STALKER updates

Killzig · Post by **Killzig** » Mon May 26, 2003 11:15 pm

<strong>[ -> N/A]</strong>

Two e3 previews concerning STALKER for your reading pleasure. First up is <A href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/stalk ... 28344.html" target=_blank>GameSpot</a> with their effort:

<blockquote>

The game's plot is most comparable to that of Morrowind in its open-endedness. In the game, you play as a stalker, a mercenary exploring the restricted area around the zone, looking for artifacts. After the meltdown at the plant, strange anomalies have been recorded in the surrounding area. Mutant animals prowl the wilderness, and mysterious pockets of energy have been detected, all of which can kill in strange and gruesome fashion. Your job as the player is to explore the world, investigating the zone to ascertain the origin of these anomalies and devise a way to stop them. You'll also be up against military patrols, as the government has designated the zone a restricted area where intruders will be shot on site. Other NPC stalkers--about 100, according to the developers--will be living in the zone, going about their own lives with a sophisticated AI that will allow them to explore the huge area of the world, create their own alliances, trade with other stalkers, and even carry out quests for the NPC scientists outside the area who are contracting stalkers to bring them artifacts from inside the zone. Very few events in the game are scripted, and it is GSC Gameworld's intention that the game play quite differently for each player. Some stalkers may ignore your presence, some will view you as a threat and attack you, and some may even choose to assist you. With so much open-endedness in the game, the developers are currently planning eight different possible endings, depending on what information you're able to uncover.

</blockquote>

Eight possible endings, sounds interesting. Seems the STALKER marketing team is trying to distance themselves a bit from the shooter genre and paint themselves as the PA morrowind. Good news for our readers. Next up <a href="http://www.gamespy.com/e32003/preview/pc/1002952/" target=_blank>GameSpy</a>...

<blockquote>

One of the key concepts of the game is that all its inhabitants -- the other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, mutants and animals -- all have a life that doesn't involve you. That means as you wander throughout the games 30 square miles, it's perfectly possible you will stumble into someone else's fight. Other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s are after the same thing you are, you see, and will team up. When they meet up with other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, it's guaranteed to be a firefight. If you're smart, you can wait until a victor is decided and then go in with guns blazing at a weakened opponent. The choice is yours. Opposing S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s know all the tricks. They'll go prone to cut down the chances of being hit, take cover and even panic when it seems all is lost. At higher difficulty levels, there's even a danger of other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s finishing the game before you do. There's no real penalty to that except the injury to your pride.

</blockquote>

Hmm, fancy! Thanks to Torm for pointing these out in #STALKER over on IRC.GAMESNET.NET.

Smiley · Post by **Smiley** » Mon May 26, 2003 11:20 pm

Let's hope they handle the open-ness better than bethesda did...
imo, it got a bit too open!

Lunchmeat · Post by **Lunchmeat** » Mon May 26, 2003 11:41 pm

Sweet, between this and HL2 I'll be very busy. Hey and what a coincidence, i just rented the Stalker movie. Maybe I should go watch that now...

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Tue May 27, 2003 7:49 pm

Lunchmeat wrote: i just rented the Stalker movie. ...

is there a chance you could copy it to a CD? I can't get it anywhere... <amazon is too expenisve>

atoga · Post by **atoga** » Tue May 27, 2003 9:29 pm

Lunchmeat wrote:Sweet, between this and HL2 I'll be very busy. Hey and what a coincidence, i just rented the Stalker movie. Maybe I should go watch that now...

'rented'... what?

Mr Carrot · Post by **Mr Carrot** » Wed May 28, 2003 1:47 am

Stalker, the movie........

Lunchmeat · Post by **Lunchmeat** » Wed May 28, 2003 5:25 am

PiP wrote:is there a chance you could copy it to a CD? I can't get it anywhere... <amazon is too expenisve>

Sorry I got it for VHS, wasn't too impressed with it either. It was very boring.

Mr Carrot · Post by **Mr Carrot** » Wed May 28, 2003 6:47 pm

Its a masterpiece of Eastern European Art House Cinema, its not ment to be exciting its ment to pretentious and drawn out, asking lots of questions but not answering any of them and has the obligitary black and white to colour shift.

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Wed May 28, 2003 9:43 pm

Lunchmeat wrote:
PiP wrote:is there a chance you could copy it to a CD? I can't get it anywhere... <amazon is too expenisve>
Sorry I got it for VHS, wasn't too impressed with it either. It was very boring.

so you don't have access to a video-in card and a CD-recorder, do ya?
I could send you an empty CDR, if that's what you need to get it on..

Mr Carrot wrote:Its a masterpiece of Eastern European Art House Cinema, its not ment to be exciting its ment to pretentious and drawn out, asking lots of questions but not answering any of them and has the obligitary black and white to colour shift.

you (evbdy interested) can read my posts bout the book at the Stalker forum here at DAC - I suppose the same things are interesting in the book and in the film - only medium changes.

Mr Carrot · Post by **Mr Carrot** » Wed May 28, 2003 9:57 pm

Ive read the book its available online somewhere and agree with your points, its just people seem to think the film is going to be a super exciting excursion into the zone.

Lunchmeat · Post by **Lunchmeat** » Wed May 28, 2003 11:17 pm

I wasn't expecting it to be exciting, but I wasn't expecting it to be so boring either. It was 2 hours and 40 minutes long, for god's sake. They could've accomplished the same with an hour knocked off of the running time.

The (better) short story seems to be down. I have a copy saved, I could put that up I suppose.

And I have no access or knowledge to a video-in card or how hooking it up to my VCR would work so I really can't help there.