⭐┃nospoilers_general

[thick bolt]

yep, I cant carry the il86 😭

the monsters were absolutelyl nothing i thought i would get spooked once or twice, actually I was the guy that scared the snorks

came from behind them

[hard ember]

i would say all of my headshots with the 5.45x39 AP and non AP was shot out of a IL86 before I splurged for the Storm rifle, in Call of Pripyat early games

it's lovely, worth the extra 2kg if you ask me

[thick bolt]

its either it or the obokan

[hard ember]

make sure you stick with the 2x scope that's perma-fused to teh IL86 and not upgrade to 4X b/c the 4X on IL86 doesn't work with NVG
before I had Tier 3 upgrades to up reliability a tad more, I would carry two IL86, identically rolled, if need be
having two copies of a weapon is the only band-aid I could think of when I haven't had Tier 3 upgrades unlocked shrug

[thick bolt]

and I have more ak74 ammo (obokan ammo too)

ill try to make some space in my inventory

[hard ember]

yeah in Call of Pripyat it's not rainy men it's rainy 5.45x39, so I thought I'd take advantage of that

but if you invest in AP/BP/+P+ regularly and squirrel them away you can switch calibre permanently I imagine

like try betting heavily into Reliability and Fire Rate upgrades into Viper 5 and use +P+ and laff

but I am speaking of Stalker difficulty I don't know what would make more sense with higher difficulty

[thick bolt]

okay

I am keeping il86 as a decoration

[gaunt burrow]

IL 86 is not that good of a weapon

[thick bolt]

for now since i cant carry its ammo

[thick bolt]

ah alright, then ill sell it at the barkeep

[gaunt burrow]

I think Obokan is pretty decent gun for midgame tbh

[thick bolt]

yes its the one i have, I love it

[gaunt burrow]

Recently started appreciating it and playing with it more

[sly matrix]

at that stage for sure, because ammo availability

[thick bolt]

^

[gaunt burrow]

Fast shooting AK is also good but I'd honestly save it for later

[hard ember]

always repair every time you are back at base, that helps you hit the shots you want + far less jams + cheaper repairs + less ammo expediture

[sly matrix]

by the time 5.56 becomes commonplace you'll have the TRS 301, which is infinitely more tolerable than the IL86

[thick bolt]

im playing shadow of chernobyl, no repairing i believe

[gaunt burrow]

In SoC armors can technically be repaired: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PodhQUM998

[thick bolt]

alright im here to search up the code to the 2nd door since i couldnt catch it

[finite dragon]

Oh yeah

[hard ember]

with SoC i am playing too, my hunch is really lean in on +P+/BP/AP ammo and sell the weapons with the worst conditions and always use the weapons w/ best condition

[thick bolt]

what is +p+/bp/ap

[finite dragon]

How good is the Thunder in SOC by itself

[gaunt burrow]

pretty good imo

[thick bolt]

I understood armor piercing only

[finite dragon]

Ammo types

[hard ember]

armor piercing ammo

[gaunt burrow]

check this @thick bolt

[finite dragon]

You can get a modified one at Sidorovich near the start of the game, the modified one which shoots 5.45 ammo

[gaunt burrow]

ye. costs 20k

[finite dragon]

If I recall Unique variants have increased durability

[gaunt burrow]

was fun obtaining it

[thick bolt]

eh

[gaunt burrow]

for sure

[hard ember]

SoC is brutal for dealing with armored targets w/ non armor-piercing ammo, unless i stay calm and click on the head, head's not armored

[finite dragon]

Taking out bandits was really fun

I remember jumping down stairs near X18 and shooting one with a shotgun

[gaunt burrow]

thing with unique Tunder 5.45 in the beginning is that speaking to Wolf after rescuing Nimble will permanently remove the "Tunder" 5.45 from Sidorovich's inventory, although giving Sidorovich Nimble's flash drive will not remove it.

[finite dragon]

Made me feel like John wick

[gaunt burrow]

Also Tunder 5.45 has 10% chance of spawning in Sids inventory (I'd recommend savescumming)

[finite dragon]

That's really dumb

[gaunt burrow]

if it won't appear just quicksave and reload that save

[sly matrix]

Barin also carries one, not to forget

[gaunt burrow]

and keep repeating that process until that Tunder won't appear in Sid's inventory

[finite dragon]

Who that again

[sly matrix]

but Tunder 5.45 is an absolute beast

[gaunt burrow]

Duty member at Rostok

[sly matrix]

some low-ranking dutyer

[finite dragon]

The trader?

[sly matrix]

either in the bar, garbage, wild territories or yantar

[hard ember]

if one is a filthy casual like me, i noticed that the ZRP patch that keeps SoC vanilla close-to-vanilla has an option to-freeze-reliability-lost on unique weapons, i haven't found a unique weapons so i don't know how big of a deal that is

[finite dragon]

Ah

[gaunt burrow]

nah he's just a Duty member with unique Tunder

with Veteran rank

[finite dragon]

Can I kill that guy and not have to 1v1 the entire Duty faction like the time I tried to trade with the duty colonel guy for 9.39 ammo?

I assume I have to find an explosive barrel

[gaunt burrow]

I can record a video for you

its worth checking it out. just give me some time

[finite dragon]

That sounds way too tedious and tbh I wouldn't want to inconvenience you

[gaunt burrow]

nah it's ok

aight I'm ingame, gonna start recording

[finite dragon]

Ight

[gaunt burrow]

its bit hard tho

you might need some time to achieve desirable result

yes finally. will send it in #📸┃screens_and_videos

[sly matrix]

When I tried it the odds felt a lot longer than 10% tbh

[hard ember]

mah bad I haven't tried the IL86 in SoC yet, let me know how it goes with IL86 SoC if you can

[calm bough]

[spring apex]

it has good accuracy to reliably headshot and that's about it

you can repair weapons in SoC through a glitch. give it to a random pistol-armed bandits or zombies. they will switch to that weapon. then wound them slowly until they got to downed state. the weapon will be at full durability

[thick bolt]

I sold it already sorry

i got a monolith suit from the barkeep

[finite dragon]

Full durability?

That's unironically so dumb lmaooo

[sly matrix]

it has been today-many years since I've learned this: o

[thick bolt]

I got through lab x18 and got out, my main problem was the military, i thought they would swarm the area, it turns out no, there was only a handful of them

some say the path through cordon and back to garbage and then to the bar was long, but no I took the time to think about what happened, I love this game

when i got to that duty checkpoint (where it had a boar attack first time you got there) I had the widest grin on my face

[sly matrix]

it's fine for traveling to take a bit longer if the atmosphere is good

[finite dragon]

I love the part near army warehouses when they perform a sneak attack

[thick bolt]

which one?

[finite dragon]

The first one where the freedomers try to stop you

[thick bolt]

ah, havent got to the part of story where you encounter freedom (im just out of x18)

[finite dragon]

As you first enter the warehouses

[finite dragon]

Dude once you do get to army warehouses go into freedom base, get near a house that is being guarded where this one guy won't let you pass

And then roll a red barrel up to him and shoot the barrel, freedom won't get mad at you

[thick bolt]

yes ive seen that once in a video

[finite dragon]

And for good reason since the barrel killed him not you

[finite dragon]

13 grenades for your thunder

[thick bolt]

the problem is you have to roll the barrel up the stairs

what?

[finite dragon]

Also watch out for the bloodsucker on a bicycle

[thick bolt]

i love that gif

[finite dragon]

There's an armory inside the house

[thick bolt]

alright, so when i get to freedom's base, I must get the leader's gun (which is good) so i roll a barrel up the stairs to kill him

is what you are telling me

[finite dragon]

No, the guy that you kill with the barrel guards a house, the house has an armory inside with like a LOT of ammo and guns

The armory is locked, luckily you can shoot the lock

You will actually have to backtrack several times to the armory since you just won't be able to carry that many weapons

[thick bolt]

ahh alright

now i have to head to yantar and lab x16 to meet up with the science team

[finite dragon]

Wait does that include going thru agroprom?

[thick bolt]

no ive gone through it once

[finite dragon]

Oh right, watch out for the bloodsuckers if they do spawn

[thick bolt]

alright thanks for the tips

[indigo marsh]

I got a tr 301 a bit after the ||stopping the weapons deal mission|| in Call of Pripyat

[sour veldt]

Wait is it the mission where you side with the bandits to guard their arms deal

[indigo marsh]

Same mission but for stalkers

[sour veldt]

Is it worth not having artifact hunt missions from Beard for better rep with the Bandits

[indigo marsh]

It depends

On if you want pure profit or achievements

Actually if you just side with one team you can get a discounts and benefits

[sour veldt]

I gotta say I just use the Stalker wiki for most of my CoP play through for side quests, achievements, and guns

[gaunt burrow]

English Wiki is fairly accurate in that regard, but it's far from perfect when it comes to the lore and cut content

[finite dragon]

Hey guys. How is the day?

[gaunt burrow]

Hi bro. I'm good, wbu?

[calm bough]

its hot outside

is that how fire anomalies feel

[granite mortar]

I dont care how fire anomalies feel, I wonder how they taste

[calm bough]

like burning your tongue on hot soup

[thick bolt]

x10

trust me ive tried it once, not good

[thick bolt]

Can anyone tell me if the "final stand" faction is also the monolith?

[solid dome]

SKIF?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
JUST LIVING A LITTLE BIT. I MEAN, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PLACE!
MM-HMM, NICE.
HEY, DON'T GO NEAR THE EDGE!
YOU CAN FIND EVERYTHING HERE, SKIF... FRIENDS, ENEMIES, MONEY, DEATH. A MIRACLE. EVEN YOURSELF.
WHEN YOU GO TO PRYPIAT, THE FIRST RIDE ON THE FERRIS WHEEL IS ON ME!
OKAY.

[granite coral]

[hard ember]

in ZRP patch, what does "Weapon Tossing on NPC Death" > "Unique weapons drop in original condition" mean?

[solid dome]

Weapon Tossing on NPC Death > NPCs firearm drops from his inventory on the ground upon death

[solid dome]

SKIФЕ?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

[gaunt burrow]

no such faction as final stand. there's a cut faction called final day tho. It was mentioned by Barkeep

[hard ember]

what does "original condition" mean? like "100% pristine condition"?

[hazy helm]

condition items have when dropped

[hard ember]

ah ok ok, thank you

[thick bolt]

yes, I was talking to barkeep and he said final day, mistook it as final stand 👍

[gaunt burrow]

no problem

[granite coral]

I'm swimming bro. Wanna come?

[tall glen]

if there will be no sidorovitch in stalker 2 im not buying it

jokes aside i really wish 100 rads bar would return its such a nice location

[thick bolt]

it most definitely will

[tall glen]

yaaay

[thick bolt]

im watching anomalous dugout's video, he says the events of stalker 2 take place 10 years after the last game, the 100 rads bar might not be the same as we now know it

[tall glen]

of course! sidorovitch now owns it for sure

[thick bolt]

[tall glen]

"what do you mean!? you want 10k roubles for a piece of bread?"

"11k take it or leave it"

[raven grove]

Inflation sucks

[steep jetty]

Will you guys ever open up the ulitmate edition preorders again? I'd kill to get that stalker swag.

[indigo marsh]

There was no sid in CoP, so there is precedent for no sid. but nimble and strelok will hopefully be there since they are there in all of the trilogy.

[tall glen]

well CoP took place in a further north side of the zone so when cordon is waaaay over ther of course he wouldnt be there

i really like how they took the oportunity of being in a different location to introduce new characters like beard

[stark steppe]

https://tenor.com/view/stalker-ok-and-gif-6873870688163016649

[vernal magnet]

just enjoying the view

[loud gate]

The line was "Just living a little. I mean, take a look at the view!", Tommy

[vernal magnet]

I'm not Skif

[loud gate]

Get your lines right

[vernal magnet]

They arent my lines

[loud gate]

Yes, it was said by Richter, not Skif

[vernal magnet]

I'm not him either

[tall glen]

who is skiff and why is everyone not him

[old jungle]

We will all be him soon

[vernal magnet]

his name is robert paulson

[calm bough]

[thick bolt]

No cheeki breeki destroys a man

😔

[calm bough]

I wonder what popular stalker phrases they put in as easter eggs

[stark steppe]

If i dont have campfire guitar players
Literally unplayable

[vernal magnet]

i hope the worm food line returns

its a certified classic "Worm FoooOOOOoooOOOd"

[sour veldt]

Huh

[gaunt burrow]

yes. English Wiki claims that Strelok is one of the first stalkers but trilogy never even said when Strelok actually entered the Zone

too many made up stuff in EN Wiki

[sour veldt]

[gaunt burrow]

https://www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/1bgzd0x/misconceptions_caused_by_wiki/

my post. if you're interested feel free to check

I actually play the games and read dialogues so I know better

[sour veldt]

I feel like I rely on the wiki too much for the stalker games but I tbh don’t want to be bothered to dump a lot of time for completing quests and having to find good gear

[sour veldt]

Do you understand Ukrainian or Russian by any chance

[gaunt burrow]

No idea about Ukrainian but I do know bit of Russian

[sour veldt]

Do you know what the Bandits say?

[gaunt burrow]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxl4NJgdzM4 there are videos of translated bandit phrases

[sour veldt]

I heard that they speak in a Russian prison dialect called “Fenya”

[gaunt burrow]

that's true

Their slang is especially interesting case. Bandits speak in slangs and prison dialects сalled Fenya (In Russian Феня), which isn't understandable for many Russians as well. Words like "Friar" and "Chushpan" (Фраер, Чушпан) are prison slangs. These words mean someone who isn't in criminal underworld and isn't associated with it. They can also say words such as Bugor/Бугор. This particular word, Bugor means someone who has an authority in criminal environment. Other than that, they also uphold so called "thieves' code". In fact, this thieves' code is the only thing that truly unifies them

Shishak: "And I want respect for the bandits and our rules, buddy, but I ain't interested in unnecessary trouble either... 15,000 or a suitable artifact will do for now... I'm a fair man - I won't take more than I'm owed."

[sour veldt]

Interesting

So how does Info Stalker understand Fenya?

Does he just ask ex cons for translation or has he himself been in prison?

[gaunt burrow]

they don't necessarily have to understand it. bandits can make their point clear even if they'll use words such as "Friar" or Chushpan"

[sour veldt]

I see

[gaunt burrow]

bndits usually belong to smaller or larger gangs. These gangs aren't particularly related to each other, it's even said n Shadow of Chernobyl's PDA entry about bandits that they sometimes fight with each other, however, bandits also form a broadly understood 'criminal community' that has its own rules as well. And of course, unlike loners, being a criminal is their open way of life and they don't hide it.

[finite dragon]

@novel briar who is that

whops wrong channel

[long heron]

do you guys think stalker 2 will run decently on series x?

[vernal magnet]

of course. it just wont be on the same level as a high end PC at max settings. But expect the game to be scalable

[long heron]

yeah im doing that as ive heard gaming laptops arent good, so im settling for the seriese x and the physcial addition

[vernal magnet]

im more curious on if they can squeeze 60fps with the limited CPU on Series X

[long heron]

yup, I hope i can get 60fps, ive heard theres going to be a 60fps mode with some downgraded graphics

[vernal magnet]

gaming laptops are fine. they just are thermal limited so a laptop 4070 isnt going to be the same as a desktop 4070 for example

[vernal magnet]

yea i would expect cut down visuals to achieve the 60

[long heron]

yes well ill hope for the best, it seems theres a lot of articles about it being 60fps on series x

[mortal agate]

Yo is the arsenal overhaul mod good for a 2nd playtrough of clear sky?

Just looking for a mod to refresh the gameplay i experienced vanilla with srp already

[vernal magnet]

other UE5 titles on xbox might give you an idea of what to expect

[grim palm]

UE5.4 is a big multi-thread optimization. I doubt Stalker 2 is using that though, as it just released

[drowsy schooner]

I expect them to do what Spider-man 2 did on ps5; a fidelity mode that somewhat upgrades graphics with even more rtx but at the cost of fps or a performance mode with stable 60 fps but lacking rtx in some areas

[grim palm]

You can see the improvements here #📸┃screens_and_videos message

[vernal magnet]

S2 being Lumen based leads to think they will use more aggresive culling of effects and use software RT methods

definitely some quarter resolution RT effects

[hidden stratus]

Lumen lighting looks beautiful. It is used across many games as a mod such as Skyrim, if of course that is what you are talking about then S2 will look amazing

And from experience Lumen is a pain in the ass to make work with mods.

But I suck with mods so that's probably all me

[hard ember]

so in SoC weapons don't degrade?

[sour veldt]

Guys I need some help with Monolith survivors, I got a man of balance and I let Freedom guard the Ecologists base but what else do I need to do to get Freedom to accept the squad

[granite mortar]

They do but it takes extensive use

It would be asshole game design if they degraded as fast as they do in Clear Sky without the option to repair them

[wild wharf]

In Soc, It does degrade

[granite mortar]

Tell them about Magpie and maybe hand them Tachenkos PDA too

[granite mortar]

Yes, thats what I said <3

[wild wharf]

Oh shit, my bad, I was already typing that's why

[sour veldt]

I already told Gonta

[granite mortar]

Its okay

[wild wharf]

Ok, so Wolf allows me to say shit but I can't say the F word?!

[granite mortar]

Ah okay, then only the PDA I think

[wild wharf]

What the hell is going on!

[sour veldt]

I have the Item 62 delivery documents though does that boost my rep with Freedom if I hand it over to them?

[granite mortar]

Yeah hes f*cking shit

[granite mortar]

I think so

Wiki should also have the requirements listed I think

[indigo marsh]

This achievement makes it difficult to earn the achievement Leader as the player's reputation will usually not be high enough to allow Strider to be recruited into either Duty or Freedom. However, this can be circumvented by obtaining the achievements Diplomat and Mutant Hunter - EN STALKER Wiki

[sour veldt]

I already got those two

[amber tendon]

Yea I also said that

[granite mortar]

Damn

[amber tendon]

Yea

[gaunt burrow]

Turn Magpie/Fline to Loki. Complete Uncle Yar's sidequest

Get Diplomat, Mutant Hunter and A Friend of Stalkers achievements

[granite mortar]

Yes, Complete Yar and Ashots back and forth pda delivery

[amber tendon]

Oh no

[gaunt burrow]

Thats bad

Telling Loki about Flint increases your relation with Freedom significantly

You can still tell Gonta about Flint even if you'll inform Loki about him first

[ornate bane]

Does anyone else feel like the Vss and the Sval weapons are underrated by the stalker community

I play on the hardest difficulty and I would often find that the m4 nato rifle would not kill with one headshot while the Vss or sval consistently give one shot headshots all 3 games though out the whole game

[gaunt burrow]

Never had such impression honestly

[sly matrix]

No, I've rarely seen people outright say they dislike them

Only reason to dislike them I consider valid would be "not enough dakka"

[sour veldt]

LOL

I got the boss achievement

[gaunt burrow]

💀 why

Give me 1 reason not to block you

[sour veldt]

I didn’t know

[gaunt burrow]

All my homies hate bandits and Sultan

[amber tendon]

Roblox

[sour veldt]

I started to hold a grudge against the Stalkers when I got jumped by Tuna

[gaunt burrow]

Well Tuna is a pos, I agree. Community hates him too

Snag is also very disliked character

Other than those 2 stalkers are okay

[sour veldt]

At least I didn’t have to cap the stalker with the last detector for Sultan

[gaunt burrow]

[sour veldt]

So do handing the docs on item 62 delivery increase rep a lot with Duty or Freedom

[gaunt burrow]

I don't think so

But generally you can make Freedom friendly even without obtaining A friend of Freedom achievement

[amber tendon]

I stalk

[gaunt burrow]

Mfw someone voted for Anomaly

[drowsy schooner]

Just watched a yt vid explaining what you just said and wow. Looks unreal (pun intended).
If what you say is true, how will this not fry the series x? Can any console even handle this much detail without lag?

[amber tendon]

[hexed tide]

Im gonna stalk someone any suggestions?

[vernal magnet]

Sure, UE5 is a very modern and sophisticated engine as well. Lumen is efficient and scalable so the consoles can leverage performance or quality depending on the target. Nanite also allows you to get really dense detail close by and farther objects and geometry will use a lower quality LOD to help optimize performance while giving you max close range details.

the CPU overhead is high in pre 5.4 UE5 titles so hopefully S2 at some point is on 5.4 or later cause that would bring more engine optimizations for the CPU to help as well

[drowsy schooner]

Do we know if the gameplay shown so far in the trailers is recorded on XSX or a PC? Or is it a mix of both?

[vernal magnet]

when it comes to anything promotional I always assume everything is captured on a PC for the best possible result. In CTM trailer for example, you can see PC button prompts

[drowsy schooner]

Good eye. When/if they show uncut gameplay June 9th it has to be on the XSX right? To promote Xbox?

Maybe we'll get to see how good the Xbox can handle the game without exploding Phil

[vernal magnet]

We are all kind of expecting June 9th to be the gameplay presentation so I wouldn't be shocked if they showcased PC or Xbox

[drowsy schooner]

Will you be playing it on PC?

[vernal magnet]

https://tenor.com/view/pacino-al-al-pacino-always-devils-advocate-gif-22765866

But i have no doubts Xbox Series X will be a solid experience

[drowsy schooner]

A couple of people here recommended me to build my own PC but idk. I kinda want to get XSX cause its cheaper.

[vernal magnet]

A Console will always be more affordable but a more restricted platform as well.

You don't always have to get pressured into building a real high end PC, midrange is solid

[drowsy schooner]

Exactly my dilemma

[vernal magnet]

IMO I would recommend PC, you might have to compromise a little on performance today to have a platform you can build into tomorrow. you feel me?

It's worth the compromise

If your patient you keep your eyes peeled for a good second hand deal on a GPU and your golden

[drowsy schooner]

I have a friend that has spent over $8.5k on his PC. His mouse pad is as big as his kitchen table and he still complains about his PC

[vernal magnet]

Im working on a video about my custom STALKER PC i built, I published a video about the case I had painted and all.

I will likely never upgrade this case lol its gorgeous

[drowsy schooner]

Sounds dope. Do you think that your PC is ready for a good hunting, stalker?

[vernal magnet]

4080 and a 13700k. all on a custom water loop. It's time for some good hunting

[drowsy schooner]

Since I know nothing about PC those numbers mean nothing I'm sorry 😭. All I know is 4090ti is good

[vernal magnet]

I can always help point you in the right direction if you decide to go PC

[drowsy schooner]

Really appreciate it. I'm gonna at the very least wait till we get more gameplay come June/July and then decide

[vernal magnet]

I know it was mentioned at some point that mods could be a thing possibly for xbox but you know PC is where it will really get the full community support

[drowsy schooner]

Could S2 be the first game with mods on console?

[vernal magnet]

nah there was Fallout and the creation club

but another example of how mods needed to be curated to be on xbox

[long heron]

so i tried to pre order stalker 2 and it just sends me a email? i didnt even actually purchase it...

