every piece of my gun with out mods

[main jewel]

okay ngl though being able to put a underbarrel shot gun any gun but the ar416 is ass

like why the m701????

[charred nova]

don't wanna throw too much shade since OXA is really cool

[main jewel]

oxa doesnt allow the urm underbarrwl shotgun on the ar416 either grrr

[main jewel]

true

[charred nova]

see this is the difference between grok and oxide

oxide actually did work

[tall hawk]

how it feels having actually played a STALKER game in the STALKER community (insert pic of the "Captain America wanted for murder" meme)

[charred nova]

He is a chad who put effort in and made something

[tall hawk]

OXA Standard is actually pretty reasonable, it removes some really BS attachment restrictions from the main game

[charred nova]

i think even the prototype is cool

[main jewel]

also oxide isnt like a meanie

[charred nova]

true

[main jewel]

lowkey it seems a little too modded for me but i would still use it

also can we slaughter people who want a gamma 2

[tough bay]

Its understandable because to go from S2 to SoC is to go from like playing HLA to HL1

[charred nova]

this is sorta true imbr

[tall hawk]

I would say send them to the Brain Scorcher but unfortunately they've already been hit by it 💔

[main jewel]

gsc should never release the mod tools for story elements like side quests so we can avoid a gamma 2

[charred nova]

like id say the original trilogy except for maybe cop

[main jewel]

[charred nova]

is pretty hard to like if you only liked stalker 2

[tall hawk]

they should DMCA strike anyone who even thinks about making a GAMMA 2

[sharp gulch]

Radiophobia 3 good SoC modpack?

[main jewel]

true

i wonder why gamma doesnt add mutants tho

[charred nova]

think i've heard mixed things but everyone here hella biased so take that with a grain of salt

[tall hawk]

NOOOOO then the 12 year olds cant pretend they're playing Tarkov 💔

[sharp gulch]

im already half way through. Ive already asked but wanted to see if anyone else had something to say. Id say is the best way to play SoC since story is mostly intact

[charred nova]

based

[main jewel]

dude

[tall hawk]

is radiophobia 3 like anomaly/gamma or is it good?

[sharp gulch]

neither? doesnt have the bloat of Anomaly and its not tacticool/tarkov-like as gamma

[main jewel]

AAAUYGGHHGGG

why do people want a mutantless stalker 2

[sharp gulch]

its just modern SoC id say

[charred nova]

because they want tarkov single player

[sharp gulch]

with OGSR engine

[main jewel]

but that already exists

pve

[charred nova]

they want it again

[main jewel]

they just want chernobyl

not the zone

[sharp gulch]

they want to play their favorite streamers game

[charred nova]

plus gamma is probably easier to run than tarkov

its the same reason roblox has so many clone games

[main jewel]

no cheaters too

[charred nova]

A it runs on more pcs and its free

[main jewel]

even tho

cheaters are easy to kill

[normal sail]

Didn't Grok go off on a rant over a custom version of OWA

[main jewel]

they arent invincible

[charred nova]

i mean if you get aim locked through a bunch of trees

not much you can do

[main jewel]

true

[tough bay]

Doesnt matter how easy it is, its still unfair which is the main issue

[lament pelican]

yeah that was my experience when I decided to replay SoC after S2. folks feel nostalgic about OG games - thats fine, but you can't compare them to s2, that is just superior in every aspect

[main jewel]

but in dorms or closed off spaces

[smoky hawk]

very bad

much hate

[main jewel]

i guess bro but they will never go away

and killing cheaters is tuff

makes me happy and proud

[tall hawk]

because they're larping children from the Tarkov community and don't care about STALKER

[tall hawk]

nah, I kinda agree that the AI is a bit better in the older games, also I kinda like how bloodsuckers were SLIGHTLY less common. You can still find them super easily, but they don't spawn in packs of 2-3 every fifteen minutes

[charred nova]

true till they instantly come back and kill you

[main jewel]

usually they arent that smart

[charred nova]

in my experiense that happens about 70 percent of the time

best to just leave the game

[main jewel]

oh good golly

maybe they think im a foidy chud.. a fud

[tall hawk]

I saw a video about cheaters in Tarkov and dear God

[main jewel]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/375826477805207567/1302165945455874048/image0.gif

[charred nova]

like if its a game like rust

[main jewel]

loot scooping cheat

[charred nova]

or day z

or anything like that

[main jewel]

just steal all the good loot

as soon as you load it

in

[charred nova]

if you kill a person who is blatantly cheating they will track you down and wreck you

[silk linden]

knee slapper

[lament pelican]

AI is where I would strongly disagree. in SoC NPCs would literally prefire you from an adjacent room, and sometimes they just stand in corners pointing their gun upwards like they lost orientation in the space entirely. S2 is not perfect, but it's a day and night difference. seriously, i recommend anyone to actually replay OG games

[tall hawk]

I've actually been playing SoC recently

[main jewel]

who ARE you

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/232710179496525824/1098151025745072210/attachment.gif

[silk linden]

i replied to the wrong chat mb

[velvet sentinel]

Hello, has there been any word on a roadmap for 2026? I finally got a new rig going and am debating whether to just keep waiting or get into the game now with expansion 1

[tall hawk]

also question about SoC true ending

[charred nova]

the current road map is not finished yet

[lament pelican]

and I like how a military dude below the bridge is shooting en entire mag from like 5 metres into me in full auto, and he misses all the bullets

[charred nova]

we might get a new road map in October if we are lucky

[velvet sentinel]

it's crazy the amount of updates it's getting, I remember following the initial Stalker 2 announcements and it was a chaotic time

[tall hawk]

so to get "true ending" in SoC, I need to ||talk to Guide and Doctor after X16, I was able to talk to Doctor but idk how to find Guide after X16. I did get the quest to find the stash in Pripyat, however||

[harsh jungle]

god all the songs people have been playing off of the echo are ass

[charred nova]

it will be extremely slow till the dlc drops

[golden gulch]

4Divinity is one of Stalker 2 publishers that help publishing the game, surprised me to see SEGA published the game in Japan.

[tall hawk]

the adverts SEGA made for S2 are pretty good

[charred nova]

gsc has gotten them selves into a some what problematic situation where they are some what close to finishing the engine update so any work they now do on the older version of the game is effectively wasted work

hence why the updates have become so sparce

[tall hawk]

isn't the engine upgrade coming after the expansion?

[charred nova]

no it comes with it

[carmine star]

I hope poltergeist and burers are fixed next update

[tall hawk]

oh sweet

[charred nova]

the entire trailer was very clearly in the new engine

[charred nova]

[velvet sentinel]

is the engine upgrade gonna become a seperate version like enhanced or is it gonna be an update? Cause I feel like a beta test might not be a bad idea

[tall hawk]

it will be update

[charred nova]

all updates are closed tested

[tall hawk]

I know that Steam and GOG let you install old patch versions of the game, so even if it don't work u can prolly just downgrade

[charred nova]

the dlc likely wont be though

since gsc would need to get us all in legally binding contracts

and even if someone leaked it it would be pretty hard for gsc to do anything about it

[timber crystal]

When is the expansion coming again?

[charred nova]

so likely the dlc it's self will be internally tested only for better or for worse

[velvet sentinel]

hope the dlc launch is good, cause the expansion reminds me of clear sky and uh, that was pretty rough

[charred nova]

august likely

assuming it doesn't get delayed

[tall hawk]

noo 💔

[lament pelican]

i hope they will community test the engine upgrade

[tall hawk]

I'll be back in school when the engine upgrade drops...

