STALKER was cancelled and you know it

Mad Max RW · Post by **Mad Max RW** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 7:04 pm

[ Game -> Update ] - More info on <a href="http://wikipocalypse.duckandcover.cx/in ... title=Oleg Yavorsky">Person: Oleg Yavorsky</a> | More info on <a href="http://wikipocalypse.duckandcover.cx/in ... ?title=GSC Game World">Company: GSC Game World</a> | More info on <a href="http://wikipocalypse.duckandcover.cx/in ... .A.L.K.E.R: Shadows of Chernobyl">Game: S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadows of Chernobyl</a>

There's been some rumblings lately, especially since <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gsc-game.com/">GSC</a> and
<a target="_blank" href="http://thq.com/">THQ</a> missed an
appearance at E3 a few months back. They then promised to have a big
demo at Germany's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gc-germany.de/">GC 2005</a>, another extremely shallow and
overblown example of the game industry. Of course they missed that. Now
stores all over the world are dropping preorders, for the first time in
three years neither GSC or THQ can estimate a release, and everybody's
been very quiet overall. Except, not surprisingly, the same old PR guys
(aka yes-men) who know less than you or I. The ever
optimistic <a target="_blank" href="http://stalker.myexp.de/en/index.php">Oblivion-Lost</a> supposedly disspelled all
rumors <a target="_blank" href="http://stalker-game.com/index_eng.html" ... .K.E.R.</a> was cancelled after
contacting said GSC yes man Oleg
Yavorsky.<blockquote>Indeed,
we are planning a later show of the game, and obviously will arrange a
special event for that. I don't know the details yet, but once the
'quiet' PR stage is over, we'll be shouting out loud about it, no
doubt. We are also working out the best steps to take to cheer up the
community a bit.</blockquote>Sounds familiar. Earlier
today THQ got right to the point about these
rumors.<blockquote>"These
rumours are totally unfounded."</blockquote>OK, but
what happened to the multiplayer demo that is a year overdo? Or how
about the groundbreaking "world AI system" which we still haven't seen
or had confirmation it ever existed. Ladies and gentlemen,
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was cancelled and you know it. If
I'm wrong, who can honestly say they're still looking forward to
playing? So many features, including co-op. were cancelled. It's a
shell of a game that doesn't deserve any future attention.

Koki · Post by **Koki** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 9:02 pm

As dead as Van Buren.

QuArK_909 · Post by **QuArK_909** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 9:16 pm

Koki wrote:As dead as Van Buren.

Europa13 · Post by **Europa13** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 10:07 pm

So say we all....

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 11:06 pm

I'm beginning to be interested in the leaked alpha/beta/whatever, so I can see any stalker at all. perhaps sb could leak the multiplayer part of the game that was used at shows etc and sb else could 'release' it in P2P...

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 11:09 pm

The topic should be:

Fan Made Fallout was cancelled and you know it

St. Toxic · Post by **St. Toxic** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 12:55 am

Don't kill the rats in the alpha. Doing so kills the computer, thanks to a million simultanious squeaking noises.

Mad Max RW · Post by **Mad Max RW** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 1:16 am

The alpha is the same tool GSC used to create screenshots. It's more like walking around a cheap Hollywood movie stage than a piece of a game. They posed some creature models, add a few lights, set the camera, and take a picture. Very fake and very disappointing.

Post by **DarkUnderlord** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 1:52 am

VasikkA wrote:Fan Made Fallout was cancelled and you know it

Except people don't know that yet.

Nicolai · Post by **Nicolai** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 8:03 am

Yar, Stalker's DEAD.

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 9:59 pm

Mad Max RW wrote:The alpha is the same tool GSC used to create screenshots. It's more like walking around a cheap Hollywood movie stage than a piece of a game. They posed some creature models, add a few lights, set the camera, and take a picture. Very fake and very disappointing.

fucking great

Shagnak · Post by **Shagnak** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 10:09 pm

PiP wrote:
Mad Max RW wrote:The alpha is the same tool GSC used to create screenshots. It's more like walking around a cheap Hollywood movie stage than a piece of a game. They posed some creature models, add a few lights, set the camera, and take a picture. Very fake and very disappointing.
fucking great

Dang.

Mind you, I have a few hundred megs of gameplay movies, so at this stage we know that the game (whatever state it is in) can do atleast something.

Maybe they were all tightly scripted mini-sections? Who knows. Looked pretty authentic to me.

A_M · Post by **A_M** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:54 am

Shagnak wrote:
PiP wrote:
Mad Max RW wrote:The alpha is the same tool GSC used to create screenshots. It's more like walking around a cheap Hollywood movie stage than a piece of a game. They posed some creature models, add a few lights, set the camera, and take a picture. Very fake and very disappointing.
fucking great
Dang.

Mind you, I have a few hundred megs of gameplay movies, so at this stage we know that the game (whatever state it is in) can do atleast something.

Maybe they were all tightly scripted mini-sections? Who knows. Looked pretty authentic to me.

Or maybe it was just a render, like Killzone2 on the Ps3 presentation ?

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 12:59 pm

Mad Max RW wrote:The alpha is the same tool GSC used to create screenshots. It's more like walking around a cheap Hollywood movie stage than a piece of a game. They posed some creature models, add a few lights, set the camera, and take a picture. Very fake and very disappointing.

You are correct about how screenshots aren't credible indicators of how the development is progressing. Same thing with pre-release screenshots from the new Elder Scrolls or any other game. Screenshots and presentation videos act merely as a visual demonstration of the in-game look.

I do believe they have completed all the locations and objects, as they have stated several times. On the other hand, they've admitted at several instances having difficulties in 'balancing the AI'. This sounds like a serious problem, because developers rarely admit having problems. Level design and construction is relatively easier than creating a seemingly vibrant world run by itself using a sophisticated AI. Of course, this doesn't exclude stability issues or other reasons(lack of funding etc.), but it seems they've been too ambitious in their plans or simply lacked the skills of implementing their designs into the game.

But I guess it doesn't change the fact that STALKER still has no fixed release date. However, I don't see no point in being dishonest about discontinuing the development if that really is the case.

Shagnak · Post by **Shagnak** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 1:11 am

A_M wrote: Or maybe it was just a render, like Killzone2 on the Ps3 presentation ?

Maybe, but I doubt it.

It had interface stuff and everything; one had the player even trading with another stalker.
If I can remember the source I'll post a linky.

Franz Schubert · Post by **Franz Schubert** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 4:08 am

How does a game like this get cancelled? Wouldn't it make more sense to just throw the remains into a box and at least TRY to sell a few?

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:05 am

Franz Schubert wrote:How does a game like this get cancelled? Wouldn't it make more sense to just throw the remains into a box and at least TRY to sell a few?

..and being laughed at by the whole gaming community while getting a reputation of making crappy games to prevent future profits. Sure, why not. I don't think the publisher wants to manufacture and distribute a steaming pile of Ukrainian cow dung.

The sophisticated AI and gameworld was meant to be the backbone of the game and if it isn't working, then it's hard to build a game around it. A FPS must have something 'special' about it to become a profitable game, gameplaywise or graphicswise. Unfortunately the technology train has already passed STALKER.

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:13 am

I want the fucking multiplayer that was tested at some gameshows.

Naked_Lunch · Post by **Naked_Lunch** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 2:40 pm

I want the fucking game I saw in the previews.

ApTyp · Post by **ApTyp** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 2:54 pm

Sounds like an embezzlement scam.