First Play: Vanilla, Complete or Autumn Aurora 2?

[ihKu47]

I'm starting my very first playthrough of the game. Even without playing vanilla, the additions made by both Complete and AA2 sound tempting but I am wondering what to pick, if any. I enjoy difficulty, especially when the game environment screams "DANGER OF DEATH" as I imagine it does in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games. Then again I'm not sure I want to be sniped from 2 km away when I'm sneaking through a zone. I've read the mod descriptions, but I find it hard to judge difficulty just based on them. So the question is:

Will Complete make the game too easy even if I turn up the difficulty? Will Autumn Aurora 2 spam me with quick deaths or potentially frustrating difficulty?

I know the answers are highly subjective, but I thought I'd get to hear what others have to say before I choose either way.

EDIT: I actually vastly prefer being sniped from 2 km away to every enemy of the game being bullet sponges. I've had that issue in the New Vegas DLCs (modded) and just spamming an attack while running backwards quickly saps fun out of a game.

[Twoflower]

I would strongly recommend looking into Oblivion Lost Ultimate.

Autumn Aurora 2 does definitely improve the atmosphere a lot, but the mod is almost entirely cosmetic.

Oblivion Lost is a total conversion mod that fills the game with tons and tons of features and massively improves the A.I. and the A-life, as well as adding tons of new equipment, artefacts, quests, and more, plus alchemy so you can polymorph artefacts. The Ultimate edition is a very very good modpack that inlcudes lots of other brilliant improvements.

The STALKER games are all about the adventure. They're about being an amazing open world game. Oblivion Lost Ultimate really improves the endgame a lot. I'm just using basic Oblivion Lost without the other stuff from the Ultimate edition and I'm still playing the game, hundreds of hours after I've finished the main story.

You can get Oblivion Lost Ultimate here http://stalker.filefront.com/file/STALKER_Oblivion_Lost_ULTIMATE;105043x

I've never tried it, but you might be able to install it on top of Autumn Aurora to get the cool cosmetic changes as well as OLU's functionality.

Good hunting, STALKER...


Oh, I forgot to address your concerns about difficulty. Oblivion Lost isn't all that much harder than vanilla. STALKER games in general might need you to rethink how you play if you're used to run-and-gun games. You have to be stealthy, patient, and out-think the situations you're in. If you're a good DayZ player, you'll be in the right mindset for STALKER.
I would personally advise against mods like STALKER Complete because they dial down the difficulty, and thus remove half the fun of the game.

[ihKu47]

Thanks, I will definately check it out!

*Whatever an ingame character might respond to the hunting wish*!

[rresuggan]

i always play vanilla first before modding, all 3 stalker games on steam are stable

[Sir Jaxxy]

Actually all 3 stalker games on steam are NOT stable. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is broke big time and unplayable in it's current state on multi monitor systems due to a double mouse bug.

[kaay]

Originally posted by Sir Jaxxy:

Actually all 3 stalker games on steam are NOT stable. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is broke big time and unplayable in it's current state on multi monitor systems due to a double mouse bug.

Yeah i cannot play these games on my 200 monitor setup, half of my 1000 videocards dont work, i can not use more than 10 mouses and keyboards to play, i dunno why steam sells this kind of junk.

[Martial.Lore]

I am having a great time with Autumn Aurora for my first playthrough. However, I'm a very experienced STALKER from having played Misery CoP tons.

[Poptart_Cat "Yogi"]

Originally posted by Sir Jaxxy:

Actually all 3 stalker games on steam are NOT stable. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is broke big time and unplayable in it's current state on multi monitor systems due to a double mouse bug.

yaaaaa -1 for being derp

[Oparator Stalker]

Originally posted by kaay:

Yeah i cannot play these games on my 200 monitor setup, half of my 1000 videocards dont work, i can not use more than 10 mouses and keyboards to play, i dunno why steam sells this kind of junk.

Is>>> ROTF!!

[Oparator Stalker]

Originally posted by Sir Jaxxy:

Actually all 3 stalker games on steam are NOT stable. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is broke big time and unplayable in it's current state on multi monitor systems due to a double mouse bug.

Not haveing problems here....just saying..

[Rico Heart]

I play vanilla with ZRP: www.metacognix.com/stlkrsoc/ (download)[www.metacognix.com]

[A Morte Vermelha]

I recommend at first Complete 2009 mod. Nice sound and graphics, better I.A, real nights, sleep mode and repair kit for players (you can to throw it). Oblivion is too much difficult for a noob and A-life is certainly caotic and it could to kill esential NPCs (is good to finish the game at first time without A-Life). If you want more lethal enemies you can edit m_stalker.ltx file and to change those lines for most enemies accuracy withouth mods. And thus you'll get a good Stalker with nice graphics and a customized and more realistic difficulty (accuracy, distance vision, luminocity factors (for nocturnal misions), and more...

Sorry, but english isn't my native language.

[stalker_vision_free]
min_view_distance = 0.4
max_view_distance = 1.5
visibility_threshold = 100
always_visible_distance = 0.1
time_quant = 0.008
decrease_value = 0.1
velocity_factor = 0.5
luminocity_factor = 1.35
transparency_threshold = 0.65

[stalker_vision_danger]
min_view_distance = 0.75
max_view_distance = 2.0
visibility_threshold = 75
always_visible_distance = 0.2
time_quant = 0.0002
decrease_value = 0.02
velocity_factor = 0.5
luminocity_factor = 1.0
transparency_threshold = 0.35

For best gameplay I recommend to play in Master mode.

Edit: Stalker SoC Steam Version + complete 2009 run perfectly.

[ihKu47]

Thank you very much The Red Death! I'm always hesitant about tinkering with files without having a point of reference for sensible values, the ones you posted will likely be very useful. :)

[A Morte Vermelha]

You're welcome ihq47. Enjoy the game! :)

[Alpharius]

In which folder would one find this .ltx file and how does one go about editing it? Do i need to d/l and ltx editor of some kind?

Cheers

[ihKu47]

Originally posted by Warsmith:

In which folder would one find this .ltx file and how does one go about editing it? Do i need to d/l and ltx editor of some kind?

Cheers

It's been a long time so I don't remember exactly, and I don't have SoC installed anymore to easily access the exact files. But if you don't get replies from others (people may have unsubscribed from the discussion) you can always find game files by right clicking on the game in Steam, selecting Properties, from the window that opens you choose the Local Files tab and then click the Browse Local Files.

From there you can explore the folders and try to find one that sounds like it might have files that pertain to NPC or player activities, then find a file name that sounds most likely. You should be able to open the necessary files with NotePad, just make sure to right click, go to properties and make sure that no box that says Read Only or something to the effect that you can't make changes to the file is ticked.

Once you have done that, press Ctrl+F and search for "[stalker_vision_free]". If it is in the file, you should find and be able to change the values listed above. If not, you are in the wrong file and you should try another one.

A little tedious, I know, but it shouldn't take too long until you find the file and values you are looking for even without the exact location. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but I hope these instructions can be helpful if you are ever modding and changing values' in other games!