S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Gets a date? [Archive]

Captain Awesome

12-29-2006, 02:42 AM

Worthplaying (http://www.worthplaying.com) reports that this once famed vaporware project has now received a ship date...

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. provides a dynamic gameplay of fast and tough combat, where you oppose smart & dangerous enemies, a large set of diverse weaponry, possibility to control machinery, detailed and interactive game world, story-driven single player with original team gameplay, and multiplayer with numerous modes. A THQ release schedule reveals that STALKER, 5 years after its announcement, will launch March 16, 2007.
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/6717/stalkerlogoqf5.jpg

It is now for the second time that the black Chernobyl erupted to open a Zone – a new horror of ill mankind. It was at that moment that hundreds of people turned into wordless toys of invisible forces, into insane toys with erased personalities. And there were futile attempts of the army to cope with the new disease of the planet, at least to prevent its development and spread, but to no avail. The Zone grew bigger. Only rarely people dared to set off for the Zone to find out, to procure evidence of weird and uncanny changes around Chernobyl Atomic Plant. Only a handful returned, bringing strange objects and stories of deadly traps and eerie animal mutants, they found out of somebody inside controlling the evolution of humanity, forcing it to leap towards unknown final. They became stalkers, those who leave for the changing world of the Zone to explore it and find artifacts, those who cross the Zone of immense territory covered with ulcers of black lakes, scorched earth, poisonous fogs, deadly anomalous zones, populated by sapient pseudo-animal mutants.
Some recent screens here (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=39374).

Disgustipated

12-29-2006, 03:30 AM

Finally. This game looks very promising.

Suicidal ShiZuru

12-29-2006, 03:31 AM

Finally. This game looks very promising.

My thoughts exactly.

Gideon Ransom

12-29-2006, 03:37 AM

Finally. This game looks very promising.

It looked very promising several years ago. I'm not sure that the new "feature stripped" version will be any good. I'm not even sure it has vehicles any more.

51|RandoM

12-29-2006, 03:38 AM

"stalker gets a date"

lol, heehehehe. good one.

Captain Awesome

12-29-2006, 03:40 AM

It looked very promising several years ago. I'm not sure that the new "feature stripped" version will be any good. I'm not even sure it has vehicles any more.

Thats what im curious about too. It's not the same game we saw years ago. It's gone through so many changes and engine-feature creep additions.

Gideon Ransom

12-29-2006, 03:41 AM

Thats what im curious about too. It's not the same game we saw years ago. It's gone through so many changes and engine-feature creep additions.

To give you an idea of how old this title is, the article on Worthplaying still boasts Hardware T&L as a feature, like it is something new.

Captain Awesome

12-29-2006, 03:42 AM

To give you an idea of how old this title is, the article on Worthplaying still boasts Hardware T&L as a feature, like it is something new.

haha, I didn't even notice that ;)

Lodin

12-29-2006, 03:44 AM

The last thing THQ said was just "early 2007". Good to see that this might have been correct.

Borys

12-29-2006, 04:19 AM

Meh, it looks like some PC game from 2003.

Oh wait...

Lunar Blue

12-29-2006, 04:32 AM

It still looks freakin' awesome, bring it on!

dirtbag

12-29-2006, 04:51 AM

It looked very promising several years ago. I'm not sure that the new "feature stripped" version will be any good. I'm not even sure it has vehicles any more.

It seems like just about every hyped game turns into a "feature stripped" final, when they realize they can't deliver all of their idealistic promises. I just hope they chose the right features to leave in to make the game fun.

Of course, they could have delayed the game until it would meet all original promises, like Duke Nukem' ForNever.

Thenetcase

12-29-2006, 04:54 AM

Same old rehash...
Nuclear explosion, mutated humans/zombies/animals. Some jackass looking for monetary gain suddenly decides to help save humanity instead because some facet of decency and humanitarian empathy is somehow stirred deep with-in his heart.

What a crock of shit.

