Just a quick one to say a massive thanks to everyone who has commented, watched or shared this video. I never thought it'd get any traction so I'm really glad it's resonated with a lot of Stalker fans. Following some feedback I've gotten a much better mic setup & will be getting some decent editing software, probably looking to make some more Stalker videos in the future covering mods, Stalker 2 news & giving some opinions on some other things within the franchise - I just need to figure out a schedule & would love to hear some topics you'd be interested in being spoken about. Not to shill myself too much but I have been busy streaming over on my Twitch www.twitch.tv/milkfingers458, and I'd be greatly humbled if anyone interested would head over there to check me out. I'll be streaming all sorts of survival horror games, I've just completed Darkwood & will likely be playing Dead Space next, so if that's your cup of tea I'd appreciate a moment of your time if you'd like to come & hang out, chat about video games, movies or whatever's going on in your life. Again thank you all, much love. Milk
It's been so many years, I can't blame the modders. The original trilogy has a special place in everyone's heart, the mods are just a fresh paint-over to enjoy the games again.
My start was OG but my favourite mod is OGSE where they added cut content like you can't enter Rookie Village until you save the guy near the bridge. And the PDA glitches out during emmissions.
They are offering stalker on console now. I was reviewing videos before I buy the game. Your video is the best I've come across so far. I saw where it was your first video. I hope you continue making videos. You seem to have a real knack for it. Wish you well. God bless .
I bought the first game, and tbh, the visuals (even with graphical mods) deter me so much that I feel extremely bored when I play it. The atmosphere is very sophisticated, but I get bored after 20 minutes of playing the game. But then I feel guilty for playing GAMMA without playing the first games man
@@rakahns1734i gave in and purchased it on console but its so outdated. The concept it really cool though. Can't wait to see the world brought to life in stalker 2
@@rakahns1734 You should've gotten some graphics mod for SoC, and OWR3 for more better looking animations on weapons. But this was 5 days ago, so I'm just hoping you completed the Trilogy, or SoC already :3
As someone that started with Anomaly, I can really appreciate that it respects you enough to let you figure out the game mechanics rather than just telling you about them
I just discovered anomaly and it has been hard to get into but I'm digging the vibe, scarcity, and learning curve that it offers. I had no idea there was such a huge history behind it. I played games like metro, and chernobylite and was really into them so I was digging all that you said here. I initially searched up how to get into this game such as play style since I'm getting my ass kicked but between your explanation and watching some gameplay put in this video, it really clears it up for me. Thanks for this gem and I'll be looking forward to checking out S.t.a.l.k.e.r. 2
I've played this game since it came out. Got the two follow up games that came later, and just love the franchise. Its awesome seeing new content for a game that's as old as it is. Have subbed man, and all the best.
I totally get why people say play the ogs first, but as a kid that was introduced to chernobyl through cod 4 and enthralled by it (like millions of others), Anomaly is the best addon for that experience. the best thing that Anomaly has achieved for the community is that new players are thrown into the zone with no warning of what anything is; making you far more interested and eager to learn and that is far more immersive for me, like you have irl gone to the zone with no knowledge bar the fact this is a wasteland. The main games are like legends/stories to hear about in the zone if you look at it from that perspective
I’m a 20 year console peasant but I’ve watched quite a few hours of content about these games and have always wanted to play it. Now it’s on consoles and I have to assume they’ve polished the game at least somewhat and the age old difficulty argument seems to not apply. I started playing on novice and it was very easy, now I’m playing on Master and it’s very hard so I think they’ve “sanitised” the difficulty setting for us simple console fools. It has lived up to my expectations being a very immersive, very gritty and extremely fun game. Mods are coming to consoles “later in the year” but I’m hoping I finish at least the 1st game before they arrive because I know I won’t be able to resist them but the game is truly excellent without them. I’m finally a Stalker and I’m loving it🤓
hey man i’ve have about 90 hours in soc and im pretty new to the community. seeing something geared towards new players is really cool to see and inspiring.
it was a good, straight to the point video man, and I am glad to have entered recently the STALKER franchise because i find such amazing people making awesome videos about a really awesome videogame :D It was fun watching your video even though i have already played the whole series xD . good hunting stalker!
I started with GAMMA and I don't regret it, that mod pack allows me to customise my experience to roleplay how I want. I've watched a boatload of lore videos and even gave my guy a background & motivation to be in the Zone (which I later learned has some similarities with the book's protagonist.) And while I never played the originals, because in 2007 I was on a console stint, I did follow development and I solely blame them for me wanting to and actually visiting Chernobyl back in 2011. I despise gatekeeping behaviour, if I'm enthusiastic about something I'd want to share that with as many others as I can. I'll probably play the originals at some point (I do have them on steam already) but for now I'm too engrossed in the 80 hours of my own story.
I'm 100% approve gatekeeping. Don't let the normies and tourist into your favourite franchise and let them talk like they know more than you do. I don't agree with the way you started the series but i'm glad you're having fun.
What the hell is stopping you playing from playing the originals? They're cheap as hell on sales and if you're worried about stability buy them on GOG... Its not gatekeeping, you're just a lazy ass or someone looking for single player tarkov lmao
Hello. Nice video. I'm on my first ever play through of SoC using the Starter Pack mod which updates the graphics, weather, fixes bugs and makes the game more siutable for playing on higher definitions and modern aspect ratios, without changing any of the game mechanics or story. I have to say I'm thoroughly enoying it.
@@Milkfingers458 Starter Pack is good to have. It's a simple collection of newbie-friendly mods, namely the ZRP, Shaders Max, and the Absolute Nature, that keep things very "vanilla", but polish things up a bit. It's not 100% necessary, but kinda nice to have, especially if you're a first-time player. I actually personally gathered the very first "Starter Pack" version myself back in 2011. I noticed that some other folks have made a Moddb release of sorts later on, but I'm in no way affiliated with them, and I honestly think that said "version" is a waaay too big of an overhaul to be considered "beginner-friendly" or "vanilla 2.0".
