S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Rumour Clarified

[Qoz]

The project is on the stage of beta approval and is being actively developed in close cooperation with the publisher.
Read it here (http://www.stalker-game.com/index_eng.html).

I guess the Russian web-site made it all up.
Glad to see the product nearing beta-approval. This means no more features and therefore no featurecreep!

[AntB]

All of you jumped the gun yesterday.

Ukrainians never leave a job unfinished.

/Ukrainian

[CapnAJ]

I didn't jump the gun :)

I thought that the website reporting the dubiously worded THQ quote about the state of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and GSC Game World staff, using an unamed IGN Journalist sounded a little too suspicious to be true.

Though I doubt that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is without its problems at the moment, I don't doubt it'll see daylight sometime this decade ;)

[alienchild]

All of you jumped the gun yesterday.

Ukrainians never leave a job unfinished.

/Ukrainian

especially when it comes to stealing cars here in Norway and selling them in a baltic country :p

/Norwegian

[Hewie]

especially when it comes to stealing cars here in Norway and selling them in a baltic country :p

/Norwegian

Oh snap!

/Gangsta

[bean19]

Glad to see the product nearing beta-approval. This means no more features and therefore no featurecreep!

Actually, no it doesn't. :)

Featurecreep often occurs when you get a working product and it isn't fun.

They are probably feeling the sting of having a slow development cycle. Games that take a long time to get done often turn out to seem behind the times in their final forms.

[Qoz]

Actually, no it doesn't.
Featurecreep often occurs when you get a working product and it isn't fun.
Please explain as I probably don't understand it that well it seems.
Isn't featurecreep during development where you constantly add features that keep everything from coming together? Causing alot of bugs because of unforeseen combinations of features. Never having a fundamental platform where some things work and suddenly it's impossible to get it all working?
It seems STALKER is pretty close to BETA approval, so they have a some kinda product and gameplay there. A BETA is almost a complete product in my book with features done and serious bugs weeded out. A BETA should only need polish right?

[bean19]

Qoz - Featurecreep includes your good description, but it is more broad than that.

Bascially, featurecreep is the artist's form of "just one more touch". . . it can continue even after the game goes gold (Would definitely happen if the game designers, engineers, and artists could do so). Basically, it is a term used by producers who are trying to get a game made under budget to describe how features that are made at a late date by the game's artistic types can get it off the production schedule.

Thus, it can occur during any time of development. If you have ever beta-tested, then you will realize that this does not necessarily mean that the game is feature complete.

However, with a game that is obviously trying to get done, you are probably correct. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. Featurecreep is bad for developers because it inflates prices, but extra time on titles can be the difference between a game that is immediately shifted to the bargain bin and a AAA property.

For instance, if Advent Rising, had reworked some of the gameplay (so that it wasn't so ridiculously easy when using certain psi-attacks) and reworked the story a bit, it could have been a great title. . . It certainly had the marketing buzz. . . people were interested and WANTED to like the game, but they didn't deliver the goods.

Anyway, let's hope you are right, and that Stalker will release on schedule and be a fun title.

[mpsmith]

Whats that mess about the STALKER-2 engine and leaks and such? I remember the "alpha" leak of STALKER a couple of years ago but I havent heard anything recently about leaks, much less one of a next-gen engine...

[ezra]

Why cant this game just have an honorable death.

[Dag-Sabot]

Read it here (http://www.stalker-game.com/index_eng.html).

This means no more features and therefore no featurecreep!
Right on! So now when finally comes out it will look as futuristic as say... Operation Flashpoint ?

I hope my grand children pick this one up for their grand kids.

[Qoz]

The "engine" guys worked on a STALKER2 engine while the others created content for the game. Apparently some employees decided to leave the group and the russian web-article says they took some tech with them (STALKER2 engine).
But as it was created when GSC payed their wages so the people leaving have no rights to use it. Thats what the say on their web-site. Perhaps they just left to create a whole other engine. GSC haven't even finished with STALKER1 and they have another engine waiting. Perhaps the programmers were no longer needed for a couple of years.. so they left to work at another place. It does not pay to be an effective employee! :)

But as they snagged the code we could perhaps witness a STALKER2 alpha leak to try out.