thefrozenpoison

Anyone spent time working with it?

I had a similar experience coming back from a pitched battle wiping out the starving mercenary camp. I was so heavy laden with loot that I couldn't walk more than a few steps before having to stop. While crossing the bridge by the campground, I was attacked by two bloodsuckers and just barely survived. With my armor in tatters and my health nearly extinguished, I continued to limp along toward the Skadovsk. Upon hearing the barking of a pack of dogs, I began making my way up the hill so that I could climb on top of the pipeline. As I made my way down the pipe toward home, I could see the dogs begin to attack bandits on the other side of the field. Now was my chance to make a break for the Skadovsk, and as I neared the boat, sirens erupted a warning of imminent blowout. I got inside, sold the loot, patched myself up and fixed my gear. My balance: 1 ruble. I had a good long laugh, and wondered if I had ever experienced anything like that in another game.

The first game is quite good, and many Stalker enthusiasts consider it the best of the series. I tend to disagree because, like FarCry2, it's the unscripted moments that grab you, often a long period of calm punctuated by some batshit chaos. Sometimes that chaos is something that you witness from across a broad valley through a scope, maybe a bandit gang being swarmed by a pack of bloodsuckers. The first game has the capability of creating those moments, but the economies I mentioned before are so better implemented in Call of Pripyat. Also, CoP introduced the emission, a level-wide release of radioactive energy that kills all who can't reach shelter in time. This feature makes you strongly consider everything in your inventory before you step outside, forces you into close proximity with rival factions also seeking shelter, and plays against the very hoarding mentality that the other mechanics have already instilled in you. If you decide to play the first game I would recommend the Complete mod. It better allows you to repair and sell gear, which I feel is crucial to a Stalker experience. It also gets rid of many of the vanilla game's crippling bugs, and makes the game pretty easy on the eyes too. Misery 2.1 for Call of Pripyat, however, is geared more toward seasoned Stalkers, or people who crave a punishing experience.

I was able to install the Misery 2.1 mod and get it running. It definitely pushes my system, but if you start it at low settings you can graduate up until you reach a happy balance. The weather patterns and atmospheric events are extremely impressive. I have it on high settings (not ultra) and the frame rate has been acceptable. Occasional hitching, but it's a decent trade-off for the level of detail. The mod really earns it's name, as it takes an already demanding gameplay model and adds multiple layers of complexity. It's survival-horror in the truest sense, as hardened economies of currency, health, fatigue, weight, shelter, and satiety, all grind up against one another, the player often being the grist. I really do feel it's one of the finest example of a video role-playing game to date, and my other favorite open-world rpg's like Fallout or Skyrim seem like cartoons in comparison. It's undeniably oppressive, and until recently I could only barely exist within it. I've spent a fair amount of time simply hunting mutated boars and dogs, as the meat/parts have moderate value. The sale of the harvested material is generally sufficient to keep the ammunition stocked, and my own dietary needs met. I don't eat Zone meat. It's irradiated, and that must be treated with drugs or vodka, and vodka's expensive. Unfortunately, so are beans, and canned tomatoes, and every other alternative. There are no easy solutions. If I follow groups of npc stalkers, I have a better chance of surviving encounters with the more dangerous mutants (Bloodsuckers, Controllers, Psuedogiants, Psuedodogs), or rival factions (Bandits, Duty, Mercs). If my npc companion falls in combat, I am right there to loot corpses. Most of the weapons you find are in poor shape, and consequently offer little reward. This game forces you to maintain your equipment which, if allowed to fall into too much disrepair, will be beyond mend. The weight factor versus financial gain must also be considered in light of mutant attacks or radioactive blowouts. You can even modify a backpack, containing a quick release system and gps for retrieval, so that you can drop and run if you find yourself in too much peril. With so much attention being paid to Souls games, I would love for folks who appreciated STALKER: CoP to take another tour of the Zone. You will regret it in the best possible way.

http://denver.craigslist.org/vgm/4072421510.html

I started a new playthrough last night. My number of resident survivors was dwindling and their low morale was causing them to wander off to be devoured. Having already acquainted myself with the game's basic combat, stealth mechanics, and zombie behavior, I was now more able to pay better attention to screen prompts and directions. I was quickly performing some of the most intricate melee techniques that had completely eluded me on my first time through. My favorite was a diving roll toward an infected, popping up behind and pushing him forward into the arms of my npc who tied it up into a full nelson a fraction of a second before I came crashing down on it's skull with a hatchet. Nick and Chris are absolutely correct that the opening to this game is so refreshingly blunted. It's a little like Call of Pripyat, but instead of being dropped in a field and pointed towards a barge, you're staring at another survivor in a life and death struggle with a zombie. The game seems as capable of fostering pure wackiness as our other favorite emergent masters, FC2, Stalker, and GTA.

In short, this is an open-world game that really shows the promise of the genre. Glad to see that someone else is playing it. While it's selling well, no one I know seems to be playing it. Last night I had an extremely rewarding session, despite my dwindling population, and my resource gathering seems to have turned a corner. I did nearly buy the farm defending one of my scavengers in a gas station, but ended up with a couple nice trucks and a bunch of food/materials. While future iterations will certainly improve upon the game, I am loving the hell out of what's there right now.

I'll put on my tinfoil hat and say that this has been in Microsoft's pocket as a direct alternative to Last of Us. Not that it really competes in any conventional way, but I would assume that the last thing Microsoft needs is a paradigm-shifting Sony exclusive whose release immediately precedes an E3 which features both new consoles. I have no doubt that State of Decay's overall story, themes, controls, art, and graphics will be held up as a shining example of what this console generation had to offer. State of Decay is $20, the world is massive and detailed, the story so far seems adequate if not exceptional, and the gameplay is fun. A sequel seems obvious. I'll probably buy another Xbox. Also, J Allard

I played for about an hour last night, and had a great time playing what I can already tell will be to be the sleeper hit of the summer. Base building and foraging combined with great AI and story/dialogue yields the experience that I really wanted from the L4D franchise. Anyone else played yet?

I have a lvl 70 NG+ engineer looking for better gear. Anyone willing to help in running some higher level maps for gear is welcomed!

The Crossing was my introduction to McCarthy, and I'm really glad of it. Blood Meridian is still my favorite, but I certainly welcome anyone who wants to make a case for The Crossing being his best.

While Roadside Picnic is a masterwork in the genre (certainly worthy of it's own cast), considering their association, it would be fun to include Metro 2033 in these discussions. There's certainly more than enough opportunity to include discussions of the games, seeing as how they are great examples of environment as character. Metro tends to the absurd, while Roadside is more of a quiet terror. I enjoyed both immensely. Keep up the great casts.

Playing the beta, and looking for some Thumbs who want to play some multiplayer. It'd be fun to have a party with a full complement of characters. I like the ranged Outlander, but would be down for whatever.

Got in the beta and played for a couple hours tonight. Any Thumbs playing it right now?

I just picked up the combo pkg off Steam, and began familiarizing myself with Arma controls. I'd love to play some DayZ with fellow Thumbs.