I think having seen the Tarkovsky movie it also adds some depth to the feel of the games. For some reason whenever i was near the plant-Southern side where you always find the Pseudogiant/s and the Chimera in Anomaly under the open sky near the irradiated buildings it always reminded me of the movie which made me feel a connection to the other stalkers. (which are ofc. npc-s but never mind) It's probably because the radiation makes my chainsmoking habits surface which reminds me of the movie for some reason and i was there a lot making money out of the mutated parts. I played the original games when they came out but then dropped them and only got back to them a few years ago through Anomaly myself. The hype was real around the games but i had other games to play (the time the OG Stalkers came out was a real golden age of games if anyone remembers)wasn't that much into its kind of horroresque genre at the time, it's an acquired taste. (controllers still give me heart attacks-in fact even just seeing the psy light effect did in Anomaly still, i especially love the bush camo ones :D) But yeah, Anomaly is pretty empty and at some point right at Lab X-18 the game bugged out for me-the disguise system was bugged as well, a lot of wasted potential in that game from a roleplay perspective and i just wasn't interested in playing the story further as i experienced all the weapons i was interested in and finally got bored of sniping around the Cement Factory and its vicinity. Will probably give Gamma a try at some point whenever i have nothing else to do. I agree Anomaly is probably not the best for new players even just simply because of its emptiness which can make you bored fast. I remember a Bloodsucker attack at night from the OG games while i was hunting for parts for Sakharov and it felt way more intense at the time than everything i experienced in Anomaly combined, i really don't know what made me stop playing it at the time because i also liked the mystery of the games back then-especially the Wish Granter lore which we knew virtually nothing of at that time.
Good video mate. Agree with pretty much every point you made. Seeing as the OG Stalker trilogy has just been released on consoles (with mods to come later this year), might be a good idea to make more content like this. Capitalise on it.
Whoa, apart from the mildly muted editing style, I wouldn't had guessed that this was your 1st video. So not bad I mean to say. And about SoC, 17 years and counting and it just doesn't get old. Sure, we've spent time apart, but I find myself returning to it from time to time, maybe years apart. Also the modding side is a whole world of its own.
Step 1: Enjoy the older fallout games Step 2: Have your balls drop and get and unhealthy obsession with acoustic guitar, vodka, and russian made firearms
Absolutely love seeing videos related to the og trilogy. especially ones like this where its telling the viewers to start with the trilogy. the stalker youtube space has been absolutely flooded with gamma players who only care about gun porn and graphics and also tell people to not play the trilogy and only play anomaly and its modpacks. great video keep it up mate
Started with OG Shadow of Chernobyl as a kid, roaming around not knowing wtf I'm doing just run n gun. Picked it up few years later and completed it (modded) then played Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat and completed them vanilla. Then I got into Call of Chernobyl and then I played Anomaly. I recently played GAMMA (Brother this shit is hard) and then I went back to Shadow of Chernobyl wich all of a sudden looked so outdated like WTF. Long story short: The OG Trilogy has stories and such while COC, Anomaly and GAMMA are more sandbox oriented. If you're more of a Sandbox player, expect STALKER 2 to be amazing, but to have kind of a lack of Hardcover survival such as Anomaly or GAMMA. (That does not mean that we wont get an Anomaly 2 or something similar in the future for STALKER 2. IMO I can already see a similar mod getting developed immediately after launch)
Old guy with bad eyesight, terrible reflexes, and...well old. I hated SoC after my 3rd death in 5 minutes. So I modded the snot out of it. And then, I could pay attention to the world around me other than just "where is my next non-irrradiated anomaly free cover".
I agree that Shadow of Chernobyl is definitely a must play if you want to get into the series and haven't played it at all. Not only that but why wouldn't you? I'm playing it Right now on PS4 as it was recently brought to the console and I'm having a great time. I will agree that the shooting may seem clunky at first but as you play the game you can see that the developers did put a lot of work into the ballistics of weapons as you can see that bullets do drop and don't just go on forever and not hit scan. Moreover the condition of your weapons also matter as the more damaged/used your weapon is the less accurate and useful your weapons will be. And yes you cannot repair weapons without mods but at the very least with the use of special artifacts that you can collect throughout playing the game you can use them to repair your armor, which will matter much more for you later on as it will save you from believing you have to replace your armor instead of repairing it which will cost you a hefty sum especially for the high tier armors. Not that it's hard to make money really, it's not. If you know what vendors to use you can make a killing but I just don't think it's necessary to spend money unnecessarily especially when you can repair your armor and save thousands.
Good video. As an oldfag who did indeed start with the version 1.0 of SoC way back in early 2007, I find it just insulting that so many people home-in towards megamods like Anomaly or Gamma, not even giving the vanilla GAMES a shot. They're absolutely timeless masterpieces all (patched) vanilla. I do recommend some bugfixers, like the ZRP and SRP, for SoC and CS though. One thing though: I noticed that you were playing SoC on the "Static Lighting" (DX8) mode. Was that on purpose, or did you not even know that there is a much, much prettier DX9 mode? DX8 is essentially 2003 mode, pre-baked lighting and no normal mapping. It looks kinda nice, but the fully dynamic DX9 mode really makes it look like a borderline 2010s game.
Hearing 'oldfag' when referring to game that released in 07 is crazy to me haha. I still remember watching my dad play these games back then, I wasn't even ten years old! Revisiting these now has been such a great experience. Noted on the DX version, I'll have to double check that when I get off work! Appreciate you watching and commenting man!
I just picked up the stalker bundle in the steam sale for just under £6. It's taking some getting used to but I'm enjoying it so far. You mentioned using texture mods and ZRP together, but ZRP warns against using other mods, would that be referring to mechanic altering mods rather than just textures?
The major issue with SoC is that the first 30 min to 1hr is basically the game stomping you in the groin when all you have is the Makarov and sawn off. Yes there's ways to get an early AK and gear but you need to find walkthrough/tips videos. And I would argue the game needs to start that way for progression to have meaning. You start SoC as a vulnerable and outgunned stalker and by the end you are a veteran of the Zone. It's just hard to convince someone to just push through with his pea shooter and wait for it to get better.
