S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl installation and modding

E

evilsofa

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MAJOR EDIT 11/01/2009: I've cleaned up my first few posts to be much easier to follow. This post is about installing SoC vanilla without a major mod, the second post is about installing the Stalker Complete 2009 1.41 mod, the third post is about installing the Oblivion Lost 2.2 mod, and the fourth post is about installing Priboi Story 1.1.3.

Assumptions: I wrote all of these posts while running WinXP; file locations for Vista and Win7 will be different. I installed the game from the DVD; installations from direct2drive.com and Steam may have different file locations. I only played the single-player campaign; I know nothing about multiplayer.

BASIC INSTALL WITH BUGFIXES ONLY

The original game, even with the most recent official patch applied, still has many seriously annoying bugs including crash bugs, quest bugs, graphics bugs and NPCs dying when they aren't supposed to bugs, so purely vanilla is not recommended. To install the game with as many bugfixes as possible without using a major mod, here is what you should do:

1. Install the English version of Stalker, and apply the official 1.0005 patch. If you have the DVD or Steam version of the game, there are updaters for the US version and the worldwide version; if you're not sure which one you have, the updater will detect which version you have, and install if it's the right one and tell you if it's not the right one. If you have the direct2drive.com version of the game, it requires its own special patch, which is also on the official patch page. Version 1.0006 only updated multiplayer code and then was recalled due to problems it caused, so you should only use the 1.0006 patch if you are going to play multiplayer because almost all active servers run 1.0006; unfortunately, the Steam version of Stalker cannot be updated to 1.0006.

2. Enable modding by going to the main game folder "C:\Program Files\THQ\S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl\", opening fsgame.ltx and changing "$game_data$ = false" to "$game_data$ = true"; when finished, the second line must look like this (except with more spaces, because this forum condenses multiple spaces into one):
$game_data$ = true| true| $fs_root$| gamedata\
The location of fsgame.ltx may be different for Vista/Win7 and Steam/direct2drive installations.

3. Install the ZRP Community Bug-Fix to fix crash bugs, quest bugs, misleading spelling errors, and other annoyances like NPCs dying in campfires. The best current version on the Downloads page at this writing is the "Zone Reclamation Project 1.05 Test R10".

4. Fix the shadow glitches. This is a very distracting effect that you will see everywhere on the edges of your screen, especially if you have a 16:10 or 16:9 monitor. This is most easily observed at the very beginning of the game, when you talk to Wolf in the first village. Look at the roof of the building behind him, and back away from Wolf until you are out in in the street beyond the firepit, and turn so that roof is on the left edge of your screen. If it is sunny and the chimney has a shadow, you will see the chimney's shadow go all crazy in a very noticeable way as you turn. To fix this, go to the user.ltx file ("C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for XP, "C:\Users\Public\Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for Vista/Win 7) and make these changes:
r2_sun_near 20
r2_sun_near_border 1
If that doesn't solve all of the shadow glitches, slowly increase r2_sun_near_border to 1.1, 1.2 etc until the glitches are gone; I presume the wider your resolution is, the larger the number needs to be.
If you have installed the Steam version of Stalker, you may need to start the game to the main menu (and possibly change the resolution) in order for the user.ltx file to be created.

5. The flashlight is much too bright, and sears your eyeballs out if you shine it at a wall close to you. To fix this, install the Fallout Flashlight 1.1 mod, and from the main game folder, go to the gamedata\config\models\objects\ folder, open the light_night.ltx file, and make these changes (leaving the other values the same):
range = 30
range_r2 = 30
color = 0.4,0.4,0.4,0.2
color_r2 = 0.4,0.4,0.4,0.2
omni_range = 5
omni_range_r2 = 0.75
omni_color = 0.0,0.4,0.4,0.1
omni_color_r2= 0.4,0.4,0.4,0.1

6. Use the -nointro and -noprefetch flags on the shortcut that you launch SoC from. SoC's prefetch seems to be set much too aggressively for most systems and aggravates hitching.

7. The Float32 mod was intended to improve performance if you have an 8800GT/4830 or slower video card. If your video card is faster, you don't need or want Float32! Float32 is incompatible with the -noprefetch flag.

8. The AA slider in the graphics options does nothing. If you have an nVidia card with recent drivers, you can force true AA by using these settings in the nVidia control panel's profile for Stalker:
Antialiasing - Gamma correction: Off
Antialiasing - Mode: Override any application setting
Antialiasing - Setting: 2x or 4x
Antialiasing - Transparency: Off
This worked for me with nVidia drivers WinXP 32-bit 190.62, but due to an odd quirk with the nVidia Control Panel, each time I restarted Windows, I found that the Stalker profile had Override 2x turned off, and I had to turn it on again. I have not tested this with other versions of the nVidia drivers.
This is apparently supersampling AA, because the performance hit is HUGE; my GTX 275 was only able to handle 2xAA at 1680x1050.
I do not know how to do this for ATI cards, if it is even possible.

9. After all installation is done, you MUST start a new game. If you do not, the game will either crash at the beginning or cause problems later with constant crashing, because the game engine reads all mod changes from the all.spawn file one time only during the start of a new game.

WALKTHROUGH

For an amazingly complete walkthrough with locations, maps and pictures of every item and stash in the game, as well as details about every quest and NPC, see the Zone Survival Guide.
Edit: Finally found a mirror of this walkthrough (the original site went down awhile ago) here!

For really useful info in the game that I've never seen listed anywhere else, see "What You Know That Ain't So" and "Quirks In The Game".

"Crashes Still In The Game" can help diagnose game crashes.

Two tips for beginning Stalkers I wished I'd found out a lot sooner: always use the sights of a gun (by using right-click), because shooting from the hip is about 50 times more inaccurate than aiming; silencers reduce damage but not accuracy, and are so useful that the reduced damage output is worth it.

CHEATS

To increase the weight limit, go to gamedata\config\system.ltx and change this value to however high you want to go:
max_weight = 60
then go to gamedata\config\creatures\actor.ltx and change this value to the same as max_weight:
max_item_mass = 60
and this value to be more than the other two values:
max_walk_weight = 70
Values over 1000 are not recommended, because you may be killed by short jumps. The system.ltx and actor.ltx files won't be there unless you are using a mod that creates those files.

To become invulnerable to all forms of damage, go to the gamedata\config\creatures\actor.ltx file. The actor.ltx file won't be there unless you are using a mod that creates that file. There you will find four sections titled [actor_immunities_gd_novice], [actor_immunities_gd_stalker], [actor_immunities_gd_veteran], and [actor_immunities_gd_master]; these four sections include entries like burn_immunity, explosion_immunity, and so forth. These are the immunity levels you will get when playing at novice, stalker, veteran and master difficulties. To give yourself total immunity to all damage for a difficulty setting, reduce all the immunity values for that difficulty setting to zero. If you are playing at master difficulty and reduce all the novice immunity values to zero, you will only get complete immunity to all damage if you switch to playing novice difficulty.

CREDIT

Many thanks to artistpavel, the author of the Stalker Complete 2009 mod; much of the information in these posts are derived from its readme files.
 
