S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

[Animalmother]

I went on a simple sounding mission to kill 4 fleshes. I ended up giving up because every time I got a bit of a height advantage they'd fucking vanish somewhere. I threw a spread of grenades at them but they either outran the blast or just tanked the damage. It can take over 4 full shotgun blasts just to take one down. I'm genuinely enjoying the game but its frustrating at times.

[Snowy]

I have downloaded a bunch of mods, which have helped me enjoy the game more:

Lighter ammo and grenades
Real gun names
Jakes longer days 4x
Grok less tanky bloodsuckers + fleshes + poltergeists
No backpack animation
No radiation noise (the flickering effect on screen)
Reasonable degradation
Tweak mission pay (blowing 3000 in ammo and medkits to get a 400 coupon reward is not sustainable)
Bash melee range (no more crouching to break crates)

Had a blast last night, had LongPlod and Dave watching me stream on Discord (the game won't play on Dave's rig and Mark is mulling over a purchase). I went to find a journalist cache, then on to a side mission afterwards. At one point I realised that I had walked onto an area with a high ridge so had to backtrack, and while doing so heard the roar of a bloodsucker nearby. After putting on some clean underwear, I carried on walking around the edge of the ridge and found a way down so I could continue to navigate to my side mission, joking that I might actually be navigating right into the 'larder' of the bloodsucker rather than leaving it up on the ridge.

What a flute - needless to say that's exactly what I was doing! Got attacked by the bloodsucker and fought it off (just), only to find that there was not one but two of the bastards attacking me. I had done some damage to both without realising I was being attacked by two, and the second one went down fairly quick. This was helped by the 'less tanky' mod for sure - don't get me wrong (Eny ) they are still easily able to rip your face clean off, but won't empty you of ammo every time you come across one. Fleshes incidentally you still have to put a good 10 low calibre rounds into to put them down but this feels an acceptable difficulty, especially given the 'run away when you aren't on the same ground level' behaviour, which is a PITA.

Anyhow, back to the bloodsuckers. Dave and Mark were laughing at my panic when I was attacked and assuming I was safe now, but I pointed out that the aggressive enemies nearby marker was still up on my HUD. I scanned around but couldn't see anything, then noticed one of the dead bloodsuckers levitating into the air, spinning gently as it did. Fucking poltergeist! Discretion being the better part of valour, I promptly soiled myself again before showing the bloodsuckers larder a clean pair of heels and running for it! Two bloodsuckers and a poltergeist, that's just rude!

[Sly Boots]

Yep, have a bunch of those mods installed as well Snowy, has increased enjoyment rebalancing some of that stuff I must say.

[eny]

Nah, the modding community is fair if nothing else, no shame in that. I have that time mod installed too, I went with 3x, much more amenable to my adventures. I am still in the starting zone, and relishing every moment, and searching everything. Started upgrading kit a little too which makes things far more survivable.

I have taken to really digging in to getting up in Bloodsuckers faces and learning how to dominate them, elevation really helps, but they are remarkably anomaly aware and seem to avoid my best attempts at luring them into one, even when there is a field of them like up at Deaf Meadow. Best one was up at The Poppy Fields, luring it towards a group of bandits then running away...but another was kept at bay by crouching in a corner of a house, behind an overturned cupboard, made it far more accessible as it entered and left. By the way, there is a unique blue poppy artifact up at said Poppy Fields, which masks your scent from mutants depending on how long you sleep with it equipped.

This is the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. I have yearned for all these years, even with the A-Life problems, it is still so well realised whilst keeping true to the originals. Absolute joy.

[Animalmother]

Can you piss off a faction by killing some of them? I was trudging along minding my own business when bullets started pinging off the walls around me. I got up on a tower and 2 soldiers sprinted out of the darkness. I dropped both of them, plus the soldier that was hiding in the same tower as me. As I was looting the bodies a blood sucker attacked me. I think they had been shooting at it and I just happened to be nearby, as in the had no ill intent towards me. I'm concerned now that soldiers will attack me on sight because of it.

I can't wait till modding comes to the console, the ridiculously short day is very annoying. I also like the idea of not having to open the backpack every time you need something.

[eny]

Technically yes, but it can be zonal if it is isolated incidents. The A-Life system is supposed to accommodate all this, but it is a layer that no one seems sure of just how it does or doesn't work.

[Animalmother]

I'm really enjoying the game but the blood suckers are literally sucking all the fun out of it for me. They should be like the death claws in Fallout, show up very rarely and be a challenge. The cunts are fucking everywhere and stop the game dead in its tracks. Moan over.

[Sly Boots]

I don't know how far along people are in the story, but the mutant fight I just did in the third zone... hoo-boy

Also ran, by chance into my first Dwarf. Little bastards not only tank entire clips of ammo, their favourite trick is to rip the gun out of your hands telekinetically, then turn it round and use it to shoot you. Got a fairly nice haul in the room the sod was hiding in, then as I come out another one comes waddling up to the entrance. Cue death.

[Hatredsheart]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 3878203415

[Snowy]

I'm really enjoying the game but the blood suckers are literally sucking all the fun out of it for me. They should be like the death claws in Fallout, show up very rarely and be a challenge. The cunts are fucking everywhere and stop the game dead in its tracks. Moan over.

Mod some of the tankiness out of them and they become way more manageable. They can still fuck you up but at least shotgun slugs to the face have the expected effect, rather than having to hammer endless clips into them.

[Sly Boots]

I'm really enjoying the game but the blood suckers are literally sucking all the fun out of it for me. They should be like the death claws in Fallout, show up very rarely and be a challenge. The cunts are fucking everywhere and stop the game dead in its tracks. Moan over.

Mod some of the tankiness out of them and they become way more manageable. They can still fuck you up but at least shotgun slugs to the face have the expected effect, rather than having to hammer endless clips into them.

Sounds like Animal is playing on console, which doesn't as yet have mod support.

[Animalmother]

Yeah I'm a dirty console player. I think I have 3 shotgun slugs on my person. Can't wait to get some decent weapons, found a G36 yesterday but it was knackered. Panic loading a double barrel isn't fun

[eny]

That Cracker shotgun evens up the odds somewhat, I am 1-shotting dogs with it, 3-shotting Fleshes to the face. It is easily found in the open world (I got it from killing the bandits in that water-tower debtor mission I think., but it is in the starting zone.)

[Snowy]

Is that the double-barrelled one (I have changed the names with a mod so they are all real-world now)? I have a pump action now which I am running using slug ammo as much as possible, it rips

[Sly Boots]

Cracker is the pump-action shottie. I just found a semi-auto shotgun, broken but when I get it fixed it should be a monster