Some feedback, as requested. It would be nice to see your uploads in their true aspect ratio, as opposed to a stretched ultrawide and crank up the volume a little bit please 😄 Another thing with audio, if you export your voiceover track by itself and process it through Adobe Enhanced Speech you will get surprisingly good denoising and mastering, to avoid it sounding too processed I usually just sync it up with the original audio file (instead of just replacing it) in the video editing software. Welcome to the STALKER sphere of content creation... it's great and strange, but mainly great!
Good video, agree with most of the points, only critique I have is about the video itself, your voice is extremely quiet, bump up the volume in editing next time around, also the aspect ratio giving the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen is a little off putting but its a minor nitpick.
Would you recommend playing SoC on Master difficulty? I started my first playthrough on it based on recommendations but I can't say I'm having a good time as enemies tend to be bullet sponges, even when I try to go for headshots as much as possible. Last night I just threw my hands in the air and quit after I unloaded five AK rounds in some dude's face at point blank range and he didn't even flinch. Watching your gameplay footage here makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong. 🤔 It could be that I come primarily from retro FPSes, so I'm not used to this sort of gameplay. The only Stalker-like I played and adored was Chernobylite. As far as pure tactical FPS goes, I'm also experienced with Counter-Strike 🤪 Great vid btw. Appreciate it.
Try cranking the difficulty up, it should help with human enemies especially. Just remember to use cover a lot more & don't forget you can lean out of cover, that Counter-Strike experience should actually help out there! I had it on a higher difficulty in this vid, I also had the quick fire AK you can find, so it shoots faster & enemies drop quicker. Thanks for commenting & hope this helps!
@@Milkfingers458 Thanks for the reply man. When you say "crack up the difficulty", do you mean through mods? I'm already playing on Master and as you said in the video, mods like Autumn Aurora do make the game harder. Don't think I wanna mess with extensive mods yet tho, because I want the "authentic" experience (not to mention the atmosphere is so damn good, I don't want graphics mods to change it too much). I understand recommending mods though. I'm a Deus Ex fan and the first thing newcomers of that game ask is what mods to use because yeah, that game is pretty janky too. I think I'll just keep trudging along and hope for the best. Everyone has recommended this game to me so I owe it to myself to play it. 👍
SoC is really janky with how it handles gunplay. If firing in full auto, each bullet after the first shot fired actually does LESS damage and progressively worse. You’re actually better off leaving the fire selector in semiautomatic and learning to have a quick trigger finger. As for difficulty making it “easier,” not so. It’s a bit of an old thing that has been said all through the life of the game to play on Master instead of the lower difficulties. The damage *you* inflict for not change through the difficulty settings. The difficulty I believe also affects how much munitions you find off corpses and such. As for mods like Autumn Aurora, it makes *everything* easier to kill, including yourself. So if you aren’t one to take it slow, check your corners and handle gunfights, it can put a damper on the experience. For me, I enjoy the vanilla experience of SoC. Gunplay aside, the crusty graphics feel so right regarding the desolate and wasteland aesthetics of the Zone.
I started with Soc but noticed that I was getting a little bit bored after I completed it so I watched Lore videos about the 2 other Games each 2h long (In German). After that I played anomaly before I got myself to play clear sky and call of pripyat. Now I am playing Gamma only
My question is thus... Can a man without knowledge of prior stalker games, read 'Roadside Picnic' and jump straight into playing anomaly, considering his newly found obsession, and deep understanding of its concept? Can he survive? Will he learn how to become a true stalker; Regardless of the challenge, if the book alone has made him invested? We know the book does not contain account of mutant activity, but will he adapt to the zone's new threats?
First video? It did not seem like that, well made. I really like GAMMA & I've never played another stalker game ever, I'd never even heard the term outside the stalker 2 trailer, But that seems like release is far away.. There's something about running 540 mods on top of a modded title that I really like. They did a good job on it.
Easiest way is to just play the game on master and don't expect to be treated like an all powerful god character, this game doesn't give two craps about 'You' the player and it WILL let you know it lol love the STALKER franchise for that simple fact.
I am playing cs for the first time I heard it was a prequel to soc. I’m at the part where I have to get my stuff back in the swamp. On one hand I have to escape a pack of dogs on the other hand I’m going to be surrounded by zombies with guns.
A lovely video! Well done brother. I will say, my only critiques are that 1.) anomaly does have a story! It's not just a larp. There are 3 chapters. Now, whether they are good or not are up for debate. But they exist! 2.) Can you turn the mixing for your voice up a little :)
Analmeme's story is in no way comparable to the original trilogy's CAMPAIGNS. All you're doing is generic fetch quests for generic NPCs. No set pieces, no cinematics, no "ultimate goal".
@@GugureSux I never said that the main campaign of anomaly was good, but it does exist. I thought it was fun for what it is, though lacking inspiration. The first chapter is almost a 1-1 retread of SoC, the second chapter is a little interesting with the fight against Sin (albeit overly bombastic with the fight in the generators and abandoned hospital) and the third chapter just feels like an epilogue. It's a free game with lots of features in a fun setting made by guys in their basement, I don't know why you guys expect the epitome of gaming 😂
also call of Pripyat is a must play along with soc while the overall story is not as good as soc but the side quest and the way GCS rote the character's 100% makes up for that and i would say the side quest are on par with the one's from the Witcher and that says a lot the fact that you're effecting the story thought-out the entire game and that you well likely not realize that show how well made call of Pripyat's narrative is and that is something most games even today do not do well also the character's i would say call of Pripyat does a great job at making the characters entrusting two examples being cardan and vano overall it's an experience not worth missing and while it only has 3 maps i don't think that brigs down how great the game is and how much effort GSC put in
are we still playing stalker ? I have been playing moded stalker for years and fired up stalker soc on my rtx 4090 in 1440p 8x msaa and no mods and it felt amazing in moded ❤
Thanks for the vid. I’ve been wanting to get into stalker and tried anomaly but I just don’t know what I’m doing. I will definitely try out the actual games
I always suggested Complete for the dedication to the original ambience. I am inclined to think now that Radiophobia 3 is the way to play SOC now...a bit difficult but fun.
Complete mods are absolute SHIT. I don't know why people are still recommending that trash over 15 years later, but they were obsolete already decades ago, and make the games absolutely casual-tier easy. The visual changes also leave A LOT to be desired.