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INSTALLING THE STALKER COMPLETE 2009 MOD

The Stalker Complete 2009 1.44 mod sticks to vanilla gameplay and storyline while vastly improving the graphics and fixing bugs and annoyances. It does these things so well that I recommend using this mod for your first time through the game. Installing SC2009 is easy, but when I tested out version 1.41, I found I still needed to do the following (version 1.44 may have already done some of these things for you, but I do not have time to check):

1. Install the English version of Stalker. If you have used any other mods, it is very important to prepare for installing SC2009 by completely removing the entire game, deleting the main game folder, and deleting the STALKER-SHOC folder ("C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for XP, "C:\Users\Public\Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for Vista/Win 7), and then re-installing the English version of the main game. Installing SC2009 1.41 on top of other mods will cause problems. Installing SC2009 on a non-English install of SoC will cause problems unless you delete the "localizations.ltx" file from the gamedata\config folder (doing that will cause some minor UI problems). Using savegames from other mods will cause problems; you MUST start a new game when playing SC2009.

2. Apply the official 1.0005 patch. If you have the DVD or Steam version of the game, there are updaters for the US version and the worldwide version; if you're not sure which one you have, the updater will detect which version you have, and install if it's the right one and tell you if it's not the right one. If you have the direct2drive.com version of the game, it requires its own special patch, which is also on the official patch page. Version 1.0006 only updated multiplayer code and then was recalled due to problems it caused, so you should only use the 1.0006 patch if you are going to play multiplayer because almost all active servers run 1.0006; unfortunately, the Steam version of Stalker cannot be updated to 1.0006.

3. If you installed the Steam version of Stalker, BEFORE you install the SC2009 mod you must at least run the game to the main menu (and perhaps set the resolution), so the game will create a user.ltx file that the SC2009 installer will be able to use. If you do not do this, the SC2009 installer will show the error "Setup could not find your install of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl". If you start a new game at this point, you will still need to start a new game after installing the SC2009 mod.

4. Install the Steam Compatible version of Stalker Complete 2009 1.41 from the SC2009 Downloads page. Despite what the readme at the beginning of the install says, it is compatible with the Steam version of the game as well as the DVD and direct2drive.com versions.

5. Fix the shadow glitches. This is a very distracting effect that you will see everywhere on the edges of your screen, especially if you have a 16:10 or 16:9 monitor. This is most easily observed at the very beginning of the game, when you talk to Wolf in the first village. Look at the roof of the building behind him, and back away from Wolf until you are out in in the street beyond the firepit, and turn so that roof is on the left edge of your screen. If it is sunny and the chimney has a shadow, you will see the chimney's shadow go all crazy in a very noticeable way as you turn. To fix this, go to the user.ltx file ("C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for XP, "C:\Users\Public\Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for Vista/Win 7) and make these changes:
r2_sun_near 20
r2_sun_near_border 1
If that doesn't solve all of the shadow glitches, slowly increase r2_sun_near_border to 1.1, 1.2 etc until the glitches are gone; I presume the wider your resolution is, the larger the number needs to be.
This fix is not present in SC2009 1.41.

6. Use the -nointro and -noprefetch flags on the shortcut that you launch SoC from. SoC's prefetch seems to be set much too aggressively for most systems and aggravates hitching.

7. The AA slider in the graphics options does nothing. If you have an nVidia card with recent drivers, you can force true AA by using these settings in the nVidia control panel's profile for Stalker:
Antialiasing - Gamma correction: Off
Antialiasing - Mode: Override any application setting
Antialiasing - Setting: 2x or 4x
Antialiasing - Transparency: Off
This worked for me with nVidia drivers WinXP 32-bit 190.62, but due to an odd quirk with the nVidia Control Panel, each time I restarted Windows, I found that the Stalker profile had Override 2x turned off, and I had to turn it on again. I have not tested this with other versions of the nVidia drivers.
This is apparently supersampling AA, because the performance hit is HUGE; my GTX 275 was only able to handle 2xAA at 1680x1050.
I do not know how to do this for ATI cards, if it is even possible.

8. I see that the SC Realistic Weapons Add-on 0.5 is also available on the SC2009 downloads page. The comments for that mod describe what it does pretty well, and it looks like a good fix, but I haven't tried it myself.

9. After all installation is done, you MUST start a new game. If you do not, the game will either crash at the beginning or cause problems later with constant crashing, because the game engine reads all mod changes from the all.spawn file one time only during the start of a new game.

The Float32 mod is incompatible with SC2009, so do not install it.

Oblivion Lost 2.2 cannot be installed with SC2009; you must completely remove SC2009 before installing Oblivion Lost 2.2, and start a new game.

The walkthrough and cheats I describe in the first post of this thread work for SC2009 as well.

If you don't like the new HUD, you can get the vanilla HUD back by going to gamedata\config\ui
and deleting these files:
maingame.xml
maingame_16.xml
motion_icon.xml
motion_icon_16.xml
ui_hud.xml
zone_map.xml
zone_map_16.xml
 
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Wow, you've done some serious homework, thank you. I've tried to plunge into the realm of Stalker mods on several occasions and have had to retreat so I can re-generate my sanity.
 
Definitely give Priboi Story a run..........but make sure you know Stalker pretty well. It is an interesting conversion mod that bases its story around you finding documents lost by the military at various places around the zone. Some of those places, even with a description and the picture they provide in the PDA, are maddeningly hard to find. They will often be hidden in buildings that vanilla Stalker players might never even enter and then be in a hiding place on top of that.

There is much much more to the mod but that is what drives you from place to place. I will say no more so as not to spoil.
 
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INSTALLING THE OBLIVION LOST 2.2 MOD

The Oblivion Lost 2.2 mod introduces radical changes to gameplay, including drivable vehicles, new weapons, controller monsters that can take control of other NPCs and zombify them against you, new mutants, randomly timed "blowouts" which force both you and your enemies to run to fallout shelters, dynamic anomalies that move around by day and transmute artifacts by night, the blowouts also spawn artifacts from anomalies as well as hordes of mutants, significant changes to the accuracy and power of weapons, significant changes to vendor prices and quality of dropped weapons, and so on; the gameplay of OL 2.2 is so far removed from the original that I recommend using this mod only after your first time through the game.

Oblivion Lost cannot be installed at the same time as Stalker Complete 2009, and lacks much of the graphics improvements in SC2009, but many of those graphics improvements are available as separate mods that have been made to work with OL 2.2. Doing that is a fairly complex install process, but the result is worth it! Here is what you should do:

1. Install the English version of Stalker. If you have used any other mods, including an earlier version of Oblivion Lost, it is very important to prepare for installing OL 2.2 by completely removing the entire game, deleting the main game folder, and deleting the STALKER-SHOC folder ("C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for XP, "C:\Users\Public\Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for Vista/Win 7), and then re-installing the English version of the main game. Installing OL 2.2 on top of other mods will cause problems. Installing OL 2.2 on a non-English install of SoC will cause problems. Using savegames from other mods will cause problems; you MUST start a new game when playing OL 2.2.