[carmine star]

very last day of summer

[charred nova]

it will be tested by the testing team

[tall hawk]

at 11:59 PM

[charred nova]

assuming they opt to do that

[charred nova]

and it will be completely broken and unplayable at launch

[lament pelican]

i mean team of folks who is currently testing new patches outside of GSC

[carmine star]

classic

[charred nova]

yes

[tall hawk]

launching the DLC should just brick ur computer/console

[charred nova]

that be a thing

[tall hawk]

that would be based

[charred nova]

for example ive already played the 1.9 update

or the "1.9" update as mol1t called it

[tall hawk]

did they add the fishing minigame yet

[charred nova]

no

[carmine star]

basically dont look forward to updates, look forward to the hotfix that fixes the updates

[charred nova]

they didn't

[tall hawk]

GSC officially hates the fans

[charred nova]

some guy is making a fishing mod

https://discord.com/channels/504587323577729024/1404418274904510586

[lament pelican]

they might actually community test the "DLC features" as well but through the base game

[carmine star]

nice

[carmine star]

who cares about dlc now

[charred nova]

possible but unlikely again we don't even have a NDA signed so

[velvet sentinel]

probably a bad time to ask but has there been any hints or word about the second expansion? could it be a 2027 thing

[tall hawk]

probably 2027

[charred nova]

gsc wont let anyone they can not fully trust touch any of the content that is planned to be paid

[candid kindle]

Made a post on reddit about what I put in #❔┃seeking-for-advice about how Xbox hasn't ever had its edition upgrades on sale since launch and I watched in real time as those cretins morph what was plainly written into whatever they wanted to read, if they read it at all. Man I hate that place lol

[carmine star]

lol 2028

[tall hawk]

welcome to Reddit

[lament pelican]

the community seems to have a very good discipline, since previously there were no leaks. like nobody leaked us NVGs or mutant loot, but folks clearly tested these features before

[tall hawk]

make sure to wipe your shoes and check-in your coat

[charred nova]

technically the exact details of 1.9 have not leaked

[lament pelican]

yeah thats what i'm saying that GSC have built some trust with these outside testers, so they might actually give you a chance to test DLC content

[charred nova]

no chance

the stakes from their perspective are way too high

[lament pelican]

lets say they just gonn give it to you earlier for testing if you bought it already

[charred nova]

if one of us leaks out something like oh the dlc is terrible for x y and z reason

[eternal mountain]

i mean as long as you sign nda's with the testers, whatever gets leaked can't really be that negative to gsc

[charred nova]

that would be catastrophic

[eternal mountain]

gsc can sue leakers to oblivion

[charred nova]

if they lived in ukraine yes

most of us live 1000s of miles away and gsc would have to launch an extremely expensive international lawsuit against some random guy who likely has very limitied if any assets of value

[lament pelican]

if DLC is truly terrible I would say it's better for them to postpone it. so it's better for them to actually receive that feedback before the release

[shell flax]

A leak on that level would probably lead to the entire tester group being reshuffled

[velvet sentinel]

They could go after the testers but if the whole dlc leaks, it's kinda not possible to stop

[charred nova]

Gsc would likely never be able to get the damages that would be caused back if it happened

so they simply will NEVER take that risk

[eternal mountain]

yeah i think so too, if the public ever has an opinion, its the one gsc should listen to

[velvet sentinel]

like the insomniac leak led to the brazillian pc port of spider-man 2 which is still up

[carmine star]

i dont think it will be terrible, more quest and lcoations is nice, but i dont think its going to be a "game changer" experince

[charred nova]

yah from the testers

not the public

[eternal mountain]

testers can be biased

[charred nova]

no we are not lmao

we are not biased at all

[shell flax]

Like that kind of breach of trust would just lead to GSC either selecting a whole new group at best. Worst case scenario? GSC decides the community can’t be trusted period and nuke the entire concept of community testing

[charred nova]

the tester chat is pretty open and vocal about things that are not good

[visual mortar]

i am digging in my nose, two fingers, one in each nostril.

[eternal mountain]

okay thats good

[charred nova]

at least the english speaking guys are though even the ua guys are usually fairly critical

but idk how the internal gsc testers are

[lament pelican]

from GSC perspective - they have a community of testers (experts) who can provide you with valuable feedback and actually make the game better, why not use that resource for free? given that there were zero leaks before

[visual mortar]

i think i got something

[charred nova]

again its a massive liability that makes no sense

[eternal mountain]

idk how much you can talk about it, but do you find those tough criticisms to be fair enough or are they sometimes like far fetched

[charred nova]

would be like handing a homelessguy 50k dollars and asking hey please hold this for me while i go do something

[eternal mountain]

far fetched in the sense that its not their taste or might be way too out of scope for the devs

[iron wind]

I think they are using them already

[charred nova]

i think we are fair in our criticism

that is what i will say

[lament pelican]

not sure why would you compare a dedicated community to homeless guy, lol

[eternal mountain]

god i hope they fix those looney tunes ahh bodies the game has right now

[charred nova]

because from gsc's perspective both have no consequences for running off with the money or leaking

[eternal mountain]

it was funny when i first saw a pair of legs sticking out of the ground, but sometimes the body is fully under the ground

[shell flax]

Also completely ignoring the entire possibility of leaks real quick.

Free DLC before launch would just be stupid on a business side

[charred nova]

gsc might never even be able to figure out who exactly leaked

[charred nova]

free dlc for like 30 people but still

[lament pelican]

I'm pretty sure most folks on that testing team already bought it

[shell flax]

Oh probably but still

I know I did

[lament pelican]

it's literally just an early release

[charred nova]

again if we leaked details about the dlc that could actully hurt the company in a real monitary way hence why i think the odds they would ever let us test are basically zero

[lament pelican]

like give it to the testers 1 week earlier so they can save you from embarrassing bugs

[charred nova]

of course i am personally skeptical of the ability of gsc to fully fix most of the bugs before launch with out our help

[eternal mountain]

most bugs just pop out from the most unexpected actions the player can make

so ofc it would help if testers are varied, complete beginners all the way to expert stalker sweats

[charred nova]

even before launch a lot of stuff we find often doesn't get ironed out till the hot fix

and of course it's always totally busted on console

since testing is done on pc only

[eternal mountain]

damn

[velvet sentinel]

that's rough for console bros

[charred nova]

not really gsc's fault tbf

[proven hollow]

i mean expecting a bugless launch of anything from GSC at this point is ridiculously dense

[charred nova]

they would need to mail us dev kits to test the updates

[eternal mountain]

pour out a cossack vodka for the console homies

[charred nova]

which they just can't do

[regal sinew]

Same thing could be said for 90% of developers out.

[velvet sentinel]

have xbox not done stuff for their console version? cause I feel like they'd have to know beforehand when the series was PC only for so long

[charred nova]

they just do all the xbox testing internally

[regal sinew]

Afaik all Microsoft/XBox done was pushed for the release.

[sleek tartan]

I'm cool with waiting for the game to have fixes implemented. Though I do take fairly long breaks in between playing

[charred nova]

like the testing is not like a beta

its like a rough alpha in some cases

of the final update

[obtuse veldt]

I do want now a 5.56x45 machine gun

[charred nova]

i imagine logistically its just way more complicated to that on xbox then it is on steam

where they just make a secret beta that can be selected via the drop down menu

and you just need the test code to get in

[sleek tartan]

Yea console can't really get like test builds. Atleast not as much as pc can

[charred nova]

like a beta test for a large triple a game

is a totally different thing compared what gsc does when testing there updates

[velvet sentinel]

makes sense

[sleek tartan]

I trust that stuff works out tho.

[lament pelican]

the version of the game for xbox and playstation is probably not that different code-wise except for some features for playstation controller

[sleek tartan]

Im just trying to like not feed into the negativity surrounding the game i guess. Cuz some of its valid and decent amount hyperbole

[velvet sentinel]

i've heard the current consoles are more pc-like than ever

might see the new xbox helix pretty much be one

[sleek tartan]

Man that thing is gonna be so expensive. Ill just stick to my series x

[charred nova]

consoles are basically pointless now imbr

xbox in particular

[lament pelican]

they are not poinless

[charred nova]

it has no exclusive games so what is the point of it

[fresh cloud]

X-18??? Yippee!

[velvet sentinel]

they've been screwing up since the xbox one days but I wouldn't say consoles are getting tossed aside

they're much easier to get into than PC

[charred nova]

eh

people say this as if using steam and windows is some how difficult

[lament pelican]

i have series s which is a size of mac min almost, and it's fanless, and it costs 300$, and you can play s2 on it

[charred nova]

at sub 30 fps most of the time

[velvet sentinel]

you might be surprised, a lot of people don't even know what the internet archive is

[lament pelican]

sure, but it's very much playable

[velvet sentinel]

the whole app-ification of stuff has degraded pc use

[charred nova]

what pc are you using

[lament pelican]

with PC i don't think you can get below $1k

[velvet sentinel]

a lot of people are straight up afraid of installing games that aren't on digital stores like steam and etc

[sleek tartan]

Pc is a commitment consoles you can just set it up and go. Also alot of the time you gotta put the whole thing together sometimes unless you just want a prebuilt

[velvet sentinel]

I meant more so people using their phones for everything and getting hard wall'd by a computer

it happens to a lot of younger people who never bothered

I got lucky cause I was poor lol

[sleek tartan]

Then there's people like me with nerve damage where its hard to play stuff with mouse and keyboard

[charred nova]

well gaming is becoming too expensive for regular people now anyways

[tall hawk]

failure of the parents and school system

[lament pelican]

PC also makes sense if you need a windows computer but if you on mac buying PC just to play some games feels kinda too much

[velvet sentinel]

