Honestly, the only "fix" I've found for SoC's general memory leak is more RAM. That and restarting the game on your own terms, rather than waiting for a crash to desktop. Having said that, I know that there is an overhaul mod (Stalker complete mod ?? - no idea - anyone?) that did fix a lot of the bugs in the game. I hardly noticed that general memory leak bug with that mod installed. /2cents
This. When I started my replay I got a few crashes, then I found out about the complete mod (third one down on here) and it fixed all the problems bar one single hard freeze about halfway through the game, when I was exploring an area that probably wasn't intended to be discovered. That was on W7 64 with 4GB RAM.
I am fairly certain I would have played it on 64 bit Win7 and only got the "usual bugs" which seem to plague everyone from time to time. For anyone wondering about the other games, the order of release is not the order of events (Clear Sky is before SoC), but playing in release order is best. I really really enjoyed playing SoC and put way too many hours in, I remember being terrified of going down a particular set of stairs and Spoiler finding the Gordon Freeman easter egg . For me the latter part of the game swayed between feeling rushed (to finish by the developers) and feeling purposefully fast paced and epic, I can't remember whether I eventually got the "best ending". Clear Sky is good, just not as good as the other two in my opinion. I think it lacks a bit of atmosphere or perhaps I expected more of it due to it being the second game and the shortcomings not being outweighed by the charm like in the first. CoP is nearly as good SoC and a heck of a lot more stable I think I may have got 70% of the way through without any problems. The only problem was I didn't go any further. Either I ran out of time or got bored, I can't remember. I do know I enjoyed it so not sure why I stopped... looks like I know what I will be playing next! Thanks for reminding me of this series Krikkit!
I must be lucky, but then again I remember being lucky when it was released as far as bugs go! That particular Easter egg is down a ramp to an underpass rather than some stairs, I found it at the weekend and lol'd heartily (I'd forgotten it). Clear Sky is the pup of the series, but definitely very playable. CoP is better than SoC in every way except that the original is just that bit special for me, it's one of those definitive gaming experiences. Anyway, I'm gradually falling into obsession with SoC now - it's starting to get into my dreams...
OK guys, all this talk has wetted my appetite so have just bought a copy on Steam. Any tweaks and mods, apart from the ones already mentioned, that I should install ETC before playing. Must admit am playing Fallout 3 at the mo so might be a while before I get to Stalker. But would like to have it tweaked ready to go for when I get to it.
My advice with Stalker is to stick with it. The first few hours can feel a bit slow with a lot of travel, and you will probably die a lot, but the game comes into its own after you've cleared the first few areas and made your way to the first proper camp with the underground bar.
My advice is not to install a huge mod pack, play it as-is for the authentic experience. Just to contradict that advice, the view-bob mod I posted above works perfectly, so much nicer not to feel sick while walking around!
I'm generally with you on that Krikkit, but the Complete mod is as subtle as it is awesome. For example, I play Skyrim with just textures and that menu fix for the PC, rather than a million extra mods that break the game as it was meant to be played. But the complete mod for SoC doesn't really change anything, merely enhances and "smoothens" the whole experience IMHO.
Having played all 3 games many times, I cannot agree more. SoC starts really slow, but that is the design of the game. It's mean't to teach you to really scavenge absolutely everything you can, whenever you can. The game is harsh, and can be very unforgiving, even when you are well prepared. Also a few points about artifacts for those not played the game yet: 1.) Learn to use your artifact detection unit. It will save your life. Also some areas are impossible without out artifact assistance. 2.) Just because you can see an artifact over by that tree stump, doesn't mean you can get to it. Ever. Some artifacts you can only get when you make a point of preparing your armor/protection/etc - Others are just impossible. designers made it that way. I mention these points specifically because I've seen MANY people drop the SoC game half way through because they are just so used to games just giving everything away, or playing through the game like it's a flat FPS (level start - level end type of format) /2cents oh and PS: both SoC and Clear Sky have horrid autosave systems, so quick save, quick save, quick save!! EDIT: PPS: Both my SoC and Clear Sky versions are non-steam and both work fine (after patches and mods) with Win 7 64 bit - for anyone who can get a cheap copy of either but are unsure about compatibility issues
About a month back I decided to replay Stalker with the Stalker Complete 2009 mod. Game still plays well and is great fun. There are some issues that still gnaw at me, but overall, a pretty good game.
In all the games if you want to cheaply repair armor. Get one of your resistances +100% and then stand in the corresponsing anomaly. Repairs and heals you.
This is why I quit playing... Too many dreams about being in the middle of battle and being unable to figure out how to reload. Not fun.
Well, that's my first SoC playthrough ever. I never could be arsed getting past the Brain Scorcher before, and that's a shame, because the Wish Granter is... Wow. That voice.
Mods worth mentioning. STALKER SOC: Stalker Complete - some tweaks and fixes, good for the first playthrough. Stalker Oblivion Lost - makes stalker brutal and unforgiving, ends up in a lot of DF style fun . Stalker Mod Pack 2013 - enchanted OL. Stalker Priboi story - completely new story. STALKER COP: Stalker Misery (v2 coming out at the end of July).
I found direction and motivation were the biggest problems with SoC. I got about ten hours in, had wandered far and wide and kitted myself out very well, done a couple of missions and just...lost my way. I thought that the mission mechanisms were very bad at getting your attention, pushing you forward and illustrating what you were meant to be doing. After a lot of peering at the ingame map trying to work out how far through a mission I was, and after several missions bugged out and failed to recognise that I'd completed their objectives, I got frustrated and stopped. For as far as I got, the gameplay and environments were good, though.