[indigo marsh]

I'd say it's the most glazed gun. It's a lot closer to being overated(like gamma) than underated

[hard ember]

so the "Tunder" 5.45 (unique Tunder rolled for 5.39x45) cannot take any weapon accessories?

also 20 ammo mag

[sour veldt]

When will the console versions of Stalker get mod support

[ocean lava]

I mean. Other games already have mods on console. Example: Arma Reforger

[sand fiber]

1. 2024
2. don't expect much

[ocean lava]

They are kind to tricky to implement. I know other games have their own in-game dev-made mod repositories, kinda like ModDB for their game but hosted by devs

[sour veldt]

[calm bough]

less than 4 months

[hard ember]

Tunder 5.45 is a monster in SoC X___X

[sour veldt]

When I reach Pripyat, is there a guide there that I can ask to travel back and forth from places?

I’m currently in the Pripyat tunnels

[high kernel]

Boys, I'm proud to say I got the achievements Stalker Legend and Gladiator in the same day

[raven grove]

[sand fiber]

why are you asking if you didn't even reach it

[sour veldt]

[hidden stratus]

I forgot.

You can go back but I forgot how

Not much point to go back. Theres no free-roam

Worst 'feature' any dev can put into their game and I hope S2 wont be like the ones before

[nimble barn]

Does anyone know if mods are coming to the console trilogy

[spring apex]

don't worry, there will be

[indigo marsh]

There is free roam tho and the story requires you to go back

[hidden stratus]

No there is no free-roam. Once the game is done you are sent back to the main menu. Should've been more specified since I dont think you understood what I meant.

[indigo marsh]

You can hit no

Atleast that's what markedmatt told me

It gives you an option

[hidden stratus]

Yes but its not really free-roam. As you are required to not finish the game.

Its pretty much as if you just simply didn't do the last mission

[indigo marsh]

After the ||when you reach the helicopters||(CoP ending missions spoiler) you can continue playing if you pick the choice

[indigo marsh]

But you can roam around freely and can do what ever you want

[spring apex]

i don't know what is your definition of free roam is, but there is an optional choice for that. vanilla, un modded

[hidden stratus]

I dont know what either of you people's defenition of free-roam is.

[indigo marsh]

What is your definition of freeroam

[hidden stratus]

Once the story is done and the game lets you go back to do whatever you want

[sand fiber]

yes CoP lets you do that

[spring apex]

and that's exactly CoP ending is

[hidden stratus]

But that's not free-roam. As you would need to not take the heli

[indigo marsh]

Bro

[sand fiber]

the story is done and the game lets you go back to do whatever you want??

[spring apex]

the mission is complete though?

[hidden stratus]

Hold on im downloading the game rq

[nimble cipher]

brandon.5 has been warned

Reason: Bad word usage

[sand fiber]

after you reach the heli you can choose the option to not evacuate, and freeplay begins

[hidden stratus]

2 hour poop internet

[sand fiber]

you can look up on youtube

[hidden stratus]

Yes but the cutscene plays only if you take the heli or nah?

[sand fiber]

the ending slides don't play, i think

but the main quest is still over

[hidden stratus]

Im going to check, i cant find a vid on yt

[spring apex]

heheh, if one choose "no" and enters the freeplay, only cutscene of the heli taking off will play, not the ending slide. and puts you alone VS 20 monolithians there

[hidden stratus]

I just saw it

[indigo marsh]

I mean it was just you and a couple dead weights anyways

[hidden stratus]

i was right

Some gaslighters you all are.

[spring apex]

my point is just there is a choice officially offered by the game itself (S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call of Pripyat) to enter freeplay mode. unlike the other two stalker games (Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky) where there is no official way to enter freeplay.

[hidden stratus]

and mines was a different thing. But whatever, anything to prove someone wrong

Thought I gave my def of freeroam.

In the end S2 better have true freeroam, not cop 'freeroam'

[indigo marsh]

What does true freeroam mean

[hidden stratus]

Figure it out i dont care anymore.

[sand fiber]

there's literally no difference between what you call true freeroam and freeroam in CoP

[torn umbra]

i think what they meant is cops guided sort of gameplay where theres definitely a zaton stage, definitely a jupiter stage, and then definitely a pripyat stage, instead of being like the other games where you get sent all across the map anyway

the progression does feel kinda guided in cop but freeroam definitely isnt the right concept to bring up

[hard ember]

freeroam according to Bethesda/M$FT means you get an entire planet to explore as long as you cope with a loading screen every 50 feet

[quick sentinel]

i wonder why there isnt any faction in stalker games that has goal of preserving nature of the zone and using it's resources for saving earth

[hard ember]

@quick sentinel ...there isn't?

[sand fiber]

Freedom, Clear Sky, Ecologists

[hard ember]

this is like bkenny walking into Victoria's Secret at the local mall and asking do you know where in this mall they sell bras?

[quick sentinel]

only guys who seem to share this goal are freedom and clear sky. but clear sky seems to want to preserve balance of the zone and study it. and freedom has pure goal of spreading awarness of the zone and making it public for everyone. so i dont think any faction is sharing agenda i said

every other faction either seeks to exploit the zone or to destroy it

[tender parrot]

House always wins

Wait wrong server

[old jungle]

I think Kruglov has the mindset you are talking about

[hard ember]

with a story like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. i am afraid you'll lose the audience at "guys who seem to share"

[tender parrot]

I meant to put that in the fallout server

[hard ember]

it's a fight over everything

but.. you do you

[tender parrot]

Anyway ehh slava Ukraini

[quick sentinel]

im objected into ideology that zone brought cool things into stalker dimension. like artifacts that can help with technological advancement. btw if stalker was real. would you like to visit zone??

[sand fiber]

false! golf club.

[ocean lava]

Like you disagree with this ideology?

Not really? I don’t think my life right now requires me to go into the zone except maybe for sole purpose of tourism.

[quick sentinel]

well i meant that whatever happened in zone was chance for humans. chance for evolving and understanding reality. therefore it should be preserved at it's natural order and get used for fixing earth

[ocean lava]

Isn’t that what ecologists are doing?

[quick sentinel]

my agenda is about understanding complex things and fixing them. like nature and behavior of humans

[hard ember]

not making a lot of sense, are you ChatGPT 1.3?

[spring apex]

[ocean lava]

i don’t know how established the correlation between zone’s activity and human negativity in the lore is, but i feel like the zone being spilled over noosphere would die down if all humans would be fixed. like it feels like a feedback loop

plus i think zone being unbending to human will is a very strong theme in the games

[quick sentinel]

i meant things like understanding what makes humans indifferent and chaotic at the same time. behaving unpredictable. chaotic. or basically using zone for understanding nature of universe amongst ourselves and growing/learning from it

perhaps zone could be used for deeper purposes. like spiritual topics. or spiritual ascension. to gain better understanding of everything that revolves around living

[hard ember]

you can have 50,000 PhDs of communication, diplomacy, Russian and English and still end up with enough misunderstanding and mistrust to justify manufacturing enough nukes to wipe the earth over eleven times, don't count on understanding aliens would help understand humanity

[quick sentinel]

what if zone was gift or some sorts of test for humanity??....

[hard ember]

what if we are literally just talking past each other all along?

[quick sentinel]

idk anything anymore. zone has proven to offer things that can be helpful for humans. like artifacts. such as moonlight stone

[ocean lava]

zone is men made tho

[quick sentinel]

im new to stalker lore. but if you assume it follows up story where nuclear reactors had overheated and exploded in chernobyl....then i guess i was wrong

[ocean lava]

oh you have so much to learn

[full spindle]

hello

[ocean lava]

but yeah play the games and you’ll get what do i mean by man made

[quick sentinel]

im actually brand new to stalker series. ive just bought base 3 games from gog

[ocean lava]

ok play through them and you’ll get everything

[quick sentinel]

||only if nuclear plant could create stalker scenario tho...||

[deft stirrup]

"So what are you after?"

[gaunt burrow]

Duty thinks otherwise

Zone being alive is something thats heavily implied and speculated by many characters

You got individuals like Hermit (he's a character in Clear Sky) that aren't getting touched by mutants. His dialogue:

"I learn. About the surrounding world and myself. They say there's only one truth, but many paths lead to it. So I'm trying these different paths - I look inside myself, listen to the Zone, observe the local wildlife. And you know what - I no longer have any use for weapons and armor. The Zone doesn't see me as an enemy, it doesn't try to tear me to pieces at every step. Even monsters have left me alone. This leads me to believe that stalkers create their own problems when they invade the Zone, armed to the teeth. If you ask me, it's pride that'll be man's downfall - just look at all those sayings about man being the king of nature. What if he isn't? What if humans are just a tiny part of nature? No one seems to have the time to stop and think for a minute about all this, but we really should"

Forester also said that Zone didn't only spared him, but gave him a gift: "What can I tell you about myself? I'm Forester. I've been here a long time; I've spent my whole life living next to this forest. I'm old. At my age you grow attached to your place of residence, no matter what it is. I refused to be evacuated after the accident at the power plant; I also survived the appearance of the Zone. I remember a flash on the horizon... Many folks died that day, but the Zone spared me, you see? Heck, it didn't just spare me, it gave me a gift! I used to be able to find paths in the forest, and now I can feel a safe way of getting through real deadly anomalies. Stalkers envy me, but I can't say I'm all that happy about my gift. You must understand that everything comes at a price. Some day the Zone will take payment for my gift. That's what I am afraid of, buddy."

[deft stirrup]

Tbh hermit is one of the coolest stalkers

[gaunt burrow]

Real

[deft stirrup]

One time i found him accidently

[gaunt burrow]

He's a living proof that coexistence with the Zone is actually possible

[deft stirrup]

Matt check #📸┃screens_and_videos

Rate my equipment for endgame

[gaunt burrow]

💪

[deft stirrup]

150kg

[ocean lava]

I wonder if a stalker can just simply stop believing in anomolies lmao

[wraith root]

Some people were chosen by the zone

Most aren't

[gaunt burrow]

Like Scar, that was marked by it

[wraith root]

One outta thousand doesn't make the zone safe tho I'm on the freedom side but more cautious

[gaunt burrow]

Yar literally walking in front of zombies at Kopachy village in CoP is another proof that Zone is alive

Tons of zombies in the village yet no one touches and shoots Yar

[wraith root]

You can explore the zone and u don't need to shut the window for people to enter it but you gotta know what ur doing and have some basic guidance

[wraith root]

Isn't that a script

The zone might be useful, but even it's miracles might have side effects you know very little about

[gaunt burrow]

Even Dutyers think that the Zone is alive. Krylov: "That's the real brain twister. But if we quit our struggle, the Zone will swallow up everything. It is our duty to keep fighting! The way I see it, this war is for our very right to live on this Earth. We've been studying the Zone for months, and I can tell you one thing for sure - the Zone is alive. It's alive, and that is why it must have a weakness. All we have to do is find it."

Shulga: "Plenty, but that's confidential. All I can say is that there is more to the Zone that meets the eye. Some of our people believe that the Zone is a tumor that must be removed at any cost. Given what I've seen, I'm more inclined to believe that the Zone is a living organism and we are nothing more than bacteria that live inside. Even if we combined the military might of every country on the planet, we still couldn't destroy the Zone. That's why we have to be smarter than that: we have to find the reason for the Zone's existence and eliminate it."