Can't speak for consoles, but I'd suggest experimenting with the difficulty to find what suits you. The game relies a lot on trial and error especially for newer players so stick with it and you'll have a blast!
@Milkfingers458 I'm enjoying all of that, but I'm struggling to workout how to safely cross the trainline near the start with getting electrocuted in the underpass / tunnel under it! 😞
Links below: My Twitch: www.twitch.tv/milkfingers458 Mods ZRP: www.metacognix.com/files/stlkrsoc/index.html How to Install: www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/3d4re8/newbie_here_how_do_i_install_zone_reclamation Photo Realistic Zone: www.moddb.com/mods/photo-realistic-zone-2/downloads/photo-realistic-zone-21 How to install: www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/3cbyag/need_help_installing_photo_realistic_zone_2/ Autumn Aurora 2: www.moddb.com/mods/autumn-aurora-compilation-mod/downloads/autumn-aurora-21-by-autumnal-wanderers How to Install: steamcommunity.com/app/4500/discussions/0/37470848469755854/?l=german STALKER Complete: www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-complete-2009
@@Shakerini-tf7fp I was gonna when I uploaded but RUclips needs you to verify your account to do that for some fuckin reason lol, thanks for reminding me tho!
i personally recomment people to play shadow of cernobyl ogsr gunslinger, its a remake of the first game with great animations and gunplay while keeping the original content intact , its hella fun and a great time for anyone who doesnt want to deal with the dated gameplay of the first game
Is there perhaps a mod that not only improves the gameplay but also adds more quality hand animations while also keeping the entire story of SoC completely vanilla? I've been asking many people for that and they offered quite a few mods, but just couldn't get the hint that I *don't* want any missions that aren't included in the base game. I only wish for a mod that STRICTLY improves the gameplay. It doesn't tamper with any mission, ever, doesn't add any new missions, ever. The story stays completely untouched and the only thing that's been tampered with is the gameplay.
Sounds like you are looking for something like Gunslinger, which is a mod for Call of Pripyat. There are versions that I believe work with SoC too, you'll need to do some searching though as the set-up is probably quite different. I've found this link: www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/15g7edl/found_a_very_good_gunslinger_implemen_tation_for/ Which might work for you, I've not used it personally but if you do some searching around you might find install instructions. Good luck!
I love the OG games so much. Im dragging myself through gamma right now. The weapon progression in gamma is absolute trash. I feel like i spend more time looking for parts than doing tasks
Stalker Anonaly did it for me, i recommend it to everyone AND is free. Watch stalker videos to know the story of the first three games and the lore and then play Anomaly. Its awesome. (Or watch the content as you play through, its awesome)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. actually stands for 'Stalker'. This was done to avoid legal problems from using the name of the movie on which the game is based. The stuff you mention was made up later. Keep in mind that you are using English words for each letter...
I played Stalker way back in 2007 when was launched... Today I installed Anomaly and wanted to try GAMMA, I could not download GAMMA, always getting - Check Internet connection
Stalker dropped on console. It's definitely jank as all hell, and could have been better ported, I feel. But I keep wanting to play more, despite that.
I started with GAMMA and I don't regret it, that mod pack allows me to customise my experience to roleplay how I want. I've watched a boatload of lore videos and even gave my guy a background & motivation to be in the Zone (which I later learned has some similarities with the book's protagonist.) And while I never played the originals, because in 2007 I was on a console stint, I did follow development and I solely blame them for me wanting to and actually visiting Chernobyl back in 2011. I despise gatekeeping behaviour, if I'm enthusiastic about something I'd want to share that with as many others as I can. I'll probably play the originals at some point (I do have them on steam already) but for now I'm too engrossed in the 80 hours of my own story.
![[DRAGON BALL LEGENDS REVEALS ＆ STUFF] LEGENDS FESTIVAL 2024 Special Edition Part 1](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mV5bGIswTtQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Just a quick one to say a massive thanks to everyone who has commented, watched or shared this video.
I never thought it'd get any traction so I'm really glad it's resonated with a lot of Stalker fans. Following some feedback I've gotten a much better mic setup & will be getting some decent editing software, probably looking to make some more Stalker videos in the future covering mods, Stalker 2 news & giving some opinions on some other things within the franchise - I just need to figure out a schedule & would love to hear some topics you'd be interested in being spoken about.
Not to shill myself too much but I have been busy streaming over on my Twitch www.twitch.tv/milkfingers458, and I'd be greatly humbled if anyone interested would head over there to check me out. I'll be streaming all sorts of survival horror games, I've just completed Darkwood & will likely be playing Dead Space next, so if that's your cup of tea I'd appreciate a moment of your time if you'd like to come & hang out, chat about video games, movies or whatever's going on in your life.
Again thank you all, much love.
Milk
BRO KEEP GRINDING WE LOVE YOU ❤❤❤❤❤
I love seeing more and more creators making videos about OG STALKER these days. A far cry from the flood of total conversion mod videos of a year ago.
It's been so many years, I can't blame the modders. The original trilogy has a special place in everyone's heart, the mods are just a fresh paint-over to enjoy the games again.
Well stalker just re release on consoles that can explain things up
My start was OG but my favourite mod is OGSE where they added cut content like you can't enter Rookie Village until you save the guy near the bridge. And the PDA glitches out during emmissions.
They are offering stalker on console now. I was reviewing videos before I buy the game. Your video is the best I've come across so far. I saw where it was your first video. I hope you continue making videos. You seem to have a real knack for it. Wish you well. God bless .
jumping into the OG stalker trilogy is pretty solid entry into stalker
I bought the first game, and tbh, the visuals (even with graphical mods) deter me so much that I feel extremely bored when I play it. The atmosphere is very sophisticated, but I get bored after 20 minutes of playing the game. But then I feel guilty for playing GAMMA without playing the first games man
@@rakahns1734i gave in and purchased it on console but its so outdated. The concept it really cool though. Can't wait to see the world brought to life in stalker 2
@@rakahns1734 You should've gotten some graphics mod for SoC, and OWR3 for more better looking animations on weapons. But this was 5 days ago, so I'm just hoping you completed the Trilogy, or SoC already :3
@@rakahns1734filtered
@@rakahns1734 brainrot adhd gyatt ohio skibidi
As someone that started with Anomaly, I can really appreciate that it respects you enough to let you figure out the game mechanics rather than just telling you about them
Fhey just shadow dropped on consoles today.
