S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Preview
Expect an open-ended storyline coupled with a world that revolves around you and doesn't wait for your push
by Jebus
previewed on PC
Remember Chernobyl?
Joining the talk about "Glow-in-the-Dark Sheep" and other things associated with the 1986 natural disaster comes the FPS S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl. This Vaporware award-winner is set in the aftermath of a fictitious 2nd explosion at the power plant, and features an open-ended, non-linear storyline, boasting an intuitive way of playing a first-person shooter.
The idea is that you are a "Stalker", which is basically a mercenary hunter or scavenger. You are "stalking" in "The Zone" (the quarantine area surrounding Chernobyl), for 'artefacts'. These artefacts have been recently discovered in and around "the Zone", and they fetch quite a good price on the black market. Your occupation is not an un-competitive one. During your exploration you will no doubt cross the paths of many other stalkers, as well as scientists and traders.
Long in development
This game was presented in 2001, and was scheduled for release in 2003. Sadly, the continuous moving of the release date, and tweaking, has resulted in the release being moved all the way until march this year. When it was announced, the audiences were awe-struck by its innovation and graphical engine. Now, with the acclaimed X-Ray Engine in tow, which will make the most of DirectX 9, with up to 1 Million pixels on screen, fans are beginning to worry whether the ideas, which seemed novel back in 2001, will still impress once GSC Game World manage to get this game out of the door.
Scavengin' for radioactive loot
In the single player game, the player is able to scavenge for artefacts immediately, with a starting basis of a minimal amount of equipment, no contacts - just an open space of over 4 square kilometres, and that's not excluding Chernobyl itself. The player uses a variety of upgradeable weapons, each with variable types of ammunition, to battle not only other scavengers, but also mutants, zombies, animals, beasts, not to mention the military. Your reward for such peril? Artefacts. They can either be kept for their unique powers (such as not having to eat or drink indefinitely... at the cost of susceptibility to radiation), or sell them to traders for money.
These traders are one of many different types of NPCs, and they all have their own characteristics. Depending on how you, the player, act and react to this world presented to you, the NPCs will adapt. The traders are all too happy to slice your throat and take the artefact from you, so it's in your best interest to cater to their needs and strike up a friendly deal. The system works similarly with other stalkers; their behaviour depends on how you treat them. When approaching a stalker more experienced than you, their "code" states that you first greet each other, then disarm yourselves, followed by peaceful trading where you can swap weapons, ammo and artefacts - but only if that is how you want to interact with other stalkers.
World that actually works around you
The AI in the game has been dubbed "A-Life". This system enables the NPCs to interact with each other independently of the player's involvement. Gone are the days of "Scripts and Triggers". Players will no longer have to think about how to initiate the next cut-scene, or wait for the next NPC to run into view before the objective is complete. While the player is doing one thing, it is possible for a group of Stalkers to be in combat with a pack of mutants, and for events to unfold - completely outside the influence of the player. This, coupled with a real-time day and night cycle enables the player to not only have a different experience each play through, but also to enjoy a world filled with NPCs who appear to forge a sense of dynamism amongst the ranks.
The environment itself is promising to be as open-ended as the story, with no restrictions. The deeper you go into Chernobyl, the more dangerous the foes, the more twisted the mutants, the more curious the plot. The only way to survive is to find out how you "stalk" best, whether it's through hoarding artefacts and killing stealthily, or trading them in for huge upgraded weapons - it's up to you. Even if this game is beheld with a certain degree of fear amongst its own community, it still certainly holds enough originality to be worth keeping an eye on. Expect this to hit the shelves in Europe in March, providing it isn't held back for another few years.
