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

[Eichhörnchen]

Has anyone else played this? Did you have to wear a nappy (diaper) while playing it?

[Schroeder]

I played Shadow of Chernobyl. It is a good game. Not totally outstanding but worth the money.
I didn't find it to be that scary either so no need to stock up on underpants.;)

[Egan]

It's imperfect, it feels a bit unfinished and there are elements of it which are boringly repetitive but it is one of my favourite games of all time. I love it to bits. The atmosphere is pretty much unmatched, I think. I like the sequels too but the first one is my favourite.

[CCIP]

If you need a nappy while playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R., then you probably need a catheter, colostomy bag and a feeding tube to play the Misery mod for Call of Pripyat :haha:

[Red October1984]

I got nearly to the end of the first STALKER game and then a bug ruined it for me. I been meaning to get back into them for a while but here lately i've been sooo busy. Don't even have the weekends off anymore with fall baseball and work. :shifty:

Anyway, good games...bugs suck...if you can mod or patch them out, (which i'm sure you can) go for it. You'll have fun.

[Flamebatter90]

They are OK games. The combat sucks though, it's almost like Morrowind's combat, except you won't get better at it over time. Install some mods and you will enjoy the games more.

[CCIP]

They are OK games. The combat sucks though, it's almost like Morrowind's combat, except you won't get better at it over time. Install some mods and you will enjoy the games more.

Yup, like most things, it is substantially better with mods :yep:

IMO there's not really any reason to play the game without mods - it's only with them that it becomes more like it should've been from the start. A good starting point for that would be the Complete mods!

[Flamebatter90]

I would recommend the Autumn Aurora 2 for Shadow of Chernobyl, liked it a lot more than Complete. It also changes the combat, so you can hit and kill things easier. Though, it also makes other humans hit and kill you easier.

For Call of Pripyat, definitely go with Misery 2.1.1., it's hard but the sense of achievement is greatly increased when you get something done.

[Eichhörnchen]

It's imperfect, it feels a bit unfinished and there are elements of it which are boringly repetitive but it is one of my favourite games of all time. I love it too bits. The atmosphere is pretty much unmatched, I think. I like the sequels too but the first one is my favourite.

I've heard a lot of people say similar things about the first game, that despite its unfinished feel it's the best one and I agree so far. I believe they were aiming to achieve what was described as a "seamless, open world", but development had taken so long they had to abandon that concept. I've only just started into "Call of Pripyat" but it feels quite different from the first game.

They both run fine on my pc but I cannot get "Clear Sky" to run at all, so I don't know which of the other two this most resembles.

I was only into WW2 shooters when I chanced upon the Stalker disc on a charity stall. It immediately broadened my gaming horizons.

[CCIP]

I think all three are worth playing. I thought Clear Sky was the weakest of the three, mostly because it never makes that much use of some of its more interesting features (faction war etc.), came out a bit more buggy, and of all the games is the quickest to force you down a linear kind of endgame path. Try as they might, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games were always the weakest in their linear parts (except maybe the X-labs which were and always will be scary as heck), and best in the open world. My best experience with the game by far has been in the Misery mod for CoP, though even I'll be first to admit that it's not everyone's cup of tea and is possibly too hardcore. Then again, you could say that about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in general - it's not something that works for everybody.

Otherwise, I think it's a testament to the game's strength and concept that after so many years there is still an active, loyal and shamelessly hardcore following for it, and mods are still being made and improved. I think one of the draws of the game is that it's really pretty uncompromising and pretends that the last decade or so of 1st person shooters never happened. It's mercilessly hard, and it tells you nothing. There's no "run here! shoot this! HEADSHOT! achievement unlocked!" and it always explains very little about the zone, how it works, who your enemies are, or how to beat them. It doesn't tell you where the entertainment is, and in fact, does nothing to promise you fun. The zone runs by its own rules, but it's not going to tell you those. When it tries to explain, it does so kind of poorly, but in a way that actually makes it better because it keeps you in suspense. You're left to make sense of it and survive on your own, and it's really easy to screw up. Almost any time that you squeeze the trigger in S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you don't really know what's gonna happen. The gunfights in it are a million times more interesting than in any "modern" single-player shooter. The game world is more merciless and more immersive. And I think that's what keeps a certain group of players always coming back for more :yep:

[Eichhörnchen]

Thanks for the CoP mod tip. I hadn't so far seriously considered searching these out: so often I've found that patching can undermine a previously smooth-running game, but I don't know whether this goes for "mods" as well (forgive my ignorance but it's still pretty new territory for me).