You rule man, I believe it is the right thing to make videos about things you like, footage's nice too.
Appreciate it mate, I'll definitely check your vid out after work!
I just discovered anomaly and it has been hard to get into but I'm digging the vibe, scarcity, and learning curve that it offers. I had no idea there was such a huge history behind it. I played games like metro, and chernobylite and was really into them so I was digging all that you said here. I initially searched up how to get into this game such as play style since I'm getting my ass kicked but between your explanation and watching some gameplay put in this video, it really clears it up for me. Thanks for this gem and I'll be looking forward to checking out S.t.a.l.k.e.r. 2
I've played this game since it came out. Got the two follow up games that came later, and just love the franchise. Its awesome seeing new content for a game that's as old as it is. Have subbed man, and all the best.
I just got the first game for Switch and really looking forward to finally playing this series
Same
Please more of this. What a fresh video I love it ❤
I totally get why people say play the ogs first, but as a kid that was introduced to chernobyl through cod 4 and enthralled by it (like millions of others), Anomaly is the best addon for that experience. the best thing that Anomaly has achieved for the community is that new players are thrown into the zone with no warning of what anything is; making you far more interested and eager to learn and that is far more immersive for me, like you have irl gone to the zone with no knowledge bar the fact this is a wasteland. The main games are like legends/stories to hear about in the zone if you look at it from that perspective
11:45 General Kenobi! 😄
I love how retro it looks. And love the “euro jank”
But I’m playing on console
Then again I did watch the film whilst I played it
No critiques. Cheers for the mod recommendations!
I’m a 20 year console peasant but I’ve watched quite a few hours of content about these games and have always wanted to play it.
Now it’s on consoles and I have to assume they’ve polished the game at least somewhat and the age old difficulty argument seems to not apply.
I started playing on novice and it was very easy, now I’m playing on Master and it’s very hard so I think they’ve “sanitised” the difficulty setting for us simple console fools.
It has lived up to my expectations being a very immersive, very gritty and extremely fun game. Mods are coming to consoles “later in the year” but I’m hoping I finish at least the 1st game before they arrive because I know I won’t be able to resist them but the game is truly excellent without them. I’m finally a Stalker and I’m loving it🤓
I'm a fan of Morrowind, Gothic, Kenshi, and Postal 2. Vanilla STALKER looks gorgeous to me already.
@@benjaminharmon6541 you have great taste! I've been playing through gothic 1 for the first time over on my Twitch, it's such a great game!
hey man i’ve have about 90 hours in soc and im pretty new to the community. seeing something geared towards new players is really cool to see and inspiring.
Just stumbled on this game and I can’t believe I haven’t played it yet, I’d be interested in seeing a seasoned player’s play on it
it was a good, straight to the point video man, and I am glad to have entered recently the STALKER franchise because i find such amazing people making awesome videos about a really awesome videogame :D It was fun watching your video even though i have already played the whole series xD . good hunting stalker!
Just installed SOC and ZPR wish me luck!
Thanks for your help setting up 🙏
AA2 is THE mod it updates it perfectly for the modern age
I started with GAMMA and I don't regret it, that mod pack allows me to customise my experience to roleplay how I want.
I've watched a boatload of lore videos and even gave my guy a background & motivation to be in the Zone (which I later learned has some similarities with the book's protagonist.)
And while I never played the originals, because in 2007 I was on a console stint, I did follow development and I solely blame them for me wanting to and actually visiting Chernobyl back in 2011.
I despise gatekeeping behaviour, if I'm enthusiastic about something I'd want to share that with as many others as I can. I'll probably play the originals at some point (I do have them on steam already) but for now I'm too engrossed in the 80 hours of my own story.
I'm 100% approve gatekeeping. Don't let the normies and tourist into your favourite franchise and let them talk like they know more than you do. I don't agree with the way you started the series but i'm glad you're having fun.
nerd
What the hell is stopping you playing from playing the originals? They're cheap as hell on sales and if you're worried about stability buy them on GOG... Its not gatekeeping, you're just a lazy ass or someone looking for single player tarkov lmao
Hello. Nice video. I'm on my first ever play through of SoC using the Starter Pack mod which updates the graphics, weather, fixes bugs and makes the game more siutable for playing on higher definitions and modern aspect ratios, without changing any of the game mechanics or story. I have to say I'm thoroughly enoying it.
Great to hear man! And yeah Start pack is one that I didn't include as I'm not familiar with it, but if it works it works. Enjoy the experience!
@@Milkfingers458 Starter Pack is good to have. It's a simple collection of newbie-friendly mods, namely the ZRP, Shaders Max, and the Absolute Nature, that keep things very "vanilla", but polish things up a bit. It's not 100% necessary, but kinda nice to have, especially if you're a first-time player.
I actually personally gathered the very first "Starter Pack" version myself back in 2011. I noticed that some other folks have made a Moddb release of sorts later on, but I'm in no way affiliated with them, and I honestly think that said "version" is a waaay too big of an overhaul to be considered "beginner-friendly" or "vanilla 2.0".
New channel? New sub! Your video really helped me out man
I think having seen the Tarkovsky movie it also adds some depth to the feel of the games.
For some reason whenever i was near the plant-Southern side where you always find the Pseudogiant/s and the Chimera in Anomaly under the open sky near the irradiated buildings it always reminded me of the movie which made me feel a connection to the other stalkers. (which are ofc. npc-s but never mind)
It's probably because the radiation makes my chainsmoking habits surface which reminds me of the movie for some reason and i was there a lot making money out of the mutated parts.
I played the original games when they came out but then dropped them and only got back to them a few years ago through Anomaly myself.
The hype was real around the games but i had other games to play (the time the OG Stalkers came out was a real golden age of games if anyone remembers)wasn't that much into its kind of horroresque genre at the time, it's an acquired taste. (controllers still give me heart attacks-in fact even just seeing the psy light effect did in Anomaly still, i especially love the bush camo ones :D)
But yeah, Anomaly is pretty empty and at some point right at Lab X-18 the game bugged out for me-the disguise system was bugged as well, a lot of wasted potential in that game from a roleplay perspective and i just wasn't interested in playing the story further as i experienced all the weapons i was interested in and finally got bored of sniping around the Cement Factory and its vicinity.