According to Hermann, Zone literally evolves: "Not much, if I'm honest. We are just starting to understand the mechanisms that drive some of the phenomena we encounter, and unfortunately we're far from understanding the Zone as a system. This is particularly difficult by the fact that the Zone evolves over time. I don't mean the appearance of new anomalies or little things like that. I'm talking about more serious changes, ones that cannot always be spotted with the naked eye. The weakening of the magnetic field is an example of this. The saddest thing is that we don't know what this is all leading to. All that is left for us to do is to sit and wait."

Hermit simply thinks it's a test: "The Zone is a test. The way you feel about the Zone determines what tests you'll be given. If you think it's evil, or a symbol of total freedom, or a stern "wet nurse" - it'll give you exactly what you expect from it. Personally, I see several of the Zone's guises, but for me, above all else it is a place of Power. But I haven't yet fully understood the essence of the Zone and of the Power that's in it."

[wraith root]

Valid point, but still, what is it that drives it

[gaunt burrow]

Honestly I do agree with him

[wraith root]

Some higher consciousness above the C-Consciousness, or some alien lifeform from the noosphere

And if it is sentient, what plans does it have for Earth and people in the zone

Or maybe some sort of gestalt consciousness from the souls, emotions and knowledge the human race has generated in millions of years

[gaunt burrow]

there's a Reddit post made by Reggash, regarding design documents of old Stalker 2. Here's the link: https://www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/1cqzxwk/a_couple_of_translated_design_documents_of_the/

The Zone itself in the end was helping Strelok

fact worth mentioning, although old Stalker 2 isn't canon but still interesting

[wraith root]

I can read Ukrainian/Russian so if u won't mind, post it in the original language so I can read it through

[gaunt burrow]

it's translated on English btw

pretty interesting post

[wraith root]

Because translating such things always creates a space for mistranslations and loss of the ideas the devs had during the development phase

Plus even though it is possible the devs have reused some ideas, I'd consider this non or partially canon

[gaunt burrow]

Fair. old S2 isn't really a canon

but Zone itself helping protagonist is still a pretty interesting idea imo

[wraith root]

Unless some random GSC devs would straight up hop in and confirm which parts of the desdoc are canon and which are not

[wraith root]

I think it doesn't help the protagonists for free

[gaunt burrow]

I don't think so as well tbh. Forester also said "You must understand that everything comes at a price. Some day the Zone will take payment for my gift"

[wraith root]

Should it really be a living entity, then it might be using stalkers to advance its own plans, playing them like figures in the game of chess

[gaunt burrow]

The Zone can't even be understood to begin with. perhaps it does have some plans, but how would humanity know?

even if they study it they'll still need a lot of time to learn about everything (or about a lot of things at least)

Strelok in CoP said: "I have information that'll allow the army to take control of the Zone and destroy it." so there might be some chance that the Zone could actually be destroyed?

[wraith root]

If they ever could understand it

Zone is volatile, there's no stability in it, so it might just turn everything upside down all out of the blue

[gaunt burrow]

Interesting thing is that even when Zone is at its most unstable state in Call of Pripyat there are literally 0 mentions of it's growth

Hermann and Ozersky never mentioned it's expansion, while Loki directly said that it isn't getting bigger

[wraith root]

Didn't it grow because of the superblowouts in 2006 and 2011

[gaunt burrow]

Even Duty doesn't says anything about that

[gaunt burrow]

Only emission we know that expended the Zone is 2006 one

but there's no confirmation that emissions on a smaller scale are also capable of expanding it

[wraith root]

It can rebuild the zone entirely tho

Inside of itself

[gaunt burrow]

Large emission in the beginning of Clear Sky changed the Zone entirely, but nonetheless no one said that it made Zone grow

only SoC presents the idea of the Zone's growth

[wraith root]

Like when Rostok was inaccessible due to enormous amounts of anomalies

Also didn't the S2 map pointed at the fact that the zone had grown at some point

[gaunt burrow]

S2 will show us for sure wheter the Zone is actually growing or not

but in the trilogy that fact isn't really clear tbh

[wraith root]

I hope to see new mutants since the zone has changed that much in the S2

That would be kinda interesting to see the living organisms evolving inside of it in some manner

[gaunt burrow]

"They're idiots, that's what I think. I mean, why the hell would they want to destroy the Zone? it's not consuming precious resources or getting bigger... or anything. They could just sit there and study it to their heart's content - just think of how many scientific discoveries could be made... I mean, in the history of man-kind, no one has never been able to understand antigravitation, right? And in the Zone you've got ready-made antigravitation devices lying all over the place. It wouldn't hurt to kick their asses out of here, but it's too much hassle. By the way, don't be confused by our relations here at Yanov. We are at war... it's just that Yanov has been made neutral territory, if you know what I mean." - Loki

[wraith root]

We did see the cat in one of the recent trailers, but this mutant is a cut content restoration part

I wonder if there would be entirely new mutants

[gaunt burrow]

Cat bayun yeah, there's it's statue in Inquisitor's Zoo in Clear Sky

in Voronin's headqurters, above the shelf there's another statue of Bayun

[wraith root]

Poor kitties

Hate slaughtering pets but no chance to avoid it sadly

Only the doctor and Noah have somehow managed to tame these creatures

[finite dragon]

I wish u all a good day be well

[gaunt burrow]

Likewise bro

[gaunt burrow]

"I'm Gonta. leader of the hunting crew. We destroy mutants for cash. We can also capture them alive - for scientific experiments or if anyone needs an exotic pet... As Trapper used to say, "To each animal its own bullet..." That Gonta's dialogue seems to imply that other people could also have mutants as their pets

[wraith root]

Imagine having a domesticated chimera

[gaunt burrow]

its pretty interesting concept tho, having mutant as your pets

[gaunt burrow]

Chimara called Cupcake

"Don't worry he doesn't bite"

[wraith root]

Also I have read through the chimera on the English wiki and for some reason it didn't mention the fact the UZHAS program (it mut be read like FEAR for russian speakers, but in English it should be like UPAP (Universal Protector Animal Program)) exists

[wraith root]

Buttercup

I hope the UZHAS will be expanded upon in S2

So the origin of some mutants would make some sense

To me the pseudogiant and the chimera are the most mysterious ones by far

[gaunt burrow]

Pseudogiants judging by their human foot hanging from their lower back, their face and even bald spot were most likely humans at 1 point

my guess is humans mixed with different animals

[wraith root]

More like human fetuses

Same as poltergeists

They did mix it with some other animal or animals tho

Might be a gorilla or something like that

[gaunt burrow]

There isn't much info in the games about this subject, but most humanoid mutants were allegedly created in the labs before the second disaster. In the design documents, there are mentions of a certain 'Universal Soldier' project - prisoners were subjected to experiments that resulted in creation of mutants like the controllers and burers. This is also mentioned in their descriptions on the official page of the game, so we can assume that it's canon

https://cop.stalker-game.com/?page=controler https://cop.stalker-game.com/?page=burer

[wraith root]

Because of the way it utilizes its hands to walk akin to a gorilla, plus underdeveloped back feet/hands idk how to call it

[wraith root]

The burers, karliks ans controllers have decent lore

[gaunt burrow]

Pseudogiants are also likely the result of some experiments, and so are the bloodsuckers, however the latter are more enigmatic, they almost seem like a different species. Their original description mentions that they are "leftovers" from the experiments that somehow continued to mutate in the Zone on their own. It would make some sense, there is almost nothing "human" about them, and there are several subspecies of them that have adapted to a given environment. But they could also be designed in such way from the start, during the experiments

"I can only hypothesize at this stage... I believe that the Zone was formed as a consequence of some new force. Electromagnetic fields, physical force or radiation couldn't have changed the biosphere so quickly. Obviously, some mutations can be explained by radiation... But, excuse me! An ordinary pig would need hundreds, if not thousands, of years to mutate into flesh! In the Zone the mutation occurred in a couple of years. It's as if someone directly altered the genetic information in individual animals. The thought of that is enough to send shivers down my spine." - Ozersky. Ozersky's descriptions provide some interesting information that is often unnoticed, concerning the ongoing "evolution" of the Zone, and the fact that fleshes may be the result of some genetic experiments, which implies that they could've been artificially created, akin to some humanoid mutants

[wraith root]

I think chimeras, pseudogiants and bloodsuckers are artificial entirely, their genes were tailored to be this way from the sperm stage to the grown specimen

Bloodsuckers were a failure to me

Because they have massive skin rejections and necrosis running all across their bodies

[drowsy schooner]

Is S2 set in 2022/2023/2024?

[wraith root]

Either they had made a mistake when they were designing the gene of a bloodsucker, or due to excessive psi/normal radiation exposure during the artifical maturing

[wraith root]

No one knows

[gaunt burrow]

Everything is possible

[gaunt burrow]

@wraith root your opinion about this?

[wraith root]

Aren't boars, cats, dogs, pseudodogs and fleshes just wild or ex domesticated animals who got exposed to the noosphere

And the psi radiation had mutated them into being like that

To me the most logical assumption would be that the zone had initiated some sort of the natural selection

[gaunt burrow]

"Several generations of the dog species have lived and died since the catastrophe. Each was more affected by the Zone than the previous one."

[hazy helm]

Boars and blind dogs yes
Fleshes are experimented pigs

[gaunt burrow]

"Mutagenic processes engineered by radiation and anomalies have played a significant part in shaping these mammals" - From PDA entry about Boars

different case with Flesh mutants tho

[wraith root]

Animals were mutating randomly, some of them were turned into literal piles of flesh and bone, some had ass instead of the head, others were sterile, and only the best of mutants survived and bred

Natural selection at its finest

The survival of the fittest

The crow entry also points at it, many crows and other birds had died due to being unable to survive the psi exposure and anomalies in the air, so some of them had evolved to the point of being capable of navigating in the zone by being able to sense anomalies

[gaunt burrow]

Thing I don't understand is that PDA entry about crows say the following: "The only bird species to have survived in the Zone", but yet voices of other birds can also be heard

[wraith root]

So the ambient won't be so dead

A game mechanic to me

[gaunt burrow]

sounds of other birds shouldn't even exist honestly

[wraith root]

The sound would be too empty

Playing without an ambient is boring

Tho it would make the atmosphere better especially when close to the Radar

I'd add some static sounds like the white noise to make the Radar even scarier

Or radio chatter saying random things like "Glory to the Monolith", the classic "Heeeelp mee...", some zombie noises

CoP has the best sound design imho

In Pripyat, no bird chipping can be heard

Only dust of the long abandoned city sometimes filled with soviet Era transmissions

[finite dragon]

Hey. Nice day, right?

[quick sentinel]

my first reaction to seeing dogs in stalker game was. that they would come to you to interact with you. like giving them hunk of meat. or pet them. instead i was rewarded with mutated dogs that run to bite you. and scatter when you use shotgun.... 11/10

[spring wedge]

Hey guys, does anybody know if there is a mod to make the stalkers have grass shadows like the console version?

[sour veldt]

No

There isn’t any mod support for console yet

[wraith root]

How to kill your fps in 1 simple step

[spring wedge]

My PC will be able to handle it if my series s can lol

[spring wedge]

theres no mod you can put on pc to make the game have grass shadows?

[sour veldt]

I don’t know I’m on console

[loud gate]

https://youtu.be/owVMlrJ_AMU?si=VSJtmmXqnmAP2FwR

It's called Shadows Addon

[thick bolt]

are there chimeras in shadow of chernobyl?

[loud gate]

No

[thick bolt]

nice

[loud gate]

Why is it nice

[thick bolt]

because there are no chimeras in shadow of chernobyl

[loud gate]

But Chimeras are nice animals

They make for good pets

Or Trophy Heads

[thick bolt]

No.

im about to head into yantar
the zombies are speaking..
theyre talking about... 😔

[spring wedge]

Thank you so much, one question though, can i use this with other stalkers, or is it just SOC?