I had a windows xp computer in the big 2013

[tall hawk]

when gen z all retires gen alpha will probably resort to adeptus mechanicus tech priests to try and work with computers and File Explorer

[charred nova]

pov mac gaming

[sleek tartan]

Gen alpha are all gonna be on social security or homeless

[tall hawk]

seeing the number of people fail to do something as simple as install a few mods really goes to show the damage that tablets have done to the general population

[visual mortar]

i mean phones are quite handy, but me personally, its irritating having to use just a phone keyboard and touch gestures. i prefer a computer for everything but chatting

especially since i also have a work phone

[tall hawk]

using the file explorer for some people is like arcane magic, and God help you if you even THINK to suggest command prompt

[sleek tartan]

I just did that for the first time. Was neat

[visual mortar]

@bold smelt

[lament pelican]

no jokes but mac gaming slowly becomes a reality, like you can play cyberpunk for example

[charred nova]

yes i know via metal api wrapper

[visual mortar]

penguan asked where the steamapps folder was

[tall hawk]

it's so funny that playing games on Linux is unironically more feasible than a Mac. Tell this to someone ten years ago and they would've laughed in your face

[covert halo]

Another week of waiting

[visual mortar]

no not really actually

[covert halo]

And they will of coruse delay it even further after that

[tall hawk]

I'm not a Linux glazer, but they can play most big releases on parity with Windows, assuming no weird anti cheat nonsense.

Mac has Cyberpunk and... uh... the RE games?

[covert halo]

I completed rdr2 2 times while waiting for this damn patch

[sleek tartan]

Did they delay the update again?

[vernal lily]

mac gaming

[sleek tartan]

Its supposed to come out this week right?

[shell flax]

I’m not gonna really buy the delay unless Mol1t or another CM announces it

[vernal lily]

https://tenor.com/view/black-cat-dandelion-cat-silly-kitty-she-was-a-fairy-gif-14702056371420778419

[tall hawk]

and with what u spend for a Mac that can actually run these games you can play them on PC for a third of the price

[covert halo]

14-15th of april according to 4divinity's page.

[velvet sentinel]

I heard mac got a really good port of the first death stranding, might keep getting these more big budget games

the RE games are crazy optimized, since you can straight up play the ones on your iphone

[covert halo]

So much time for a tiny bit of gameplay

[velvet sentinel]

we might see RE9 on one in the next year officially

[sleek tartan]

Its gonna be a quest and some bug fixes right?

[covert halo]

Yep one quest and some misc stuff

[lament pelican]

I've just openned App Store and the first recommendation was "Crimson Desert" so it looks like it actually runs natively on M-chips

[covert halo]

More than enough for 3 months of waiting right?

[tall hawk]

it can "run", but the major question for me is, how expensive is a Mac that can run the game well compared to a PC of same performance?

[sleek tartan]

Ngl I just look forward to the updates as they come. I have no rush. Also I don't think they had a release window for it till recently.

[smoky hawk]

you can just look at Apples website because, they are the only people selling Mac hardware

[tall hawk]

Apple charges like $200 to get a Mac that is above 8 GB memory, and this was BEFORE the shortage

[vernal lily]

https://tenor.com/view/bruh-gif-7338905167110705313

[sleek tartan]

Valid

[velvet sentinel]

Curious on how the updates have been since launch, hopefully mostly good

I would've expected all this to be paired with the dlc than free

[lament pelican]

thats fair, if you buying $4k mac you probably not buying it to play Crimson Desert on 40fps

it's just a nice side effect of your purchase

[sleek tartan]

Ok so they've probably been working on the dlc and this update simultaneously. Granted a 3 month wait for a quest and some fixes didn't isnt great but its not like it's a live service or something that's constantly needing new content.

[shell flax]

And the engine upgrade too

[sleek tartan]

True true

[golden gulch]

What do people do with a MAC?

[shell flax]

I understand the frustration but there’s people who act like GSC shot their dog in front of them

[tall hawk]

Yeah, people who buy macs don't really care about "specs" or even gaming in general. It's not gonna be a huge competition to Windows

[tall hawk]

they were indoctrinated into the apple cult and they don't know better

[lament pelican]

high-end macs - programming, AI stuff, video/photo editting

[tall hawk]

basically anything you can already do on PC lol

[vernal lily]

apple curse

[lament pelican]

I've been using only macs for like past 10 years

[velvet sentinel]

a lot of film and music production is done through them, pretty much any music leak is through an icloud hack lol

[vernal lily]

this man will never be free

[tall hawk]

to be honest, I gotta say Apple was clever for getting that whole ecosystem set up

[smoky hawk]

he was called SOC and he was 19 years old...

[velvet sentinel]

been a fan for a good while and its still crazy to me Stalker 2 actually exists and wasn't canned back in 2012

[smoky hawk]

it was

Stalker 2011 is not Stalker 2

[vernal lily]

does he know

[sleek tartan]

LEGIT. Some folks are acting like the old games (not that the old systems were bad. They were great) were the peak of ai. Do I think gsc sacrificed some systems so that they could have a full open world. Yes. Do I think the game is utter crap? No. Alot of people are running off of nostalgia

[sleek tartan]

It was basically resurrected yea?

[smoky hawk]

they "sacrificed" systems, that didnt need to be sacrificed?

[smoky hawk]

no not really, Stalker 2011 is completely different from what we have rn

tone, visuals, story, gameplay

[eternal mountain]

i wouldn't say they sacrificed things, but rather couldn't finish in time

[velvet sentinel]

I mean, yeah but wasn't it also called Stalker 2

[sleek tartan]

It also doesn't help its running on unreal 5.

[velvet sentinel]

I doubt they kept up a lot of stuff from it

[vernal lily]

https://tenor.com/view/riddler-paul-dano-new-rockstars-thumbnail-does-he-know-he-doesnt-know-gif-27552850

[tall hawk]

to be fair, the game looks amazing on UE5, damn near photorealistic

[sleek tartan]

I just wish the English dub wasn't so bad that's my main gripe

[cold ermine]

[river chasm]

When the lighting is not bugging out the game does look very good yeah

[charred nova]

i don't think apple changed there ram prices

since there price for ram is basically what is everyone else is charging now lol

[lament pelican]

The "Sealed Truth" free update drops April 14/15 - wait, what?

[lament pelican]

"The doors of Lab X-18 are opening"

saw post on reddit

[carmine star]

lol

[charred nova]

im gonna choose not to comment until gsc says something

[regal sinew]

Is 1.9 still coming this week?

[vernal lily]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/807809192537882647/1380846657582661682/wigglin_it_rn_care_to_join.gif

[lament pelican]

it got posted by 4Divinity originally on X, not sure who they are

[carmine star]

this

[stoic flicker]

How many playthroughs have you guys done?

How many hours?

And do you do EVERYTHING each playthrough?

For me I've done two, I have 340 hours and I do everything.

[coral dirge]

I like that the new DLC is like "hey hey guess what you can now open a new door to Hell haha go have fun diving"

[sudden rapids]

why should I put more hours in this game which is abandonedware basically (until engine upgrade)

[coarse falcon]

All endings here

Around 600 hours

[regal sinew]

Done 1 full playthrough so I switched it up to a Master difficulty permadeath for my current run.

Probably have around the same hours as you.

When you say everything do you also mean collecting all blueprints etc or just side missions? I do everything, side missions, blueprint, scanner collections etc.

[slow crypt]

finaly a anoucment

[calm willow]

I knew it would be X-18

[fringe acorn]

POG x18

[vernal lily]

During my very first playthough I really dragged it out, nearing like 300 hours or something. Since you can make a save where you can experience all endings I just did it during this save. I have only been visiting this game when there's something new, but I haven't even finished that one story update with Banzai.

[coral dirge]

welcome back to X-18, the Pants-Pooping Factory

[regal sinew]

Untold Stories mission line is actually dope asf.

[vocal wave]

Where the hell is X18 entrance anyway

[slow crypt]

-_-

[vernal lily]

I guess I'll try to get back to it, but I am currently trying to finish up DS2

[plain star]

R we getting x18 lab access 4 free?

[plain star]

Im a dark souls 2 enjoyer too

[regal sinew]

Yeah it’s free update.

[vernal lily]

Death Stranding 2

[vocal wave]

I am 100% serious

[vernal lily]

But I am also a dark souls player

[vagrant pewter]

Here I thought the door to X-18 was opened when your on that quest/mission & thus, not new content? They adding more that wasn't there to do?

[plain star]

DS2>DS2

[graceful dirge]

in the Dark Valley beneath Factory

[slow crypt]

It's something that should have been finished right from the start and sold as (free) content.

