GSC Game World has promised that a new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. patch should be released shortly, in response to complaints levelled at publisher THQ about the patch situation with the game - a situation which led one major community website to go on strike until the issue is resolved.
"Big publishers have certain rules and strict requirements which we have to obey as developer", GSC's senior PR manager Oleg Yavorsky told us. "The new patch has been in test for quite some time and we're sending regular updates to THQ. So players should be able to get their hands on the next patch very soon."
The developer's already moved to address bugs that shipped with the game, but for some these fixes have just not come quick enough (which isn't necessarily GSC's fault, by the sounds of it). It was a kick in the teeth that one of the patches released wasn't compatible with save games from a previous version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Keep those eyes peeled for the next patch. Here's some of what's being addressed:
AI
Added avoiding dynamic obstacles for NPCs
Added enemy priority function v fixes incorrect NPC reaction on player-s attack
Changed the second part of the enemy search algorithm v having lost the player, the NPCs will no longer be baffled
Added correct reaction on shots and loud sounds coming from the player (only) on close distances. Render
Performance
Dual core optimization
10-15% FPS increase
Gameplay
Added new game mode v freeplay; activated after the end of the game
Added the possibility for any character will be able to go to any smart-terrain
Fixed the ultra-intense vibration of the grass
All monsters drag now the corpses correctly
Physics
Fixed the situations when the physics get stuck in the floor or in the thin walls
Fixed the situations when the dead bodies disappear
Ah good, this should return my interest to the game a bit until Clear Sky. I never completed it because it wound me up so much sometimes...
let me know if it's worth it mate. STALKER was on my HDD for one week, a week spent trying to find a good balance between frame rate and visuals whilst getting frustrated by the s**tty game engine.
Ah good, this should return my interest to the game a bit until Clear Sky. I never completed it because it wound me up so much sometimes...
Exactly the same here. I've not touched it since I tried it out after the 1.003 patch, as it didn't really do much to help fix any of the problems I have with Stalker.
Nice to see a response from GSC though; when will publishers understand that it's a good idea to keep the fans and customers at least informed about what's happening. Ubisoft is a major offender of this recently; hear about the Ghost Recon 2 fiasco? Interesting to see how publishers treat customers, sometimes.
Hm, am i the only person who had no trouble with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? Little to none crashes, only 1-2 quest issues, solid performance from the engine? (mostly max settings). So i am dying to know what the bugs are that everyone is on about? Seriously, it cant be worse than Hidden&Dangerous, right?
Hm, am i the only person who had no trouble with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? Little to none crashes, only 1-2 quest issues, solid performance from the engine? (mostly max settings). So i am dying to know what the bugs are that everyone is on about? Seriously, it cant be worse than Hidden&Dangerous, right?
Hm, am i the only person who had no trouble with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? Little to none crashes, only 1-2 quest issues, solid performance from the engine? (mostly max settings). So i am dying to know what the bugs are that everyone is on about? Seriously, it cant be worse than Hidden&Dangerous, right?
I've had worse, it's not astonishingly badly in a way that prevents me from playing, but it just has the overwhelming feeling of a beta, ie everythings in place but it just doesn't seem finished... Ah well.
I tried the 1.003 patch and it seems ok to me. The first version annoyed me as one of the first quests I had wouldn't finish until I talked to a guy who was dead. Also, I kept seeing enemies spawn right in front of me. These new updates sound promising. I'm still sticking with the game till the end.
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