Thenetcase

12-29-2006, 04:56 AM

It seems like just about every hyped game turns into a "feature stripped" final, when they realize they can't deliver all of their idealistic promises. I just hope they chose the right features to leave in to make the game fun.

Of course, they could have delayed the game until it would meet all original promises, like Duke Nukem' ForNever.

Right now even if they DID deliver on all their promises for DNF, you'd still have a pretty run of the mill game by todays standards.

lol They better include a TRULY fully non-linear world and a TRULY fully destroyable environment (where everything ... EVERYTHING is modelled with realistic physics and breaking thresholds). lol

Rirath

12-29-2006, 04:59 AM

Well, the game looks pretty impressive to me. So long as it eventually comes to the 360, I'll play it.

roboninja

12-29-2006, 06:07 AM

It will be interesting to see how this game turns out. The history of overly hyped games that have huge delays is not good, but I will give this the benefit of the doubt until I see some reliable reviews.

Schnoogs

12-29-2006, 07:22 AM

Meh, it looks like some PC game from 2003.

Oh wait...

Because we all know that HDR was common in 2003 :confused: :rolleyes:

Deadend

12-29-2006, 08:03 AM

I will be impressed when I see it.

Beelzebud

12-29-2006, 08:32 AM

The graphics actually still look pretty damn good. You'd have to be pretty jaded and bitchy to say the graphics don't look good...

Dag-Sabot

12-29-2006, 08:53 AM

Because we all know that HDR was common in 2003 :confused: :rolleyes:I've experienced HDR in armed assault. To say its annoying is an extremely polite understatement.

RandomViolence

12-29-2006, 09:07 AM

I will be impressed when I see it.

Yep, just not by the game!

Ba-dum-PSHHHHHHHHH!

Seriously though, this is a definite wait-and-see on the reviews assuming it makes it out of the gate by then. I just can't trust a game with a development cycle this long and troubled on its face.

total

12-29-2006, 09:14 AM

A day after it gets put on Wired's Vaporware of 2006 awards. Heh.

Adam Blue

12-29-2006, 09:36 AM

I can't wait. But on the other hand, I've heard of some vast changes they made to the gameplay...

lockwoodx

12-29-2006, 09:41 AM

Can you smell it MR. Anderson???? That is the smell of Vapor

CptTripps

12-29-2006, 10:02 AM

I've experienced HDR in armed assault. To say its annoying is an extremely polite understatement.

HDR is fantastic, I think the annoying part is just Armed Assault in general. I have two PC's, one with a 7950gt and one with 2x7800GTX's, it barely started on either and I have read nothing but complaints about how buggy\unstable the demo is. So I would say if the HDR sucks that would go hand in hand with the game. HDR looked great in HL2EP1 and Oblivion though.

Tenebrae

12-29-2006, 10:19 AM

Zanzibar

12-29-2006, 10:31 AM

Well, the game looks pretty impressive to me. So long as it eventually comes to the 360, I'll play it.
Unless this thing comes out and sells a bajillion copies, there's no goddamned way that THQ will spend another dime on this title after it ships. 2 years late and tens of millions over budget will do that to a game.

Prediction: developer gets cut loose after it ships. Forget the X360 version; we'll be lucky to see one patch.

WhiteCrow

12-29-2006, 10:36 AM

Why does this game more-than-passingly remind me of a book by Boris & Arkadi Strugatski, bearing the same name? I wonder, I wonder...

(I hope the game's creators are acknowledging their original source of inspiration)

I'm fairly certain the the developers have on multiple occasions given nod to Roadside Picnic as their inspiration for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Also, I believe a film adaptation of Roadside Picnic is being made at the moment. Might be good stuff.

Watership

12-29-2006, 11:28 AM

The list of features for this game reads like a technical paper. Gee, Eastern European developers make a game that's all technology and no gameplay. That's completely new. Its going to be a tech demo with some sort of "shooting" mechanic.