Yes, the sense of place is absolutely unique in this game and you sum it up well. It kind of puts me in mind of a smashed country following WW2; you just move through a gloomy, desolate landscape, with the occasional glimpse a lonely figure going about their own grim business. Why the appeal, then? It's an enigmatic game, for sure...

[Eichhörnchen]

I would recommend the Autumn Aurora 2 for Shadow of Chernobyl, liked it a lot more than Complete. It also changes the combat, so you can hit and kill things easier. Though, it also makes other humans hit and kill you easier.

For Call of Pripyat, definitely go with Misery 2.1.1., it's hard but the sense of achievement is greatly increased when you get something done.

Thanks for that tip, too. I've moved from WW2 shooters into all kinds of stuff after finding STALKER (FEAR, Crysis, Necrovision plus no end of modern-day fps such as Battlefield: Bad Co.2, ArmA and the rest) but like many others I find there's a desire to keep dipping back into Stalker, even though I've played it through once.

What do you get with Autumn Aurora 2?

[CCIP]

What do you get with Autumn Aurora 2?

http://www.moddb.com/mods/autumn-aurora-compilation-mod/features/mod-features12

The biggest thing you get is a graphics overhaul, which is nice considering the game's age. There's also gameplay fixes and balances, and a bunch of interface features brought up to Call of Pripyat standards (repair, artifact detectors, sleeping areas, etc.). And well, it's autumn so you also get a different atmosphere.

[Eichhörnchen]

What, like even more gloomy than before? Good. Thanks for that, my friend. Now, if they could only make it snow...

[tripjack]

Played SoC recently and it definitely has its moments. If you want a more vanilla mod experience go with the SoC starter pack (https://mega.co.nz/#F!x4AT1aCY!DH2QcqcSA3I1n5hHumuEjg). Has the Zone Reclamation Project (bugfixing mod) and plenty of graphics enhancements. Or just grab the ZRP and forget the graphics mods.

I should warn you now though to prepare for a disappointing ending. I don't know if any of the big mods like Autumn Aurora rectify this issue or not, but it is obvious that GSC ran out of time or money or motivation when designing CNPP. In the vanilla game it sucks.

The combat sucks though, it's almost like Morrowind's combat
lolwhat :hmmm:

[CCIP]

I should warn you now though to prepare for a disappointing ending. I don't know if any of the big mods like Autumn Aurora rectify this issue or not, but it is obvious that GSC ran out of time or money or motivation when designing CNPP. In the vanilla game it sucks.


lolwhat :hmmm:

Yeah, with the exceptions of the very creepy underground labs, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. doesn't do linear shooter action all that well. It's the same with the more linear parts of the later 2 games, and in my experience Clear Sky was the most guilty of that. Call of Pripyat handles those parts much better and there's some really good ones, but they're still not up to par with classic story-driven shooters. It's just obviously not one of the developers' strengths, and it's also obvious that they're trying to pull off some AAA-shooter-style sequences with only a small fraction of a AAA art budget and a finicky home-made game engine. I actually wish they left the game world open instead of forcing you to that ending.

There's definitely mods that deal with it a bit, mostly by opening up later parts of the game to more free-roaming, but most still leave those linear final levels, because you sort of have to go through them to finish the story.

[Eichhörnchen]

The "undergound lab" parts of SoC are definitely the most stressful: the claustrophobic fear factor is very high. At least outside you can run for cover in just about any direction.

I've yet to discover just how different is CoP, since I've been busy with my sh4 u-boat expansion, but I'm going to have to apply some consideration to these mods you guys have helpfully provided.

[Julhelm]

There's also the Lost Alpha mod which is more of a standalone game. Maps are nice but overall it has more cons than pros.

[Eichhörnchen]

Thanks; noted...