Will probably give Gamma a try at some point whenever i have nothing else to do.
I agree Anomaly is probably not the best for new players even just simply because of its emptiness which can make you bored fast.
I remember a Bloodsucker attack at night from the OG games while i was hunting for parts for Sakharov and it felt way more intense at the time than everything i experienced in Anomaly combined, i really don't know what made me stop playing it at the time because i also liked the mystery of the games back then-especially the Wish Granter lore which we knew virtually nothing of at that time.
Great video man. Most stalker creators have bad mics and annoying voices
Very good video especially for being your first !
Agreed
Good video mate. Agree with pretty much every point you made. Seeing as the OG Stalker trilogy has just been released on consoles (with mods to come later this year), might be a good idea to make more content like this. Capitalise on it.
It’s on console now which is sick hopefully the cult following grows
Whoa, apart from the mildly muted editing style, I wouldn't had guessed that this was your 1st video. So not bad I mean to say.
And about SoC, 17 years and counting and it just doesn't get old. Sure, we've spent time apart, but I find myself returning to it from time to time, maybe years apart. Also the modding side is a whole world of its own.
Im jumping on now so I can say I was sub#3 when this channel gets big. Great video!
COP and SOC both have Gunslinger now. Clear Sky has to wait a little longer
Thank you for mod recommendations, helped
Step 1: Enjoy the older fallout games
Step 2: Have your balls drop and get and unhealthy obsession with acoustic guitar, vodka, and russian made firearms
Funny that I actually did just get into the original Fallout games last month, just picked up the Stalker trilogy yesterday and loving it!
Absolutely love seeing videos related to the og trilogy. especially ones like this where its telling the viewers to start with the trilogy. the stalker youtube space has been absolutely flooded with gamma players who only care about gun porn and graphics and also tell people to not play the trilogy and only play anomaly and its modpacks. great video keep it up mate
For your first video this was great! my only complaint is that your audio was really quiet, but other than that i liked it!
Started with OG Shadow of Chernobyl as a kid, roaming around not knowing wtf I'm doing just run n gun. Picked it up few years later and completed it (modded) then played Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat and completed them vanilla. Then I got into Call of Chernobyl and then I played Anomaly. I recently played GAMMA (Brother this shit is hard) and then I went back to Shadow of Chernobyl wich all of a sudden looked so outdated like WTF.
Long story short: The OG Trilogy has stories and such while COC, Anomaly and GAMMA are more sandbox oriented. If you're more of a Sandbox player, expect STALKER 2 to be amazing, but to have kind of a lack of Hardcover survival such as Anomaly or GAMMA. (That does not mean that we wont get an Anomaly 2 or something similar in the future for STALKER 2. IMO I can already see a similar mod getting developed immediately after launch)
Old guy with bad eyesight, terrible reflexes, and...well old. I hated SoC after my 3rd death in 5 minutes. So I modded the snot out of it. And then, I could pay attention to the world around me other than just "where is my next non-irrradiated anomaly free cover".
nicely done mate; keep up the good work
I agree that Shadow of Chernobyl is definitely a must play if you want to get into the series and haven't played it at all. Not only that but why wouldn't you? I'm playing it Right now on PS4 as it was recently brought to the console and I'm having a great time. I will agree that the shooting may seem clunky at first but as you play the game you can see that the developers did put a lot of work into the ballistics of weapons as you can see that bullets do drop and don't just go on forever and not hit scan. Moreover the condition of your weapons also matter as the more damaged/used your weapon is the less accurate and useful your weapons will be. And yes you cannot repair weapons without mods but at the very least with the use of special artifacts that you can collect throughout playing the game you can use them to repair your armor, which will matter much more for you later on as it will save you from believing you have to replace your armor instead of repairing it which will cost you a hefty sum especially for the high tier armors. Not that it's hard to make money really, it's not. If you know what vendors to use you can make a killing but I just don't think it's necessary to spend money unnecessarily especially when you can repair your armor and save thousands.
hey man great video! always wanted to know the differences between the stalker games and the mods like gamma!
I started with Clear Sky and now I’m going through Shadow of Chernobyl.
Good video. As an oldfag who did indeed start with the version 1.0 of SoC way back in early 2007, I find it just insulting that so many people home-in towards megamods like Anomaly or Gamma, not even giving the vanilla GAMES a shot. They're absolutely timeless masterpieces all (patched) vanilla. I do recommend some bugfixers, like the ZRP and SRP, for SoC and CS though.
One thing though: I noticed that you were playing SoC on the "Static Lighting" (DX8) mode. Was that on purpose, or did you not even know that there is a much, much prettier DX9 mode?
DX8 is essentially 2003 mode, pre-baked lighting and no normal mapping. It looks kinda nice, but the fully dynamic DX9 mode really makes it look like a borderline 2010s game.
Hearing 'oldfag' when referring to game that released in 07 is crazy to me haha. I still remember watching my dad play these games back then, I wasn't even ten years old! Revisiting these now has been such a great experience. Noted on the DX version, I'll have to double check that when I get off work! Appreciate you watching and commenting man!
I just picked up the stalker bundle in the steam sale for just under £6. It's taking some getting used to but I'm enjoying it so far.
You mentioned using texture mods and ZRP together, but ZRP warns against using other mods, would that be referring to mechanic altering mods rather than just textures?
It was helpful! Thanks man!
The major issue with SoC is that the first 30 min to 1hr is basically the game stomping you in the groin when all you have is the Makarov and sawn off. Yes there's ways to get an early AK and gear but you need to find walkthrough/tips videos. And I would argue the game needs to start that way for progression to have meaning. You start SoC as a vulnerable and outgunned stalker and by the end you are a veteran of the Zone. It's just hard to convince someone to just push through with his pea shooter and wait for it to get better.
nice video it helped a lot even tho im now planning to play cop idk if its just me but i feel the voice is a lil bit low
Some feedback, as requested. It would be nice to see your uploads in their true aspect ratio, as opposed to a stretched ultrawide and crank up the volume a little bit please 😄
Another thing with audio, if you export your voiceover track by itself and process it through Adobe Enhanced Speech you will get surprisingly good denoising and mastering, to avoid it sounding too processed I usually just sync it up with the original audio file (instead of just replacing it) in the video editing software. Welcome to the STALKER sphere of content creation... it's great and strange, but mainly great!