2. Apply the official 1.0005 patch. If you have the DVD or Steam version of the game, there are updaters for the US version and the worldwide version; if you're not sure which one you have, the updater will detect which version you have, and install if it's the right one and tell you if it's not the right one. If you have the direct2drive.com version of the game, it requires its own special patch, which is also on the official patch page. Version 1.0006 only updated multiplayer code and then was recalled due to problems it caused, so you should only use the 1.0006 patch if you are going to play multiplayer because almost all active servers run 1.0006; unfortunately, the Steam version of Stalker cannot be updated to 1.0006.

3. Enable modding by going to the main game folder "C:\Program Files\THQ\S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl\", opening fsgame.ltx and changing "$game_data$ = false" to "$game_data$ = true"; when finished, the second line must look like this (except with more spaces, because this forum condenses multiple spaces into one):
$game_data$ = true| true| $fs_root$| gamedata\
The location of fsgame.ltx may be different for Vista/Win7 and Steam/direct2drive installations.

4. Install the Oblivion Lost 2.2 mod.

5. Install the Photorealistic Zone mods for OL 2.2, in this order:
Photorealistic Zone v1.0 (titled "Photorealistic Zone - Structures, etc.")
Photorealistic Zone - Creatures v0.6 (titled "Photorealistic Zone - Creatures, stalker") (alternative download site here)
Photorealistic Zone v1.0 for Oblivion Lost 2.2 Compatibility Patch (1.0)
Edit: new download links found 9/27/2011

6. Install the Panoramic Mod 2.1 Final for OL 2.2.

7. Install the sky4ce SkyGraphics Mod 2.0rc4.1. In "gamedata\shaders\r2\SkyGRAPHICS_options.cfg", make these changes:
Disable Sun Shafts by putting // in front of #define SUN_SHAFTS
In the Depth of Field section, change "MINDIST float" from 0.4 to 15, and change "MAXDIST float" from 200 to 375
In the Parallax Occlusion Mapping section, change "PARALLAX_OFFSET float from 0.015 to 0.01
In the Screen Space Ambient Occlusion section, change "CONT_COEF float" from 0.2 to 0.7
Do not enable the Float32 section, because it is incompatible with Panoramic Mod 2.1.
Doing these changes will set SkyGraphics the same way Stalker Complete 2009 does and looks much better than default.
Edit: new download link found

8. Install the Natural English Language Mod for OL 2.2 version 1.1.1. This merges into OL 2.2 the Raw Onion Revamp mod (which is also seen in Stalker Complete 2009), adds more text fixes that were specific to OL 2.2's Russian to English translation, and even fixes a game crash bug.

9. Fix the shadow glitches. This is a very distracting effect that you will see everywhere on the edges of your screen, especially if you have a 16:10 or 16:9 monitor. This is most easily observed at the very beginning of the game, when you talk to Wolf in the first village. Look at the roof of the building behind him, and back away from Wolf until you are out in in the street beyond the firepit, and turn so that roof is on the left edge of your screen. If it is sunny and the chimney has a shadow, you will see the chimney's shadow go all crazy in a very noticeable way as you turn. To fix this, go to the user.ltx file ("C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for XP, "C:\Users\Public\Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for Vista/Win 7) and make these changes:
r2_sun_near 20
r2_sun_near_border 1
If that doesn't solve all of the shadow glitches, slowly increase r2_sun_near_border to 1.1, 1.2 etc until the glitches are gone; I presume the wider your resolution is, the larger the number needs to be.
If you have installed the Steam version of Stalker, you may need to start the game to the main menu (and possibly change the resolution) in order for the user.ltx file to be created.

10. In OL 2.2, widescreen players will find that the bottom rows of the inventory are not clickable. Here is the fix:
In gamedata\config\ui, make these changes in inventory_new_16.xml:
<dragdrop_bag x="19" y="40" width="339" height="434"
cell_width = "26" cell_height="31" rows_num="14" cols_num="12"
and
<bag_static x="11" y="240" width="400" height="500" stretch="1" complex_mode="1">

11. The flashlight is much too bright, and sears your eyeballs out if you shine it at a wall close to you. To fix this, go to the gamedata\config\models\objects\ folder, open the light_night.ltx file, and make these changes (leaving the other values the same):
range = 30
range_r2 = 30
color = 0.4,0.4,0.4,0.2
color_r2 = 0.4,0.4,0.4,0.2
omni_range = 5
omni_range_r2 = 0.75
omni_color = 0.0,0.4,0.4,0.1
omni_color_r2= 0.4,0.4,0.4,0.1

12. If you don't like the new HUD, you can get the vanilla HUD back by going to gamedata\config\ui
and deleting these files:
maingame.xml
maingame_16.xml
motion_icon.xml
motion_icon_16.xml
ui_hud.xml
zone_map.xml
zone_map_16.xml

13. Use the -nointro and -noprefetch flags on the shortcut that you launch SoC from. SoC's prefetch seems to be set much too aggressively for most systems and aggravates hitching.

14. Do not install the Float32 mod or enable it in the SkyGraphics mod. Float32 is incompatible with -noprefetch, and is also incompatible with the Panoramic 2.1 mod, which is used in this build of OL 2.2.

15. The AA slider in the graphics options does nothing. If you have an nVidia card with recent drivers, you can force true AA by using these settings in the nVidia control panel's profile for Stalker:
Antialiasing - Gamma correction: Off
Antialiasing - Mode: Override any application setting
Antialiasing - Setting: 2x or 4x
Antialiasing - Transparency: Off
This worked for me with nVidia drivers WinXP 32-bit 190.62, but due to an odd quirk with the nVidia Control Panel, each time I restarted Windows, I found that the Stalker profile had Override 2x turned off, and I had to turn it on again. I have not tested this with other versions of the nVidia drivers.
This is apparently supersampling AA, because the performance hit is HUGE; my GTX 275 was only able to handle 2xAA at 1680x1050.
I do not know how to do this for ATI cards, if it is even possible.

16. After all installation is done, you MUST start a new game. If you do not, the game will either crash at the beginning or cause problems later with constant crashing, because the game engine reads all mod changes from the all.spawn file one time only during the start of a new game.

WALKTHROUGHS FOR OBLIVION LOST 2.2

The walkthrough and cheats I describe in the first post of this thread work for OL 2.2 as well, because the story and item locations don't really change very much.

OL 2.2 allows you to transmute artifacts into much more powerful artifacts by throwing them into anomalies. I have written a complete recipe list here, and described how to obtain all of the recipes here.

OL 2.2 also introduces some very nice new weapons. I have written a complete list of these weapons and how to obtain them here.

CHEATS FOR OL 2.2 ONLY

The Army helicopters may be extremely difficult in Yantar and Red Forest. I did manage to take both of them down with the RPG, but you can remove them by making these changes to the oblivion_lost.script file (I'm sorry I don't have the exact location of that file):
amk_mod.spawn_military_tech_pack_to_yantar( alife():create("helicopter",vector():set(53.97,40. 0,-88.02),90641,1462 ) ,"helicopter")
amk_mod.spawn_military_tech_pack_to_radar( alife():create("helicopter",vector():set(-4.69, -1.99, 42.027),9003,2020 ) ,"helicopter")

You can manually disable the blowouts by opening system.ltx and finding:
[blowout_period]
enabled = 1.0
Changing this to 0.0 will disable the blowouts, and changing it back to 1.0 will re-enable them.