[CCIP]

There's actually a few new story mods out there! I haven't played a lot, and I think many of them are not translated from Russian (the biggest Stalker fanbase is still Russian speakers), but they do exist.


And yeah, the labs/bunkers is something stalker games usually do extremely well and are genuinely scary. I think the cool thing about them is that they're confusing and tricky to navigate, and instead of having obvious parts loaded with tons of dumb enemies to shoot, they're mostly dark and empty, and only have a small number of enemies that are EXTREMELY deadly and hard to kill in that confined environment (snorks, burers, controllers, poltergeist). The dread I always feel walking into an empty dark bunker in Stalker is always palpable - and the best part is that many bunkers in the game are actually empty or not very dangerous. But the game scared me so much with the ones that weren't empty that it actually made me develop a phobia of bunkers :haha:

[Eichhörnchen]

Indeed: if you knew there was going to be a bogey waiting in every darkened room, where would be the suspense?

There was a particular section (may have been lab "X18") where somebody suddenly shuts you in, and the ONLY way I could engineer an escape was to start again but this time dumping the NBC-suited body of a worker in the hatchway, so that it was effectively jammed open. I don't know whether this was the intention but it seemed impossible to escape otherwise.

The sounds add greatly to the atmosphere too, suggesting all kinds of freakish creatures prowling nearby (some of whom you meet, of course). I think by far the worst of these are the Snorks, but the giant mutant rats are pretty good value too!

[Egan]

Do you know, I've never played any of the three games with mods.

[CCIP]

Do you know, I've never played any of the three games with mods.

You should give them a try! If you suddenly have exorbitant amounts of time, at the very least try Misery, mostly because it satisfies a certain itch that normally only simulation games can get to - as in, it's fundamentally unfair and overly-detailed, but more than makes up for it when you overcome that unfairness and detail to actually accomplish something and get out alive. Kind of reminds me of playing something like SH4 with TMO, or something along those lines.

[Eichhörnchen]

You may or may not have seen the film "Chernobyl Diaries". Pretty scary, it does show that Stalker's rendition of the town of Pripyat is pretty spot-on...

[Flamebatter90]

You may or may not have seen the film "Chernobyl Diaries". Pretty scary, it does show that Stalker's rendition of the town of Pripyat is pretty spot-on...
Chernobyl Diaries wasn't filmed in Pripyat. :O:

[Oberon]

Chernobyl Diaries wasn't filmed in Pripyat. :O:

Indeed, it was filmed in Gravesend, the most appropriate setting for it. :yep: :03:

[Eichhörnchen]

Ooops, is that right? I thought those apartment blocks looked just like the ones in the game, and the ferris-wheel.

[Threadfin]

For Call of Pripyat, definitely go with Misery 2.1.1., it's hard but the sense of achievement is greatly increased when you get something done.

+1. Just getting to the ship the first time was an adventure in itself. Misery is the closest thing I've played to what I envision Stalker to be. Highly recommended, but not for everyone.

[Eichhörnchen]

Thanks: very much appreciate the recommendation, Threadfin...

[Threadfin]

No problem mate. Here's a link.

http://www.miserymod.com/

It is a completely different experience. You will approach everything differently. It's the only Stalker I've played where I really just want to live in the world, as opposed to move the story forward. But it's pretty hardcore. And at the beginning, very difficult.

But as I said, it's very close to what I envision the Stalker world to be. Everything is much more deadly, scarce and bleak.

[Eichhörnchen]

Hard to believe it's been two years since this discussion... I sat down at long last to seriously look at downloading the Misery mod today and it all looks pretty daunting: on the modders' website a litany of stories of how people have struggled to (a) get the thing to work, and (b) survive for more than 30 seconds game-play before getting either shot or eaten alive.

First: make be sure you've got the right version of the game ('Call of Pripyat') and I still have to check this; then, does it require DirectX10 to run (can anyone tell me, please?); then, at 1.7 gigabytes, just how long will it take to download. Hours, according to one poster.

[CCIP]

As someone who's played somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100 hours of Misery, I can't say I've ever had any problems with it - and getting it to run was not an issue either. It's a simple installer which will configure it for you. Just make sure you install it on top of a fresh Call of Pripyat with no other mods.

The current (final) version of Misery is very stable, and even includes an "easier" mode, as far as I remember.

[Eichhörnchen]

Yeah I saw someone had been asking about the 'rookie' mode on the website... they were told rather rudely that if they couldn't hack it they should stick to 'Call of Duty' :haha:

I guess the only thing to do is try... does it require DirectX10?

[Threadfin]

As someone who's played somewhere in the neighbourhood of 100 hours of Misery, I can't say I've ever had any problems with it - and getting it to run was not an issue either. It's a simple installer which will configure it for you. Just make sure you install it on top of a fresh Call of Pripyat with no other mods.

The current (final) version of Misery is very stable, and even includes an "easier" mode, as far as I remember.

I haven't fired this one up since about the time this thread was started. Is the final version more recent? I did have some stability issues with the mod. Not bad, but some CTDs occasionally.

Eichhörnchen, were you able to get it sorted and give it a go? It's my favorite version of STALKER as I mentioned earlier in this thread I'm sure.

[Eichhörnchen]

Sorry I didn't reply to that, buddy... I still haven't. I got into playing Manhunt shortly after I PM'd you last and I couldn't leave it alone until I'd finished it... if you think Stalker is gloomy! :timeout:

Btw, I never got Clear Sky to run on any of my computers, not even on my new one; all I get is that infuriating "Please insert original disc" message. I've tried everything, but with so many other games waiting to be played I don't have the patience to....um, play games :haha:

[Eichhörnchen]

Well... just about, but I'm going to wait for the mega one-stop download. How can they just be giving this away???

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/05/02/s-t-a-l-k-e-r-lost-alpha-directors-cut-released/

[Giesemaschine]

Nice! I'm also awaiting the much-anticipated "Ray of Hope" co-op multiplayer mod. Surviving the Zone with friends is something I've always wanted to do. Will have to get the game reinstalled for Lost Alpha again. :Kaleun_Salute:

[Eichhörnchen]

Have a read of this then:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/roads/2014/09/the_stalkers_inside_the_youth_subculture_that_expl ores_chernobyl_s_dead.html

[Eichhörnchen]

Yes it's the old "Please insert original disc" issue again. I see lots of others have had this message after installing a retail disc, basically saying "We've decided you're a crook, but never mind cos we've had your money" but I won't waste time ranting here as there've been plenty of others doing that.

I've concluded from what I've read that it's likely the "Tages" anti-emulation software preventing the game starting. It's no help when people say "Oh just download it from 'Steam'" (I definitely have to fight off the urge to rant at this point). Some of us still like to play from discs offline, okay? We DON'T WANT STEAM!

One suggestion of course was to try Compatibility Mode... no luck.

Another was to run as Administrator... no luck.

Another was to patch, so I downloaded and ran the patch (including drivers) for my retail version... same outcome.

Remove 'Tages' was another, but that means (if I understand correctly) that my other games which use it but run okay, might not unless I reinstall. I'm not buggering about like that... I want what I paid for... the bloody game on the disc!

[propbeanie]

On their website Eichhörnchen, they've got a blurb about apologizing for sending incorrect CD keys to folks, but I can't tell if that's the Steam versions only, or for all of them...

I don't suppose you can say yet whether the game is any good or not?

[Eichhörnchen]

That's interesting... I'll have a look. Not expecting much, however, since this issue has been ongoing since way back and not just with this game.

As for whether it's any good, 'Clear Sky' is generally not rated as highly as 'Call of Pripyat' or the original Stalker game, but I bought it so I want to try it. There are mods-a-plenty for these games I know, but first things first :)

[propbeanie]

My little brother has the original, and still plays it, but I've not played it. 'Course, he lives half a day away from me...

[Eichhörnchen]

You can pick up the discs up for no money on Ebay; you won't regret it if you like shooters... possibly the best one ever created

[Eichhörnchen]

http://www.pcgamer.com/stalker-multiplayer-mod-teases-first-in-game-footage/

[propbeanie]

You can pick up the discs up for no money on Ebay; you won't regret it if you like shooters... possibly the best one ever created
That's what my brother says. "Think 'Black Ops: Call of Duty' Zombies, on steroids, only way better, with a scary AI, and you have to ~think~, not just shoot 'em up."...

[Eichhörnchen]

In 'Stalker' all the zombies are armed with shotguns, pistols or automatic weapons, but they still don't move fast :)

[Threadfin]

Reviving the thread to say that the recent release of Misery 2.2 has brought me back in to it and I'm loving it all over again. It's even more difficult now than it was 3 or 4 years ago when this thread started.

It's not so much the enemies or mutants, though even that is true (silent bloodsuckers for example), but things like armor degradation and cooking. For example I cannot cook my own food because I have yet to find a lighter, which was not one of the requirements in previous versions.

It's just one more challenge to overcome and I like it.

Actually, before installing the new Misery I had been playing around with some other newish mods like Call of Chernobyl which is wonderful for those more interested in living the Stalker life than following a storyline. And frankly many of us have run through the storylines more than once. So the free-play CoC is really cool if you just want to be a Stalker and not worry about 'moving forward'.

The Call of Misery combination of these two mods may ultimately be my sweet spot, but for now I am exploring all of the new features of Misery 2.2 and I'll give it a go once there is a 2.2 version of CoM.

If you've been away from Misery for a while, or Stalker in general, now is a good time for a revisit.

[Eichhörnchen]

Yaay! I've been mathering for a long time over not being able to play Clear Sky (because of the wretched 'Tages' anti-emulation software). Then I read that GOG and STEAM will redeem a legit game-key for you and provide you with a free download. I went for the former, since it allows you to install on any number of PCs and you don't have to connect online to play.

Well it took 24 hours to download the thing but it was trouble-free (you also get other goodies like the soundtrack, besides the manual) and now I have it on both computers, plus download files copied into an auxiliary storage drive

"Get out of here, Stalker!"

[Eichhörnchen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRRGYEFZF4A&index=30&list=RDNhrhb9QPCjE

[Threadfin]

Hey mate, don't come 'round as much as I used to. Glad to see you're still playing Stalker. Before Christmas I got back in to it, and had a blast for a while, mostly with Misery. I detailed some of the experience at SimHQ where I mostly hang out. If interested, you can see my posts here

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4389825/stalker-mods-mostly-misery#Post4389825

Misery is an awesome mod. I found a SG-550-S in the quarry in Jupiter and it fit my style perfectly. Love that gun. I found much to like in the latest Misery version. Well, you can see most of it in that link.

Good hunting Stalker

[FPSchazly]

STALKERs, hello! Has anyone here done a no-death run of any STALKER game on elevated difficulty? I tried recently on stream with Shadow of Chernobyl at the highest difficulty, but Wolfhound killed me in Wild Territories because I didn't pay attention for half a second :doh:

[Threadfin]

Before playing Misery again I played through CoP in vanilla, with a few mods. I played Master and didn't die. I wasn't doing a no-death run per se, but it's vanilla Stalker, so it's not very dangerous.

The thing is, higher difficulties are probably easier with how the weapon accuracy works in this game. The higher the difficulty, the higher the accuracy. It affects the player and the NPCs, so the AI are better shots. But so are you, and that added accuracy for the player makes all the difference.

I've also played Misery a lot, and that makes vanilla Stalker feel much easier than it did before.

While we are on the subject.... I also played SoC again, and used the Autumn Aurora mod and I highly recommend it for a new SoC playthrough.

[Eichhörnchen]

Hello, buddy... I hoped you'd show up. Thanks for the link and I shall come and look at you at SimHQ. I think (so I still haven't done it) I should go with 'Misery' after all... I looked into modding some of my flight sims recently and quickly came to the conclusion that brain-surgery would be easier, so I'm back looking at all this again.

Clear Sky was fun, but the Zone is just not such a dangerous place there.

Cheers, mate!

PS: I'll look for that SG-550

[Threadfin]

Cool, yeah, I'd like to hear your thoughts, I really didn't get any response at all in that thread, so even a "this sucks!" is better than nothing lol.

For the 550, be sure it's the 'dash-S', not the standard 550. They are fairly rare, so if you get your hands on one stash it until you can fix it up.

If you have any questions about Misery let me know.

