Widescreen Gaming Forum

Hey guys, I thought I'd share this video I watched yesterday, (over 5 min in length) - it's a showcase for the incredible the work they've done to the X-ray engine for Clear Sky...

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/35845.html

Also check out this from oblivion-lost.de, their newest media update shows some incredible screen shots:

http://www.oblivion-lost.de/index.php?zone=design2&lang=en

We also have a release date of 29th August 2008 with new packaging details, I can't wait! :D

EDIT: High-res Atmosphere Trailer (source oblivion-lost.de) WARNING: 552MB!:

http://www.luna-s-art.com/webstalker/downloads/videos/Clear_Sky_Atmosphere_HD_Trailer.rar

I am really looking forward to this game. STALKER was the 2nd best FPS single players i have ever played, after Dues Ex.

I too, am looking forward to it... i just hope my rig is fast enough for the eye candy. (minus dx10 effects, as i still hate Vsita)

Also hopeful they get widescreen right. I assume they will as they implemented correct FOV in the last Shadow of Chernobyl patches.

so i started to re-shingle my shed today when i notice the previous guy didn't lay down tar paper first.. now i have 100+ rusty-as-hell nails to pull/break off and replace half the roof. God damnit.

Sorry i had to rant about it. Arg.

That Clear Sky video looks incredible. I'll have to bump this game higher on my watch list.

Also, for those interested in the original, GG has it for $10 currently (no, I don't work for them, just a happy customer):
http://www.gogamer.com/S-T-A-L-K-E-R-All-PC-Games_stcVVproductId4761313VVcatId444774VVviewprod.htm

Their Madness sale has a bunch of other titles for $5.

GeneralAdmission

Stalker was bundled with my last video card, didn't care much for it as it's in the 'horror wants to be called science fiction' category.

Stalker was bundled with my last video card, didn't care much for it as it's in the 'horror wants to be called science fiction' category.

Oh damn!!! Had I known it was in THAT category I wouldn't have enjoyed it, I thought it was in the "Sceince Fiction wants to be roll play adventure" catagory. Why didn't someone tell me that before I wasted money on it? Far out.

really looking forward to this game too.

mikeh, me too, but I'd even upgrade my GPU for this game! btw, your post made me lol, sorry to hear about your roofing probs :(

mesh, give it another go! it can be tough to start with but it really is in a league of its own :)

hey JohnnyWakko, hopefully they'll add some better online elements and polish the rough edges - I agree probably my 2nd favourite game too, after Tron 2.0, which I loved, but nobody else seemed to like it :(

GeneralAdmission, looks cool eh? I mean the console guys must be pretty jealous hehe hopefully it sells amazingly well and we get ANOTHER Stalker game :D (and it doesn't jump ship and go XBOX exclusive or something)

maherie, woo hoo! so excited! and not long to wait either. remember Shadow of Chernobyl? Jesus that took YEARS of waiting!

maherie, woo hoo! so excited! and not long to wait either. remember Shadow of Chernobyl? Jesus that took YEARS of waiting!

And they still didn't finish it. Their publisher finally sent someone in who axed over half the game and feature to get it released. Clear Sky is going to have quite a few things that were going to be in the original STALKER. Also, for people completely oblivious to the modding scene, some essentials include better shaders for much better performance:

http://www.thefloatingpoint.org/main/download.php?list.4

And also check the GSC forums for a mod called Priboi Story, it's a complete conversion of STALKER story line, this time you're a military dude 1 year later in the zone. Plenty and plenty of mods to keep you playing for a while!

http://www.gsc-game.com/index.php?t=community&s=forums

And they still didn't finish it. Their publisher finally sent someone in who axed over half the game and feature to get it released. Clear Sky is going to have quite a few things that were going to be in the original STALKER.

Ooh so that's why the ability to drive was axed, I hope they bring it back for Clear Sky! That was one of the most disappointing omissions. Still I never really played the game and felt cheated out or anything, I thought it was just the right length :) What else was taken out, do you remember?

The Dead City level, sleeping bags, dreams, weapons, creatures, weather. Their original plan was to also make the whole world seamless, but didn't have time to perfect it. You can find mods that fix almost all these issues, reenable sleep, driving, new weather, axed creatures. The mods have really brought new content and axed content back into the game. We are also finally figuring out how to make entirely new levels for the game.

Unlock creaztures, eh? I guess that gives me an excuse to play again.

Until Clear Sky comes out :) I'm assuming it will be as mod-friendly as Chernobyl.

PS - shed done. For a first timer I think i did a swell job.


EDIT:

Minimum:
Microsoft Windows 2000 (SP4) / XP /Vista
Intel Pentium 4 mit 2 GHz / AMD XP 2200 +
512 MB Ram
10 GB free hard disc space
128 MB Direct X 9c compatible card
Keyboard, Mouse
Lan/Internet for Multiplayer

Recommended
Microsoft Windows XP /Vista
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 / AMD 64 X2 4200 +
1,5 GBRam
10 GB free hard disc space
256 MB Direct X 9c compatible card
Keyboard, Mouse
Lan/Internet for Multiplayer


From http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=53576

Surprisingly modest, i must say. Hardly higher than Chernobyl. I haven't noticed anyting about new effects like wet surfaces, rays, dynamic smoke, will be at all present in DX9. This may be the game to get me to install Vista. Eww.

Soduka, hey since your input has been really really constructive (installed militarty mod I like it so far.)

What are the top 10 mods you'd install from a clean Stalker install?

1) Priboi Story (New Story, I'm currently on the beta test team for the new patch for it)

2) Float32 Shaders for much better performance

3) Oblivion Lost (Adds more artificial life with possibility of running into helicopter fights and BTR APC fights)

4) AMK Mod (They figured out how to make the sleeping bag work)

5) Zone Reclamation Project (Not so much a Mod as an unofficial patch to fix all known issues)

6) ABC Mod (For crazy fun like huge gibs when killing people)

7-10) Various small mods that fix weather, add weapons, the works.

The reason the specs for the game are so low is because the X-Ray engine is maturing and they are optimizing it to be much better than SHOC Stalker. In one patch they managed to increase performance by a measured 15 % and the progress continues for Clear Sky.

So, are these mods good for fresh install SHOC or can we use the official patches?

Sweet, are these all available from GSC-Game?

I'm going to do a clean install of Stalker, patch it to 1.005 and then install the mods you mentioned, right steps or not?

Yup, just get 1.005, it includes all others before it. Do not get 1.006, it was recalled by GSC due to stability issues. Almost all mods are good for 1.005, some for 1.004, but I just don't play those anymore. For example, I believe AMK mod team is disbanded for now and their English mod version is still only for 1.004 patch. But, most of their stuff is in mods like Oblivion Lost anyway.

Also, this may or may not be obvious, but none of these mods are compatible with each other at once except for Float32 Shaders. You can just drop the Shaders into any mod and it'll work, but the rest can only be used one at a time since the files overlap and such. Yes, just go into the Mod Download section of GSC forums and there is a thread for each mod usually with links.

:)

Note that some mods will need their system.itx (i think) altered a bit to recognize new game versions.

System.ltx changed the way it works from 1.004 to 1.005, which is why mods which were made for 1.004 often do not work in 1.005. If it says it works for 1.005, which nearly all on that list do, you'll be fine.

I installed Float32, Blood, and Weather stuff. Looks good so far.

Priboi Story crashed not long into the game and kept crashing - I'll stear clear of it.