RMan

12-29-2006, 11:30 AM

Although the screenshots for this game look great, I've yet to see anything about this game that indicates it'd be fun. Seems like I’ve seen a lot of ambitious promises that will shine only on paper, and these screenshots generally show a world devoid of life. But when it comes to looking pretty, it certainly does that. Sucks, because I could really go for a SP shooter these days. Ehh, who knows, maybe it’ll surprise me.

Buster Brownstar

12-29-2006, 11:30 AM

This game did look promising in the time before Doom 3, Quake 4, Half-Life 2, etc. When the first screens came out (November 2001!), it looked better than anything else out there or anything that had even been announced.

I feel like Far Cry became the game that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. should have been: a game that hit the market before HL2 and its mods took over; a pretty looking FPS that puts you outdoors instead of inside a series of tunnels and hallways. Now maybe this game will be what tides us over till Crysis and any other DirectX10 FPS.

Captain Awesome

12-29-2006, 11:48 AM

Because we all know that HDR was common in 2003 :confused: :rolleyes:

The graphics actually still look pretty damn good. You'd have to be pretty jaded and bitchy to say the graphics don't look good...

Borys is like that, he hates on most everything. Yeah it still looks nice, but i'd like to see what the gameplay is really like.

Tenebrae

12-29-2006, 11:56 AM

I'm fairly certain the the developers have on multiple occasions given nod to Roadside Picnic as their inspiration for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Also, I believe a film adaptation of Roadside Picnic is being made at the moment. Might be good stuff.
Aha, now I know why i was bit confused by this. Quick google seems to confirm it was indeed published as "Roadside Picnic" in English. It was called Stalker over here, which I believe is also the original name. I can see though that a PC English publisher might like to change the name... :D

As for a movie rendition, they're late. One has already been filmed in 1979 by Tarkovsky, also called Stalker (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079944/) [imdb].

Sazime

12-29-2006, 12:28 PM

I want this. I still want this. Hell, I like playing Half Life from time to time, so I could care less about age. I just want a fun, interesting game. I won't enjoy it, I just want to be intrigued by it.

PulpExposure

12-29-2006, 08:44 PM

I can't wait for the awful translation job you know is coming. Hell, just read their press release and wince.

Dag-Sabot

12-30-2006, 08:12 AM

I can't wait for the awful translation job you know is coming. Hell, just read their press release and wince.Its you!! Boris, they have set us up da bombka !!

Schnoogs

12-30-2006, 08:41 AM

I've experienced HDR in armed assault. To say its annoying is an extremely polite understatement.

Because we all know that Armed Assault represents the only possible use and implementation of HDR :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Dag-Sabot

12-30-2006, 09:43 AM

Because we all know that Armed Assault represents the only possible use and implementation of HDR :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Because we all know that you read the whole fucking thread before dusting off generic_snide remark#23 along with obligatory multiple sarcasm smileys. You the man now, dog!
... HDR looked great in HL2EP1 and Oblivion though.. :rolleyes:

Schnoogs

12-30-2006, 09:46 AM

Because we all know that you read the whole fucking thread before dusting off generic_snide remark#23 along with obligatory multiple sarcasm smileys. You the man now dog!
. :rolleyes:

First off I did read the whole thread and second off you posted somebody elses quote which has nothing to do with you and your silly comment about HDR.

So let me understand your brilliant logic...you post a rediculous dissmissal of HDR. I call you out....another poster, CptTripps, also calls you out.

You defend your silly statement by quoting him as if he speaks for you....

Who's the man now? You are officially in my unofficial forum moron list...dog. ;)

Schnoogs

12-30-2006, 09:52 AM

I think that about sums it up everyone....

STALKER could have been a great one...but as Dag-Sabot brilliantly pointed out Armed Assault had bad HDR so therefore STALKER has no chance of looking good.

Armed Assault, the trusty litmust test for all games.

Dag-Sabot

12-30-2006, 09:54 AM

Ahoy Retard:
I was just pointing out that someone, days before you, did rightfully point out that HDR was brilliantly utilized in other titles beside the ARMA demo.
-Which is true.
In summary:
a) Your counterpoint was already made. (in a far more civilized manner)
b) I didn't disagree.