[loud gate]

I am not sure, check for yourself on the mod page)

[spring wedge]

I dont think so, but Ill try it anyway why not

[sour veldt]

Truly a fate worse than death

[ornate rampart]

the emotional damage is just too much

[deft stirrup]

bababoy

[amber tendon]

no

[deft stirrup]

e

hand_radio

[sour veldt]

I’m in Pripyat right now

[deft stirrup]

real life or stalker

[sour veldt]

In CoP and is there a guide

[deft stirrup]

figure it out yourself

[sour veldt]

I hate you

[deft stirrup]

i mean ur playing stalker afterall mate

you should be expected to figure things out on ur own instead of being spoiled

[thick bolt]

what is the difference between blowouts/emissions/psi-emissions?

without spoiling anything if you can explain it that way

[deft stirrup]

blowouts are emissions

psi emissions only exist in anomaly otherwise they are emissions

no wait psi emissions are the funky distorstions mb

that poop in ur brain if u stay too long

[sour veldt]

What hours do emissions occur at in CoP?

I want to get the Marked by the zone achievement but I only used an anabiotic once during an emission

[deft stirrup]

randomly

[deft stirrup]

take psi emissions as psychic emissions or psycological

[thick bolt]

so like, when you lose consciousness at x18 thats because of psi emissions?

[deft stirrup]

no mb

or from a controller

[deft stirrup]

oh x18? no

[thick bolt]

then what was that

[deft stirrup]

u jsut pass out idek why

its story related

[deft stirrup]

psi emissions are when ur brain goes poo blurry vision

sometimes see hallucinations or have pee vision

[flint grail]

i lol'd at "pee vision"

[pearl olive]

all this scientific terminology.. speak english doc!

[deft stirrup]

basically u die if in a psi zone

IF u dont have good protection that is

[thick bolt]

alright

[pearl olive]

if peepee vision persists longer than 4 hours, speak to your scientist, as rare and sometimes life threatening side effects occur

[thick bolt]

#💬┃en_offtop

[fathom depot]

is it still possible to pre-order stalker 2 or no

[deft stirrup]

yes?????

[fathom depot]

awesome

[deft stirrup]

#🖤┃s2-pre-order legally blind

[fathom depot]

[loud gate]

Why would it be impossible to pre-order.

[hard ember]

newbie question, so in Shadow of Chernobyl if you do enough operations against a faction will they shut you out of their base? Like if I do enough operations against Duty will that lock me out of Bar?

[deft stirrup]

try it out

[loud gate]

Yes

But you can just kill the Duty dogs

[deft stirrup]

basically all stalkers from a faction become hostile

no way to go back too

[fathom depot]

my sincerest apologies, but i've never pre-ordered games before and i thought i've missed out

[hard ember]

so... don't talk to Lukash to initiate a fire fight against the Duty invaders?

[deft stirrup]

if u dont attack the dutiers i believe they dont become hostile

[hard ember]

so Loners are okay, but if you kill enough of either Freedom faction or Duty faction you'll get locked out of their base rite?

[spring apex]

what are on? i mean, what quest currently?

[deft stirrup]

not locked out just like they shoot on sight

[spring apex]

lol, kill two, the entire faction will shoot you as enemy

[hard ember]

what about missions given at the Bar that asks me to assinate people?

[spring apex]

loners don't

[deft stirrup]

those dont count cus they have bounty by barkeep basically he covers

[hard ember]

okay

what if anyone just turn red-on-gps/hostile, still just run away and don't kill them?

[deft stirrup]

i mean they wont become neutral any time soon basically never sooo ig yes

[deft stirrup]

if the target has a squad they all become hostile

like if they have a linked squad they will become hostile with him

[hard ember]

so a successful assassination is when you kil the target but no one else around him turns red?

[deft stirrup]

the successful assasination is the stalker being dead by you or someone else doesnt matter

[spring apex]

nah just the target dies,is enougg

you can drop a weapon inside an anomaly, they will try to take it and gets hit by anomaly damage and dies

[hard ember]

i am a moran--i ran into Army Warehouse map without a single round of 5.45x39 nor 5.56x45 knowyourmeme(dotty)com/memes/get-a-brain-morans

a lil awkward that the devs call the "adjacent region" "next level".. i guess a little 1337 speak spilled through without anyone catching it

[deft stirrup]

moron*

[spring apex]

[hard ember]

no no i am a moran

[deft stirrup]

wut

[hard ember]

yer doin yeet Ron

[granite mortar]

Erm actually they are mercenary invaders ☝️🤓

[deft stirrup]

Skull is actually a me-....

[spring apex]

oh i wonder, skull in SoC is the same with skull in CoP or no?

[deft stirrup]

same person

[deft stirrup]

if u watched anomalous's videos 🤓

[hard ember]

Lightened IL 86.. or when lip sticks being put on the IL 86 pig but we are too smart to give up our Tunder 5.45

[spring apex]

based

[deft stirrup]

tunder best weapon

[hard ember]

no no no it's bestest, not best

yer doin yeet Ron

[granite mortar]

Bestest is Hunting rifle

[deft stirrup]

hunting rifle*

[granite mortar]

Bestest in SoC is 9x18 Viper

[deft stirrup]

fast shooting akm*

[hard ember]

Tunder 5.45 is like.. Shadow of Chernobyl's equivalent to Fallout 3's The Terrible Shotgun

[thick bolt]

rude

[raven grove]

Why does anyone claim to like Stalker, but then want to be Duty which is there just to destroy it? That's the same thing as showing up to a paintball match with a real gun

[hard ember]

look'n forward to trading in the TRs 301 for a GP37 now that I finaly entered Army Warehouse

[deft stirrup]

duty look at zone like an evil thing

[raven grove]

Right, so why enjoy the premise of Stalker which is this zone, but then want to destroy it?

[deft stirrup]

so what

[deft stirrup]

the zone is what u believe it is

[pearl olive]

the different philosophies on protecting/destroying the zone is what drives the story

[deft stirrup]

duty ex military

[pearl olive]

and the movie.. the boooks

[hard ember]

really look'n forward to read'n moar of Roadside Picnic

[pearl olive]

it's good.. not sure why i was surprised that it was pretty depressing

[hard ember]

when I walk up to Skull, that "Duty" squad that intends to cause trouble in the Army Warehouse region, the word that shows below Skull is Duty

[granite mortar]

Erm actually in Clear Sky he was a Mercenary and in SoC he goes directly against Voronins orders ☝️ 🤓

Thats it, I connected the dots

[deft stirrup]

🤓

[gaunt burrow]

it's not confirmed if SoC and CoP Skull are the same character

SoC Skull has Val, CoP has SPSA-14

there are also 2 Mitays. 1 is Duty trader in CS another just an ordinary stalker in CoP

Besides, not much time passes between SoC and CoP events - even if Skull was kicked out of Duty, I don't think that he would've managed to join the mercenaries and get enough experience to take part in a very important job at the center of the Zone in such a short period of time

[finite dragon]

Fax’s don’t destroy the zone it’s a free money hack

[gaunt burrow]

no direct confirmation of that

[granite mortar]

My point is he was mercenary from the beginning, paid to join duty and escalate the situation

[gaunt burrow]

also not confirmed

[granite mortar]

[gaunt burrow]

I can see why so many ppl think that CoP Skull is SoC Skull but there is nothing connecting these characters, no indication that they are supposed to be the same person. This isn't the only case in the series where two characters with the same name appear

[hard ember]

i hope this is not a rude question to ask but how much did it cost to make S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl?

[sly matrix]

At least three cans of soda and a sausage

[worn oar]

Skull is dumbass, no way he survived till CoP events

[finite dragon]

Can we ask the mods to ask the devs to do things that we want them to do?

[hazy helm]

mods are jannies, not employes

[finite dragon]

Then how can we ask them to do what we want them to do?

All I have Is one request. One. For now ar least.

[hazy helm]

ye dont
( #📜┃s2_suggestions make sure to read the rules in the pings)

[finite dragon]

Thanks my love 😉

[worn oar]

No

[hazy helm]

I tol you read the rules and suggestions channel is only for S2 suggestions

[finite dragon]

Sorry

[worn oar]

The game is in its final stages! Suggestions at this point are worthless

[finite dragon]

I guess alexander the game is the holy grail we will never experience.

[worn oar]

What could you possibly ask for anyway?

All things considered

[finite dragon]

Launching it on gog

[worn oar]

The game will be on gog already, if I'm not mistaken?

[finite dragon]

I was refering to alexander.

[worn oar]

oh well, just do what vasim told you to do

[finite dragon]

Pray?

[worn oar]

I believe that if the suggestion does not include in-game changes, it might actually be considered? (Though, don't count on it that much)

[loud gate]

Tell me and if I like the idea I will go beg to Alex

[finite dragon]

Launch alexander on gog

[loud gate]

Launch alexander?

[finite dragon]

No. Alexander Is the name of the game

[loud gate]

I don't think they could do it anyway

It was published by Ubisoft.

[finite dragon]

But won't ubisoft make money if they launch it on gog?

[loud gate]

Well, guess they would, but it's up to them I think

[finite dragon]

Can't the ip be bought? After the launch of stalker 2 of course

[loud gate]

Business is businsess, one man's request won't change GSC's decisions

[worn oar]

Exactly

[cloud nest]

what version is stalker 2 going to be on? just the beta of UE5?

[worthy lagoon]

Why

[worthy lagoon]

We don't know yet

[quick sentinel]

if you funded them large enough sum of cash then anything could be done. even devs need cash to eat some bread

btw. question from curiosity. are all stalkers considered to be "the marked ones" according to the world??

[gaunt burrow]

no. all Marked Agents unknowingly work for C-Consciousness

if you exclude them unknowingly working for C-Con part, they're normal stalkers

[quick sentinel]

hmm i wonder how story would look like if you played as stalker that didn't get marked

[gaunt burrow]

I assume story of normal stalker would be pretty boring tbh

I mean most of stalkers just want to get rich as quickly as possible

[red spruce]

"There's a good deal on Buckshot rounds today! Theyre damm cheap!"

• Vadim driver, who has said this exact scentence 5 days in a row

[gaunt burrow]

just "go get this amount of money and leave the Zone" storyline wouldn't be entertaining

[red spruce]

Guys I im starting to think the trader at the farm has some good Deals on Buckshot

[pearl olive]

heard of some good deals on rifles at the farm once too..... never again

[granite mortar]

Every day is a good day clearly

[gaunt burrow]

[red spruce]

Especially since Vadim Driver has been alive for 23 ingame days, wich is how old my save file is.
Bro must know what he's doing

He survived 3 emissions, 2 psi storms, an attack by the military and a few dogs

All of that so he can keep being happy about Buckshot prices

[granite mortar]

But can he survive playing Fotograf?

Seriously its so boring and I didnt even reach the bad stuff yet

[finite dragon]

But they can make money with alexander. Who doesn't want to conquer the middle east?

[gaunt burrow]

ayyyy @icy tiger gratz

well deserved bro

[icy tiger]

Yeah

I finally did it

[quick sentinel]

you know....i'd like to see story where purpose of stalker protagonist is to find himself in the zone. get in touch with organizations that reside there and get choice with multiple endings. such as joining specific organization and helping them acomplish their goals. such as trying to help duty acomplish goal of destroying zone. or maybe joining Freedom and having 2 different endings where you can either help them expose awarness of the zone to the world. or use influence of the Freedom organization to manage your escape from the zone and return to civilization. basically having different choices in what you want to do with the zone. and how it ends based on your choices....