There are some more complicated OL 2.2 cheats to be found in this OL 2.2 FAQ.

If the controller's wind tunnel noise gets caught in an annoying loop even after it's dead, the only way to make it stop is to save the game and exit all the way to Windows and load back in.
 
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INSTALLATION OF PRIBOI STORY 1.1.3

Priboi Story has a different plot with a different main character, set one year later, with more green areas and some changes to gameplay. I personally found it disappointing compared to SC2009 and OL 2.2, but here is how to install it:

1. Install the English version of Stalker. If you have used any other mods, it is very important to prepare for installing Priboi Story by completely removing the entire game, deleting the main game folder, and deleting the STALKER-SHOC folder ("C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for XP, "C:\Users\Public\Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for Vista/Win 7), and then re-installing the English version of the main game. Installing Priboi Story on top of other mods will cause problems. Installing Priboi Story on a non-English install of SoC will cause problems. Using savegames from other mods will cause problems; you MUST start a new game when playing Priboi Story.

2. Apply the official 1.0005 patch. If you have the DVD or Steam version of the game, there are updaters for the US version and the worldwide version; if you're not sure which one you have, the updater will detect which version you have, and install if it's the right one and tell you if it's not the right one. If you have the direct2drive.com version of the game, it requires its own special patch, which is also on the official patch page. Version 1.0006 only updated multiplayer code and then was recalled due to problems it caused, so you should only use the 1.0006 patch if you are going to play multiplayer because almost all active servers run 1.0006; unfortunately, the Steam version of Stalker cannot be updated to 1.0006.

3. Enable modding by going to the main game folder "C:\Program Files\THQ\S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl\", opening fsgame.ltx and changing "$game_data$ = false" to "$game_data$ = true"; when finished, the second line must look like this (except with more spaces, because this forum condenses multiple spaces into one):
$game_data$ = true| true| $fs_root$| gamedata\
The location of fsgame.ltx may be different for Vista/Win7 and Steam/direct2drive installations.

4. Install the Priboi Story 1.1 mod.

5. Install the Priboi Story 1.1.3 Patch for 1.0005.

6. Install the sky4ce SkyGraphics Mod 2.0RC4.1. In "gamedata\shaders\r2\SkyGRAPHICS_options.cfg", make these changes:
Disable Sun Shafts by putting // in front of #define SUN_SHAFTS
In the Depth of Field section, change "MINDIST float" from 0.4 to 15, and change "MAXDIST float" from 200 to 375
In the Parallax Occlusion Mapping section, change "PARALLAX_OFFSET float from 0.015 to 0.01
In the Screen Space Ambient Occlusion section, change "CONT_COEF float" from 0.2 to 0.7
Do not enable the Float32 section.
Doing these changes will set SkyGraphics the same way Stalker Complete 2009 does and looks much better than default.
Edit: new download link

7. Fix the shadow glitches. This is a very distracting effect that you will see everywhere on the edges of your screen, especially if you have a 16:10 or 16:9 monitor. This is most easily observed at the very beginning of the game, when you talk to Wolf in the first village. Look at the roof of the building behind him, and back away from Wolf until you are out in in the street beyond the firepit, and turn so that roof is on the left edge of your screen. If it is sunny and the chimney has a shadow, you will see the chimney's shadow go all crazy in a very noticeable way as you turn. To fix this, go to the user.ltx file ("C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for XP, "C:\Users\Public\Documents\stalker-shoc\user.ltx" for Vista/Win 7) and make these changes:
r2_sun_near 20
r2_sun_near_border 1
If that doesn't solve all of the shadow glitches, slowly increase r2_sun_near_border to 1.1, 1.2 etc until the glitches are gone; I presume the wider your resolution is, the larger the number needs to be.
If you have installed the Steam version of Stalker, you may need to start the game to the main menu (and possibly change the resolution) in order for the user.ltx file to be created.

8. If you hate head bobbing like I do, remove it by going to gamedata\config\misc\effectors.ltx and making these changes:
run_amplitude = 0.0; 0.0075
walk_amplitude = 0.0; 0.005
limp_amplitude = 0.0; 0.011

9. If you don't like the new HUD, you can get the vanilla HUD back by going to gamedata\config\ui
and deleting these files:
maingame.xml
maingame_16.xml
motion_icon.xml
motion_icon_16.xml
ui_hud.xml
zone_map.xml
zone_map_16.xml

10. The flashlight is much too bright, and sears your eyeballs out if you shine it at a wall close to you. To fix this, go to the gamedata\config\models\objects\ folder, open the light_night.ltx file, and make these changes (leaving the other values the same):
range = 30
range_r2 = 30
color = 0.4,0.4,0.4,0.2
color_r2 = 0.4,0.4,0.4,0.2
omni_range = 5
omni_range_r2 = 0.75
omni_color = 0.0,0.4,0.4,0.1
omni_color_r2= 0.4,0.4,0.4,0.1

11. Use the -noprefetch flag on the shortcut that you launch SoC from. SoC's prefetch is too aggressive and aggravates hitching on most systems. Don't use the -nointro flag until later - you will get an interesting movie when you start a new game.

12. Do not install the Float32 mod or enable it in the SkyGraphics mod. Float32 is incompatible with -noprefetch.

13. The AA slider in the graphics options does nothing. If you have an nVidia card with recent drivers, you can force true AA by using these settings in the nVidia control panel's profile for Stalker:
Antialiasing - Gamma correction: Off
Antialiasing - Mode: Override any application setting
Antialiasing - Setting: 2x or 4x
Antialiasing - Transparency: Off
This worked for me with nVidia drivers WinXP 32-bit 190.62, but due to an odd quirk with the nVidia Control Panel, each time I restarted Windows, I found that the Stalker profile had Override 2x turned off, and I had to turn it on again. I have not tested this with other versions of the nVidia drivers.
This is apparently supersampling AA, because the performance hit is HUGE; my GTX 275 was only able to handle 2xAA at 1680x1050.
I do not know how to do this for ATI cards, if it is even possible.

14. After all installation is done, you MUST start a new game. If you do not, the game will either crash at the beginning or cause problems later with constant crashing, because the game engine reads all mod changes from the all.spawn file one time only during the start of a new game.

Priboi Story 1.1.3 has the widescreen inventory bug fix already applied. I will not attempt to use any texture packs like Panoramic Zone, because Priboi Story has several hundred megabytes in the textures folder, and the readmes make me think a lot of the textures are customized for the mod.

WALKTHROUGH FOR PRIBOI STORY

Some of the storyline pieces are very hard to find, so you will need the Priboi Story 1.1 Complete Walkthru.
 
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raymondbeautrix said:
QA'1
Click to expand...

Huh?

chaikovski2002 said:
Have you tried merging S.H.A.R.P.E.R-Textures.v.0.95 with everything in your post #5 ?
Click to expand...

When I researched Sharper Textures, what I found was the 1.0 Clear Sky version, here; the 0.95 SoC version seems to be difficult to find, and at least one of the user comments for 1.0 said that the Photorealistic Zone was better than Sharper Textures. PZ looks very good indeed, so I feel no need to merge something else in.