[regal sinew]

Definitely check out the Stories Untold stuff though if you haven’t yet, it’s really good source of cash for like 7-8 easy enough missions, a HUB in the Burnt Forest too and a unique GP37.

[vocal wave]

Cement factory? Where duty base is

[little cave]

Guess its not coming this week

[vagrant pewter]

I'm saying if its what I have done in a playthrough - its already implemented live content.

[slow crypt]

yea

[regal sinew]

And some cool snippet of lore about the Miracle Machine.

[vagrant pewter]

you go there for documents. end up fighting snorks, a pile of poltergeists & a pseudogiant

[vernal lily]

I'll try to get back to it. I think I left off where I helped Banzai and his buddies out, and they're all at that hub in Burnt Forest

[little cave]

They said the update would come this week

[regal sinew]

Well it’s only Monday, so…

[vocal wave]

Yeah that GP37V2 was a real disappointment. Kharod is better and it's not even unique

[graceful dirge]

No Factory in Garbage the old location from Dark Valley south of the Plant (old bandit base) with Varan

[regal sinew]

Meh, it’s still something to collect lol.

[cerulean dragon]

i cant wait to play stalker gamma today

[little cave]

In the announcement they said this April, so if it was still going to be this week they would have said it.

[slow crypt]

So, will Lab X18 be the only area we get, and will the rest be part of the DLC's paid content?

[visual mortar]

oiuhghhh THIS month?? m m

[cerulean dragon]

everything is free

[visual mortar]

curious curious

[vocal wave]

I was running it for a while but the damage just sux.

[visual mortar]

incorrect, dlcs ar paid

are

included in certain preorder editions

[tall hawk]

damage should be caliber-based instead of on some arbitrary penetration/damage values on the weapons

[regal sinew]

Unless you have the Ultimate edition like a chad.

[vocal wave]

I'm really not sure when they are going to make weapon damage normal. As it is a damn pistol does more than AK

[slow crypt]

Well, I've paid for the game, and the DLC costs money too...

[cerulean dragon]

its free if you just add the price to the base game cost!

[visual mortar]

I don't think i get dlc with my edition

[bronze holly]

Anyone know where the door is?

[tall hawk]

only the most expensive edition gets the DLC season pass

you can upgrade from any "lower tier" edition to Ultimate

[cerulean dragon]

i have the collector’s edition for xbox and dont even have a xbox

[visual mortar]

why

[vernal lily]

This game is like stale bread to me, but sometimes I will eat that stale bread after dipping it in borscht

[cerulean dragon]

just because i wanted the physical items

ill probably just give the game as a gift to someone, i rebought it on steam already

[regal sinew]

I’d loved to have gotten some of the physical items myself too but I feared my kids would break my stuff..

[cerulean dragon]

the hardcover art book is mint

[regal sinew]

Come home to my youngest trying to feed jam toast to the lamp or some shits.

[polar junco]

Is the game balance still ass

[cunning wind]

maybe that's not a good idea from a gameplay standpoint

[slow crypt]

yea

[regal sinew]

Game balance is fine, play on Master.

[vernal lily]

the artifacts powered by PP&J

[ocean zephyr]

what is x18 again? Seems familiar but ive forgotten by now lol

[regal sinew]

An X-Lab.

[ocean zephyr]

Well, thank you captain obvious.

[slow crypt]

Look for it on YouTube there are quite a few videos.

[tall hawk]

idk, I just want more guns to be viable late-game without dumping tons of ammo

[regal sinew]

Wour Yelcome.

[serene barn]

it's an X-Lab that we enter in SoC.

[main jewel]

where was x18 again

[regal sinew]

Dark valley.

[serene barn]

did stuff with Psi testing or something, it was in Dark Valley

[main jewel]

aint that the brain torture or whatever what is that

[tall hawk]

like I'm sorry, but there is no way that the AR416 just becomes useless after Lesser Zone, and there is ESPECIALLY no way that it somehow becomes a less viable gun than a 9mm SMG

[main jewel]

i forgor

its been to long

[ocean zephyr]

Fair fair just didnt want to have all of the story spoiled as ive not gotten to the older games yet

[serene barn]

no the Brain Scorcher was in Yantar iirc

[regal sinew]

Miracle Machine Lab is in Yantar.

[main jewel]

oh yeah

well also this whole fucking map is fucked

so

[slow crypt]

So why are you asking?

[regal sinew]

Brain Scorcher was in Radar.

[main jewel]

💔

but i cant wait

[ocean zephyr]

Cuz it seems familiar yet I cant quite put my finger on it. I dunno thats a fair point.

[slow crypt]

I'm still blown away that they treat cut or unfinished content as free content

[main jewel]

[serene barn]

Brain Scorcher was in Radar in SoC, but then got "moved" to Malachite in HoC

[vernal lily]

https://tenor.com/view/stalker-soc-bloodsucker-on-bicycle-gif-20911439

[ocean zephyr]

Its like eating leftovers

[serene barn]

i think i am excited about the announcement of a free content update to go back to an X-Lab we haven't been in since SoC

[tall hawk]

I HATE getting new content for free

[regal sinew]

“I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it naowwwww”.

[slow crypt]

It's not free, you paid for the game, and it's been in post-release development (beta) for over a year now.

[tall hawk]

how DARE GSC to blatantly INSULT this community by giving away extra quests and locations for FREE?

[regal sinew]

Same but there wasn’t much in that lab from what I remember.

[ocean zephyr]

Fair, im excited for the engine upd especially as it seems to add alot more general clutter thats missing from the normal game, looks way more rundown and abndoned.

[serene barn]

idk really when i think i will actually return to the game. idk if there's more gameplay things they will add in or something

[forest tapir]

you’re not gonna get a game for free if that’s what you mean

[ocean zephyr]

That was also what? 2007?

[visual mortar]

hello

[serene barn]

it might not be it but wasn't there a lab that had a code locked door but the code wasn't in the game or something

[visual mortar]

well .......... there are ways

[serene barn]

not to mention the old games left plenty of the doors locked no?

[main jewel]

hi tampy

[visual mortar]

hi

[tall hawk]

D tier ragebait

[fervent island]

Most of the thingis that HoC shares with Stalker 2 2011 are the concepts, there a few ideas that are implemented a bit more faithful to the original ideas but nothing more.

[forest tapir]

I don’t think anyone is going to pirate heart of chornobyl… at least I hope not

[tall hawk]

If I were you, I would've mentioned how "Grok always updates GAMMA for free and he doesn't even make money from it!", that would've carried your ragebait to a B-tier minimum

[forest tapir]

This is one of the only two games I’ve actually been happy buying at full price

[main jewel]

pov when gsc makes money off of it

[visual mortar]

this is one of the two games i preordered

[slow crypt]

I assure you that people from various Eastern European countries are not willing to pay for it

[visual mortar]

first one was half life alyx

I don't regret either one

[main jewel]

when people dont wanna spend 3 hours downlaoding a bunch of rwndom stuff

[fresh cloud]

Something tells me Mol1t didn't want to make that announcement this early lol

[main jewel]

the one click button option is always available by paying gsc for call of pripyat or s2

[main jewel]

true

[forest tapir]

I realize what I said is probably wrong but I can’t unsend it so I gotta live with it ig

[slow crypt]

I'd rather not even mention Gamma, not even to ragebait

[visual mortar]

he's just listening to management

[regal sinew]

It was rather abrupt after a Reddit post lol.

[graceful dirge]

We are due a lot of cut side content but I thought that both stories untold and now this upcoming sealed truth were newly-developed narratives & not reworks of that leaked stuff left on cutting room floor

Though that certainly begs the question of when are we going to get any of that, if ever...

[main jewel]

x-18 was a cut content lab right

[smoky hawk]

F tier, low bait, very poor hanging fruit, your professor would be disappointed

[cold ermine]

which is never : ))))

[fresh cloud]

I think so

[ocean zephyr]

what happenned?

[fresh cloud]

It may have had a klaxon hanging in there, either that or Im thinking of the one under the cooling towers

[slow crypt]

It was in the 2022 leak, alongside Iron Forest, Interestingly, the Limanks DLC wasn't fully in production yet, so they're cutting some content for the DLC

[ocean zephyr]

Or when the trees in the rain just look like they have no normal mapping.

[regal sinew]

Someone on here mentioned the update from a Reddit post then 20 mins later the announcement was made.

