No Night Vision or Binoculars, really?

[Andromeda]

Every Stalker game had both. I've been playing passionately and patiently playing for 20+ hours and have not found any upgrades for helmets or armor which had night vision. Any other discussions on this topic also have no proof of NV being in the game..

[BaneofMills]

Please don't tell me there's no NV too...

[doscomputer]

yeah this is also a big oof, I really don't know what the devs were thinking because NV and binos being left out had to be a deliberate decision, I refuse to believe a game engine in 2024 can't do these features

[Slphapalme]

Thread goes to potential spoiler section

[Harris]

There is this thermonuclear combination of game design decisions:
1) weapons are tied to certain areas and can barely be found elsewhere
2) technicians only know how to upgrade a few guns associated with their area
3) a lot of upgrades are tied to schematics or a physical item found at the other end of the Zone or though a particular quest
4) ammo and maintenance is very expensive, so sticking to a certain gun is often less preferable than just throwing it away and getting a new one
5) armor only protects you to an extent - like you can wear the best science gear from the ultimate but anomalies will still be deadly, they just won't one-shot you anymore

I put the game down at the point where I met Strider, which is about 12 hours in, and I gotta say I barely felt stronger than when just starting out. Thermal vision would be amazing to deal with those annoying bloodsuckers, but alas we cannot have that in 2024. Carry weight is an ever-present concern, exacerbated by almost nonexistent fast travel.

Overall it feels like GSC was really inspired by hardcore mods and specifically by mods that aim to extend the "early game" where you're weak and vulnerable for as long as possible. As a result, your experience is mostly miserable from beginning to end and you don't get the satisfaction of progressing.

And worst of all - this "hardcore" experience that Stalker is supposed to offer is a myth. Stalker was never like that. Install CoP and you will be faced with healthy economy, fair enemies and smooth progression. So 2 feels like it was not inspired by the actual trilogy but rather the popular folklore of what playing Stalker feels like.