I've played quite far into this build of Oblivion Lost now (just entering X18 now), and everything's working great. The only annoyance seems to be a bug with the Controller wind tunnel noise continually repeating even after it's dead until you enter another area. I have found no information about how to fix that. Edit: you can get rid of the sound loop by saving the game, then exiting the game all the way to Windows and loading back in.
 
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After struggling, mightily, to get SC 2009 installed, I wanted to point out what I consider to be "poor" wording in the installation text.

First off, I don't know what it looks like in the boxed version, as I'm using the Steam download, but the line that needs to be modified in fsgame.ltx looks like so:

$game_data$ = true| true| $fs_root$| gamedata\

Notice the "gamedata\" suffix. This HAS to be there, else the game will crash when trying to initialize.

Also - and this is the one that got me time and time again - the gamedata directory that the SC 2009 and SC 2009 1.32 patches are bundled as has to be transferred to the main Stalker directory AS A DIRECTORY. I kept dumping the >contents< of the the directory into the Stalker folder and just could not figure out why I wasn't seeing the mod until this realization hit me. In the end, you should have a directory structure that looks similar to this:

Directory of C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\stalker shadow of chernobyl\*

9/08/2009 20:27 <DIR> .
9/08/2009 20:27 <DIR> ..
9/08/2009 19:03 <DIR> bin
9/08/2009 20:27 <DIR> gamedata
9/08/2009 19:03 <DIR> mods
9/08/2009 19:03 <DIR> _appdata_
9/08/2009 19:03 41,168 FirewallInstallHelper.dll
9/08/2009 20:23 1,093 fsgame.ltx
9/08/2009 20:13 680,148,109 gamedata.db0
.
.
.


Again, though, this is for the Steam version. The boxed version may look very different.

Anyway, I just wanted to point this out for those that might be having problems.
 
fleggett said:
After struggling, mightily, to get SC 2009 installed, I wanted to point out what I consider to be "poor" wording in the installation text.

First off, I don't know what it looks like in the boxed version, as I'm using the Steam download, but the line that needs to be modified in fsgame.ltx looks like so:

$game_data$ = true| true| $fs_root$| gamedata\

Notice the "gamedata\" suffix. This HAS to be there, else the game will crash when trying to initialize.
Click to expand...

That is how it looks in the boxed version. For the boxed version, the only thing you do to that line is change the false into true, leaving everything else the way it was. If the Steam version doesn't have the gamedata\ at the end, then that would probably trip up those attempting to mod it. I see the UPDATEDReadme.txt for Stalker Complete 2009 drops the gamedata\ so it is indeed bad instructions. Thanks for catching that! My instructions above don't get tripped up that way, but I'll edit it slightly to make it totally clear.

Also - and this is the one that got me time and time again - the gamedata directory that the SC 2009 and SC 2009 1.32 patches are bundled as has to be transferred to the main Stalker directory AS A DIRECTORY. I kept dumping the >contents< of the the directory into the Stalker folder and just could not figure out why I wasn't seeing the mod until this realization hit me.
Click to expand...

I see what your problem was here - an unmodified install of the game (whether boxed or Steam) does not have a gamedata folder in the main Stalker directory, so when modding the game, the gamedata folder needs to be created.
 
Just to clarify, I wasn't criticizing your wording, but the original readmes, which I was going by when I first attempted to install the SC2009 mod (which was some weeks ago [successfully, after those aforementioned struggles]).

The first issue was fairly easily worked around. The second, though, gave me a migraine. I must've trashed at least ten Stalker installs before finally figuring it out (well, the game still ran [without the mod], but the directory was a mess).

The readmes that come packaged with the mod should, IMO, be edited to reflect these two issues. Other than that, once it's installed, it's a helluva upgrade.
 
These artifact transmutation recipes were found in Oblivion Lost 2.2 with the Natural English Language Mod for OL 2.2. The NELM has changed some recipe names and, in the process of fixing bugs, some recipe locations.

Here is how you make everything:

Pellicle -> Springboard 4 hours = Skin
Skin -> Whirligig 3 hours = Scale
Scale -> Fruit Punch 6 hours = Steel Scale
Steel Scale -> Burner 8 hours = Controller's Scalp
Controller's Scalp - Beneficial properties: +75% Telepathy, +100% Health, +10% Bulletproof cap, +30% Chemical burn, -733% Hunger. Detrimental properties: none (though Hunger is listed with red text as if it were detrimental, and I'm not sure it actually does anything).

Kolobok -> Springboard 3 hours = Steel Kolobok
Steel Kolobok -> Whirligig 5 hours = Titan Kolobok
Titan Kolobok -> Fruit Punch 7 hours = Diamond Kolobok
Diamond Kolobok -> Burner 8 hours = Sphere
Sphere - Beneficial properties: +10% Bulletproof cap, +25% Burn, +12% Rupture, -15 Radiation, -45% Hunger. Detrimental properties: none, though see note above about Hunger.

Soul -> Burner 4 hours = Soul Drops
Soul Drops -> Burner 5 hours = Fiery Soul
Fiery Soul -> Burner 6 hours = Crystal Soul
Crystal Soul -> Electro 3 hours = Fervent Crystal
Fervent Crystal - Beneficial properties: +600% Health, -30 Radiation, +16 Endurance. Detrimental properties: none.

Urchin -> Burner 3 hours = Porcupine
Porcupine -> Electro 4 hours = Electro Porcupine
Electro Porcupine -> Fruit Punch 5 hours = Acidic Porcupine
Acidic Porcupine -> Springboard 8 hours = Stone Porcupine
Stone Porcupine - Beneficial properties: +25% Electric shock, -350% Bleeding, +77 Endurance, -50 Radiation. Detrimental properties: none. Note: the Encyclopedia lists +25% Burn, but the item actually has +25% Electric Shock, possibly because in OL 2.2, you get your Burn resistance from your Electric Shock resistance instead.

Mama's Beads -> Electro 3 hours = Old Glassbeads
Old Glassbeads -> Fruit Punch 6 hours = Ancient Glassbeads
Ancient Glassbeads -> Whirligig 6 hours = Elder Glassbeads
Elder Glassbeads - Beneficial properties: +200% Health, +20% Bulletproof cap, -450% Bleeding, -10 Radiation. Detrimental properties: none.

Shell -> Electro 3 hours = Fire Dummy
Fire Dummy -> Electro 5 hours = Shining Dummy
Shining Dummy -> Electro 7 hours = Moon Dummy
Moon Dummy -> Fruit Punch 8 hours = Pudding
Pudding - Beneficial properties: +45% Burn, +18 Endurance, +50 Electric shock. Detrimental properties: none.

Droplets -> Electro 2 hours = Electro Tears
Electro Tears -> Burner 5 hours = Fire Tears
Fire Tears -> Fruit Punch 4 hours = Chimaera Tears
Chimaera Tears - Beneficial properties: +45% Telepathy, -40 Radiation. Detrimental properties: -150% Health, +140% Bleeding.

Jellyfish + Droplets + Stone Blood + Thorn -> Fruit Punch 7 hours = Simbion
Simbion - Beneficial properties: +50 Telepathy. Detrimental properties: -25% Rupture, +50% Bleeding, -18 Endurance.

