STALKER , dev update

[SAJ]

Where do we stand?

As of today we are working on the game’s storyline. After conclusively play-testing the first version, we came to the conclusion that the result was below-par and didn’t live up to our own expectations and high standards. As a result we undertook a broad review of the story and key design areas of the game, looking particularly at the interaction of the plot with the life simulation.

Once key areas were identified we were able to work on filling out the content of the game world and being the process of polishing and balancing. At the same time, we are working hard to refine the AI, life simulation, the PDA interactivity, bug fixing and optimising the game to run on lower-spec machines. The ‘eye candy’ is also getting a major overhaul…


What has been achieved to-date and what remains to be done?

Now that the game components have been put together we are pleased to be able to say that we have some thrilling gameplay – the key thing! Once we acknowledged that the project was going to deliver a first person title quite unlike any other, we were able to look towards refining and balancing the gameplay. On top of that we are continuing to receive great support and feedback from our Publisher, and we’ve been able to use their extensive knowledge and familiarity with the market to ensure that we have a truly unique and compelling gameplay experience.

The game itself is different from anything else out there, in particularly the life simulation and open-world gameplay mechanics. This has proven to be very time-consuming to polish and debug – a major headache for us! We especially wanted newbies to be able to pick up and play the game, meaning that accessibility became paramount in the design. While we have been able to retain the depth and feel of the game, we feel that by making maximum use of the in-game PDA, we will be able to ensure that at no point do people feel that they are lost or directionless.

We have also continued to work on the AI in the game and we’re particularly happy with the way our stalkers react to one another and to other stalkers; while they’re certainly challenging to attack, they don’t actually ‘cheat’, but react according to their situation and make decisions depending on the player’s actions. Once you understand that the underlying AI reflects true-life situations then the combat becomes all the more engaging, realising that a simple mistake could be the end of you brings a real intensity to the action! We have also been working hard to make sure that the life of the other AI stalkers in the game is just as engaging as your own; they talk, tell jokes, drink, sleep, etc. The community has been particularly useful in this context; fans have contributed to all the jokes and stories that the stalkers tell while relaxing around a campfire.

Andrew Prokhorov
Project Lead/Lead Designer
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

Source: http://stalker.myexp.de/en/index.php?site=newscomment2.php&id=1910

 

[DeusExMachina]

Sounds good. There's plenty of good games to hold me down until this game comes out so I happily await its release.

 

[DrDevin]

Sounds good. There's plenty of good games to hold me down until this game comes out so I happily await its release.

Agreed. Although I have been looking forward to STALKER for some time now.

Hey maybe there will be another leak so we can tell if they really have made it better

 

[Xune]

So the story, graphics ("eye candy") and AI are all sub par. This is something I'd expect to be hearing from a game that had only just gone alpha, not a tilte well into it's beta stages and is supposedly being held back for final touches.

It's an ambitious project to be sure and I'd sure love to play the game they describe. That's the problem however; what they describe and what they tell us about the game are miles apart.

The only positive thing out of all of this is that their publishers seem to be extremely lenient, I can only imagine what monstrocity would have been released to us if EA or Atari had been the publishers.

 

[Solaris]

^Agreed, it looks great lets give them time.

 

[Gorgon]

awsome, This is going to be a great game indeed. at least 5 months left.

 

[Lucid]

[sarcasm]Wait, what's STALKER?[/sarcasm]

 

[Asuka]

Sounds very good, another game i cant wait for.

 

[Reginald]

If this turns out as good as they promised, it will be immense. Shame they delayed it so often that I lost most interest. When the final date is announced, I will probably become more excited.

 

[MultiVaC]

I really want Stalker, but I want it to live up to people's expectations. I'm glad they're taking their time.

BTW, lol at the googleads, "Are you being stalked?"

 

[Max35]

So the story, graphics ("eye candy") and AI are all sub par. This is something I'd expect to be hearing from a game that had only just gone alpha, not a tilte well into it's beta stages and is supposedly being held back for final touches.
QUOTE]

Well, one thing that needs to be understood is the fact that Stalker IS very ambitious, with a large, non-linear world so fine-tuning the AI and story may take more than a few iterations. Stalker has the potential to be one of the best shooters ever, if done right. A great (supposedly) story wrapped in a non-linear world, and hopefully realisitc AI. Thing is, all of these features are Sup par to THEM, it may have suited another company just fine. They're going for something legendary here. And judging from their determination bodering on perfectionalism, we may just get that. HL2 took six years, and it was an outstanding game. Just be patient. Although, if Stalker doesn't come out next year sometime, then I'll get a little irritated.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

well its good news that this game won't be hitting stores this year because theres a few good titles coming out and since this game needed a re-work, it could be a blessing in disguise.

anyway hopefully they do it right this time.

 

[chu]

Let me know when the game is within one week of release, then I will start to care.

 

[Absinthe]

I really want this game to succeed. But I've been getting increasingly skeptical. The ambition of the title was immense to begin with, and the constant delays (and the reasoning behind them) don't bode well in my book.

Hopefully they can pull a Half-Life; spent the first time through learning how to make a game. On the second time through, they applied their lessons.

 

[chu]

I really want this game to succeed. But I've been getting increasingly skeptical. The ambition of the title was immense to begin with, and the constant delays (and the reasoning behind them) don't bode well in my book.

Hopefully they can pull a Half-Life; spent the first time through learning how to make a game. On the second time through, they applied their lessons.

Let's hope they don't pull a Duke Nukem Forever :cheers: