S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Encyclopedia
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter
video game by the Ukrainian
developer GSC Game World
, published in 2007.
It features an alternate reality
theme, where a second nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone in the near future and causes strange changes in the area around it. The game has a non-linear storyline and features gameplay elements such as trading and two-way communication with NPC
s. The game includes elements of role-playing and business simulation games.
The background and some terminology of the game ("The Zone", "Stalker") is borrowed from the popular science fiction
novella Roadside Picnic
by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky and the 1979 Andrei Tarkovsky
film Stalker
that was loosely based on it, as well as Stalker
, the film's subsequent novelization
by the original authors. The term "Stalkers" was originally used for the scientists and engineers who explored the interior of Chernobyl's "sarcophagus" after its hasty construction in 1986.
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the player assumes the identity of an amnesiac "Stalker", an illegal explorer/artifact scavenger in "The Zone", dubbed "The Marked One". "The Zone" is the location of an alternate reality version of the Zone of alienation
surrounding the Chernobyl Power Plant after a second, fictitious meltdown, which further contaminated the surrounding area with radiation and caused strange otherworldly changes in local fauna, flora and the laws of physics. "Stalker" in the context of the film refers to the older meaning of the word as a tracker and hunter of game or guide.
On July 11, 2007, GSC Game World announced a prequel
, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
, which was released on 5 September 2008
. On April 30, 2009, GSC Game World announced a sequel
, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
, which was released worldwide in February 2010
.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. stands for "Scavenger, Trespasser, Adventurer, Loner, Killer, Explorer, Robber".
and partly on the settings of the source novel and film. It encompasses roughly 30 square kilometers and features a slice of Chernobyl extending south from Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant; geographical changes for artistic license include moving the city of Prypiat
into this area (it is actually to the north-west of the power station), although the city itself is directly modeled on its real-life counterpart, albeit smaller in size.
, attempts were made to repopulate the area, primarily with scientists and military personnel. However, in 2006, almost 20 years after the first incident, a second disaster occurred, caused by the C-consciousness (rus. "О-Сознание" which corresponds with "осознание" - "realisation, awareness") program, killing or mutating most of the inhabitants.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. begins years later, after people have begun coming to the zone in search of money, valuable artifacts and scientific information.
Artificial Intelligence of wildlife is highly developed and presents many realistic behaviors, such as fights over food and pack mentality, which can be observed in non-scripted events. The game engine was designed so that animal behavior is calculated even if the player is in a different part of the Zone.
, and his predecessors in the Strugatsky brothers' book Roadside Picnic, test various routes before proceeding. In the film, metal nuts tied with strips of cloth are used.
Anomalies produce Artifacts, the valuable scientific curiosities that make the Zone worth exploring monetarily. As well as being traded for money, a number of Artifacts can be worn so that they provide certain benefits and detriments (for example, increasing a stalker's resistance to gunfire while also contaminating him with small amounts of radiation) although certain rarer Artifacts provide benefits without any negative effects. Artifacts are found scattered throughout the Zone, often near clusters of anomalies.
Radiation caused by the nuclear incidents at Chernobyl occurs in specific invisible patches throughout The Zone. Although most areas in The Zone have no radiation, areas near abandoned construction equipment that was used in the post-accident clean-up, certain military vehicular wreckage and a variety of other locations create fields of radiation of varying intensity and size, some of which cannot be passed through without the proper protective equipment and anti-contaminant agents. In the real world, gas masks, filtration helmets, radiation suits, etc. would be used but in the game world, the equipment is simplified into various sets of armor that have different levels of radiation protection. Additional radiation resistance may be conferred by some artifacts and radiation sickness may be treated by medication or by consuming vodka.
sandbox game. Players are relatively free to explore the world and have many opportunities to interact with other characters.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is primarily an FPS, but also features many RPG elements. The player does not gain additional abilities or statistics like most RPGs, but is instead allowed to use various types of equipment that are either purchased or found throughout the game world. There are a large number of items in the game, so the player has customization choices which are constrained primarily by how much exploring they do.
The game also attempts to blend the story and character interaction which are commonly associated with RPGs. However, unlike RPGs, conversation branches are extremely limited and do not significantly influence the course of the game, aside from accepting or declining missions.
The game does not feature controllable vehicles (although vehicles are programmed in the game code, they are not available without the use of a third party modification,) and thus players are required to go from place to place on foot. A sprint option using a limited stamina bar can be used to temporarily increase the player's rate of movement, though this is reduced by the weight of objects the player is carrying, and weapons cannot be fired while sprinting. It is possible to sprint indefinitely by using artifacts and keeping below a certain weight limit (50 kg); however, it is impossible to sprint with certain weapons (e.g. RPG-7
and SVD)
The game begins with an unconscious, wounded stalker (the player character) being brought to Sidorovich, a black-market trader operating inside the Zone of alienation (or simply "The Zone"). Sid is able to save his life, but the wounded stalker is amnesic
; the only clues to his identity are a tattoo on his arm of the acronym "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." and his PDA
which contains only one entry in the to-do list: "Kill Strelok." The amnesiac stalker is dubbed "Marked One" by Sid.
Marked One repays Sid by performing certain tasks, and in the process receives information about Strelok's possible whereabouts. With no other leads to his past or the cause of his amnesia Marked One follows the information from contact to contact, tracing Strelok's past movements and learning more about his supposed assassination target; as information is uncovered he begins to recover scattered memories. Eventually Marked One follows a lead to a factory in Yantar. Yantar is the home of a Brain Scorcher, a field which effectively destroys the mind of anyone who comes within its range, turning them violent and hostile. Scientists studying the phenomenon determine that it is man-made and recruit Marked One to enter a secret lab underneath the factory to disable it, which he does.
Information taken from a body in the lab directs Marked One to track down a member of Strelok's group named Doc. Attempting to reach him in an abandoned base of Strelok's, Marked One inadvertently triggers an explosive booby trap
and is nearly killed, only to be rescued by Doc. While he is incapacitated Doc speaks to Marked One about the rumor of a giant "Wish Granter" artifact located somewhere in the center of the Zone, but also indicates that Marked One is Strelok, calling him by that name. Before Marked One can recover to ask any questions Doc leaves.
Further leads send Marked One towards the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, where the Wish Granter may be located. However, travel to Chernobyl itself has been all but impossible due to the presence of another, larger Brain Scorcher south of Prypiat, as well as the "Monolith" faction of stalkers who worship the Wish Granter and kill anyone attempting to access it. Marked One makes his way through the forest south of Pripyat and deactivates the second Brain Scorcher, re-opening the path to the abandoned city.
Pripyat is in chaos as dozens of stalkers clash with Monolith forces. Marked One eventually makes it to the Chernobyl facility, also held by Monolith forces. After fighting his way through the opposing stalkers Marked One discovers both the gigantic Wish Granter artifact and a secret laboratory in the building. Inside the heavily defended lab is a large holographic terminal, through which an entity calling itself "C-Consciousness" communicates. It readily answers Marked One's questions, revealing what it is, who Marked One is, and the events prior to his amnesia.
In the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster
, the Soviet Union
decided to use the Exclusion Zone for special research into the human mind. Results included enhanced ESP, psychic weapons, and the eventual formation of a hivemind of seven neurally linked scientists known as the C-Consciousness. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, the self-aware C-Consciousness took control of the Zone and continued its research. It attempted to bring about world peace through global mind control by directly interacting with the noosphere
; however, these attempts resulted in the unintentional twisting of the physical terrain around Chernobyl as well as the mutation of resident life forms, creating the Zone. In an attempt to hide its existence the C-Consciousness created the two Brain Scorcher fields and erected a Monolith artifact - the Wish Granter - in the center of the Zone, which it uses to brainwash any stalkers who reach it; brainwashed stalkers are tattooed with the "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." acronym and reprogrammed to serve the C-Consciousness.
Rumors of the Wish Granter began to spread throughout the Zone. A group of four stalkers (Strelok, Ghost, Fang, and Doc) attempted to reach the Wish Granter, but after encountering the fanatical Monolith faction they were forced to retreat. Strelok was knocked unconscious during a "blowout" while the others were able to escape. On the way back Fang was killed by a sniper in Pripyat; some time later Ghost was killed in the Brain Scorcher control facility under Yantar.
The unconscious Strelok was discovered by the C-Consciousness; unaware of his identity, it reprogrammed him and mistakenly assigned him the task of killing himself. On the way out of the Zone the truck carrying the still unconscious Strelok was destroyed in a lightning storm and he was discovered by another passing stalker, leading into the events at the beginning of the game.
Once the C-Consciousness has finished answering Marked One/Strelok's questions he is given a choice: merge with the C-Consciousness to ensure its continued existence, or stop the C-Consciousness from continuing its experiments. If Strelok refuses to assist the C-Consciousness he is transported to the exterior of the Chernobyl plant, where he navigates his way through teleportation anomalies and armed Monolith soldiers in order to reach the source of the C-Consciousness. Once inside Strelok shoots the encapsulated scientists which form the C-Consciousness.
Afterward Strelok is shown standing in a grassy field, watching the sky as the clouds break and the sun comes out. The Zone is apparently gone. He questions whether or not he made the right decision, but as he lays down in the grass he concludes that while he may never know what was right, he is happy that he survived.
The X-ray Engine is a DirectX
8.1/9 Shader Model
3.0 graphics engine. Up to a million polygons can be on-screen at any one time. The engine features HDR rendering
, parallax
and normal mapping
, soft shadows
, motion blur
, widescreen
support, weather effects and day/night cycles. As with other engines that use deferred shading
, the X-ray Engine does not support multisample anti-aliasing
with dynamic lighting enabled. However, a different form of anti-aliasing can be enabled with dynamic lighting which utilizes an edge detection
algorithm to smooth edges between objects. The game takes place in a thirty square kilometer area, and both the outside and inside of this area are rendered to the same amount of detail. Some textures in the game were photographs of the walls in the developers' studio.
As of patch 1.0003 the X-ray engine supports "surround screen" monitor setups, including a 16:9 native resolution ratio. (Examples include Eyefinity by AMD and Nvidia's own 3D surround technology)
The X-ray engine uses GSC Game World's proprietary ALife artificial intelligence
engine. ALife supports more than one thousand characters inhabiting the Zone. These characters are non-scripted, meaning that AI life can be developed even when not in contact with the player.
The NPC
s have a full life cycle (task accomplishment, combat, rest, feeding and sleep) and the same applies to the many monsters living in the Zone (hunting, attacking stalkers and other monsters, resting, eating, sleeping). These monsters migrate in large groups. The non-scripted nature of the characters means that there are an unlimited number of random quests. For instance, rescuing stalkers from danger, destroying stalker renegades, protecting or attacking stalker camps or searching for treasure. The AI characters travel around the entire Zone as they see fit.
Numerous tactics can be employed to complete the game, such as rushing or using stealth and sniping. The NPCs will react in a different way to each of them. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s NPCs plan ahead by "Goal-Oriented Action Planning" to achieve this.
. Ragdoll physics
, destructible objects, realistic bullet ballistics and skeletal animation
can all be found in the game.
Bullets are affected by gravity, bounced against solid surfaces at oblique angles, and firearms are highly inaccurate when fired without aiming. To score consistent hits at medium or long range, players must aim using the iron sights
on their guns. Additionally, hit damage is pseudo-realistic, and the player can die after only being shot a few times (although later in the game various armor suits and artifacts can be acquired that increase the player's resistance to damage). Late-game depends heavily on scoped weaponry due to the well-armed and armored enemies that keep their distance from the player.
.
s of the game had been released, as well as a dozen preview video clips, accompanied by other forms of promotion by GSC, such as inviting fans to their offices in Kiev to play the current build of the game. However, due to the delays some considered S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to be vaporware
.
In late December 2003, a pre-alpha build of the game was leaked to peer-to-peer file sharing
networks. This build, marked as version 1096, inadvertently acted as a fully functional tech demo
of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s engine, despite its lack of NPC
enemies and fauna.
In February 2005, THQ
expressed a desire to see the game released toward the end of its 2006 fiscal year (March 31, 2006) but maintained that no release date had been set. In October, 2005, THQ confirmed that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. would not be out "until the second half of THQ's 2007 fiscal year - October 2006 at the earliest." In February 2006, THQ revised this possible release window, saying the game would not be in stores until the first quarter of 2007.
In an interview at the Russian Gameland Awards, PR Manager Oleg Yavorsky indicated that release was planned for September 2006.
In 2006, the game came 9th in Wired
's Vaporware '06 award.
THQ ran a competition in January 2007 offering the winners the chance to play the beta version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., in a 24 hour marathon session. The event, scheduled to take place on January 24, 2007, was subsequently changed to a 12 hour session days before it was supposed to occur. On the morning of the event, the winners were met at the venue by the THQ staff that had organized the event, who were embarrassed to report that they had been unable to get any copies of the game. In late February GSC managed to release a public beta. A multiplayer demo was released to the public on March 15, 2007.
On March 2, 2007, it was announced that the game went gold.
At the end of February 2009, due to popular demand GSC Game World released "xrCore" build 1935, dated October 18, 2004. It uses a completely different physics engine with many cut monsters, levels, and vehicles. It was also significantly larger than the retail release. It is however somewhat unstable, but features the full game along with a "fully functional ALife system". It is currently available for free download from the GSC servers and mirrors.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. received generally favorable reviews, with an average critic rating of 83% at Game Rankings
. While the game was praised for its style and depth, other reviewers addressed certain technical issues, mentioning the number of bugs present.
The game design of the Zone was one of the most favored aspects. GameSpot
praised the style and level design, stating "This is a bleak game, but in a good way, as it captures its post apocalyptic setting perfectly", while Eurogamer
called it "one of the scariest games on the PC" going on to say "Like the mythological Chernobyl zone it is based upon, this game is a treacherous, darkly beautiful terrain."
Game Informer
did not find the gameplay particularly innovative, but still complimented the basic FPS design, saying, "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. isn’t the revolution that we all hoped it would be. It is, however, a respectable and sometimes excellent first-person adventure" where as GameSpot called it "one of the best ballistics models ever seen in a game, and as a result, firefights feel authentic as you try and hit someone with what can be a wildly inaccurate rifle".
Upon release, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was criticized for having numerous bugs, especially when used with the then-recently released Windows Vista
. IGN
found the game "tended to stutter quite often, sometimes pausing for three or four seconds at regular intervals, which occurred on two different Windows XP rigs at maximum visual quality," and some cases of game crashing glitches.
Another criticized aspect was the story, which to some reviewers was "incoherent" and which PC Gamer
stated "fails in the specific story of your character".
and more. Other features include an improved A-Life system, a new player interface, a brand-new story and a number of unique characters, two new monsters and behavior and abilities, an extended system of side quests, a sleep function and a free play mode.
, specified that the video game will feature a completely new multi-platform engine, written by GSC itself.
, Roman Glushkov, Viacheslav Shalygin, and Aleksey Kalugin. A third explosion occurs near Chernobyl in 2051, which destroys the Zone of Alienation along with all the mutants. At the same time, four new Zones appear throughout the former nations of the Soviet Union, separated from the rest of the world by spherical gravity Barriers. These Five Zones are filled with new unseen before technogenic monsters and are connected to each other by areas in the center known as portals. New kinds of stalkers band together to fight off staltechs (former stalkers who have been turned into metallic monsters), mechanoids (machines that have been "reanimated" by extradimensional nanotechnology), other stalker groups, and transnational forces from the outside world who seek to make a fortune on new technology.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game by the Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
developer GSC Game World
GSC Game World
GSC Game World is a Kiev-based computer game developer. Founded in 1995 in Kiev, Ukraine, it released titles such as Cossacks: European Wars, American Conquest, Alexander, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat...
, published in 2007.
It features an alternate reality
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
theme, where a second nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone in the near future and causes strange changes in the area around it. The game has a non-linear storyline and features gameplay elements such as trading and two-way communication with NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s. The game includes elements of role-playing and business simulation games.
The background and some terminology of the game ("The Zone", "Stalker") is borrowed from the popular science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novella Roadside Picnic
Roadside Picnic
Roadside Picnic is a short science fiction novel written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky between January 18 and November 3 of 1971. As of 1998, 38 editions of the novel were published in 20 countries. The novel was first translated to English by Antonina W. Bouis...
by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky and the 1979 Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist, theatre and opera director, widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers of the 20th century....
film Stalker
Stalker (film)
Stalker is a 1979 science fiction film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, with a screenplay written by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, loosely based on their novel Roadside Picnic...
that was loosely based on it, as well as Stalker
Stalker (novel)
Stalker is a novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky based on an early draft screenplay for the movie Stalker that in turn is based on a part of their book Roadside Picnic. The novel is quite short and perhaps better described as a Novelette....
, the film's subsequent novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
by the original authors. The term "Stalkers" was originally used for the scientists and engineers who explored the interior of Chernobyl's "sarcophagus" after its hasty construction in 1986.
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the player assumes the identity of an amnesiac "Stalker", an illegal explorer/artifact scavenger in "The Zone", dubbed "The Marked One". "The Zone" is the location of an alternate reality version of the Zone of alienation
Zone of alienation
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of Alienation, or simply The Zone The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of...
surrounding the Chernobyl Power Plant after a second, fictitious meltdown, which further contaminated the surrounding area with radiation and caused strange otherworldly changes in local fauna, flora and the laws of physics. "Stalker" in the context of the film refers to the older meaning of the word as a tracker and hunter of game or guide.
On July 11, 2007, GSC Game World announced a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, is the prequel to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, a first-person shooter video game by Ukrainian developer GSC Game World. The game consists of a roughly 50/50 mix of new areas and old, remodeled areas from the previous game...
, which was released on 5 September 2008
2008 in video gaming
Notable events of 2008 in video gaming. See also history of video games. The release dates listed in this article are the games' original release dates.-Events:...
. On April 30, 2009, GSC Game World announced a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat is the sequel to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, a first-person shooter computer game by Ukrainian developer GSC Game World. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat is the third game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series....
, which was released worldwide in February 2010
2010 in video gaming
The year 2010 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games, including several new titles.-Events:-Game releases:List of games scheduled for release in 2010 in North America....
.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. stands for "Scavenger, Trespasser, Adventurer, Loner, Killer, Explorer, Robber".
Location
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. takes place in an area called "The Zone", which is based on the real-life Zone of AlienationZone of alienation
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of Alienation, or simply The Zone The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of...
and partly on the settings of the source novel and film. It encompasses roughly 30 square kilometers and features a slice of Chernobyl extending south from Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant; geographical changes for artistic license include moving the city of Prypiat
Prypiat, Ukraine
Pripyat is a ghost town near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Kiev Oblast of northern Ukraine, near the border with Belarus....
into this area (it is actually to the north-west of the power station), although the city itself is directly modeled on its real-life counterpart, albeit smaller in size.
History
After the initial Chernobyl DisasterChernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, attempts were made to repopulate the area, primarily with scientists and military personnel. However, in 2006, almost 20 years after the first incident, a second disaster occurred, caused by the C-consciousness (rus. "О-Сознание" which corresponds with "осознание" - "realisation, awareness") program, killing or mutating most of the inhabitants.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. begins years later, after people have begun coming to the zone in search of money, valuable artifacts and scientific information.
Mutants
In keeping with the post-nuclear decay within The Zone, extreme radiation has caused mutations among animals and plants in the area. As such, creatures within The Zone are vastly different from their real-world counterparts (which include dogs, boars, crows and many more). Additionally, some areas of The Zone contain mutated humans, the majority of whom were caught in the second nuclear disaster. Several creatures which are present in the game cannot be enabled without game modification.Artificial Intelligence of wildlife is highly developed and presents many realistic behaviors, such as fights over food and pack mentality, which can be observed in non-scripted events. The game engine was designed so that animal behavior is calculated even if the player is in a different part of the Zone.
Anomalies, artifacts and radiation
As a result of the second Chernobyl disaster, The Zone is littered with small areas of altered physics, known as anomalies. There are several different variations, each one having a unique impact upon those who cross its path. They can be potentially deadly to the player and other NPCs, delivering electric shocks, or pulling them into the air and crushing them. Most anomalies produce visible air or light distortions and their extent can be determined by throwing bolts (of which the player carries an infinite supply) to trigger them. Some stalkers also possess an anomaly detector, which emits warning beeps of a varying frequency depending on their proximity to an anomaly. The guide in the film StalkerStalker (film)
Stalker is a 1979 science fiction film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, with a screenplay written by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, loosely based on their novel Roadside Picnic...
, and his predecessors in the Strugatsky brothers' book Roadside Picnic, test various routes before proceeding. In the film, metal nuts tied with strips of cloth are used.
Anomalies produce Artifacts, the valuable scientific curiosities that make the Zone worth exploring monetarily. As well as being traded for money, a number of Artifacts can be worn so that they provide certain benefits and detriments (for example, increasing a stalker's resistance to gunfire while also contaminating him with small amounts of radiation) although certain rarer Artifacts provide benefits without any negative effects. Artifacts are found scattered throughout the Zone, often near clusters of anomalies.
Radiation caused by the nuclear incidents at Chernobyl occurs in specific invisible patches throughout The Zone. Although most areas in The Zone have no radiation, areas near abandoned construction equipment that was used in the post-accident clean-up, certain military vehicular wreckage and a variety of other locations create fields of radiation of varying intensity and size, some of which cannot be passed through without the proper protective equipment and anti-contaminant agents. In the real world, gas masks, filtration helmets, radiation suits, etc. would be used but in the game world, the equipment is simplified into various sets of armor that have different levels of radiation protection. Additional radiation resistance may be conferred by some artifacts and radiation sickness may be treated by medication or by consuming vodka.
Gameplay
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a non-linearLinearity (computer and video games)
A video game with nonlinear gameplay presents players with challenges that can be completed in a number of different sequences. Each player sees only some of the challenges possible, and the same challenges may be played in a different order. A video game with linear gameplay will confront a player...
sandbox game. Players are relatively free to explore the world and have many opportunities to interact with other characters.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is primarily an FPS, but also features many RPG elements. The player does not gain additional abilities or statistics like most RPGs, but is instead allowed to use various types of equipment that are either purchased or found throughout the game world. There are a large number of items in the game, so the player has customization choices which are constrained primarily by how much exploring they do.
The game also attempts to blend the story and character interaction which are commonly associated with RPGs. However, unlike RPGs, conversation branches are extremely limited and do not significantly influence the course of the game, aside from accepting or declining missions.
Playing area and travel
The Zone is a large and varied area, consisting of wilderness, human settlements, and several heavily guarded military bases. However, the game world is not a true contiguous world, but rather 18 different maps separated by loading screens. Transfer from one area of the Zone to another can only be accomplished at certain specific passageways; a wire fence border blocks players from attempting to cross the map in any other area.The game does not feature controllable vehicles (although vehicles are programmed in the game code, they are not available without the use of a third party modification,) and thus players are required to go from place to place on foot. A sprint option using a limited stamina bar can be used to temporarily increase the player's rate of movement, though this is reduced by the weight of objects the player is carrying, and weapons cannot be fired while sprinting. It is possible to sprint indefinitely by using artifacts and keeping below a certain weight limit (50 kg); however, it is impossible to sprint with certain weapons (e.g. RPG-7
RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
and SVD)
Radiation
When the player enters a highly irradiated area, they will begin to receive radiation poisoning. During this time, a radiation icon appears on the screen and fades through from green to yellow to red, signifying the strength of the poisoning, which grows the longer the player remains present in the affected areas. The stronger the poisoning, the faster the player's health decreases. Unless the player dies from damage caused by radiation poisoning, there are no permanent effects from contracting it other than health loss. However, radiation will persist and continue to drain health until either radiation medication or a substantial amount of vodka is consumed. Radiation can primarily be avoided by wearing certain artifacts that neutralize radiation or more advanced suits that will effectively protect the player from radiation.Hunger
In much the same way radiation works as a gameplay mechanic, the player will occasionally become hungry during their travels. During this state, an icon of a crossed fork and spoon will appear. Logically, consuming in-game food items returns the player state from hungry to not hungry.Bleeding
As with radiation and hunger, bleeding is another state of detriment which the player must try to avoid or manage while playing the game. Bleeding occurs when the player sustains certain kinds of injuries of certain severity (such as being shot or stabbed). The player will lose the amount of health determined by the landed blow and will continue to lose small amounts of health as they hemorrhage. Bleeding can sometimes stop on its own, but the player can prevent further bleeding by applying bandages or using first aid kits, thereby preventing further health loss.Plot
The game offers multiple endings based on the player's choices throughout the game. This section assumes the player achieves the most complete ending.The game begins with an unconscious, wounded stalker (the player character) being brought to Sidorovich, a black-market trader operating inside the Zone of alienation (or simply "The Zone"). Sid is able to save his life, but the wounded stalker is amnesic
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
; the only clues to his identity are a tattoo on his arm of the acronym "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." and his PDA
PDA
A PDA is most commonly a Personal digital assistant, also known as a Personal data assistant, a mobile electronic device.PDA may also refer to:In science, medicine and technology:...
which contains only one entry in the to-do list: "Kill Strelok." The amnesiac stalker is dubbed "Marked One" by Sid.
Marked One repays Sid by performing certain tasks, and in the process receives information about Strelok's possible whereabouts. With no other leads to his past or the cause of his amnesia Marked One follows the information from contact to contact, tracing Strelok's past movements and learning more about his supposed assassination target; as information is uncovered he begins to recover scattered memories. Eventually Marked One follows a lead to a factory in Yantar. Yantar is the home of a Brain Scorcher, a field which effectively destroys the mind of anyone who comes within its range, turning them violent and hostile. Scientists studying the phenomenon determine that it is man-made and recruit Marked One to enter a secret lab underneath the factory to disable it, which he does.
Information taken from a body in the lab directs Marked One to track down a member of Strelok's group named Doc. Attempting to reach him in an abandoned base of Strelok's, Marked One inadvertently triggers an explosive booby trap
Booby trap
A booby trap is a device designed to harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is...
and is nearly killed, only to be rescued by Doc. While he is incapacitated Doc speaks to Marked One about the rumor of a giant "Wish Granter" artifact located somewhere in the center of the Zone, but also indicates that Marked One is Strelok, calling him by that name. Before Marked One can recover to ask any questions Doc leaves.
Further leads send Marked One towards the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, where the Wish Granter may be located. However, travel to Chernobyl itself has been all but impossible due to the presence of another, larger Brain Scorcher south of Prypiat, as well as the "Monolith" faction of stalkers who worship the Wish Granter and kill anyone attempting to access it. Marked One makes his way through the forest south of Pripyat and deactivates the second Brain Scorcher, re-opening the path to the abandoned city.
Pripyat is in chaos as dozens of stalkers clash with Monolith forces. Marked One eventually makes it to the Chernobyl facility, also held by Monolith forces. After fighting his way through the opposing stalkers Marked One discovers both the gigantic Wish Granter artifact and a secret laboratory in the building. Inside the heavily defended lab is a large holographic terminal, through which an entity calling itself "C-Consciousness" communicates. It readily answers Marked One's questions, revealing what it is, who Marked One is, and the events prior to his amnesia.
In the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
decided to use the Exclusion Zone for special research into the human mind. Results included enhanced ESP, psychic weapons, and the eventual formation of a hivemind of seven neurally linked scientists known as the C-Consciousness. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, the self-aware C-Consciousness took control of the Zone and continued its research. It attempted to bring about world peace through global mind control by directly interacting with the noosphere
Noosphere
Noosphere , according to the thought of Vladimir Vernadsky and Teilhard de Chardin, denotes the "sphere of human thought". The word is derived from the Greek νοῦς + σφαῖρα , in lexical analogy to "atmosphere" and "biosphere". Introduced by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 1922 in his Cosmogenesis"...
; however, these attempts resulted in the unintentional twisting of the physical terrain around Chernobyl as well as the mutation of resident life forms, creating the Zone. In an attempt to hide its existence the C-Consciousness created the two Brain Scorcher fields and erected a Monolith artifact - the Wish Granter - in the center of the Zone, which it uses to brainwash any stalkers who reach it; brainwashed stalkers are tattooed with the "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." acronym and reprogrammed to serve the C-Consciousness.
Rumors of the Wish Granter began to spread throughout the Zone. A group of four stalkers (Strelok, Ghost, Fang, and Doc) attempted to reach the Wish Granter, but after encountering the fanatical Monolith faction they were forced to retreat. Strelok was knocked unconscious during a "blowout" while the others were able to escape. On the way back Fang was killed by a sniper in Pripyat; some time later Ghost was killed in the Brain Scorcher control facility under Yantar.
The unconscious Strelok was discovered by the C-Consciousness; unaware of his identity, it reprogrammed him and mistakenly assigned him the task of killing himself. On the way out of the Zone the truck carrying the still unconscious Strelok was destroyed in a lightning storm and he was discovered by another passing stalker, leading into the events at the beginning of the game.
Once the C-Consciousness has finished answering Marked One/Strelok's questions he is given a choice: merge with the C-Consciousness to ensure its continued existence, or stop the C-Consciousness from continuing its experiments. If Strelok refuses to assist the C-Consciousness he is transported to the exterior of the Chernobyl plant, where he navigates his way through teleportation anomalies and armed Monolith soldiers in order to reach the source of the C-Consciousness. Once inside Strelok shoots the encapsulated scientists which form the C-Consciousness.
Afterward Strelok is shown standing in a grassy field, watching the sky as the clouds break and the sun comes out. The Zone is apparently gone. He questions whether or not he made the right decision, but as he lays down in the grass he concludes that while he may never know what was right, he is happy that he survived.
X-ray graphics engine
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
8.1/9 Shader Model
Shader
In the field of computer graphics, a shader is a computer program that is used primarily to calculate rendering effects on graphics hardware with a high degree of flexibility...
3.0 graphics engine. Up to a million polygons can be on-screen at any one time. The engine features HDR rendering
High dynamic range rendering
In 3D computer graphics, high dynamic range rendering , also known as high dynamic range lighting, is the rendering of computer graphics scenes by using lighting calculations done in a larger dynamic range. This allows preservation of details that may be lost due to limiting contrast ratios...
, parallax
Parallax mapping
Parallax mapping is an enhancement of the bump mapping or normal mapping techniques applied to textures in 3D rendering applications such as video games...
and normal mapping
Normal mapping
In 3D computer graphics, normal mapping, or "Dot3 bump mapping", is a technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents. It is used to add details without using more polygons. A common use of this technique is to greatly enhance the appearance and details of a low polygon model by...
, soft shadows
Umbra
The umbra, penumbra and antumbra are the names given to three distinct parts of a shadow, created by any light source. For a point source only the umbra is cast.These names are most often used to refer to the shadows cast by celestial bodies....
, motion blur
Motion blur
Motion blur is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a still image or a sequence of images such as a movie or animation. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single frame, either due to rapid movement or long exposure.- Photography :When a camera...
, widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
support, weather effects and day/night cycles. As with other engines that use deferred shading
Deferred shading
In computer graphics, deferred shading is a three dimensional shading technique in which the result of a shading algorithm is calculated by dividing it into smaller parts that are written to intermediate buffer storage to be combined later, instead of immediately writing the shader result to the...
, the X-ray Engine does not support multisample anti-aliasing
Multisample Anti-Aliasing
Multisample anti-aliasing is a type of anti-aliasing, a technique used in computer graphics to improve image quality.- Definition :The term generally refers to a special case of supersampling. Initial implementations of full-scene anti-aliasing worked conceptually by simply rendering a scene at a...
with dynamic lighting enabled. However, a different form of anti-aliasing can be enabled with dynamic lighting which utilizes an edge detection
Edge detection
Edge detection is a fundamental tool in image processing and computer vision, particularly in the areas of feature detection and feature extraction, which aim at identifying points in a digital image at which the image brightness changes sharply or, more formally, has discontinuities...
algorithm to smooth edges between objects. The game takes place in a thirty square kilometer area, and both the outside and inside of this area are rendered to the same amount of detail. Some textures in the game were photographs of the walls in the developers' studio.
As of patch 1.0003 the X-ray engine supports "surround screen" monitor setups, including a 16:9 native resolution ratio. (Examples include Eyefinity by AMD and Nvidia's own 3D surround technology)
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
engine. ALife supports more than one thousand characters inhabiting the Zone. These characters are non-scripted, meaning that AI life can be developed even when not in contact with the player.
The NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s have a full life cycle (task accomplishment, combat, rest, feeding and sleep) and the same applies to the many monsters living in the Zone (hunting, attacking stalkers and other monsters, resting, eating, sleeping). These monsters migrate in large groups. The non-scripted nature of the characters means that there are an unlimited number of random quests. For instance, rescuing stalkers from danger, destroying stalker renegades, protecting or attacking stalker camps or searching for treasure. The AI characters travel around the entire Zone as they see fit.
Numerous tactics can be employed to complete the game, such as rushing or using stealth and sniping. The NPCs will react in a different way to each of them. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s NPCs plan ahead by "Goal-Oriented Action Planning" to achieve this.
Physics
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. uses a heavily modified version of the ODE physics engineOpen Dynamics Engine
The Open Dynamics Engine is a physics engine in C/C++. Its two main components are a rigid body dynamics simulation engine and a collision detection engine...
. Ragdoll physics
Ragdoll physics
In computer physics engines, ragdoll physics is a type of procedural animation that is often used as a replacement for traditional static death animations.-Introduction:Early video games used manually-created animations for characters' death sequences...
, destructible objects, realistic bullet ballistics and skeletal animation
Skeletal animation
Skeletal animation is a technique in computer animation in which a character is represented in two parts: a surface representation used to draw the character and a hierarchical set of interconnected bones used to animate the mesh...
can all be found in the game.
Bullets are affected by gravity, bounced against solid surfaces at oblique angles, and firearms are highly inaccurate when fired without aiming. To score consistent hits at medium or long range, players must aim using the iron sights
Iron sights
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
on their guns. Additionally, hit damage is pseudo-realistic, and the player can die after only being shot a few times (although later in the game various armor suits and artifacts can be acquired that increase the player's resistance to damage). Late-game depends heavily on scoped weaponry due to the well-armed and armored enemies that keep their distance from the player.
Weather
A weather system is integrated into various parts of the landscape and allows a variety of weather effects, such as sunshine, storms and showers. The weapons available, behavior of the AI, game tactics and ranking systems depend on the weather. Unlike most dynamic weather systems, the game features complete dynamic wet surfaces such as pavement, concrete, brick walls, etc.Soundtrack
The game features ambient music by Frey Vladimir aka "MoozE", but also has couple of songs from the Ukrainian band FirelakeFirelake
Firelake is a Ukrainian melodic death metal band from Kiev. The band was formed in 1997 by Oleg Yavorsky , Alexey Akulshyn and Andrey Salnikov...
.
Development delay, leak and release
The game was first announced in November 2001 and had its release date, originally in 2003, pushed back several times. Meanwhile hundreds of screenshotScreenshot
A screenshot , screen capture , screen dump, screengrab , or print screen is an image taken by a computer to record the visible items displayed on the monitor, television, or another visual output device...
s of the game had been released, as well as a dozen preview video clips, accompanied by other forms of promotion by GSC, such as inviting fans to their offices in Kiev to play the current build of the game. However, due to the delays some considered S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to be vaporware
Vaporware
Vaporware is a term in the computer industry that describes a product, typically computer hardware or software, that is announced to the general public but is never actually released nor officially canceled. Vaporware is also a term sometimes used to describe events that are announced or predicted,...
.
In late December 2003, a pre-alpha build of the game was leaked to peer-to-peer file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
networks. This build, marked as version 1096, inadvertently acted as a fully functional tech demo
Tech demo
A tech demo is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a product, put together with the primary purpose of showcasing the idea, performance, method or the features of the product...
of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s engine, despite its lack of NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
enemies and fauna.
In February 2005, THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
expressed a desire to see the game released toward the end of its 2006 fiscal year (March 31, 2006) but maintained that no release date had been set. In October, 2005, THQ confirmed that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. would not be out "until the second half of THQ's 2007 fiscal year - October 2006 at the earliest." In February 2006, THQ revised this possible release window, saying the game would not be in stores until the first quarter of 2007.
In an interview at the Russian Gameland Awards, PR Manager Oleg Yavorsky indicated that release was planned for September 2006.
In 2006, the game came 9th in Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
's Vaporware '06 award.
THQ ran a competition in January 2007 offering the winners the chance to play the beta version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., in a 24 hour marathon session. The event, scheduled to take place on January 24, 2007, was subsequently changed to a 12 hour session days before it was supposed to occur. On the morning of the event, the winners were met at the venue by the THQ staff that had organized the event, who were embarrassed to report that they had been unable to get any copies of the game. In late February GSC managed to release a public beta. A multiplayer demo was released to the public on March 15, 2007.
On March 2, 2007, it was announced that the game went gold.
At the end of February 2009, due to popular demand GSC Game World released "xrCore" build 1935, dated October 18, 2004. It uses a completely different physics engine with many cut monsters, levels, and vehicles. It was also significantly larger than the retail release. It is however somewhat unstable, but features the full game along with a "fully functional ALife system". It is currently available for free download from the GSC servers and mirrors.
Reception
| Compilation review site | Aggregate score | |
|---|---|---|
| Game Rankings Game Rankings GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive... |
83% (51 reviews) | |
| Metacritic Metacritic Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,... |
82/100 (44 reviews) | |
| Publication | Score | |
| Eurogamer Eurogamer Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on... |
8/10 | |
| GameSpot GameSpot GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which... |
8.5/10 | |
| GameSpy GameSpy GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current... |
3.5/5 | |
| Game Informer Game Informer Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations... |
8.25/10 | |
| IGN IGN IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment... |
8.2/10 | |
| PC Gamer PC Gamer PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries... |
85/100 | |
| PC Zone PC Zone PC Zone was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as PC Leisure, PC Format and PC Plus had covered games but only as part of a wider remit. PC Zone was founded in 1993.The magazine was published... |
85/100 | |
| Igromania Igromania Igromania is a monthly Russian games magazine published in Moscow and distributed mostly in Russia and the CIS countries. Tekhnomir company started the publication in September 1997. The circulation in June 2009 was 190,000 copies . Each issue contains 208 pages... |
9.5/10 | |
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. received generally favorable reviews, with an average critic rating of 83% at Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
. While the game was praised for its style and depth, other reviewers addressed certain technical issues, mentioning the number of bugs present.
The game design of the Zone was one of the most favored aspects. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
praised the style and level design, stating "This is a bleak game, but in a good way, as it captures its post apocalyptic setting perfectly", while Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
called it "one of the scariest games on the PC" going on to say "Like the mythological Chernobyl zone it is based upon, this game is a treacherous, darkly beautiful terrain."
Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
did not find the gameplay particularly innovative, but still complimented the basic FPS design, saying, "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. isn’t the revolution that we all hoped it would be. It is, however, a respectable and sometimes excellent first-person adventure" where as GameSpot called it "one of the best ballistics models ever seen in a game, and as a result, firefights feel authentic as you try and hit someone with what can be a wildly inaccurate rifle".
Upon release, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was criticized for having numerous bugs, especially when used with the then-recently released Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
found the game "tended to stutter quite often, sometimes pausing for three or four seconds at regular intervals, which occurred on two different Windows XP rigs at maximum visual quality," and some cases of game crashing glitches.
Another criticized aspect was the story, which to some reviewers was "incoherent" and which PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
stated "fails in the specific story of your character".
Awards
In December, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. won the Special Achievement award for Best Atmosphere in GameSpot's Best and Worst 2007, stating that "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. captures the 'ghost town' nature of the zone, from the abandoned cities to the overgrown wilderness. Then, the game adds its own paranormal elements, which help make a spooky environment almost terrifying at times".Sales
As of September 2008, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has sold 2 million copies worldwide. GSC Game World CEO Sergiy Grygorovych has said "We are very pleased that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. became so popular among players from all over the world. Financial success will allow us to develop S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in different directions as a brand."S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is a prequel set a year before Shadow of Chernobyl. The game world consists of a mix of 50% old, redesigned areas, and 50% completely new levels. The updated engine supports the Inverse Kinematics animation system, allowing more and better animations. New effects such as volumetric lighting were also included. In general, the developers sought to take the basics of everything in Shadow of Chernobyl and enhance them. Better AI, graphics and new game-play additions, such as faction wars, were some of the added features.S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat is a sequel set after the events in Shadow of Chernobyl. The game features new areas recreated by their true-to-life locales such as Pripyat town, Yanov railway station, Jupiter factory, Kopachi villageKopachi (Ukraine)
Kopachi was a village near Chernobyl, Ukraine, just south-west of the Pripyat River Basin. After the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 the village was contaminated by fallout and subsequently evacuated, thus being abandoned since 1986....
and more. Other features include an improved A-Life system, a new player interface, a brand-new story and a number of unique characters, two new monsters and behavior and abilities, an extended system of side quests, a sleep function and a free play mode.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the new chapter of the series, which has been announced for release in 2012. Sergiy Grygorovych, CEO of GSC Game WorldGSC Game World
GSC Game World is a Kiev-based computer game developer. Founded in 1995 in Kiev, Ukraine, it released titles such as Cossacks: European Wars, American Conquest, Alexander, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat...
, specified that the video game will feature a completely new multi-platform engine, written by GSC itself.
Death Zone
A series of novels by known Russian science fiction authors, such as Andrey LivadnyAndrey Livadny
Andrey Lvovich Livadny is a Russian military science fiction writer. His works were first published in 1998 and include several novels as well as a number of tales and short stories. Most of his works are merged into The History of the Galaxy series, which embraces human development over the next...
, Roman Glushkov, Viacheslav Shalygin, and Aleksey Kalugin. A third explosion occurs near Chernobyl in 2051, which destroys the Zone of Alienation along with all the mutants. At the same time, four new Zones appear throughout the former nations of the Soviet Union, separated from the rest of the world by spherical gravity Barriers. These Five Zones are filled with new unseen before technogenic monsters and are connected to each other by areas in the center known as portals. New kinds of stalkers band together to fight off staltechs (former stalkers who have been turned into metallic monsters), mechanoids (machines that have been "reanimated" by extradimensional nanotechnology), other stalker groups, and transnational forces from the outside world who seek to make a fortune on new technology.