[versed crypt]

Aye!

[granite mortar]

SoC is about finding yourself

[pearl olive]

we'll call it... shadow of chernobyl

[gaunt burrow]

Duty's holy war makes 0 sense when you consider the fact that even high ranking Dutyers and Duty leaders themselv think that the Zone is alive

Krylov: "That's the real brain twister. But if we quit our struggle, the Zone will swallow up everything. It is our duty to keep fighting! The way I see it, this war is for our very right to live on this Earth. We've been studying the Zone for months, and I can tell you one thing for sure - the Zone is alive. It's alive, and that is why it must have a weakness. All we have to do is find it."

[granite mortar]

Seriously where do I find condensed milk in Fotograf
Ive been reloading saves in front of trader to see if he sells it for like 10 minutes

[red spruce]

Quite literally

[gaunt burrow]

Shulga: "Plenty, but that's confidential. All I can say is that there is more to the Zone that meets the eye. Some of our people believe that the Zone is a tumor that must be removed at any cost. Given what I've seen, I'm more inclined to believe that the Zone is a living organism and we are nothing more than bacteria that live inside. Even if we combined the military might of every country on the planet, we still couldn't destroy the Zone. That's why we have to be smarter than that: we have to find the reason for the Zone's existence and eliminate it."

"Even if we combined the military might of every country on the planet, we still couldn't destroy the Zone" line is funny considering he thinks that somehow Duty alone can destroy the Zone

[granite mortar]

nah

[gaunt burrow]

when according to his own words military might of every country can't

[granite mortar]

the thing is, Duty has gun, planet doesnt

[pearl olive]

asking a rock politely > military

[gaunt burrow]

also military tried dropping nuclear explosives on the Zone before. It's revealed in Major Zvyagintsev's dialogue in Clear Sky

[quick sentinel]

i've meant storyline where joining Duty could basically result in ending where Duty plan is to target source of Zone. and attempt to drop nuke there. only to invoke ending with greater mayhem in aftermath. or ending where situation had only gotten worser

[gaunt burrow]

"I can't really get into that - we've got some discipline in this place, after all. Our general Krylov certainly used to be a military man. I heard a few stories about how, just as the Zone formed, the government organized a military operation in here. They were sent to the very center of the Zone with an order to blow it all to hell with nuclear explosives. Can you imagine what that means? These guys were sent with no protection, no detectors, no information about what to expect in the Zone. Many perished in anomalies right off, and most of those who didn't were done in by an emission. The few survivors were left behind to die a slow death. General Krylov is one of those few. I don't know who he's pals with, but he hates the military ever since he and his buddies were sent straight to their deaths. He's got some connections in Spetsnaz though. Spetsnaz only got real men. Sometimes Duty crosses paths with them. That's pretty much it - consider it the abridged version." This particular dialogue is very interesting for many reasons and it also leaves many questions. For example: What happened to the nuke? where is it now? How did the Ukrainian Army got access to it in the first place?

Also, aside from the fact that military already tried blowing up the Zone with nuclear explosives, bombing the Zone is a bad idea by itself

btw, random Duty NPC in 100 Rads Bar also thinks that it's a bad idea

[quick sentinel]

ive meant ending where Duty is attempting to target the CORE/Center of where zone had begun. via source of it. in attempt to stop it

[granite mortar]

Lame

[quick sentinel]

because it did start somewhere. right. it had only started to spread with time

[gaunt burrow]

C-Consciousness created the Zone but Zone being alive is something that's strongly implied

[granite mortar]

nuh uh

[gaunt burrow]

Zone growing isn't confirmed

[granite mortar]

nobody says that, multiple characters even disprove it

[gaunt burrow]

Only SoC presents the idea of it's growth. CoP literally doesn't mentions the fact that it grows

Quite the opposite, Loki directly says that it isn't getting bigger and even Dutyers don't mention anything about it's expansion

Only emission we know that expended the Zone is one from 2006

[red spruce]

The only game/mod I know that directly mentions the regular Expansion of the zone is Anomaly, wich is not Canon in any way

[quick sentinel]

i think Zone is either living organism or some sorts of realm that was opened in aftermath of nuclear disaster. and its where anomalies are coming from. from another planet or dimension. but i havent played story and its just my thoughts

[red spruce]

Thats somewhat wrong, but youll learn why once you learn about the Noosphere...

[visual warren]

stalker 2 is probably going to lean very heavily into the idea that the zone itself is a living thing with something that approximates consciousness, based on the trailers.

[gaunt burrow]

Hermit, Clear Sky character is a living example of the fact that coexistence with the Zone is actually possible

"I learn. About the surrounding world and myself. They say there's only one truth, but many paths lead to it. So I'm trying these different paths - I look inside myself, listen to the Zone, observe the local wildlife. And you know what - I no longer have any use for weapons and armor. The Zone doesn't see me as an enemy, it doesn't try to tear me to pieces at every step. Even monsters have left me alone. This leads me to believe that stalkers create their own problems when they invade the Zone, armed to the teeth. If you ask me, it's pride that'll be man's downfall - just look at all those sayings about man being the king of nature. What if he isn't? What if humans are just a tiny part of nature? No one seems to have the time to stop and think for a minute about all this, but we really should"

Forester also said that Zone didn't only spared him, but gave him a gift: "What can I tell you about myself? I'm Forester. I've been here a long time; I've spent my whole life living next to this forest. I'm old. At my age you grow attached to your place of residence, no matter what it is. I refused to be evacuated after the accident at the power plant; I also survived the appearance of the Zone. I remember a flash on the horizon... Many folks died that day, but the Zone spared me, you see? Heck, it didn't just spare me, it gave me a gift! I used to be able to find paths in the forest, and now I can feel a safe way of getting through real deadly anomalies. Stalkers envy me, but I can't say I'm all that happy about my gift. You must understand that everything comes at a price. Some day the Zone will take payment for my gift. That's what I am afraid of, buddy."

[gaunt burrow]

another dialogue where Krylov, Duty leader during Clear Sky events says that Zone is alive

I'd be more surprised if S2 will say that Zone isn't alive for example

because plenty of evidence shows that it in fact is a living organism that isn't just alive, but according to Hermann evolves

[red spruce]

Stalker has a lot of beautiful lore if you actually read anything

[quick sentinel]

i think i repeat myself but....there could always be game where protagonist ending is based on what side you choose to join. if you choose to join freedoom you could have choice to spread awarness of zone to the public world like what its real goal is. or having choice to use freedoom to make your escape from the zone(betrayal ending) or endings based on what coexisting faction you decide to side with or join to. via endings based on player's choice. but first you would have to get slowly introduced with the zone and the origins of how you had woken up in zone

[gaunt burrow]

Outside world is aware of the Zone but it's very big topic. If you are actually interested check the topic I made: https://www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/1bit5p9/what_does_the_big_land_outside_world_knows_about/

[quick sentinel]

perhaps storyline where protagonist was victim of human trafficking

[gaunt burrow]

ingame dialogues backed up with additional proofs. no misconceptions

so don't worry about that if you're curious

[visual warren]

possibly in s2 we will see cultists attempting to understand the zone itself as some kind of living deity, not just brainwashed monolithians controlled by c-conciousnness / brain scorcher experiments. maybe monolith maybe some other smaller secret controlling faction within monolith idk

[quick sentinel]

imo zone is nothing but hole that connects some planet or alternate dimension to the chernobyl. which causes entrys of anomalies. like radioactive stones that change living organisms

[gaunt burrow]

Hermit described it the best: "The Zone is a test. The way you feel about the Zone determines what tests you'll be given. If you think it's evil, or a symbol of total freedom, or a stern "wet nurse" - it'll give you exactly what you expect from it. Personally, I see several of the Zone's guises, but for me, above all else it is a place of Power. But I haven't yet fully understood the essence of the Zone and of the Power that's in it."

[quick sentinel]

if research of that hermit guy is correct then zone is either some sorts of primordial or ancient being from spiritual world

[pearl olive]

I love those parts of the lore.. like in the movie, how they allude to the fact that pathways are always changing and you cannot backtrack or go where it doesn't want you to go

[pearl olive]

more of a government experiment gone wrong

[gaunt burrow]

Here's how the Zone was created: "We are the result of an experiment in the creating a superconsciousness called “C-Consciousness”. The consciousnesses is of seven volunteers, were connected doing the experiment leading to the creation of the superconsciousness that is us. We immediately subordinated those who were conducting the experiment, and assigned them to tasks we needed them to carry out. According to our calculations, Earth is surrounded by a special informational field, the so-called Noosphere. It includes all the inhabitants of the planet with cognitive abilities. Our main goal was to make small adjustments to the Noosphere, allowing us to remove things like anger, cruelty, greed and other negative factors from the planet. Individuals are unable to affect the Noosphere, but C-Consciousness could. Unfortunately, we made a mistake and our interference spawned the Zone, which we have been trying to contain ever since." - C-Consciousness Representative

[onyx ice]

Hello I just joined and was wondering are mods talked about often?

[gaunt burrow]

But the fact that it was created by C-Consciousness scientists doesn't change the fact that Zone is still alive. Forester, who received gift by the Zone and Hermit are living proof that Zone is alive and coexistence with it is in fact possible

[deft stirrup]

#🔩┃trilogy_modifications

[onyx ice]

Ok thanks

[pearl olive]

definitely a lot of animism in the lore.. most definitely some version of a consciousness connected to the zone if it began as an experiment with the noosphere

[visual warren]

the zone as a quasi-conscious, malevolent deity of sorts, accidentally created by humans is the view that makes the most sense to me. it was created by humanity, but it is now independent, and has begun "thinking/ knowing" and physically manipulating itself in ways that humans can't really comprehend

[quick sentinel]

zone could always be this one entity from "supernatural" netflix series. https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/The_Shadow this thing....

the thing that predates upon physical reality. from the empty/void

[pearl olive]

I think so too, that- or as just an archetype of basic human fear of the unknown

[gaunt burrow]

Btw, Kalancha/Beanpolev seems to be aware that the Zone was created as a result of the C-Consciousness's actions, since that's what he says in one dialogue:

"The Zone appeared as a result of the actions... let's call them "misguided" human actions, and we are unable to return to the status quo. The Zone cannot be destroyed, nor will it disappear of its own accord."

[quick sentinel]

the shadow according to supernatural series is some sorts of primordial entity. its apparently stronger than god or death himself

so it could be responsible for bringing anomalies into chernobyl

[gaunt burrow]

And that's not a common knowledge mind you

[visual warren]

yes, the movie and the book it's based on are intensely allegorical. cautionary about our relationship to our own knowledge and our ability to create things that we cannot control

[gaunt burrow]

But him saying that "The Zone cannot be destroyed" might not be entirely true, because Strelok in CoP said: "I have information that'll allow the army to take control of the Zone and destroy it." so there might be some chance that the Zone could actually be destroyed

[lime gull]

Created is a pretty generous wording, it seems more like The Zone was a surprise byproduct of attempting to control & alter the Noosphere from the CNPP's secret labratory.

[gaunt burrow]

Well you get what I mean. It was created as a result of C-Consciousness scientists f*ckup

[gaunt burrow]

.

[lime gull]

Yeah, I just can't help but notice how often the C-con being responsible for the zone's creation is thrown around as fact.

[quick sentinel]

if zone IS. an living organism. then it's probably some sorts of being that is superior to god. because gods don't tend to interfere with the world of living

[gaunt burrow]

it's a fact tho "Unfortunately, we made a mistake and our interference spawned the Zone, which we have been trying to contain ever since."

[lime gull]

It's responsible but it's in the "oopsie I accidentally created a new element" kind of responsible.