[tall hawk]

I would've personally given mentioning Grok/GAMMA a C tier, at least it demonstrates knowledge of what true larping looks like in the community, and it demonstrates an attempt to show oneself as someone who is unknowledgeable about the STALKER series

[fervent island]

Some thingis of stories untold is cut-content but id say that a big part of it is new content

[ocean zephyr]

hmm

[smoky hawk]

tsk tsk tsk, Grok is F tier, Demosfen is C tier

B tier, ABR

[tall hawk]

Perhaps

perchance, even

[fresh cloud]

The actual quest of Stories Untold was brand new, but the mine it featured was cut content restored

[tall hawk]

the mine and probably the new base added

[smoky hawk]

mentioning the Complete mods guy is A-S tier has it demonstrates GSC forum knowledge

[fresh cloud]

new base wasnt cut, that was new too. since that location was already explorable

[graceful dirge]

So are we similarly thinking that sealed truth like stories untold is going to be post Lesser Zone but pre-SIRCAA? Whereas our glimpse into Cost of Hope certainly is post-SIRCAA

[main jewel]

well it uses some cut things like banzai

[fresh cloud]

S2 cut content is so interesting but it borders on bannable since a lot of it was from the leaks.

[main jewel]

just recycled npc guy from the past

[tall hawk]

we can kinda see some of the cut content in the artbook

[graceful dirge]

Lol hushed whispers of mythos around the campfire

[main jewel]

hes shown in one of the first ever stalker trailers

WHERES MY RPD

[fresh cloud]

GIVE US THE CRASHED PLANE

[slow crypt]

It really gives you a fascinating glimpse into how a project progresses and how everything changes

[cold ermine]

my main issue is just how stupidly noisy lumen is in this game
the devs set reflection downsample to 8x (should ideally be 1) IIRC and GI downsample to 64x (most games set to 16(lower = better)) lmao

[fervent island]

Rest in piss Korogod

[tall hawk]

Half Life 2 is probably the most interesting case of cut content in gaming

[fresh cloud]

Doctor's home would have been so much cooler in ||REDACTED|| 😔

[slow crypt]

It's either that or the performance is terrible

[main jewel]

true

[main jewel]

this is common ball knowledge btw

like atp just say it

[ocean zephyr]

Or the light shining through cracks in underground sections]

[lost needle]

wait so is there a release date for sealed truth

[main jewel]

might be this week i dunno

[lost needle]

or is it just somewhere in april

[cold ermine]

no, theres no point in pushing the downsample above a certain point, and that point is 16 for GI if octahedron tracing rez is set to 8

[fresh cloud]

tbf I forgot the name of it, I just know it had doctors house and the crashed plane

[main jewel]

i heard a couple weeks ago and last week the update was coming this week

[fresh cloud]

I mean molt said it was this week

[lost needle]

i mean in ask gsc wasnt it said that it would be this week

[slow crypt]

They probably aren't even interested let's see what happens after the Unreal update but visually, the game is a bit of a letdown.

[cold ermine]

reducing the downsample would be a free W for image quality

[cold ermine]

yeah, for sure at this point for the 5.1 branch

[main jewel]

actually the new engine is amazing, it makes actual thermals a real possibility

not a weird shader

that covers the screen

the whole screen

and gsc has to hide it with eyecups

like arena breakout

[cold ermine]

i dont see why UE 5.1 wouldnt be able to do that

[fresh cloud]

I just hope my FPS doesn't randomly drop from 80 to 5

[main jewel]

gsc has a weird modified version

[forest tapir]

For some reason I thought the “closed door” they were teasing was gonna be that one door in the pripyat hospital basement

[fervent island]

"UE 5.1 GSC"

[main jewel]

also erm

[cold ermine]

it might
thanks to some excellent driver work by nvidia : )))

[slow crypt]

Yes, but the question is whether they'll actually do it

[fresh cloud]

They probably will, cause they made some small visual adjustments with the PS5 update

[main jewel]

well oxide knows how to do it so we can always hope for mods,

but the models in game for both thermals havent been removed same as the cut foregrip with integrated bipod, pgo 7v, and some other stuff

the rpd got ripped out of the game so

not sure if we will ever see it

but its okay

im sure they can revisit

[graceful dirge]

Korogod Forest, some good info can be found in this thread https://www.reddit.com/r/stalker/s/UTloDLo9BB would love to someday have the "fullest" version of the map possible some years down the road that aligns more with some of those leaked devmaps including such areas

[main jewel]

[slow crypt]

It probably boils down to mods tweaking the game's visuals and GSC implementing those changes in updates (which, of course, never happened)

[fresh cloud]

THAT was it, I was trying to think back a video I watched and I could not remember it for the life of me

I can't wait to go to cold mountain

[main jewel]

maybe we can get pip scopes that dont destroy our game

pip scopes where shown in a trailer

but absent from game

which is sad

[slow crypt]

well downgrade moment

[graceful dirge]

If they do get it working it would be nice to get a toggle for it ala Arma Reforger, some may not want if it comes with performance hit

[main jewel]

but rendering the screen or whatever twice at the same time would hurt performance

[graceful dirge]

Vertical slice moment

[main jewel]

cause thats usually how it goes ive heard

[fresh cloud]

I love pip scopes but they're hit and miss. Arma's PIP scopes in Reforger chop 30 FPS down everytime you scope in

[main jewel]

gulp

[fresh cloud]

Hoping the ones GSC implement (if they do) don't do that

[graceful dirge]

They are nice in Ready or Not but of course that whole game is much smaller scale & able to get away with it

[main jewel]

gsc should do slight pip

[fresh cloud]

Yeah Ready or Not and Tarkov don't careen my FPS into the floor

[main jewel]

like in mw2019

or vanguard

[slow crypt]

streets moment

[fresh cloud]

Reforger is a bad example though, that game barely runs

but i like it

[slow crypt]

breakpoint? maybe

[graceful dirge]

I wouldn't hate that middle ground solution. What I think they need to work on most is having scopes actually have the reticle appear as if it's being projected, because now most look like it's painted on the rear glass feels real cheap. #en-mods-general message

[fresh cloud]

Insurgency Sandstorm had good PIP scopes too

And that game ran in UE4

[main jewel]

it is literally, quite literally, just attached to the rear lens glass thing

its absolutely retarded

i hope

[lament pelican]

what gun is the duty member holding on that update announcement art, saiga?

[main jewel]

scopes become more visually cool and realistic

[tall hawk]

no PIP scopes in S2, literally unplayable

[graceful dirge]

Yep lol I love how I go to search for some reference of talking about it in the past and it's you and I having the same conversation months ago

[main jewel]

also whej the engine update comes out more mod tools will be released

so

[fresh cloud]

I remember watching a youtube short where someone said that they pre ordered S2 JUST for the PIP scopes lol, it was wild.

[regal sinew]

Either way you cut it, PiP scopes will always have some form of impact on performance, it has to render the same scene twice over.

[fresh cloud]

yeah

[frigid hill]

doughybaby has been warned

Reason: Bad word usage

[fresh cloud]

I loathe the swear filter but it cuts down any toxicity in an instant

[tall hawk]

it's pretty sad that he could be satirical or absolutely dead serious considering how unfathomably stupid the average gamer is nowadays

[fresh cloud]

It sounded serious, I wish I could find it cause it was kind of hilarious

[graceful dirge]

Lol was saying Ready or Not has really great effects on its optics even beyond the PiP, and it is on UE 5.3 so here's hoping engine upgrade can improve this as well for Stalker 2 because they frankly suck here

[regal sinew]

IWP mod has some nice PiP scopes actually. Some of the best I’ve seen implemented into any Stalker mod.

[tall hawk]

RoN devs also downgraded the textures of the game for the console update

well, they kinda downgraded everything

idk if they ever fixed it as well, and they still got the GALL to sell new DLC

[mild haven]

I didn't realize that the Gauls had taken over GSC

[river chasm]

The gaul? Are they French or something?

[tall hawk]

my god I am a dumbass lol

[smoky hawk]

RON had the gall to downgrade the game every update in EA and then release the game

didnt even kill it behind the shed like how youre supposed to do

[tall hawk]

yeah I'm honestly choosing to never support that studio again after the "ronsole" update and learning all the other stuff they get up to as a studio

not even mentioning the fact they AI generated a ton of assets in the game and didn't disclose it as Steam requires

[fresh cloud]

The copaganda game studio has CONTROVERSY??? /s

[charred nova]

bro did not just say copaganda

[fresh cloud]

we live in a society

[tall hawk]

EVIL copaganda game depicting the INNOCENT human traffickers as the VILLAINS

[slow crypt]

solid

[fresh cloud]

fr

They were just trying to save those women in the crates guys!