To put this another way:

Springboard: Pellicle 4h, Kolobok 3h, Acidic Porcupine 8h.
Whirligig: Skin 3h, Steel Kolobok 5h, Ancient Glassbeads 6h.
Fruit Punch: Scale 6h, Titan Kolobok 7h, Electro Porcupine 5h, Old Glassbeads 6h, Moon Dummy 8h, Fire Tears 4h, make Simbion 7h.
Burner: Steel Scale 8h, Diamond Kolobok 8h, Soul 4h, Soul Drops 5h, Fiery Soul 6h, Urchin 3h, Electro Tears 5h.
Electro: Crystal Soul 3h, Porcupine 4h, Mama's Beads 3h, Shell 3h, Fire Dummy 5h, Shining Dummy 7h, Droplets 2h.

Here are some other notes and observations with respect to using the recipes:

- You can only do a conversion that you have the recipe for.
- Anomalies only take artifacts at night, between 1800h and 0600h. Conversion of the artifact doesn't have to finish before 0600h, so a recipe that takes 5 hours can be started at 0550h, for example.
- You can convert more than one artifact at a time, and more than one kind of artifact at a time in the same anomaly. You can have artifacts being converted in several different anomalies at the same time. You can convert stacks of artifacts.
- To convert the artifact, drop it into the correct anomaly. Artifacts can be dropped from your backpack or belt. Since artifacts can be stacked in your backpack but not in your belt, it's probably best to do it from the backpack.
- You can get away with not standing right in the anomaly if you're close enough. If the artifact is taken successfully, you will see a blinding flash. The artifacts will drop to the ground if you are either not close enough or not putting them in the right kind of anomaly. It's easy to mix up the Springboard and Whirligig anomalies.
- You can use the same anomaly more than once in a night (I previously reported incorrectly that it didn't work, but it does).
- When the anomaly is finished converting the artifacts, it will spit them out and you will get a text notification of which recipes were completed. You can (and should) sleep while you wait for the conversion.
- Sometimes an anomaly just doesn't work and never returns the artifacts or gives a text message. Sometimes the anomaly is spit out with enough force to move a considerable distance from the anomaly. Sometimes they will go to a place impossible for you to reach, and sometimes the artifacts just disappear; once I saw a batch of artifacts go straight up into the sky and stay way up there almost out of sight. Sometimes converted but out-of-reach or disappeared artifacts will reappear near the ground if you zone out and back into the area.
- You can find some of the &#8216;prepared&#8217; artifacts on the bodies of dead stalkers.
- I use the Fruit Punch and Burners in the garage in Wild Territory to the left after you get out of the building where the four snipers were upstairs. There are Electros, Whirligigs and Springboards around that area too.
- When doing transmutations in a Burner, keep in mind that in OL 2.2, the resistances have been altered such that you get your Burn resistance from Electric Shock resistance instead.

Here is a youtube of an artifact being transmuted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIP2a9Ouqdk
 
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Here are the locations of all of the recipes, in the order you are likely to find them in the game. Recipe names and locations, as well as weapon and item names and locations, may be different due to the highly recommended Natural English Language Mod for OL 2.2.

Skin: Go to the military base at the south end of Cordon before clearing out the military under the bridge, and you will find, in the first room of the bunkhouse, a "Hand-written Letter" that gives you the Skin recipe. You can also get the Skin recipe from the corpse of one of the military under the bridge in Cordon. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Document's from the Outpost".

Ancient Glassbeads: I got this recipe from Sidorovich in Cordon for completing the 'Eliminate two bandits at the Garbage' job. It is possible that other Sidorovich tasks may give the recipe as a reward. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "A Loner's Story".

Porcupine: Snitch at the 100rad Bar in the Bar area sells this recipe for 30,000 RU if you ask him nicely. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Informer's Data (1)".

Sunlight: Snitch at the 100rad Bar in the Bar area sells this fake recipe for 30,000 RU if you ask him rudely. This fake recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Informer's Data (2)", but is not listed in the Encyclopedia, and the Diary entry ends with "The above information has not been verified." There is no Sunlight recipe in the code of the mod, and there is even an entry referring to the process of getting the Sunlight recipe that reads "info_amk_recipt_fake", so it is definitely a fake recipe.

Old Glassbeads: Reward from a stalker named Brome in the 100rad Bar in the Bar area for doing the "Find the weapon of the Dutyer" quest, by returning the AN-94 Abakan Tactical to him from the Dark Valley bandit camp. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Duty's Data".

Elder Glassbeads: When you get the mission "Kill The Soldier" from the Barkeep at the 100rad Bar in the Bar Area ("I need you to take down this grunt..."), this leads you to the Private in the middle of the lake in Agroprom. Talk to him instead of killing him, and he will give you the recipe for Elder Glassbeads. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "AWOL Soldier's Story".

Acidic Porcupine: In the Dark Valley, in the northeasternmost building of the bandit camp (north of the gas station), you will find several corpses in a room on the second floor. When you enter the room, a bloodsucker will attack you. One of the corpses has the recipe. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Wounded Man's Data".

Simbion - After you kill Burer in the bottom of X18, on a table in the room he came from (up the stairs) you will find the "Documents from Lab X18, part 4" which is the usual quest item. Next to it is a "Hand-written Letter" which is the Simbion recipe. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Data found in X18".

Steel Scale: Reward for doing the "Steal the box from the army outpost" quest from Sidorovich in Cordon. You can only get the quest and the reward after doing X18, but you can get the "Documents from the outpost" from the military outpost in the southern end of Cordon earlier. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Sidorovitch's data".

Diamond Kolobok: You'll get this recipe from Kruglov in Yantar after escorting him through the tunnel during the mission "Take radiation measurements". I think you will still get the recipe by looting his corpse if he should die, but I did not test this. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Data from Kruglov".

Steel Kolobok: A stalker named Hunter in the 100rad Bar in the Bar area will give you this recipe after doing the "Find the family rifle" quest by returning the custom shotgun from the electrified tunnel in Wild Territory. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Reward for the gun".

Electro Tears: Sakharov in Yantar gives you this recipe for doing the the "Bring the foot of a snork" quest. It is possible that other Sakharov tasks may give this recipe. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Sakharov's Data (1)".

Fire Dummy, Shining Dummy, Moon Dummy, and Pudding: upon looting "Documents from Lab X16" from Ghost's corpse in X16, you get all four of these recipes in the Encyclopedia with no entry in the PDA Diary. Upon exiting X16 into Yantar, all four recipes get entered into the PDA Diary as "Data found in X16".

Fire Tears: Sakharov in Yantar gives you this recipe when you talk to him after returning from X16. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Sakharov's Data (2)".

Chimaera Tears: Sakharov in Yantar gives you this recipe when you give him the Ghost Suit from X16. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Sakharov's Data (3)".

Soul Drops, Fiery Soul, Crystal Soul and Fervent Crystal: Lukash, in the Freedom Base in Warehouse, will give you all four of these recipes when you complete the "Bring the bulletproof vest" quest by bringing him the Healing Berill suit from a corpse in Yantar near the X16 entrance. All four recipes get entered into the PDA Diary as "Cook's Report".