[Red October1984]

Apparently, S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 is officially in development now.

2021 release date is all I know so far, have just seen the announcement.

[Threadfin]

Good news, and with Exodus on the horizon (though delayed unfortunately) it's looking good for the post-apocalyptic shooter genre.

[Eichhörnchen]

Now and then I drop into the FB page "100 RADS BAR" and they've been in a total meltdown over news of Stalker2, many of them already arguing about how good or bad it'll be... and all they have to go on is the name :haha:

What I heard about Misery is that you have to spend a long long time earning and gathering resources before you can get on with the adventures, so I take your point entirely about that gun and making it good... I actually enjoy ensuring that all my equipment and clothing/armour is A1, with as much medikit, ammo and grenades as I can carry... so I think this will suit my patient, thorough nature :yep:

[Threadfin]

What I heard about Misery is that you have to spend a long long time earning and gathering resources before you can get on with the adventures, so I take your point entirely about that gun and making it good...

This is true, yes. The hobo phase lasts far longer in Misery than in any vanilla Stalker title. For me, that's a big part of what makes it so appealing.


I actually enjoy ensuring that all my equipment and clothing/armour is A1, with as much medikit, ammo and grenades as I can carry... so I think this will suit my patient, thorough nature :yep:

Sounds as though we are cut from the same cloth, and you sound like the right sort of player for Misery. You may not like it I suppose, but if you like to obsessively manage and care for your kit then Misery will certainly scratch that itch.

A patient player will have a big advantage with this mod. If you are not in a hurry you will enjoy it more, will die less. I've spent hours sitting in my 'hide' and sniping hapless bandits that come within range.

It's an awesome experience for Stalker players who love the games, but wish it were all more gritty, bleak and survivalistic.

[Eichhörnchen]

I couldn't see anything about it in the FAQs on the Misery webpage, but does 2.2 require higher than DirectX 9.0c to run?

But every time I get ready to download, I go and read something like this: https://steamcommunity.com/app/41700/discussions/0/627456359691519137/

So apart from the stuff about the unrewarding nature of the gameplay, what is the point of having all these enhanced graphics if it runs like crap now? I can play all the vanilla games with everything maxed out; I guess there is only one way to find out...

[Threadfin]

Sorry I don't know. I believe I ran it in DX11 full or whatever the highest renderer is. I know you can choose other renderers and DX9 is one, I think.

I believe it is no different than vanilla CoP

[Eichhörnchen]

:haha: Sorry... I just dropped an edit in my previous post which has crossed with your reply. Okay, well so long as I can run it in DirectX 9...

[Threadfin]

First, I will say that I have a fast box. I build 'em myself and it's usually mostly up to date. I did not have performance issues playing Misery aside from occasional crashes. Your mileage may vary, just have to try it and see. There are various tweaks that can be done to improve things a little. It's free so nothing ventured, nothing gained. I hope it runs well for you. I've been trying to get you to try it for 5 years now and I feel we are almost there lol :)

Misery IS more demanding than vanilla, no two ways about it. Your system, depending on what's in it, may struggle.

Now, about that thread you linked to. My initial reaction is that here is a case of a mod not being suited to the player. It's like buying a coupe and then complaining to everyone how it's not a convertible.

Misery is challenging, make no mistake. If you read my thread at SimHQ I made a comment about how the mod is difficult for difficulty's sake. Folks who crave 'balance' in their game, whatever that may entail, will probably be driven mad by Misery. For some, it's an awesome Stalker experience. For others, it's an exercise in frustration with a heaping helping of rage for good measure.

Each player will react in their own way. But the developers had a vision of how they wanted it to be. That doesn't stop folks slagging it because they want it to be their way. Well, too bad, make your own mod :)

[Eichhörnchen]

Okay, I'm on the ModDB page and it first of all says: "Location:Games:STALKER:Call of Pripyat, etc etc".... this isn't going to get loaded straight into my game folder, is it? Ony my game's not in that location, and I was expecting to be getting a zip file anyway, no?