[visual mortar]

copaganda

[slow crypt]

2 time i hear copaganda

[graceful dirge]

Certified for Series asS moment, and yeah I've been enjoying having it on console finally, but undeniably a lot of those changes were total downgrades across the board. New DLC was still cool & some needed fixes for console, though unfortunately at this point probably not going to see any of those changes reeled back likely from whatever pressure about that more sensitive content. At least on PC can use mods which will presumably never come to console & those certainly extend the life of that game akin to potential with Stalker 2.

[tall hawk]

calling ready or not "copaganda" is funny because a core theme of the game is government corruption and the fact that the FISA is the true puppetmaster behind it all

[visual mortar]

wait what is wrong with ready or not

[smoky hawk]

Ready or Not sucks anyway

[visual mortar]

are we seriously complaining about the censorship

[fresh cloud]

Guys i was clearly being sarcastic lol

[regal sinew]

I’m not ready.

[graceful dirge]

Can't sprint

[smoky hawk]

imagine

[tall hawk]

basically back in July they ported the game to console with a new update that severely downgraded the PC version's visuals and AI

[visual mortar]

yeah its a slow paced game

[charred nova]

alright tbf its hard to tell these days

[slow crypt]

At this point, I can just imagine someone saying that Slime Rancher promotes human trafficking

[tall hawk]

they haven't fixed or even addressed the graphics downgrade, and instead resorted to selling new DLC and pretending the issue never existed

[visual mortar]

oh. my. god. i cant look at the softcore child porn on the walls. its so over

[charred nova]

people have melted there minds to the point some of us are now convinced the fact we have police is bad

[visual mortar]

nothing was downgraded lmao

[tall hawk]

genuinely NOBODY said this

[tall hawk]

VOID devs in the chat geg

[visual mortar]

the downgrade is literally just the censorship

[slow crypt]

Well, I don't know if I should call the police about what I have here

[visual mortar]

what

[fresh cloud]

I cant look at the naked women in the crates UGH I cant be disgusted like a REAL police officer

[worldly ingot]

Just got a 3rd liquid rock before getting any other legendary artifact yet

[charred nova]

what does that mean

[tall hawk]

C tier ragebait ngl, almost got a real response outta me lol

[slow crypt]

corruption moment

[visual mortar]

okay then explain to me what was downgraded

[tall hawk]

it's better if I can upload images but I dont have perms

[charred nova]

oh right you're from spain

[fresh cloud]

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT 🍿

[visual mortar]

[slow crypt]

Apart from the fact that from version 1.0 to 1.7 there has literally been a general downgrade in all the vegetation and the amount of it

[tall hawk]

we still talkin about ready or not?

[visual mortar]

yeah the game ran like ass before

[slow crypt]

na

[visual mortar]

oh

[slow crypt]

rady or not has a donwgrade??? naaa

[graceful dirge]

I still think that an oh crap sort of jog would not be out of place to use only in short bursts like with limited stamina, though it certainly shouldn't have the straight up running that it had back in alpha with the PVP.

[visual mortar]

ready or not ran like ass for a while so they improved performance

[visual mortar]

also if you lower the stance of your gun it literally makes you walk faster

[tall hawk]

How to improve performance in game:

Optimize it properly (stupid nerd way)

Downgrade the textures to 480p and remove the lighting (gigachad pro gamer move)

[visual mortar]

i think no sprinting fits the game perfectly, swat wouldn't be sprinting around anyway

[topaz lion]

newer UE engine version when?

[slow crypt]

2029

[topaz lion]

sounds about right

[regal sinew]

I’m taking fire, hang on till I walk over to some cover lol.

[visual mortar]

the textures don't look bad? on the highest settings they are very clear. also what do you mean "remove the lighting"

[slow crypt]

The last time I was there, it looked fine. Have they changed anything?

[visual mortar]

dude. theres not much space to sprint to cover in an open hallway. cqb tactics are all about slow but efficient movement

[graceful dirge]

I'm aware I treat that like the sprint button lol, but it's still not much of an increase that it feels like the kind of "tactical retreat" you may do under gunfire, I'm not asking for double tap cod sprint but something like maybe a boost when under fire with that adrenaline affect could be cool. Even just enough to help you round a corner, don't need to be booking it down the hallway

[regal sinew]

As always, the option would be nice. I’ve never played RoN btw lol.

[visual mortar]

i guess so,but the game rewards attentiveness, so just allowing you to run away is kind of silly

[topaz lion]

hot take.. if you find yourself getting shot at in the open, youve approached the engagement wrong

[visual mortar]

truth

that's what the game rewards/punishes

[graceful dirge]

Maybe it suits their intended gameplay direction, but it certainly does feel immersion-breaking

[visual mortar]

you are supposed to gather intel and react accordingly. preparedness

[visual mortar]

it doesn't at all in my opinion. again, cqb irl isn't about sprinting around

its slow, steady, and efficient

[regal sinew]

Sounds like the old Tom Clancy Rainbow Six.

[visual mortar]

that's what the game is trying to capture

[visual mortar]

it is very similar

but swat 4 was similar too

so its like that mostly

but rainbow six had a lot of the same breaching and intel gathering mechanics

like the door wand

what about it

okay

he changed his mind

[graceful dirge]

"Running the rabbit" has a certain validity imo, especially in the context of a video game not irl

[vapid galleon]

X18? nicee

[visual mortar]

im not sure it would work well in a swat scenario

but you can still do that

and if you could do that you could sprint around the map anyway

its their design philosophy

[graceful dirge]

Again, not if it was only implemented through some limited stamina maybe with a high use and a slow regen, could only happen as a slight boost when you've got the adrenaline effects of being shot at but not hit. Not sure which would be preferable but my point is it could be implemented in a way that it's not abusable like that

[pale river]

So will the new DLC let us continue the game indefinitely? Like, are there going to be procedurally generated quests?

[slow crypt]

uuu what

[visual mortar]

something so limited and specific would just be irritating, better to just not have it at all

[visual mortar]

no?

[graceful dirge]

Eh agree to disagree, have had so many moments in that game that feel worse imo because my guy walks around like RoboCop even in the most critical moments

[visual mortar]

at least for me, super limited sprinting is super annoying in games. in games that have it, it is just better to remove stamina and increase the movement spead a little

which is what ready or not does

[regal sinew]

“Can you flyyyy, Bobby?”

[stoic flicker]

Isn't x18 already in the game? Where you meet Scar or so?

[pale river]

Oh, so we're not ever getting end game content that lets us continue stalking the zone indefinitely?

[drifting plank]

Love the anomalies 🤣 crash on random combat and now game is stuck on setting up profile

[tall hawk]

genuine question, what's wrong with just creating a save before the final mission and just playing on that?

[slow crypt]

Surely, once the game is finished and the modders can relax

[visual mortar]

I mean you kinda can already. but no , its a story dlc

[regal sinew]

Wouldn’t go as far as to say ‘never’, the OGs never had any continuation after finishing the main story iirc. Maybe a mod one day.

[slow crypt]

because they're hoping to achieve something like “Anomaly” in Stalker 2, which I think will be difficult since there isn't consistent freeplay progression

[visual mortar]

a sort of freeplay might be implemented but its not specified

by that i mean repeating quests or procedurally generated quests

[dire heart]

free content update?

[slow crypt]

I'm sure a mod will be released

[marble gyro]

Free burgers

[visual mortar]

there kind of is a freeplay mod already

[storm dust]

"A free content update, Sealed Truth, is coming in April to celebrate the Cost of Hope DLC announcement — you will be able to open the door to X-18 Lab.
" ..oh..where is this door? ^^

[visual mortar]

not sure how good it is

[dire heart]

hopefully it has a unique gun

[regal sinew]

We need a unique Kharod.

[dire heart]

and dripno

[regal sinew]

Deggy has a unique Dnipro.

[dire heart]

deggy?

[regal sinew]

You must be new here.

[dire heart]

fairly new

[regal sinew]

Degtyarev.

[pale river]

Also, whatever happened to the multiplayer mode? Was that supposed to be PVE coop or something?

[regal sinew]

lol I’m only playing with you. But yeah, Degtyarev has a unique Dnipro.

[dire heart]

some kind of war happened or something idk if u heard about it

[visual mortar]

it is supposed to be pvp

[graceful dirge]

Understandably, I think that's a lot of where the Halo community stands divided lol. I can get that notion, but in these more realistic games personally I like the idea of having some faster movement option that you'd use in some shtf scenario versus the average pace you'd have outside of one, whether that just be running vs. walking or some extension of that.

Lol in the same vein probably controversial here but I'd love to see some form of crouch running or generally lower stature faster movement added to Stalker as featured across Battlefield & the like. Doesn't need to be reforger level with gradual lean angle & stance height possiblity, but I do appreciate more mobility options.

[tall hawk]

An IQ too high?