Electro Porcupine: A Freedom soldier named Screw, at the Freedom Base in Warehouse, will give you this recipe in return for one bottle of vodka. You will also find the recipe on his corpse if you kill him. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Screw's Data".

Stone Porcupine: Max, a Freedom soldier in the Freedom Base in Warehouse, will give you a quest regarding the crazy Stalker in the eastern swamp area of Warehouse. On the body of the crazy Stalker is found "The crazy Stalker's flash drive"; looting this gives you the Stone Porcupine recipe. You do not need to talk to Max to find the corpse and the recipe. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Psycho's Memory Stick".

Titan Kolobok: You will find this recipe on the corpse of a military soldier at the small military base in the NW corner of Warehouse. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Mercenary's PDA".

Scale: Voronin, the Duty boss in the Bar area, gave me this recipe for completing the "Obtain an RG-6 from Freedom" quest, which required retrieving the RG-6 grenade launcher from the basement of a house in the Bloodsucker Village in Warehouse. You can only meet Voronin after you complete X16. You can also get an RG-6 grenade launcher from the Freedom Base armory. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Voronin's Data".

Sphere - Cap, at the Barrier in Warehouse, will give you this recipe for repelling the Monolith attack. The recipe will also be on Cap's corpse if should he die. This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Barrier Commander's Data".

Controller&#8217;s Scalp: I got this recipe from a Monolith soldier's corpse in Red Forest, fairly far down the beginning road, on about the 20th guy I killed; he was near the old APC (which is after the old tank). This recipe is listed in the PDA Diary as "Monolith soldier's PDA".

If you get really desperate for a recipe that you can't find, you can do this:

1. Open info_amk_recipts.xml to look for the names of the recipes. They start with <info_portion id="info_amk_recipt_
2. Once you've found a recipe that you want, you can copy its name (id=). Then open bind_stalker.script and look for:
Code:
function actor_binder:net_spawn(data)
Add something like this underneath it (with the correct recipe):
Code:
db.actor:give_info_portion("info_amk_recipt_steel_kolobok")
After you have loaded the game, you should have the recipe. You can then save the game and delete the added code from bind_stalker.script.
 
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Here are the locations and correct names of the special weapons in OL 2.2 with the Natural English Language Mod for OL 2.2. SMGs go in the pistol slot, assault rifles and all but one shotgun go in the rifle slot. Weapons are listed in the order you are likely to find them. NPC looting may result in some special weapons being picked up and used by NPCs and becoming difficult to find; you can easily turn off NPC looting (and a few other interesting options) in the olp_mod.script file in the gamedata\scripts folder.

Benelli M3 Short (shotgun): In Garbage. enter the Hanger and drop down into the first lower section on the right, and this weapon will be laying on the ground under the ramp. Remarkable in that it is the only shotgun that goes in the pistol slot. Seems to always stay there even if NPC looting is left on. You can also get this weapon by joining Freedom faction by talking to Lukash in Warehouse.

Saiga 12C (shotgun): In Agroprom, in the first large complex of buildings, there are two buildings attached by a skybridge; this weapon is on the top floor (not the roof) of the eastern skybridge buiding, on the floor behind a pillar. Also found in Wild Territory, in the little white building with all the anomalies beneath it to the right of the building that has the four snipers in it (look north just before entering the sniper's building). Seems to always stay there even if NPC looting is left on.

AK-47 (assault rifle): In Bar, always sold by the Barkeep.

Kriss Super V (SMG): No confirmed spawn location. In Cordon, after you clear the military guards under the bridge for the first time, a replacement set of military guards will eventually appear; one of them may carry this weapon. I have a note that says "Pripyat West, in some heavy guards", but if this weapon is in Pripyat, I have yet to find it on the ground or on an NPC. You can also get this weapon by joining the Military faction by talking to General Voronin after enabling Freeplay by killing Koshei in the area behind Chernobyl NPP.

Steyr TMP (SMG): In Dark Valley, on a table just before Borov's office. This weapon is usually picked up by one of Borov's guards if NPC looting is left on, so look for it on or around their corpses.

Interdynamic KG-9 (SMG): In Warehouse, in the farm just east of the Merc base in the northwestern corner of the area, on the floor near the campfire in the farmhouse; this weapon could possibly be picked up by a quest NPC if you do a certain quest before going to the farmhouse and NPC looting is left on, so check corpses in the area. Can also be found in Dark Valley, in the long aboveground walkway leading south out of the bandit base, on the floor in one of the widened sections where the stairs lead down and then up again; this weapon seems to always stay there even if NPC looting is turned on. Also known as the Intratec TEC-9.

PPSH-MP41 (assault rifle): In Bar, sold by the Barkeep after completing X18. Calls itself an SMG but it actually goes in the rifle slot.

Ingram MAC-10 (SMG): No known spawn location or vendor. Sometimes found in Wild Territory on some roaming Bandits and Mercs. Also sometimes found in Pripyat on some roaming Bandits and Mercs.

FN-2000 (assault rifle): In Yantar, on the second level of the building with the X16 entrance, on the floor. A very good weapon - the first you will find that is better than the AK-74 Rapid. The FN-2000 is not to be confused with the FN F2000 (see below). This weapon seems to always stay there even if NPC looting is turned on.

PP-19 Bizon (SMG): Sold by Sakharov in Yantar after completing X16. The best SMG of them all.

FN P90 (SMG): In Bar, sold by the Barkeep after completing X16.

HK MP-7a3 (SMG): No known spawn location or vendor, and I've never seen an NPC wield it. You can obtain an MP-7a3 by joining Duty faction by talking to General Voronin after completing X16 and talking to Barkeep; I know of no other way to obtain this weapon.

OTs-33 Pernach (SMG): In Warehouse, in the Bloodsucker village, in the house just to the west of the water tower, lying on the floor. This weapon always seems to stay there even if NPC looting is left on. Also given to you if you join the Ecologist faction by talking to Sakharov in Yantar.

MG3 (heavy weapon): In Red Forest, on the floor in the first wooden house to the right after you enter the walled-off complex around the entrance to X10 (the Brain Scorcher); if NPC looting is turned on, this weapon could possibly be picked up by a soldier if one runs into the building, so pick it up before they do. Also found in the area behind Chernobyl NPP, on a flat platform just before and below the tall chimney and burning helicopter on top of the sarcophagus roof, next to the blue roof with many square holes; this weapon may be picked up by a soldier if NPC looting is turned on, and may even be blown off the roof by enemy RPG fire. To equip this weapon, you must wear an exoskeleton armor.

FN F2000 (assault rifle): Sold by Kanyhalos in Pripyat, at the top of a stairwell in the building just to the east of the secret stash hotel building. This is an excellent upgrade to the FN-2000, with maximum accuracy. Save the game before you trade with Kanyhalos; if he doesn't have the FN F2000 for sale, reload your game and try again until he does. Also, many Monolith soldiers will wield it in Sarcophagus.

Minigun M-134 (heavy weapon): In Chernobyl NPP, to the east of the first BTR that fires at you, a soldier will definitely be shooting the Minigun at you if NPC looting is on, so check on and around corpses. I have not checked where it is with NPC looting off. To equip this weapon, you must wear an exoskeleton armor.