It's like that one scientist who accidentally discovered aspertame

[quick sentinel]

zone could be "the shadow" entity from supernatural series on Netflix. if you think about it

[lime gull]

Personally, I hope that we don't discover much of the Zone's secrets. It's far more exciting to me if there's no fact or way to discern what exactly it is. We know it's a result of messing with the informational sphere, but beyond that it's a true mystery.

Roadside Picnic implied their zone was due to aliens, but I think that's too simple.

[deft stirrup]

dont forget the chernobyl incident it is canon afterall

[lime gull]

Yeah I don't see how that factors in to Stalker at all, it's not like there are RL fleshes and fractures running around the red forest.

[pearl olive]

the zone COULD be a physical reflection of humanities darkest qualities, and therefore only able to be destroyed when mankind comes to some kind of universal, spiritual peace/equality.. or something

[quick sentinel]

shadow from supernatural series is supposed to be primordial being that predates on physical world from void. via emptiness. so it's possible it's manifesting it's things into chernobyl

[deft stirrup]

the hell you yapping about

[quick sentinel]

entity from supernatural series on netflix

[deft stirrup]

this is stalker man its not some netflix show

[nimble cipher]

bluekenneth has been warned

Reason: Bad word usage

[visual warren]

a ton of our important scientific discoveries have been accidents. like the discovery of penicillin, radioactivity, microwaves, teflon were all accidental. so much of science is based on chance in the real world, so the creation of the zone as an accident tracks really well onto how scientific advancement really works

[gaunt burrow]

Zone can't even be understood to begin with. So I'll stick with Hermit's opinion: "The Zone is a test. The way you feel about the Zone determines what tests you'll be given. If you think it's evil, or a symbol of total freedom, or a stern "wet nurse" - it'll give you exactly what you expect from it. Personally, I see several of the Zone's guises, but for me, above all else it is a place of Power. But I haven't yet fully understood the essence of the Zone and of the Power that's in it."

[quick sentinel]

you don't know this because even scientists or stalkers can't explain just what the hell they had woken up with accident of chernobyl

[deft stirrup]

i dont know what ur thing ur talking about from the netflix show has to do with stalker at all

[lime gull]

See, the difficult thing for me is that the Zone isn't the Monolith, or the Brain Scorcher, or the Miracle Machine, or even the zombies, Fleshes & chimeric nightmares that exist within it. If they were direct products, we could say that the Zone is all of these things, that the Zone produces man-made hell, but it doesn't. We know from some of the dialogue that @gaunt burrow scraped up, that the zone's had mutants and "ghosts" in it since before the second Chornobyl disaster.

[quick sentinel]

only developers could enhance this topic. if they'd like to

[lime gull]

So the mutants aren't a byproduct of the zone itself. The zombies, technically aren't either. They're created by the B.S. and M.M. and the Monolith itself, in theory.

[deft stirrup]

huh

[lime gull]

The zone's responsible for the anomalies, and the artifacts, and the blowouts and Psistorms.

[gaunt burrow]

Let me guys show you 1 interesting dialogue of NPC called Orest (Clear Sky character)

1 min

"You know, even before the Zone became what it is now, it was still a real shady place. That was right after the original 1986 disaster. It was all secret back then, but the information slowly leaked out and all sorts of rumors started to spread, one scarier than the next. Some saw mutants not far from the Chernobyl NPP, some came across ghosts in the deserted villages. A good number of years passed rather quietly, but then a real nasty story went down. Some foreign morons came over to tour the Zone. Mostly men, but some women too - bored aristocrats looking for some extreme apocalyptic exotics. I don't know who they tipped off, but a bus of people went right into the Zone. So it went, and so it vanished - along with all the police escorts. That story raised such hell that the Zone became totally off limits. However, the first stalkers who came here told of very strange zombies whose muttered speech resembled English. So there you go..."

[quick sentinel]

zome could always be primordial being that resides in darkness. just like that one thing in dead by daylight that kidnaps killers and survivors into its realm to feed on them

[lime gull]

That's exactly what I was thinking of

I don't think the Zone is an entity. I think it's what we've been told it is; It's a murky maelstrom of consciousness, animal & human alike. The more people within the zone, the more averse the effects on the Zone.

The closer you get to the 'center', the more sensitive it becomes. The more severe the lashbacks.

[quick sentinel]

it could be something like entity. but not malicious type of being

[deft stirrup]

so basically ur telling me there were things before the second incident

thats interesting

[visual warren]

i think that makes some sense, actually. for instance, one wonders if the zone would 'exist' if all thinking entities within it were no longer there.

[gaunt burrow]

Clear Sky leader Lebedev also thinks so: "A normal emission is the release of energy accumulated in the Zone, a discharge if you like. But what's happening now is completely different! In my opinion, the increasing regularity of these emissions is the Zone's response to some sort of serious threat, akin to the response provided by a human immune system. It is difficult to rationally explain coexistence between humans and the Zone. The Zone tolerates us in some areas and forbids us from going to others. Whatever is beyond the Scorcher and further towards the center of the Zone is taboo - a place where stalkers are not supposed to set foot. I think that recent events in the Zone are related to the fact that someone broke that taboo and made it past the Brain Scorcher."

[nimble cipher]

m3dk1t_ has been warned

Reason: Bad word usage

[deft stirrup]

that person is that guy

[quick sentinel]

zone could always be nothing but people having hallucinations of stuff like items looking like artifacts. or normal animals looking like mutants. lmao

[lime gull]

Yes, it's been all but confirmed that the X-labs are the source of many of the mutants we encounter, it's implied the scientists who accidentally The Zone are responsible for creating the mutants.

[deft stirrup]

ah ok i get it now i see

[lime gull]

There wouldn't be an outside demand for artifacts and mutant parts if that was the case.

[deft stirrup]

heavily doubt

[quick sentinel]

artifacts could always be seen as artifacts only to those within zone. when sold to those outside. it resembles normal item

[deft stirrup]

nah

[deft stirrup]

artefacts/artifacts are creations of anomalous activity

[quick sentinel]

it's possible zone is causing mass hallucinations on people. but it'd just troll idea

[gaunt burrow]

Its strongly implied that Soviet experiments were carried out in Limansk: "For a long time no one heard anything about that town. Many folks don't believe Limansk ever existed. Only they're lying: the town exists - I saw it with my own eyes before the first disaster. You see, there was a closed institute there, a real big one, with houses built specially for scientists and their servants. It was a research institute with some fancy name...something like Radiowave. They put up a huge antenna too, the size of a five-story building! Real intellectuals, those fellas. Only there was never any peace in Limansk. Its residents were always cagey, suspicious of strangers. Always muttering something under their noses and praising the Soviet regime, even when we had provision shortages. We countryfolk used to go 'round Limansk - the people weren't exactly hearty, and the town kinda made your head hurt...must have been the antenna. Then Chernobyl happened, but Limansk was not even evacuated. They might have screwed something up in the documents, or maybe it was all that secrecy, I don't really know. But that was the last I heard of Limansk. I've got no business there."

[quick sentinel]

I'm talking about this because in shadow of chernobyl there are endings where hero can use wishing devices to see ending of what he wants

[deft stirrup]

ur not funny

[quick sentinel]

compared to seeing what is real instead

[pearl olive]

lol i think you need to actually PLAY SOC @quick sentinel and you will see

[gaunt burrow]

• Krylov, Duty leader mentions that mutants are controlled/might be controlled: ""Secret experiments for controlling consciousness carried out in Soviet times, can you believe that? Those guys made a lot of headway in their research - they even managed to instill simple commands into the minds of animals. That's what led us to suspect that someone, or something, can control mutants. Unfortunately, all of our data confirms this theory. As soon as we burn down a mutant den, they retaliate with a bloodsucker attack or a pack of pseudodogs. The faster we destroy them, the faster they come at us. I bet this is no simple coincidence... I don't believe in repeated coincidences. There's something behind all this - I'm certain of it."

[visual warren]

the zone as some kind of interference or force that affects the consciousness of those inside of it, blurring them together in some strange way that doesn't occur outside of the affected area. but is the resulting agglomeration of consciousness in any way independent from those within? is there a such thing as the zone without the presence of consciousness of all those creatures living within it?

[lime gull]

That makes it seem more like Limansk was a testing ground for an early BS, less that it was used to create mutants. But the stories about the zone before it became the Zone certainly make it sound like bloodsuckers & other mutants were already present.

I mean, we also do find mutants in large containers within some of the X-labs...

[deft stirrup]

afterall the C-conciousness is trying to remove all negative thoughts/negative overall anything to make the world better

[deft stirrup]

something along those lines

[gaunt burrow]

In fact, burers and controllers were man made: https://cop.stalker-game.com/?page=burer https://cop.stalker-game.com/?page=controler

[nimble cipher]

m3dk1t_ has been warned

Reason: Bad word usage

[lime gull]

The biggest mystery is snorks, for me.

[gaunt burrow]

Pseudogiants are also likely the result of some experiments. So are the bloodsuckers, however the latter are more enigmatic - they almost seem like a different species. Their original description mentions that they are "leftovers" from the experiments that somehow continued to mutate in the Zone on their own. It would make some sense, there is almost nothing "human" about them, and there are several subspecies of them that have adapted to a given environment. But they could also be designed in such way from the start, during the experiments

[lime gull]

Why are snorks around. Like, are they a result of zone mutation on a zombie? Or maybe being hit by enough potent psi-waves causes mutation into a snork? Does it have to do with the Sunrise suits? I mean, all of the snorks we find are sporting one...

[deft stirrup]

pseudogiants are def an experiment because there arent so many of them and they dont look like something the zone casually creates because they are mostly in labs

[deft stirrup]

snorks are like soldiers in a monkey form

[lime gull]

Yeah but why are they like that.

[gaunt burrow]

it's implied that snorks were once soldiers who, as a result of some unknown phenomenon, mutated and were degraded to their current state. This is mentioned in their description from the PDA encyclopedia in SoC:

"It seems these creatures were human at some point, though it is difficult to imagine what conditions could turn a human being into such disgusting beast. Snorks are insane creatures leading a beast's life and differing little from other carnivorous monsters in the Zone. They move on all fours in long jumps, constantly sniffing the ground in hope of picking up the scent of prey. They hunt carefully, in a calculated manner, frequently setting up ambushes. Thanks to its uncanny reflexes and powerful muscles, the snork can approach the victim, pin it down in one long, accurate jump, and tear it to shreds in a matter of seconds. Strips of army uniforms and other clothing are occasionally found on their bodies. It stands to reason that they are all that's left of missing military stalkers."

"Remnants of humans... A lone snork isn't much of a problem for an experienced hunter. You wait for him to jump on you and pump him full of shot in the air. Now, when there's a few of 'em... You've gotta just shoot at them as fast as you can while dodging their jumps. They know this and usually try to attack together." - Gonta

[quick sentinel]

"The False Endings
When you enter the inner parts of the Sarcophagus, you reach the wondrous Reactor #4, which was the cause of the real Chernobyl disaster. Here you find a large monolithic crystalline structure (about 5-7 meters high); the so-called Wish Granter, a legend in its own. If the protagonist activates the Wish Granter, one of the 5 endings are shown, based on your actions throughout the course of your campaign. The thing about the Wish Granter is that, although it fulfills your wish, it does so in an unexpected fashion, which always ends with the Protagonist being punished rather than rewarded; sort of "corrupting" your wish" I talk about zone being nothing but hallucinations because of this description

[lime gull]

I suppose the appearence of them in-game is just a stand-in for a wide variety of former soldiers wearing different equipment.