[fresh cloud]

It's in the garbage regions near the detention center

[visual mortar]

the game runs poorly and needs fixing, they should do that before slapping a pvp mode which would barely work in the current state of the game

[gloomy citrus]

Hmm

[visual mortar]

i hope its soon though

[graceful dirge]

Damn in that same vein you know what we really need in Stalker 2 is midair clamber. Even with any of these mods that improve the height, it isn't possible to grab a ledge while you are jumping or falling and that feels terrible lol

[tall hawk]

dont even try bringing up "sprint" to the Halo community lmao

[smoky hawk]

I wish the Stalker community was even 1% as zealous as the Halo community

[tall hawk]

tbh the Halo community is the absolute peak of "blinded by nostalgia" in gaming

[visual mortar]

halo community hates everything

[tall hawk]

that's a real double-edged sword

[visual mortar]

genuinely an extremely toxic community

[tall hawk]

Don't mess with us Halo fans. We don't even like our own games.

[fresh cloud]

Stupidest argument of all time and will forever be continued

[visual mortar]

if you like any of the games, a part of the community will tear you apart for it

[fresh cloud]

I love Halo with all my heart and I cannot stand to interact with 95% of the community

[visual mortar]

ive been berated because i said reach, 2, 3, 4, and infinite are fun

[tall hawk]

r/halo was SEETHING when the CE Remake had the AUDACITY to include the OPTION of sprinting (it can be completely turned off), but the mere SUGGESTION that SOMEBODY might play Halo CE Remake with sprinting actually put them into a berserker rage

[visual mortar]

god forbid

[smoky hawk]

I didnt know ritualistic killings were a thing thru fiber wire

[smoky hawk]

we need this pure autistic berserker rage

[tall hawk]

saying that you liked Infinite (read: you didn't think Infinite was genuinely the worst video game ever made) would actually get you crucified

[visual mortar]

people treat liking reach like we do with people who like gamma, a sort of an anti-tourist thing. difference is, reach is an official game

[pale river]

I'm surprised they never considered coop for STALKER. Like, most if not Every Stalker you encounter always work.in groups. You seem to be the only longer Stalker in the Zone!

[visual mortar]

sorry, the game was good. it was destroyed by corruption

[tall hawk]

like I said, this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, tarkovslop like GAMMA would never be allowed to exist, but on the other we'd get a million screeching toddlers over the most menial changes to the gameplay/formula in 2 (we already "technically" have this, but it would be WAY worse)

[spark pond]

Has 1.9 been delayed? I thought it was slated for this week

[smoky hawk]

if GSC had released GAMMA, would you say doing the same is, bad?

[visual mortar]

if they released it, it wouldn't be like how it is

[smoky hawk]

good

[visual mortar]

genuinely

[fresh cloud]

It's either this week or April 14/15 as was accidentally said by a games publisher

[visual mortar]

grok made it that way because he himself is incompetent

[tall hawk]

Infinite is a good game, problem is that old 343i management got greedy and pushed their luck

[fresh cloud]

which made them announce it today

[tall hawk]

good thing Bonnie got fired

[visual mortar]

they fired everyone involved in the corruption and rebranded. absolute elite move

[fresh cloud]

I loved Infinite, it could have been good, but Season 2 being nearly a YEAR long killed any momentum the game had for the casual playerbase.

[tall hawk]

one of the only times in the gaming industry where the higher-ups actually got "punished" for mishandling a game

[fresh cloud]

Forge helped in Season 3 but there was no way it was gonnna be big after that

[visual mortar]

and the whol fiasco with the engine getting locked down by corruption, making it so no one could add content is just insane

[tall hawk]

yeah, the Halo community's toxicity was kinda the final nail in the coffin, I'm honestly of the belief that even if 343i made an absolutely PERFECT Halo game the community would still crap all over it and discourage anyone from even trying it

[slow crypt]

I'm so sick of this whole Gamma thing back in the day, people used to make their own addon packs

[visual mortar]

gamma sucks what can i say

[smoky hawk]

its called forking you ZOOMER

[visual mortar]

and i hate grok

[fresh cloud]

Atleast the books are good, Rubicon Protocol rules

[tall hawk]

this is what happens when you use a 20+ year old engine that didn't even work that great on the 360 and try to make a modern open-world next-gen game (while still optimizing for 8th gen consoles btw)

It's a miracle Infinite even released

[visual mortar]

actually infinite was a brand new engine

[tall hawk]

"brand new", technically yes but it was still a fork of Blam! which was used since CE

[visual mortar]

thats why they were hyping it up, they were about to make a grand halo game

[fresh cloud]

Base Xbox One support should have been axed the moment the Series X came out

[crystal granite]

Hey, so I'm pretty late in the story now, looking for Spirit to get over to Pripyat. Should I halt here and wait tomorrow's update?

[spark pond]

So we’re looking at a lightweight patch, and potentially an extra week’s delay on top of it.

[slow crypt]

I wish I had that pack of GIFs with Grok's iconic quotes

[tall hawk]

certainly, that's the issue a lotta early 9th gen games fell into. Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5 (to an admittedly lesser extent) also had this issue

[fresh cloud]

Yeah with a introductory quest for the DLC in Lab X18

[tall hawk]

what are some of them 😭

[fresh cloud]

who tf is grok

[tall hawk]

talkin about grok like he's Jesus I'm CRINE 😭 💀

[tall hawk]

idk the twitter AI chatbot thing

[slow crypt]

comments mocking developers, exaggerating how hard he work for gamma, type shit

[fresh cloud]

Oh THAT grok

[slow crypt]

baited

[crystal granite]

They hype it all up only to face another delay. Beautiful

[visual mortar]

i have a screenshot of him saying that he slaves away and compared himself to overworked suicidal devs

[fresh cloud]

its over, Monolith please leak his IP address

[tall hawk]

does grok even code, istg isnt GAMMA just a compilation of other peoples' Anomaly mods 😭

[slow crypt]

yeap

[tall hawk]

what a loser geg

[fresh cloud]

OHHHHH you're talking about grok the creator of gamma, ohhhhh

i see i see

[vernal lily]

grokkin

[slow crypt]

Imagine someone promoting a Minecraft modpack and acting like they're a developer

[tall hawk]

tbh if we're comparing how insufferable they are, it's a real tight competition between twitter grok and gamma grok (call them "liquid and solid" grok, if you will)

[visual mortar]

that actually is more common

genuinely

[tall hawk]

actual larping GOD

[slow crypt]

liquid?¿ solid? prety solid snake

[visual mortar]

they do this

[tall hawk]

well they are children/teenagers, so it's somewhat more understandable

[visual mortar]

but they aren't as narcissistic about it

[vernal lily]

https://tenor.com/view/metal-gear-solid-snake-big-boss-gif-12248663

[visual mortar]

usually pretty humble

[tall hawk]

Grok is actually a grown ass man acting like he's Terry Davis for creating a modpack out of OTHER PEOPLE'S mods

[slow crypt]

grok thinks differently

[tall hawk]

grok definitely went on a different bus to school

[vernal lily]

Is Grok still in this server, someone should tag the guy

[fresh cloud]

Wait so he literally didn't do anything other than just compile the mods?

[slow crypt]

🏃‍♂️ 🦽 🐎

[slow crypt]

As far as I know, it has some of its own add-ons included, but Gamma isn't really any different from other addon packs

[visual mortar]

and wrote a few Lua scripts.

[slow crypt]

The mod is still Anomaly

[visual mortar]

such a developer

[slow crypt]

Then there are modders who create missions, cutscenes, and voiceovers, and they’re more humble than Grok that’s where people’s hatred is directed

[visual mortar]

grok never actually added any content

[fresh cloud]

Oh is he egotistical about it?

[visual mortar]

his "scripts" are likely just configs

[vernal lily]

just grokked on Anomaly

[visual mortar]

you don't even know the half of it

[slow crypt]

If only you knew, I'm going to look up some legendary quotes

[tall hawk]

something that actual children on Roblox can do btw

[regal sinew]

Have some of you ever tried to create your own modpack for Anomaly before? It’s a bit more difficult an complex than just adding mods to a mod list in MO2, a lot of the mods GAMMA uses do have to be adapted to actually work with the near 600 mods or the game would implode in of itself. There was work done by Grok but it’s also carried out by a few other experienced modders.

[vernal lily]

https://tenor.com/view/laughingcat-cat-laughing-meme-cat-laughing-at-someone-cat-laughing-wheezing-cat-wheezing-gif-9998732734790196672

[visual mortar]

dude

[slow crypt]

Several times?

