Just beat the game. (spoilers)

[sdpad222]

Fantastic game, I got the 'immortality' ending, where the Marked One asks for immortality from the wish granter and is then frozen.

I didn't manage to find Strelok, I for some reason assumed it was a later objective from early on in the game and then I forgot about finding him.

I'll play Call of Pripyat next, then I will be anticipating S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl.

Overall, the atmosphere of the game was amazing, I've been playing it every night in complete darkness past 12AM where I live the past week. Took me about 10 hours to beat it but I didn't do all of the side quests (like finding Strelok), such as clearing out bandit camps etc.

The game's difficulty was ramped up when you reach the Red Forest, I played on the Stalker difficulty.

[Thermal Lance]

Let me just tell you that you DID find Strelok but killing him would end the game quick.

[sdpad222]

Originally posted by Thermal Lance:

Let me just tell you that you DID find Strelok but killing him would end the game quick.

I can't believe I missed this.

[Thermal Lance]

Originally posted by sdpad222:

Originally posted by Thermal Lance:

Let me just tell you that you DID find Strelok but killing him would end the game quick.

I can't believe I missed this.

Yup, you guessed it. And, yeah, I missed the memo too when playing my first time.

You spent the whole time wondering where is Strelok. Thing is.. YOU ARE Strelok.

[Redrick]

If you though the red forest and Sarcophagus were hard you're lucky you didnt make it to the Monolith Control Center and beyond.

I made a similar mistake my first time. I got to Strelok's hideout too late (becaue Mole got killed so I wasnt entirely clear where it was) so the quest for the Guide (leading to the true ending) never triggered. I fixed that on my 2nd playthrough.

[kallipsoul]

Did you understand, that you've got false ending? Play it on master once more and pay attention to details - to the what is written and the what is said.
BTW, there is no Red Forest location in vanilla SoC.

[sdpad222]

Originally posted by kallipsoul:

Did you understand, that you've got false ending? Play it on master once more and pay attention to details - to the what is written and the what is said.
BTW, there is no Red Forest location in vanilla SoC.

I'm using the Zone Reclamation Project mod, when I google Red Forest it comes up on walkthroughs. I don't believe ZRP adds a whole new area, it's right before you disable the Brain Scorcher.

I was going to play on Master, but apparently it doesn't make enemies take more damage while you take more damage as well, it just makes you take more damage.

I thought it was hard enough on Stalker difficulty anyway. Especially towards the end of the game, the radiation was a major pain.

[kallipsoul]

Originally posted by sdpad222:

I'm using the Zone Reclamation Project mod, when I google Red Forest it comes up on walkthroughs. I don't believe ZRP adds a whole new area, it's right before you disable the Brain Scorcher.

Technically, the location name is Radar. There is a forest, which could be called "red", but it is not location name. English wiki is wrong, this location "Red Forest"appears at Clear Sky and mods only (not including ZRP).
Again I advise you to replay SoC again to get right ending - otherwise you will never understand whats happening in the Zone.

[Fear57]

Don't forget Clear Sky. Honestly I'd avoid S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. They teamed up with Epic and Microsoft, already a red flag. The pre-order provides campfire songs and ONE extra side quest. I'm waiting for next year when Epic does what they always do and within hours of release make it an Epic store exclusive (I warned the devs about this by the way) I wasn't impressed with the trailer and it looks soulless.

[Spooky799kil]

You missed the quest that makes you go find Streloks friend called the DR. Once you meet him he gives you a decorder that unlocks doors in the Power plant and leads you to the cannon ending of the Game. There are 7 endings by the way.

[kallipsoul]

Originally posted by Nihil:

The "false endings" are exactly how the game should have ended. They perfectly encapsulated the futility of the zone and reinforced everything the story and environment had been selling to you the entire time. I got one of the false endings on my first playthrough, and I was not disappointed. A game like STALKER shouldnt have a happy ending

No. False ending doesn't explain anything and just show your misrerability, if you don't confront the system

[Faberge]

Originally posted by kallipsoul:

No. False ending doesn't explain anything and just show your misrerability, if you don't confront the system

Strictly speaking, these are not false endings, more rather -bad- endings. The whole concept of the game is based on a classic sci-fi book "Roadside picnic" and it has open ending.

[Redrick]

Originally posted by Faberge:

Originally posted by kallipsoul:

No. False ending doesn't explain anything and just show your misrerability, if you don't confront the system

Strictly speaking, these are not false endings, more rather -bad- endings. The whole concept of the game is based on a classic sci-fi book "Roadside picnic" and it has open ending.

The book ends when the Stalker finds the Wish Granter (The Golden Sphere artifact) and makes his wish.

"HAPPINESS, FREE, FOR EVERYONE, AND LET NOONE BE FORGOTTEN !"

It ends there. Did he live ? Was his wish granted ? Was it a trick like the Monolith in the game, or legit ? - Indeed is left up to the reader.

A noble wish, I'm a more simple and selfish person, if I were in Red's shoes I would have wished for Monkey (his daughter) to not be a mutant any more. A good read.

[marie pavie]

That was Arthur Burbridge's wish, Redrick stayed back.

[Redrick]

Originally posted by marie pavie:

That was Arthur Burbridge's wish, Redrick stayed back.

Had to reread the last few pages, yes he does and Red does stay back, but that's not the very last bit, he stays back to finish his cognac feeling sorry for himself and all that stuff. But then Red gets up, trudges over passed the excavator (lol I think of Yanov every time I read it) and repeats the same wish. That's my interpretation.

"he dragged himself across the quarry to the dancing and winking Sphere"
...
"The hell with it all, I just can't think of a thing other than those words of his--"

[Faberge]

Originally posted by Redrick Schuhart:

It ends there. Did he live ? Was his wish granted ? Was it a trick like the Monolith in the game, or legit ? - Indeed is left up to the reader.

A good read.

Glad you liked it. Thats exactly the point I was talking about. It makes more sense to think about endings in terms of "good" or "bad" rather than "true" or "false", since no one really knows the ending of the original plot.