S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

I made it to Lake Yantar, and I am really getting into this game now. It was very hard at first, but I finally learned that you have to use cover and lean around corners. This isn't the City 17 PD with their scatter guns.

The environments are amazing. Not only are they ten times bigger than anything in any other game, they are a hundred times more detailed. The huge industrial complexes make Half-Life 2 environments look clean and small. I can't believe the amount of detail that is present everywhere. Eventually it just becomes too much to imagine that someone designed it all, and you begin to believe it is a real place.

None of the screenshots I have seen really show what the full environments are like. They are about ten times bigger than anything any of the online screenshots show. In some places there are square miles of broken down industrial buildings.

I found it pretty dissapointing when i was watching how someone played it. Nice environments, not so good gameplay, loading times are real slooooow, a few bugs here and there, bad inventory, ...

Not my style.

I think a lot of people found it frustrating at first - then you sort of slowly adapt to playing it.

In fairness, it is a bit confusing for a noob. However, you soon find yourself merging with the game.

Just a case of saving often.

I must boast - quite blatantly - that I can play it with all the settings cranked up on my 8800 (self-touch) GTX.

I think its a really cool game too, its tactical enough whilst being fun and not too serious. So you can snipe and use cover and die very easily if you try and play like in your generic 3D doom clone shooter.

Things can look a little grey and flat sometimes, but it makes up for that with the ammount of detail.

Sp maybe I should look into this game too? That'll be after I purchase my "time generator" so I can spend more time playing games sob :-(

Loads faster than Doom3 in most cases here, but it may help that I have 2gb of ram though.

Loving the game here also, just wish my vid card was a bit faster as I *need* to have the fully dynamic lighting on, as it just looks gorgeous when in action during a thunderstorm (in the game), the problem is that it's hard on my GF6800 GT, having to run the game at a measly 800x600 for a decent framerate.
(with near everything cranked)

Currently hating the sector of the game I'm in, have to escort this scientist guy who's wearing one of them radiation suits around the place, hard to keep up with him while trying to be aware of my surroundings for no surprises.
(which is hard in STALKER since AI's current thought patterns are not saved apparently, which means they'll take some other route or strategy when it loads, making them unpredictable, and more challenging)

Yeah, there is always something new happening...factions will attack each other, dogs drag carcasses down the road...there's a whole world of interactions happening, and it doesn't care whether you are around to see it or not.

Sometimes I hide in a bush for like hours - not even playing the game (but watching it), and the world just carries on around you.

What ruined it for me was the fences on the side of each zone. Kinda made it linear compared to what I thought it was going to be (something like Oblivion).

Although maybe I should start playing again..

Pity they didnt make it with the oblivion engine, everywhere is segregated with barbed wire fences. At least with the oblivion engine it would have had LOADS of area and no loading.

He's an idiot that scientist guy. Having said that, that level is one of the standouts in terms of creepiness.

Going back to lake yantar later in the game tends to crash it.

Game sounds interesting. I might have to check it out.

I will have to start playing it again, only I got myself into a situation where I was outnumbered and ran out of ammo -.-

Completed it, seen 4 of the seven endings.