PKM Machine gun (heavy weapon): In Chernobyl NPP, just after the first BTR that fires at you, turn west and go past the train engine; southwest of the train engine, you will find the PKM on the floor inside a light-colored caravan. If NPC looting is left on, this weapon could possibly be picked up by a soldier if they retreat into the caravan, so pick it up before they do. To equip this weapon, you must wear an exoskeleton armor.
 
(The contents of this post has been rendered redundant by edits of previous posts.)
 
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Thanks for the guide, I just got SoC last week from D2D and with STALKER Complete the game seems much better.
 
cheers for the guide evilsofa, reinstalled it last night and gave it a serious go this time, just getting to the Garbage area now, lots more fun this time around. Using the Stalker complete as per your recommendation will paly thru again wit hOblivion lost afterwards.
 
Awesome, thorough, comprehensive...

I wish you could do a thread like this for every PC game that can be modded. :) Saves us from the dirty work of trial and error trying to find the best mods and avoiding the poor/unstable ones.
 
The contents of this post has been rendered redundant by edits of previous posts.
 
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fleggett said:
Hey, not so fast! There's another mod on the scene now that looks to be absolutely epic. Here is the link:

http://www.moddb.com/mods/lurk

A 0.9 beta was released to the public, but the official 1.0 release is forthcoming.
Click to expand...

Looks like it sticks with most of the original storyline like OL 2.2 does, while taking bits and pieces from the same places that OL 2.2 and Stalker Complete 2009 did, as well as bringing in some Clear Sky stuff, so while it's interesting, I'll probably pass on it.

A lot of internet posters claim Kanyhalos stole a bunch of Oblivion Lost stuff from several other mods, especially the AMK mod, but I get the impression that there's a big communal pot of Russian mods that other mod makers translate into English and mingle together, so I don't think it's as simple as one modder stealing from another. There's links to the English version of the AMK mod for 1.0005 and some patches to make it work better, here.

But I probably won't get around to messing with either Lurk or AMK. I plan on playing Priboi Story, then Clear Sky, then Call Of Pripyat.
 
I installed the 0.9 beta and played with it a little. I haven't played OL or PS, but one of the things I really, REALLY liked about Lurk was that, at least for the handgun I was using, the ammo comprised tracer rounds so you could see exactly where your shots were traveling.

Two things I DIDN'T like, though, was the excessive head bobbing and the elimination of the minimap (the latter was particularly bad). The head bobbing can, I'm guessing, be reduced or gotten rid of. The minimap, though, is absolutely essential, so I don't understand why it was erased. The sleeping bag is also missing. Still, it is a beta, so maybe these'll be fixed for the final.

Once again, the installation readme for Lurk is awful. It doesn't even mention changing fsgame.ltx. How you can spend hundreds of man-hours on these terrifically complex mods and not take five minutes to compose a clear and bulletproof installation guide is beyond my understanding.

So, let me get this straight - there are actually FIVE "whole game" mods for Stalker:SOC? SC, OL, PS, Lurk, and AMK?
 
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fleggett said:
Two things I DIDN'T like, though, was the excessive head bobbing and the elimination of the minimap (the latter was particularly bad). The head bobbing can, I'm guessing, be reduced or gotten rid of.
Click to expand...

Remove the headbobbing by going to gamedata\config\misc\effectors.ltx and making these changes:
run_amplitude = 0.0; 0.0075
walk_amplitude = 0.0; 0.005
limp_amplitude = 0.0; 0.011

The Stalker Complete 2009 readme says to get the vanilla HUD back, go to:
gamedata\config\ui
and delete these files:
maingame.xml
maingame_16.xml
motion_icon.xml
motion_icon_16.xml
ui_hud.xml
zone_map.xml
zone_map_16.xml

I don't know how that will translate for Lurk, but maybe experimentation with removing those files will get you the minimap back.

So, let me get this straight - there are actually FIVE "whole game" mods for Stalker:SOC? SC, OL, PS, Lurk, and AMK?
Click to expand...

Six. The people who made Priboi Story are working on Lost Alpha, which as near as I can tell is like all the other "Do Stalker Like It Was Supposed To Be" mods.
 
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Both changes worked (with Lurk installed)! That's so bizarre that deleting those files would restore game elements. And I can now play the game without getting seasick.

Thanks a bunch!

And SIX mods?! Incredible, just incredible. I hope Lost Alpha has a better installation readme!
 
fleggett said:
That's so bizarre that deleting those files would restore game elements.
Click to expand...

The files in the gamedata folder override the files that are packed away in the gamedata.db0, gamedata.db1, etc files. The vanilla elements are always there. When you remove the modified elements from the gamedata folder, it reverts to the vanilla elements.
 
Hi guys, I've registered to let you know the new version of STALKER Complete 2009 (1.4) is released. Thanks a lot for using it, I've been reading your comments throughout the development and most new improvements come from constructive feedback found on Hard Forum. It's moved from simple compilation to a stand alone mod, since I reworked most features and created a lot of original content:

http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-complete-2009

We are also making .exe installer that will make changes to fsgame.ltx and user.ltx automatically and will be compatible with XP/Vista/Win7 32/64 bit. This is fully functional test version: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VBVX5N65

As of Lurk, it was created by SC2009 fan, who with my permissions, took a chunk from Complete and started building his own version based on his tastes, so you may see some similarities.
 
i just reinstalled SOC the other day. I will now follow your advice and try it with OL.
 
artistpavel said:
Hi guys, I've registered to let you know the new version of STALKER Complete 2009 (1.4) is released.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, artistpavel, for all your work on this. A lot of the advice I've been giving, such as fixing the shadow glitches, was derived from the Readmes from Stalker Complete.
 
Hi, artistpavel. I'm playing SOC with the 1.4 version of SC2009 right now. A fantastic mod, thanks for creating it. However, I do have one complaint, as it looks like the installation readme was just copied over for the 1.4 package.

As I wrote earlier in this thread, there are two problems with the wording. The first is that the line in fsgame.ltx that needs to be modded also has a "gamedata\" suffix that >has< to be there, else the game crashes.

And second, it should be made clearer that the gamedata folder from the SC2009 package has to be transferred to the main Stalker folder as a directory and not just its contents.

Other than that, the mod itself seems to be pretty stable. I gotta go kill some bandits...
 
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Yes, that's much more accurate. I think that'll preempt a lot of "Why isn't this working?" type of queries. Good work!

Do you know if the author of SMM will be incorporating Steam support at some point?
 
Omg Evilsofa..how come your not lazy to do such a big posts? hehe great work man the problem is i'm to lazy to even read that lol (can't imagine to type it ) anyway when my 5870s arrived ill be reading this guide for sure thanks one more time ;)
 
This thread should be stickied i keep looking back here as im going thru the game were to find weapons and artifact recipies with OL
 
Huh. Does that mean the D2D download is the 1.0000 version? What would be the difference between the normal, run-of-the-mill patch and that digital distribution patch on Filefront?

(The Steam download is prepatched to 1.0005.)

Sounds like SMM should probably work with the Steam version, too. I'll have to try it to see what happens.
 
Yeah, I wish it'd get stickied myself. It could be expanded to include CS and CoP when mods for those become available (if they aren't already for CS - still trying to get through to the end of SoC).
 
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