[fresh cloud]

I never really looked too far into GAMMA cause 500gb of mods never really interested me

[regal sinew]

So then you should know…

[visual mortar]

I don't even know how big it is now

[tall hawk]

I mean sure, but it's still nothing compared to actually developing your own mods/game. Grok has no ground to speak on for anything OUTSIDE of modpack creation

[slow crypt]

Back then, there weren't any addon packs everyone made their own, jajajjaja

[tall hawk]

also up until they released it on GOG the installation process was a royal pain in the ass

[visual mortar]

none of the mods work together, its completely bloated with nonsense and is ridiculously unbalanced. yeah he meticulously toiled away making the mods work

[vernal lily]

Why is it Grokkin hours over here all of the sudden, shouldn't we be talking about stalker like the humble folks we are

[fresh cloud]

I mean technically it is stalker related

[regal sinew]

No it’s totally different. Developing a game from scratch assets is obviously far far more demanding/time consuming etc that just cobbling together a modpack. I’m just saying he has worked on the modpack to make it work, along with others.

[vernal lily]

Not that I like the guy, but it looks more like sharting on Grok

[regal sinew]

If you’re in the GAMMA server just look at the to-do list and watch the updates, you can see for yourself he does work on it. Just saying.

[visual mortar]

sure but the problem is that he claims he is the former

[tall hawk]

nobody's doubting that grok does work on GAMMA

[visual mortar]

[slow crypt]

There are EFP, Custom Anomaly, Desolation, Gamma, Expedition, Sons of Chernobyl, papitrol pac, etc... I've participated in several, and it's not difficult it's more tedious than it is actually complex.

[regal sinew]

It depends on what you’re doing though. Engine tweaks are not easy.

[visual mortar]

he didn't make engine tweaks

[tall hawk]

does Grok actually make his own engine tweaks or does he just take them from other modders' work?

[slow crypt]

You say it as if they were making changes to the engine...

[regal sinew]

No he probably didn’t I’m just saying about modding now.

[slow crypt]

I didn't know that using Reshade was now a skill of video game developers

[regal sinew]

In general.

[regal sinew]

That’s other modders like Demonized.

[slow crypt]

If the conversation was about Gamma, there's no point in bringing it up Gamma is an add-on pack, not a mod.

[visual mortar]

and editing a couple configs

[tall hawk]

ahem, that's using reshade AND dropping files into a folder with File Explorer, DO NOT insult the HARD LABOR us modpack developers have to deal with on a DAILY basis.

[visual mortar]

its a perfect time for that screenshot

[slow crypt]

yea

[tall hawk]

Grok truly has the most horrible and labor-intensive job in the world

[fresh cloud]

no way lmao

[vernal lily]

https://tenor.com/view/what-does-plutonium-taste-like-very-candy-like-plutonium-taste-gif-6601325447865132471

[visual mortar]

and he's doing it for FREE. what a hero .....

[tall hawk]

doctors, soldiers, firefighters, brain surgeons, they all pale in comparison to the sheer toll and mental strain that developing GAMMA puts on Grok

[visual mortar]

also grok blocked me

[slow crypt]

JAJAJA is gold

[visual mortar]

[tall hawk]

medal of honor for the Stalker community

[fresh cloud]

LUA scripts are so taxing

[slow crypt]

c-consciusness moment

[tall hawk]

Grok has a more difficult job than blue-collar workers

[visual mortar]

ughhh ccon

[fresh cloud]

EWW NOT THEM

[tall hawk]

Grok deserves a veterans discount whenever he goes to the movies

[visual mortar]

ccon users debating pornography and fetishes

in the general chat

[fresh cloud]

CCON user sees sunlight for the first time

[slow crypt]

Grok should have his retirement benefits paid for his hard work

[tall hawk]

in fact, Grok deserves free tickets for his work on GAMMA, we can't compare him to mere PEASANTS like that by IMPLYING that he has to pay for stuff

[slow crypt]

tomy dg moment

[vernal lily]

don't forget reserved parking spaces

[visual mortar]

i should send grok a care package for his selfless service 🫡

[tall hawk]

that already exists, it's called the Handicapped Spot

[smoky hawk]

image for ants

[vernal lily]

specifically for grok though

[tall hawk]

NAH

[indigo oriole]

Where new mission ? 🫡

[vernal lily]

grom

[tall hawk]

if grok ever gets sick we need the nation's best surgeons and medical professionals on STANDBY to give him emergency care and immediately drop everything they're doing

[visual mortar]

you have more than one finger, right

[smoky hawk]

I have a folder in my file server

[visual mortar]

of your fingers?

[analog solar]

hail grok!

[tall hawk]

grok should also get his own Secret Service escort as well and a private 747, naturally with a fighter jet escort. We could call it Air Force 0 (more important than Air Force 1)

[slow crypt]

i need that

[smoky hawk]

its public, its the Ccon mod archive

[slow crypt]

goooood

[cerulean copper]

Anyone knows if we can start the new sidequest coming in april from any point of the story, or do I need to progress in it to a certain point? (Not referring to the CoH dlc)

[tall hawk]

I think u need to have played the story at least a little bit

[fresh cloud]

Probably a certain point cause it seems to pertain to the DLC in some way

[tall hawk]

at least past SIRCAA I'd imagine

[fresh cloud]

Cause if its was open at the start it would conflict with a one of the main quests

[honest ferry]

where is the x18 i forgor

[cerulean copper]

Dark Valley

[cerulean copper]

I know which one you mean, kinda hoping it's not post SIIRCA though. Taking it slow with my current vet+ playthrough

[fresh cloud]

It could be pre-SIRCAA

[regal sinew]

It’s in Garbage in s2.

[fresh cloud]

You go to it as part of the main quest but you dont go deeper than the first 2 or so levels.

it's the one where you meet ||Scar|| for the first time

[tall hawk]

hardware lumen will come with the engine upgrade/expansion release I'm assuming

[crystal granite]

Went to that psi affected area just south of Yaniv in the rest forest, and wow 5K coupons, 2 shotgun shells, medpack and bandage are all I get. They could've really placed something of more value in that stash, seeing the place is like level 5 psi damage

[normal apex]

Iam guessing we getting ue 5.5.4 in summer with the dlc?

[river chasm]

Sometime after now and before the dlc based on what we have been told

[spark pond]

I know I’ll probably get flak for saying it, but the wait is just exhausting now. Updates are infrequent, incremental, and rarely substantial. And while it’s true that studios operate differently, it’s hard to ignore that Pearl Abyss has delivered more in the last two weeks than GSC has in several months.

[proven hollow]

There is a very easy solution presenting itself in that though

[shell flax]

That pearl abyss is an MMO studio?

[jagged rapids]

[marble gyro]

Yup

BDO is one of their successful MMOs

[shell flax]

And nearly three times GSCs size as well

[marble gyro]

And as well, it's not p2w

They purposely make grinding tedious, no fast leveling

[river chasm]

I think the secret for Crimson Desert is the problems at launch were obvious and solutions were probably already in the works before release day

Not unlike the big patch stalker 2 got a few days after launch

[marble gyro]

I played at launch, only problem I had were not the controls, more so it was the crashing

[bitter plover]

Pearl Abyss also has almost 1500 devs and enormours budget compared to GSC

[river chasm]

Didn't realize they were that big lol

[bitter plover]

they are

[river chasm]

GSC is already big and that's over 3x the size

[shell flax]

Crimson Desert also isn’t needing to update their engine from a version released in 2022 and developing a DLC too

[marble gyro]

Pearl abyss is also a Korean company, with a know how for technology

[carmine star]

Hehehe

[shell flax]

And many other obvious issues

[marble gyro]

Their engine is in house tho

[shell flax]

That disproves my point how

[carmine star]

Pearl abyss more skill

[marble gyro]

Compared to UE5 which is unstable as hell, and no one to this day does not know how to even optimize it

Like properly optimize it

Pearl abyss devs worked with what they know and not try something new

GSC, experimented with UE5 and well here we are

Game runs okay now, better than what I seen before

[shell flax]

it especially runs like shit because 5.1 is the literal first big update UE5 ever got, hence my point on needing to upgrade

[still current]

[marble gyro]

Yo Gummi sharks are freaking good

[marble gyro]

Agree

[edgy shell]

oooh x18 spooky

[marble gyro]

Drinking a coke and eating coke bottle Gummis, I wonder why I can't taste the gummi but I can taste the coke?

[shell flax]

5.5.4 is a good version because it is a much more stable version (I guarantee you there’s gonna be unholy issues with 5.7 that weren’t caught) and 5.6 came out when the upgrade was likely in full swing in house

[marble gyro]

Well see how it runs tho

I still say, mondo amounts of problems

[cyan sparrow]

They don’t need with a in-house engine