Very good video
handsome chap
Good video, agree with most of the points, only critique I have is about the video itself, your voice is extremely quiet, bump up the volume in editing next time around, also the aspect ratio giving the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen is a little off putting but its a minor nitpick.
Would you recommend playing SoC on Master difficulty? I started my first playthrough on it based on recommendations but I can't say I'm having a good time as enemies tend to be bullet sponges, even when I try to go for headshots as much as possible. Last night I just threw my hands in the air and quit after I unloaded five AK rounds in some dude's face at point blank range and he didn't even flinch. Watching your gameplay footage here makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong. 🤔
It could be that I come primarily from retro FPSes, so I'm not used to this sort of gameplay. The only Stalker-like I played and adored was Chernobylite. As far as pure tactical FPS goes, I'm also experienced with Counter-Strike 🤪
Great vid btw. Appreciate it.
Try cranking the difficulty up, it should help with human enemies especially. Just remember to use cover a lot more & don't forget you can lean out of cover, that Counter-Strike experience should actually help out there! I had it on a higher difficulty in this vid, I also had the quick fire AK you can find, so it shoots faster & enemies drop quicker. Thanks for commenting & hope this helps!
@@Milkfingers458 Thanks for the reply man. When you say "crack up the difficulty", do you mean through mods? I'm already playing on Master and as you said in the video, mods like Autumn Aurora do make the game harder. Don't think I wanna mess with extensive mods yet tho, because I want the "authentic" experience (not to mention the atmosphere is so damn good, I don't want graphics mods to change it too much). I understand recommending mods though. I'm a Deus Ex fan and the first thing newcomers of that game ask is what mods to use because yeah, that game is pretty janky too.
I think I'll just keep trudging along and hope for the best. Everyone has recommended this game to me so I owe it to myself to play it. 👍
SoC is really janky with how it handles gunplay. If firing in full auto, each bullet after the first shot fired actually does LESS damage and progressively worse. You’re actually better off leaving the fire selector in semiautomatic and learning to have a quick trigger finger. As for difficulty making it “easier,” not so. It’s a bit of an old thing that has been said all through the life of the game to play on Master instead of the lower difficulties. The damage *you* inflict for not change through the difficulty settings. The difficulty I believe also affects how much munitions you find off corpses and such. As for mods like Autumn Aurora, it makes *everything* easier to kill, including yourself. So if you aren’t one to take it slow, check your corners and handle gunfights, it can put a damper on the experience. For me, I enjoy the vanilla experience of SoC. Gunplay aside, the crusty graphics feel so right regarding the desolate and wasteland aesthetics of the Zone.
Cheeki breeki!
I started with Soc but noticed that I was getting a little bit bored after I completed it so I watched Lore videos about the 2 other Games each 2h long (In German). After that I played anomaly before I got myself to play clear sky and call of pripyat. Now I am playing Gamma only
But I wouldnt recommend skipping all 3 OG Games because you may know whats going on Story-wise, but never Gameplay-wise
My question is thus... Can a man without knowledge of prior stalker games, read 'Roadside Picnic' and jump straight into playing anomaly, considering his newly found obsession, and deep understanding of its concept? Can he survive? Will he learn how to become a true stalker; Regardless of the challenge, if the book alone has made him invested? We know the book does not contain account of mutant activity, but will he adapt to the zone's new threats?
Best games ever
Good video and now we have console players to convert hehe.
First video? It did not seem like that, well made.
I really like GAMMA & I've never played another stalker game ever, I'd never even heard the term outside the stalker 2 trailer, But that seems like release is far away..
There's something about running 540 mods on top of a modded title that I really like. They did a good job on it.
Easiest way is to just play the game on master and don't expect to be treated like an all powerful god character, this game doesn't give two craps about 'You' the player and it WILL let you know it lol love the STALKER franchise for that simple fact.
I am playing cs for the first time I heard it was a prequel to soc. I’m at the part where I have to get my stuff back in the swamp. On one hand I have to escape a pack of dogs on the other hand I’m going to be surrounded by zombies with guns.
Ah enjoy it man! Clear Sky is actually my favourite, once you get past a few of the issues that is!
Great video. Subbed
A lovely video! Well done brother. I will say, my only critiques are that 1.) anomaly does have a story! It's not just a larp. There are 3 chapters. Now, whether they are good or not are up for debate. But they exist! 2.) Can you turn the mixing for your voice up a little :)
Thanks friend! Appreciate the feedback and yeah listening to this back made me go out and by a much MUCH better mic haha.
Analmeme's story is in no way comparable to the original trilogy's CAMPAIGNS. All you're doing is generic fetch quests for generic NPCs.
No set pieces, no cinematics, no "ultimate goal".
@@GugureSux I never said that the main campaign of anomaly was good, but it does exist. I thought it was fun for what it is, though lacking inspiration. The first chapter is almost a 1-1 retread of SoC, the second chapter is a little interesting with the fight against Sin (albeit overly bombastic with the fight in the generators and abandoned hospital) and the third chapter just feels like an epilogue. It's a free game with lots of features in a fun setting made by guys in their basement, I don't know why you guys expect the epitome of gaming 😂
@@claytonmoore8472analmeme story is doodoo
also call of Pripyat is a must play along with soc
while the overall story is not as good as soc but the side quest and the way GCS rote the character's 100% makes up for that and i would say the side quest are on par with the one's from the Witcher and that says a lot
the fact that you're effecting the story thought-out the entire game and that you well likely not realize that show how well made call of Pripyat's narrative is and that is something most games even today do not do well
also the character's i would say call of Pripyat does a great job at making the characters entrusting two examples being cardan and vano
overall it's an experience not worth missing and while it only has 3 maps i don't think that brigs down how great the game is and how much effort GSC put in
What about Antology? I heard it lets you experience the first 3 games stories on the Anomaly base
are we still playing stalker ?