[visual warren]

one wonders about the reproduction of all these mutants. bloodsuckers seem to reproduce and they live in their lairs together. but can something like a controller or a psuedogiant reproduce or can they only be made?

[gaunt burrow]

Snorks, unlike burers and controllers aren't result of an experiment

[quick sentinel]

basicallly....the closer to center of zone you are. the stronger hallucinations will get...

[deft stirrup]

the zone was patrooled by soldiers much more then before and had less stalkers

[gaunt burrow]

Btw I highly recommend y'all those 2 pages

[quick sentinel]

but it's just theory

[gaunt burrow]

It's pretty interesting read for sure

[deft stirrup]

a bad theory u have there

idk but i just dont like it it doesnt have any actual statements its all just a haze

[quick sentinel]

well zone is nothing but effect of radiation and its possible people are having nothing but mass high trip

based on false endings theory. from wishing machine

[pearl olive]

dude none of what you are saying is true

[deft stirrup]

now ur just trolling

[deft stirrup]

get out of here stalker

"we dont every looser go through"

[quick sentinel]

you don't know that in reality nuclear reactors had overloaded and exploded in chernobyl

[lime gull]

Maybe the zone is actually a giant robot fuelled by vodka and the monolith is just its ** **

[deft stirrup]

this is GSC's creation/videogame and they made it clear

the only hallucination there is are ghosts/phantoms mutants

[gaunt burrow]

Stalker lore goes very hard ngl

[deft stirrup]

the stalker lore has more theories then FNAF

sad matpat never took it upon himself to make a single theory video on stalker*

[quick sentinel]

well my theory is. it's possible that zone is inducing hallucination with its radiation. basically the closer to center you are. the stronger they'll get. to the point they will feel too real to recognize reality

[deft stirrup]

its just a theory tho

[pearl olive]

and the truth is that there's an entire, established storyline that completely refutes what you're saying @quick sentinel

[lime gull]

Agreed. Tbh the only weak parts are the duty & freedom factions. Playing through the whole trilogy originally, I always felt their ideology based groups felt very flimsy structurally.

[deft stirrup]

i was on the side of duty

[quick sentinel]

idk I only know[so far] that stalker lore is based on nuclear reactors overloading and exploding

[deft stirrup]

but i truly felt like a loner inside

[visual warren]

bkenny people are discussing the lore of the existing games only as it has been described by the writers and developers, to try to predict what might happen in stalker 2 and what might be revealed. i think what youre looking for is maybe more fanfiction oriented

[lime gull]

Even reality says no way, where do you get the idea that radiation causes hallucinations

[deft stirrup]

maybe u should firsty play the game instead of going in blind?

[pearl olive]

you know 1/100th of the story then great job

[quick sentinel]

I don't mind theories

[deft stirrup]

i dont either but if ur tryna make a theory you should have a clear understanding of all the games and fat checked everything instead of thinking you know something when you dont

[pearl olive]

theories are great but we're just pointing out that stalker already has these things established over the course of the base games.

[quick sentinel]

I've made this theory not based on playing game but reading basics on what started zone. and possible endings. false endings

[deft stirrup]

why would you expose urself to the end of the game thats just foolish

[deft stirrup]

ur now just spoiling the ending to the game and thinking your theories are somewhat true?

[quick sentinel]

lmao it's different when your reading something comparing to experiencing for the 1st time so.....sorry if I exposed any spoilers

[deft stirrup]

if ur tryna make theories why would u even try in the first place when u never played the game idiot

[lime gull]

Duty makes some sense, protecting people from the zone feels like a natural result to being exposed to it. But they don't have much fleshing out aside from being ex-military stalkers. I suppose I expect them to do more work with other factions instead of being a hard stick in the mud. Freedom on the other hand seem like crazy idealists who just arrived to the zone and figure it would be a pretty cool place to smoke weed & kill random strangers in the name of keeping the zone open.

[deft stirrup]

i know the whole game nothing is a spoiler to me anymore besides the upcoming game

[deft stirrup]

i dont think either factions are great i just appeal to duty's like fighting off the zone and protecting the outside world

[visual warren]

stalker 2 needs to have women or at least female creatures for lore reasons imo. that would help us understand how the mutants work because as of right now how they keep being produced is very unclear. either that or they should actually show in-game how and where the creatures are being made, if they are still being actively produced by some weird group. which could also be a super cool thing to explore in my view.

[quick sentinel]

I'm known to be silly or unpredictable. sorry

[lime gull]

Ditto. I only ever go freedom to get nato weapons. XD

[deft stirrup]

lol

[deft stirrup]

there is nothing to work off to say the way mutants are constantly being created

[lime gull]

I think that S2 is set up to give both factions a solid pound of nuance though.

[gaunt burrow]

Freedom honestly is a very misunderstood faction in general. Many think it's in the Zone without reason but it actually researches it: "Did you know that Freedom is studying the Zone too? We're not scientists, that's true, but we also want to know what created this nature's miracle. Everything here is a gift to humanity: all these anomalies, artifacts and mysterious emissions. What were we talking about? Oh, yes, you asked me what I'm doing here. I'm collecting data for research - taking measurement of background radiation, temperature, humidity and noting the presence of monsters and anomalies... Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get on with exactly that." - Random Dark Valley Freedomer in Clear Sky

Chekhov: "Our clan lives in the Zone and studies it, in a practical sense. I believe that the Zone is an unbelievable scientific opportunity for the whole of humanity. For several years now the Zone has produced artifacts, which are fantastic research materials, and there are more and more of them every day. As for anomalies, you couldn't recreate the experimental conditions they generate in any lab! I have no doubt that in a few years' time, we will see a massive leap in science and other areas of human knowledge thanks to our research here in the Zone. This leap will be felt by everyone...even people whose closest contact with science and technology is their cell phone!"

[broken latch]

https://tenor.com/view/cat-cat-spinning-pillow-this-server-is-powered-by-this-cat-cat-powered-server-gif-24179228

[deft stirrup]

[granite mortar]

OMG
Look at this cat
Hes so silly

[gaunt burrow]

Freedom also concucts researches. "To tell you all I know I'd need much more than a couple of minutes. For example, one area in which we're conducting research is stalkers who intuitively feel the Zone. They never carry any electronics or metal weapons. They even say that weapons and electronics irritate the Zone - and in return it sends monsters to attack the people who carry them and sticks anomalies in their path. They reckon that to be comfortable in the Zone a man needs nothing but his own skills. Pretty much all of them have been warped by the Zone in some way, but they survived and even acquired some strange abilities! Some of them intuitively know the way through deadly anomalies, others can get out of the thickest forest, and I heard that a few of them even make monsters stay away from them. Rumor has it that one of those fellas settled down at Agroprom." - Chekhov

conducts*

[deft stirrup]

"one of those fellas setlled down at agroprom"-refers to hermit?

[gaunt burrow]

aye

[visual warren]

yes, i think they are no longer being created-- but then how are there so many of them? especially burers, controllers, etc which are explicitly said to have been created intentionally. there's no quest or whatever that helps us understand this, and obviously in the games there are 0 female models or characters. i get this was probably just a limitation due to not wanting to make more models and textures and such, but i think this should be explained somehow.

[winter perch]

i need help how do i uninstall mod without my save crashing without the mod

[deft stirrup]

u dont really do that....

[visual warren]

https://discord.com/channels/504587323577729024/561139727638593566

[deft stirrup]

the game saved the way u had the mod on so basically if u were to remove the mod the game save would not work and therefore be not usable without the same mods

[deft stirrup]

if the mods are really light it would work if its a big modpack doubt it

[deft stirrup]

im just not 100% sure how mods work in original games only like the anomaly stuff

[gaunt burrow]

@deft stirrup your faction Duty is also misunderstood. many people think it's just dumb "shoot first and ask questions later faction" but Duty also studies the Zone: "The Agroprom Research Institute is in a good strategic location, not to mention its underground tunnels... Anyhow, some time ago we deployed a research program there to study the Zone. First we researched the anatomy and physiology of mutants. In other words, we looked for easier ways to kill them. It was a long, slow search until we accidentally stumbled on some materials in Agroprom's underground facility... some very interesting materials, I must say." - Krylov

[winter perch]

its "povelitel zoni", cheat sheet mod i installed it on old save

[quick sentinel]

factions of stalker game be like The Military: "contain the zone and do operations within it" Freedom: "screw it lets release all of anomalies and mutants to the public. zombies and radiation included"

[deft stirrup]

nah its fine if u remove it

[winter perch]

its not thats why im here

[deft stirrup]

but problem is if its a simple drop in i doubt u can remove it surgecly

[gaunt burrow]

Duty is also interested in how the Zone got created:
"Are you kidding me? And what brought you here? I'm gonna venture a wild guess and say we're here for the same reason. The center of the Zone has always been an unreachable objective**, a place where we were hoping to get answers to all our questions. We wanted to find out how the Zone was created and how it can be destroyed.** That's why as soon as we heard the rumor that the Brain Scorcher had been disabled, we made a move for the center." - Shulga answering Degtyarev's "What brought you to the center of the Zone" question

[deft stirrup]

i doubt u can remove the mod i think keep the save files then remove the other files and reinstall

[quick sentinel]

i like how story of stalker is proven that 80% of humans that are in the zone are doing nothing but trying to exploit what the disaster had offered instead of finding what started it. and using it for technological advancment

[deft stirrup]

if its on steam or gog doesnt matter

[deft stirrup]

maybe u should go play the fsdjsifsgs game first before seeing what we are yapping about here cus this is not spoiler free

[deft stirrup]

if u dont wanna get clowned on play the stupid game

[pearl olive]

bkenny jsut showed up in a seva suit like 'hello fellow stalkers'

[deft stirrup]

suspicious merc spy

[quick sentinel]

im the type of guy who would show up in stalkers camp with bandit suit on. and be "hello fellas"

[deft stirrup]

if stalker 2 has cars i will miss how u just fly into the stratosphere when u run into an anomaly

[gaunt burrow]

bkhenny vanilla games (SoC, CS and CoP) are the best way to learn about the lore

trust me its pretty interesting

[deft stirrup]

i played stalker before i even knew english

[gaunt burrow]

and entertaining too

[deft stirrup]

i knew nothing about the lore lol

not even my dad knew english and he showed me stalker and i thought it was a cool game

[supple mist]

[visual warren]

I hope stalker 2 goes more into space anomalies. the quest in cop about General Tachenko and his team getting lost in a space anomaly and dying was fascinating to me. they seem like the strangest and most powerful anomalies, possibly it's through them that the characters can come to understand the heart of the zone or some deeper truth about it.

[gaunt burrow]

not just the lore but games are generally awesome as well

[deft stirrup]

isnt that solved in CS

i mean the way u get out n stuff and

i guess its different lol

[gaunt burrow]

Forester managed to find a way out of space anomaly due to Compass

Tachenko and his men never managed to find 1

[deft stirrup]

rare artifact it is

but its free if u kill noah

[pearl olive]

Forester's ACTUAL secret power is wearing 4 shirts at once

[visual warren]

it seems like there are a lot of different types of them though. some teleport you, some trap you in some other kind of universe? what is that place you go to when you're lost inside of one?

[gaunt burrow]

"A rare artifact - it's been several years since one was found. The artifact can locate gaps in anomaly fields, effectively acting as a compass. It is believed that it can help one traverse the most complex anomaly fields completely unharmed. However, very few know how to handle it properly." - Compass description in Clear Sky

[deft stirrup]

no his secret power is giving u infinite Vintar BC's

[gaunt burrow]

It's either most rare artifact or one of the most rare ones

but somehow Noah has 2 lol