[Threadfin]

Here are the instructions from their web page

Installation instructions
The overwhelming number of potential problems reported are related to installations. The German Beta has some flaws we missed (you might want to wait for the translators to catch up, some things can cause crashes). The following are stalker proof installation procedures:


Uninstall any mods from the past
Uninstall the game
Delete the entire folder your old COP installation was in
Reinstall the game (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. CoP)
Start the game – configure best for your system – save once (make sure it is running smoothly)
Unpack the mod, Please use 7zip to avoid any chance of file corruption during unpacking.
Right-click on the MISERY setup.exe and run as administrator
Choose your options
Pay attention to the note at the end
Start a new game

You DO NOT need to edit any files to enable the mod. We want you to be miserable playing, but not with unplanned installation complications. Skipping any step (verifying your game cache in Steam is NOT the same as reinstalling – it will leave dregs of former installations which can cause problems) will dramatically ruin your experience. Note: If you use steam, permissions on the .exe GSC made in July will make removing the old .exe impossible until your close steam and reboot your computer) then you can remove it so the installation goes smoothly.


If you have further questions let me know. If you have any questions about the install options that come up please let me know that as well.

[Eichhörnchen]

Thanks, Threadfin... what can possibly go wrong? :haha:

[Threadfin]

Well, you could get eaten by a boar, or sucked in to a gravity anomaly, or shot by a merc, or caught in an emission or.... err, right, right, what could go wrong? :)

You're a veteran player, and you know the Zaton area well, correct? You will be dropped in the area in a random location with very little map info to help find your way. You want to hightail it to the Skadorvsk. Don't look back. Keep going (and reloading) until you make it. Then you're ready to get going.

I always choose sniper class for what it's worth.

Did you read my SimHQ thread? Asking because I don't want to repeat stuff you've already read. But be sure to avoid quick saves. I use a 4-file rolling manual save in Misery.

[Eichhörnchen]

Well... after 45 mins downloading it says "File failed".... I'll give it another go later. Yes I know the Zaton area like it was my own neighbourhood, and I'd already read somewhere that you're lucky even to reach the Skadovsk alive in Misery... so I was already pondering the route least likely to put me in harms way.

I'll go over to SimHQ right now...

Edit: Okay I've bookmarked that now and I look forward to following your adventures; where did you make your 'home' if you don't mind me asking? And what made it such a good spot from which to operate? I think I stand to benefit from your diaries, since I also tend to think strategically: I'm the guy who trudges over mile after mile of difficult ground in order to get around a well dug-in enemy so I can come from behind and kick him spectacularly in the arse... job done... rather than spend hours trying to snipe him out

I note what what you say about CoC, so if I don't succeed in downloading Misery then that would be my next choice, going by what you and others have written. I like that it's standalone too.

[Threadfin]

Just so you know I haven't played in months, and the diary is no longer being updated. I've been back in to Elite Dangerous the past couple of months.

My home was the second deck on the Skadovsk. This is easily the best choice in Zaton. In Jupiter I used Zulu's tower, but the stash box is in Jupiter Station in the basement.

I like the Skadovsk because it has everything you need. Beard and Owl, plus the medic guy (for a while anyway) plus Cardan to do weapons. It has the stash box plus beds in the next room, and Nimble is here for custom weapons like the Alpine I bought. You can also use the upper decks to snipe enemies sometimes. In that SimHQ thread I put up some shots of long range kills and these were taken from the main deck.

It's close to the Shevchenko which is the spot I found the most action. It's just a 5-minute patrol out to the Ranger Station.

My 'hide' was on the hill that sort of sticks out between the Shevchencko and the Cranes. There's a tree there and some bushes. The shot of me twirling the Alpine was taken from this location. When the weather is clear, you can see out over half of the map from here, including the whole swamp area. You will see some really cool stuff going on from here. NPC firefights, mutant brawls, and more. Great spot. When the fog and rain close in though it's not nearly as good. The Shevchenko is a destination for patrol routes for all factions, and there is lots of action around that ship.

[Eichhörnchen]

So it looks like (reading ModDB) the latest version of this is still 1.4.12 with the 1.4.22 patch?

[Threadfin]

No, unless I'm misunderstanding that was from 2012 or so. 2.2 is the latest. Are we still talking about Misery?


Try getting it here


http://themiserymod.com/

[Threadfin]

Oh, I see the CoC header you wrote. Yes, maybe, not sure. Haven't played it since December or so.