I have been playing moded stalker for years and fired up stalker soc on my rtx 4090 in 1440p 8x msaa and no mods and it felt amazing in moded ❤
Thanks for the vid. I’ve been wanting to get into stalker and tried anomaly but I just don’t know what I’m doing. I will definitely try out the actual games
Wanna try yer hand at some Zone Sportsmanship Challenges?
Getting the correct aspect ratio would be a good start, your image is stretched.
good video. turn yo damn mic up tho dayumn
FYI: Volume is really low.
I always suggested Complete for the dedication to the original ambience. I am inclined to think now that Radiophobia 3 is the way to play SOC now...a bit difficult but fun.
Still haven't checked out Radiophobia, I'll have to have a look after my Lost Alpha playthrough if I'm not all Stalkered out by then.
Complete mods are absolute SHIT. I don't know why people are still recommending that trash over 15 years later, but they were obsolete already decades ago, and make the games absolutely casual-tier easy. The visual changes also leave A LOT to be desired.
@@GugureSuxol “ArtistPavel” definitely engrained himself with the original trilogy, for better or worse. (IMO,worse)
thanks bud
the only critique i have for this vid is its quite quiet for me in comparison to the rest of my yt but really good otherwise
So what tips do you have when theres no mods? (Playing on PS5)
Can't speak for consoles, but I'd suggest experimenting with the difficulty to find what suits you. The game relies a lot on trial and error especially for newer players so stick with it and you'll have a blast!
@Milkfingers458 I'm enjoying all of that, but I'm struggling to workout how to safely cross the trainline near the start with getting electrocuted in the underpass / tunnel under it! 😞
@@cutthr0atjake заплати 500 монет военному на блокпосте и иди спокойно, либо найди намного правее разорванную колючку.
Links below:
My Twitch: www.twitch.tv/milkfingers458
Mods
ZRP: www.metacognix.com/files/stlkrsoc/index.html
How to Install: www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/3d4re8/newbie_here_how_do_i_install_zone_reclamation
Photo Realistic Zone: www.moddb.com/mods/photo-realistic-zone-2/downloads/photo-realistic-zone-21
How to install: www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/3cbyag/need_help_installing_photo_realistic_zone_2/
Autumn Aurora 2: www.moddb.com/mods/autumn-aurora-compilation-mod/downloads/autumn-aurora-21-by-autumnal-wanderers
How to Install: steamcommunity.com/app/4500/discussions/0/37470848469755854/?l=german
STALKER Complete: www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-complete-2009
You should pin this comment
@@Shakerini-tf7fp I was gonna when I uploaded but RUclips needs you to verify your account to do that for some fuckin reason lol, thanks for reminding me tho!
@@Milkfingers458 dont worry, i didnt know you had to verify your account
i personally recomment people to play shadow of cernobyl ogsr gunslinger, its a remake of the first game with great animations and gunplay while keeping the original content intact , its hella fun and a great time for anyone who doesnt want to deal with the dated gameplay of the first game
@@cykablyat3680 tbf the vanilla version isnt that bad, at least on normal difficulty, it still holds on pretty well
Is there perhaps a mod that not only improves the gameplay but also adds more quality hand animations while also keeping the entire story of SoC completely vanilla?
I've been asking many people for that and they offered quite a few mods, but just couldn't get the hint that I *don't* want any missions that aren't included in the base game.
I only wish for a mod that STRICTLY improves the gameplay. It doesn't tamper with any mission, ever, doesn't add any new missions, ever.
The story stays completely untouched and the only thing that's been tampered with is the gameplay.
Sounds like you are looking for something like Gunslinger, which is a mod for Call of Pripyat. There are versions that I believe work with SoC too, you'll need to do some searching though as the set-up is probably quite different. I've found this link:
www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/15g7edl/found_a_very_good_gunslinger_implemen_tation_for/
Which might work for you, I've not used it personally but if you do some searching around you might find install instructions. Good luck!
@@Milkfingers458 Gotcha
I love the OG games so much. Im dragging myself through gamma right now. The weapon progression in gamma is absolute trash. I feel like i spend more time looking for parts than doing tasks
cannot hear a thing
Stalker Anonaly did it for me, i recommend it to everyone AND is free. Watch stalker videos to know the story of the first three games and the lore and then play Anomaly. Its awesome. (Or watch the content as you play through, its awesome)
no
Or how about you stop being a twat and just play the originals
Game now on console
And I am full in 😅
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. actually stands for 'Stalker'. This was done to avoid legal problems from using the name of the movie on which the game is based. The stuff you mention was made up later. Keep in mind that you are using English words for each letter...
👂👂🔊🔊
algo
I played Stalker way back in 2007 when was launched... Today I installed Anomaly and wanted to try GAMMA, I could not download GAMMA, always getting - Check Internet connection
Disable Antivirus before installation
@@official_marked_one I was having a problem downloading the game, not installing it, but I managed to download it eventually
But like Gamma has a story mode???
yeah but it fucking sucks
Stalker dropped on console. It's definitely jank as all hell, and could have been better ported, I feel. But I keep wanting to play more, despite that.
Camera is fine, but get a proper mic and work on normalizing the levels.
Good luck.
mfer playin this game on a fridge monitor or what its so wiiide
Long story short just play call of pripyat
Just... don't.
STALKERS FINALLY ON CONSOLE BRO!!! THANK YOU FOR THE TIPS TOO!
Been hoping a day like this would come 🥲🥲
Yo USO, Luv From DownUnda 🇦🇺💙🫱🏻🫲🏽
I started with GAMMA and I don't regret it, that mod pack allows me to customise my experience to roleplay how I want.
I've watched a boatload of lore videos and even gave my guy a background & motivation to be in the Zone (which I later learned has some similarities with the book's protagonist.)
And while I never played the originals, because in 2007 I was on a console stint, I did follow development and I solely blame them for me wanting to and actually visiting Chernobyl back in 2011.
I despise gatekeeping behaviour, if I'm enthusiastic about something I'd want to share that with as many others as I can. I'll probably play the originals at some point (I do have them on steam already) but for now I'm too engrossed in the 80 hours of my own story.