You should check it out.
Might learn something. Its called: "Civility"

Schnoogs

12-30-2006, 10:01 AM

Might learn something. Its called: "Civility"

Which you demonstrated so nicely with your...

read the whole fucking thread

Dag-Sabot

12-30-2006, 10:06 AM

Windaria

12-30-2006, 10:19 AM

I had the chance to play an early version of this game about 1 year ago. Just before they started the big push to get it finished up. The biggest problem the game had 1 year ago was that the Ukrainian team just couldn't wrap the project up, they kept adding new things.

Things I remember about that version:

1. Classic Feature Creep. Way too big in size and features, and even more features still being planned on inclusion. The huge size of the world though did make getting deep into the zone seem like a very dangerous task.
2. Multiplayer was very strong. The designers played ever night, so they put a lot of work into that aspect of the game.
3. Background art was very good. The ruinned landscape of Chernobly seemed very real and really creepy.
4. Animation was very weak, since the models lacked suffecient bones. Hopefully they addressed this problem, else it will be a pretty big negative for the released game.
5. A lot of the "Road Side Picnic" aspects of the game seemed very hard to understand, unless you've read "road side picnic". Like tossing metal bolts ahead of you to detect gravity wells. They needed some way to explain it all better.

Schnoogs

12-30-2006, 10:36 AM

Each day is a test of ones resolve, but unlike yourself, at least I do try.

Besides, that adjective modifies the noun "thread" therefore it was not directly aimed at you, personally.
However: "RETARD" was.
-It would seem the shoe fits.

And todays award for "Worst Rationalization" goes to....I didnt realize "read the fucking thread" had a polite connation!!

Shouldn't you be playing Armed Assault? ;)

Dag-Sabot

12-30-2006, 10:51 AM

Windaria: I'm just relieved this game might just have some promise after all.
Promise of being anything other than the butt of internet jokes.
Schnoogs: You seem big on lists you make up in your head. Good luck with that.

Schnoogs

12-30-2006, 10:56 AM

You seem big on lists you make up in your head. Good luck with that.

So cute!! ;)

Sazime

12-30-2006, 11:09 AM

There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy

Dag-Sabot

12-30-2006, 11:21 AM

-Why are you pink?

Sazime

12-30-2006, 11:35 AM

-Why are you pink?
Something about the money I donated to the site... I wasn't really paying attention. Next thing you know it's all "Hey, you could be pink," so I was like, "Sure! Sounds like fun!" Now there I am. Much easier to pick out my posts in a long page now. :p

Dag-Sabot

12-30-2006, 12:11 PM

Impressive! Perhaps I should be pink. That's like serious pimp-jewels pasted on the tusks of your commuter elephant!
But I am sure theres a lengthy and secretive initiation process what with the whacking of canoe paddles..and the yes sirring and the may i have another-ing.

Sazime

12-30-2006, 12:19 PM

Dag-Sabot

12-30-2006, 12:55 PM

I am already pants less for i am orange.

bosx2

12-30-2006, 09:24 PM

KingGorilla

12-31-2006, 03:44 PM

Meh, it looks like some PC game from 2003.

Oh wait...
With the success of Prey, I think the hay-day for 10 year old PC shooters is happening.

Schnoogs

12-31-2006, 03:56 PM

watch one single gameplay video and you know you will skip this titles.

Good engine, but horribly presented. Animations like 1999, midi quality music, horrible sound effects and gameplay like a freakn budget title. The russians (or wherever they come from), simply cant create creative games (besides the awesome flashpoints series). All they can do is, create damn good & stable engines.

I pass on this crap

Thanks for enlightening us about the state of Russian game development.

Your post flys in the face of popular opinion so can you point us to the video you watched? Everything i've seen makes it look very modern and on par with other popular FPS engines and games.

Plus since you've never sat behind the controls yourself its a tad bit premature to be dismissing the game as being uncreative.