It's cool, and has lots of potential, but in the end I found it too much. The concept is great. But there's very little hobo phase if that matters. You'll be swimming in it within a few hours. But the free-form gameplay is cool and it is full of action right from the getgo.


There's also a Call of Misery which is exactly what it sounds like. I have yet to try that though.


Edit: I just looked at my CoC install and that's the version I am on. Of course, this information does not have anything to do with whether it's the latest version. So not sure why I posted this :)

[Eichhörnchen]

Well it seems that it is the latest; I can't find anything more recent. And yes, I take the point about it not being challenging.

Looks like it might be going to take me another five years :haha::up:

[Eichhörnchen]

Tried to download again, Threadfin... this time from the link you provided. Still a no go I'm afraid... "Failed-File incomplete" it says. Looks as though I won't be joining you in your misery after all, mate.

I'll try downloading CoC instead

[Eichhörnchen]

Nope... no dice with CoC either, same message... "File Failed". Am I supposed to turn off my firewall for this I wonder, cos that ain't gonna happen. But I downloaded Clear Skies from Gog with no hitches, and this thing was downloading happily for about 2 hours before it packed up.

By the by, I've had this link hanging around on my desktop for ages since it's such an interesting article... I think maybe you ought to join this lot if you're looking for the real experience:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/roads/2014/09/the_stalkers_inside_the_youth_subculture_that_expl ores_chernobyl_s_dead.html

I'll try one or two times more, but anyways thanks for all your help over the past 5 years lol

[Threadfin]

Too bad you're having troubles. Can't say what you need to do, but I would imagine the trouble is on your end if you cannot download either mod.

I hope you work it out because it would be a shame if you didn't have a chance to at least try it and see what you think.

It could be your ISP or something like that. I would try a different browser. And clear cache and cookies

Are you on Chrome by any chance?

[Eichhörnchen]

Yes... I'll try your suggestions

[Eichhörnchen]

All seemed to be going okay (I'd cleared browsing history, cookies, plus switched browser) but for some reason the download seemed to fail each time the screen turned itself off. I eventually fixed this so that it wouldn't turn off, or go into screensaver, or sleep mode... and then this:

https://i.imgur.com/FVLbvH8.png

Okay I'm trying one more time, but with another browser and from a different source. I've restored the screensaver as this doesn't appear to be the culprit and I don't want to leave the screen turned on. The screen switching off may still be to blame, however, so that's permanently 'on' for now.

[Eichhörnchen]

...sfsg... halfway there this morning

[Eichhörnchen]

It's been downloading all night. I just came to check on it and it says "Failed... server unreachable"

Tried again this morning... "Failed... network error". The Berbsterbaby reckons it's prolly just my pants Broadband speed: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2553850&postcount=5

So that appears to be it for me, I'm afraid

[Threadfin]

Well, that's disappointing. Not meant to be I suppose.

[Eichhörnchen]

Watch this space... Berbster's on the case :haha:

[Threadfin]

Go Berbster go! :Kaleun_Applaud:

[Eichhörnchen]

Have you encountered "Dead Air" yet?

https://www.moddb.com/mods/dead-air

[Threadfin]

I have not. I heard that the stealth isn't working correctly, that the AI will fail to fire back at times when they should as you're 'hidden', even if you're blasting away on full auto with a non-suppressed weapon. That's second hand and I have not tried it. I like Misery and the Autumn Aurora mod, and this one seems inspired by those. Maybe I'll get around to it eventually.


Haven't played Stalker since the turn of the year. XCOM 2, Elite Dangerous, Football Manager and Subnautica are in the rotation currently.

[Eichhörnchen]

Someone had a great suggestion on the '100 RADS Bar' Facebook page yesterday for a proper in-depth Winter mod, where you have to keep upgrading clothing and survival kit to survive the weather.

[Eichhörnchen]

Indeed, it was filmed in Gravesend, the most appropriate setting for it. :yep: :03:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1991245/locations?ref_=tt_dt_dt


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Diaries

Filmed in Pripyat, Hungary and Serbia. This is why I thought that the locations looked authentic.... because they WERE